Upsilon Acrux is an American

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

formed in 1998.

History

Upsilon Acrux first appeared on record on a 1998 compilation entitled ''Trummerflora 2''. Soon after they contributed a song to a compilation entitled ''Before the Pirates Came''. They went from a 4 piece to a 3 piece before releasing 2002's ''Last Train Out''. They expanded to a five-piece, including two drummers for ''Volucris Avis Dirae-Arum'' in 2004. By 2005 they had done away with the dual-drummer setup, and signed with

Cuneiform Records Cuneiform Records is a record label in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1984, the label releases a mixture of musical styles, all with a Rock in Opposition aesthetic, including progressive jazz, jazz fusion, the Canterbury scene, and electron ...

later in the year. 2007 saw the release of their first album for Cuneiform, ''Galapagos Momentum''. They released their sixth full-length album, entitled ''Radian Futura'', on May 19, 2009. In 2015, on April 14, they released a new album called ''Sun Square Dialect''.

Releases

''Galapagos Momentum''

The lineup of Applehans, Kiersnowski (the King), Lai and Miller (Ice) performed for two years, recording ''Galapagos Momentum'' in 2006. Before the recording was pressed, a new incarnation was assembled with Cobb (McEnroe, Bart Garfunkel), Lai, Meszler (Mezz, Meszloforte), Moeggenberg (Moeggen) and Sataman (Martron, Marty-Party) in March 2007. This new lineup promoted ''Galapagos'' throughout the U.S. in summer 2007. The album was critically acclaimed, earning a number 2 position on Organ Magazine's end of the year album list. The group would share stages with

The Locust The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, known for their mix of grindcore aggression and new wave experimentation. The band has been noted for their use of insect costumes when performing live. History Prio ...

, Qui,

Tatsuya Yoshida (born 9 January 1961) is a Japanese musician, drummer and composer who is the only consistent member of the renowned progressive rock duo Ruins, as well as of Koenji Hyakkei. He is also a member of the progressive rock trios Korekyojinn and Da ...

, Polar Goldie Cats,

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, and

Cheer-Accident Cheer-Accident is an American progressive rock ensemble headed by Thymme Jones. Jones took the name of the band from a Hallmark Cards shopping display, and first formed the group in 1981 with singer Jim Drummond and drummer Mike Greenlees. Bi ...

. On November 17, 2007, Upsilon Acrux played the Barking Tuna Fest in

Kalamazoo, MI Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area in southwestern Michigan ...

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followed.

''Radian Futura''

In December 2007, Upsilon began work on their magnum opus, "Transparent Seas (Radio Edit)". On June 6, 2008, the song was premiered at Cafe Mariposa in Echo Park, CA. ''Radian Futura'' was released on CD by

Cuneiform Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...

and in September 2009 on vinyl by Thin Wrist Recordings. Upsilon promoted the album nationally and on a month-long jaunt in Europe, autumn 2009. The album was met with critical acclaim, and the band shared stages with

Yowie The Yowie is one of several names for an Australian folklore entity that is reputed to live in the Outback. The creature has origins in Aboriginal oral history. Etymology and Regional Names * In parts of Queensland, it is known as a ''Quinki ...

, Ahleuchatistas, Zs, Bad Dudes,

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (6 March 1941 – 22 June 2023) was a German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist regarded as a central and pioneering figure in European free jazz. Throughout his career, he released over fifty albums as a bandleader. Amongst his m ...

Honey Ride Me a Goat Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants ...

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been a guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex, a percussionist. He has wor ...

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, and Peter Kolovos. On September 18, 2009, Upsilon performed for a crowd of over 400 at the Gertje Fest 5 at the Landbouwebelang in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

. Upon the group's return from its European tour, Upsilon Acrux performed a 70-minute set at

The Smell The Smell is an all-ages, alcohol and drug-free, punk rock and experimental music venue in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The Smell, notable for its DIY ethic, is home to many of the area's avant-garde performers and artists. The venue is main ...

. The concert was professionally mixed and recorded.

Personnel

Paul Lai has remained with the group since its inception. ;Current lineup (2010–present) * Paul Lai – guitar *Noah Guevara – guitar *Patrick Shiroishi- Rhodes/sax *Mark Kimbrell – drums *Dylan Fujioka – drums ;Founding members * Paul Lai – guitar, Moog *Cameron Presley – guitars, Moog *Tommy Cutler – bass, vocals ;Former Members * Chris Meszler – drums * David Moeggenberg – guitar *Phil Cobb – Moog * Marty Sataman – bass *Jesse (Klecker) Applehans – drums *Eric Kiersnowski – bass * Nick Lejejs – Moog * Brady Miller – guitar *Josh Quon – bass *Muir Tennerstet – bass *Derek Bruns – drums ;Guest musicians *

Devin Sarno Devin Sarno (born in Glendale, California in 1966) began CRIB in early 1990 as a solo bass sound project focusing on improvised subsonics. Over the course of a decade (and over a dozen recordings) his music evolved from high volume feedback exp ...

– bass (''Last Pirates of Upsilon'') *

Bobb Bruno Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009, currently on hiatus. The band consisted of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a form ...

– bass (''Last Pirates of Upsilon'', ''Last Train Out'') * Glen (Galaxy) Galloway – baritone sax (''In the Acrux of the Upsilon King'') * Brady Miller- drums, drum programming (''Radian Futura'') *Mike Armstrong – saxophone (''Radian Futura'', ''White LP'') * Peter Kolovos – guitar (''White LP'') *

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

– harmonica (''Last Pirates of Upsilon'')

Discography

* 1999 ''In the Acrux of the Upsilon King'' ( Accretions Records) * 1999 ''The Last Pirates of Upsilon'' ( Win Records) * 2002 ''Last Train Out'' ( Hactivist Records) * 2004 ''Volucris Avis Dirae-Arum'' ( Planaria Recordings CD / Epicene Records vinyl) * 2006 ''Last Train Out'' ( Daft Alliance vinyl reissue) * 2007 ''Galapagos Momentum'' (

) * 2009 ''Radian Futura'' (

) * 2009 ''White LP'' (split w/

Honey Ride Me A Goat Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants ...

) ( Kitchen Dweller Records) * 2015 ''Sun Square Dialect'' ( New Atlantis Records)

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Los Angeles Cuneiform Records artists Progressive rock musical groups from California