To Live and Shave in L.A.
| To Live and Shave in L.A. (TLASILA) | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Experimental / Noise Rock |
| Years active | 1993–2007 |
| Website | http://www.toliveandshaveinla.com |
| Members | Tom Smith Frank Falestra Ben Wolcott Weasel Walter Thurston Moore Nondor Nevai Mark Morgan Don Fleming Chris Grier Andrew W.K. Graham Moore Andrew Barranca Liz Armstrong Balazs Pandi Joke Lanz Mark Shellhaas Patrick Spurlock |
| Past members | The Lady Tigra Oscar Perez |
To Live and Shave in L.A. (TLASILA) is an experimental music collective founded in 1993 by avant-garde composer/producer Tom Smith (formerly of Washington, DC groups Peach of Immortality and Pussy Galore) and Miami Beach musician/producer Frank "Rat Bastard" Falestra. They were soon joined by oscillator player Ben Wolcott; this lineup created the majority of the releases in TLASILA's extensive discography. Its debut album, 30-minuten männercreme, was released in 1994. Bananafish Magazine described the recording as "a wind tunnel of 30-weight vitriol.[1]" The "wildly inaccessible" [2] ensemble has featured Don Fleming, Andrew W.K., Weasel Walter, Thurston Moore, and at least a dozen other musicians and sound artists. The group's primary aesthetic assertion posits that genre is "obsolete". Although often categorized as purveyors of noise music, TLASILA have been noted to pursue an unorthodox approach, "construct(ing) songs around an overwhelming plethora of sonic detail, challenging the listener to engage with a surfeit of information,"[3] deliberately blurring "the line between harsh metal-on-metal noise and abstract musique concrète."[4] Smith's lyrics "distance" the group "from any potential peers," "scanning like (they) came from some previously unearthed hermetic treatise."[5] Its final album, The Cortège, was released Fan Death Records in 2011.
Selected discography
- 30-minuten männercreme CD (Love Is Sharing Pharmaceuticals, 1994)
- Vedder Vedder Bedwetter CD (Fifth Column, 1995)
- An Interview with the Mitchell Brothers CD (Audible Hiss, 1995)
- Tonal Harmony CD (Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers, 1997)
- Where a Horse Has Been Standing and Where You Belong CD (Western Blot, 1998)
- Peter Criss vs. Peter Christopherson CD-R (Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers, 2000)
- The Wigmaker in Eighteenth Century Williamsburg 2xCD (Menlo Park Recordings, 2002)
- God and Country Rally! CD (The Smack Shire, 2004)
- Horóscopo: Sanatorio de Molière CD (Blossoming Noise, 2006)
- Noon and Eternity CD (Menlo Park Recordings, 2006)
- Les Tricoteuses CD (Savage Land Records, 2007)
- Like Other Painters of Her Generation... Split LP (with Totally Ripped) (Isolated Now Waves, 2008)
- Le Ceneri di.../Sun Hidden There Split CD-3 (with Harshcore) (Dukuro, 2008)
- Les poisons délectables C-40 (Tanzprocesz, 2009)
- The Cortège 12" LP (Fan Death Records, 2011)
- The Cortège CD (Thick Syrup Records, 2011)
References
- ↑ Glass, Seymour. "Record Reviews: To Live and Shave in L.A." Bananafish Magazine. 1994: Issue #10.
- ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa. "Pop and Jazz Guide: To Live and Shave in L.A." New York Times. 10 September 2004: E4.
- ↑ Brassier, Ray. "Genre is Obsolete." Multitudes #28. March 2007: 47.
- ↑ Sisario, Ben. " The Listings: May 11 - May 17." New York Times. 11 May 2007
- ↑ Keenan, David. "To Live and Shave in L.A.: Wigged Out." The Wire August 2002: 14
