 An earlier post described a "radio musical" I heard several years back by Electro musician and performance artist Monotrona (it might be called the first Electro opera.) I taped it on cassette and am now posting it here in all its hissy, lo-fi glory. [36 min, 33.6MB] Here's what I wrote before: I first heard Monotrona on the Stork Club on WFMU-FM (a sadly missed live music show), around '97 or '98, performing "Joey, a Mechanical Boy,” which was described as the "fourth in a 14-section work called the 'Fourteen Imitations of Man.'" The story--told in music and dialogue, all performed by the artist using a variety of accents, vocoderlike filters, etc.--was extremely weird. Joey is an ectopically-spawned robot child who goes to work for NASA. His mother, in a ridiculous Chicago accent, tries to reach him on the phone and is headed off by the "Dark Technical Force," a gnostic demiurge that has a strange hold over Joey. Meanwhile, two shadowy government operatives discuss a rogue scientific scheme to create a ManWoman. The piezoelectric puppet show includes some really beautiful songs in the Chrome/Suicide/Throbbing Gristle postpunk vein, performed with buzzy, distorted keyboards. After the performance, Stork described Monotrona's equipment for listeners as "a mountain of unpatented cheap toy electronics adapted for her use--an indescribable array of electronics centered around a Casio machine, using light sabres, pistols, all sorts of mixers, and an oscillating device that looks like a little recipe box with two joysticks coming out of it..."
Combining music and stand-up with the sheer Cage-ean randomness of these toy store electronics, "Joey" is brilliant even in a crappy, taped-off-the-radio recording. The bleeping, buzzing acoustics wed the arcade with the abyss, as Joey struggles to master simple digestive and muscular functions under the tutelage of a scary voice recalling Tron's Master Control Program. Monotrona is considerably more than just an entertainer or proto-Electroclash musician or what have you (although her recent songs are tight, smart pop): she is a poet of the "dark technology" embracing us whether we hug back or not. (video still from punkcast 237)
Well that's flipping awesome. Tommy meets Dr. Who with a dash of South Park and pinch of Kristin Lucas. It's dense - I love the mother character and the way she keeps saying "as you know." Also the rock opera rocks out big time for the whole second half. Thank you very very much for posting this. I think I will go and listen to it about 17 more times now. Wish I could show y'all Michael Balser's videosRocket Science and Popular Science in return. Sadly, this late great doesn't have any web presence. Maybe I'll start a fan site ...
Good comparison re: Tommy: in my first draft I said "Electro operetta," took it out, and have since added it back in the first sentence as "Electro opera" because I think the rock opera analogy is solid. Also, the Lucas connection: I'll be curious to get Kristin's take on this.
Here's what I collected off the internet about Monotrona in 2002, when I first wrote about her. She's kind of a mystery woman. Her website, launched around the time of the Hawkeye and Firebird CD, is half-finished and hasn't been updated since. Bill knows about Mr. Quintron, her erstwhile performance partner--a WFMU favorite. I know very little about him, though. Here's the infodump (can't vouch for the links):
Upon first seeing the robed, glow-in-the-blacklight performance artist/superhero/lo-fi synth mistress Monotrona last year, chanting distorted gibberish while striking imposing stances onstage, we were ready to beleive she was from outer space. However, evidence of her involvement in Duotron (with New Orlean's Mr. Quintron) canceled that theory, and recent reports link her to New York. Her songs have something to do with the cosmology of a set of superbeings, of which "Hawkeye & Firebird" represent the heroine/slave. Or something; I guess we'll find out when her website is built up more. This is frantic, weird, sugary-to-sinister synth ultra-pop videogame music, sung in a language resembling bizarro japanese- and there's a smashing cover of Doo Rag's "Thermos Malling's Coin." Like a J-pop Matthew Ritchie trapped in a gameboy, Monotrona has created a strange, alternate universe, governed by it's own gods and languages -- definitely an interesting place to spend the next 20 minutes. --Aquarius Records blurb.
Before Outhud there was Monotrona, an electro faux-samurai who sang about honor and pacman. She was a big hit with the crowd. In the song here you'll see me having difficulty keeping up as she ricochets around the stage in a pacman-inspired dance number.
MONOTRONA "Ooka Meets Jing Pow Ki Poo" LP
Like a very strange storybook this one woman project (of Math and Duotron fame) belts out the science of being totally-off-your-rocker. Her live performances are equally renowned displays of schizophrenic theatre. Part-comedy, Part-music, Part science fiction, more than a record...it's a voyage! --Eerie Materials homepage (outfit that released LP--don't know if it's still available) [UPDATE: new eerie materials CD and LP page is up; description now reads "Jodo (of Math & Duotron infamy) creates a one-woman percussion & science gear extravaganza. More than a record; it's a noisy storybook!"--Jodie or Jody is Monotrona's real first name, I've learned]
DUOTRON
Formed 1994
Rikkeh Suhtn came from Ann Arbor, MI via Jackson, Mississippi. He was in numerous (hundreds, reputedly) "concept" bands with Bulb Records honcho Peter Larson. His band Cornelius Gomez (featuring Couch drummers Charlie and Jeff) recorded one seven inch for Bulb in 1993. Rikkeh relocated to Chicago and revived Cornelius Gomez briefly with Odi Mm'kkahn on drums and Weasel Walter on bass, before ditching Walter to form Duotron. Rikkeh helped book and run the 6 Odum venue and also played other bands incl. GO! in Chicago before bailing to San Francisco in 1997. Currently he's reported lost in Los Angeles.
Odi Mm'kkahn is one of the Old Ones and has been alive for one million years. Duotron deceased in 1996 when Odi/Jodie/Jodo relocated to Portland, Oregon where she became Monotrona and proprietress of the Poop Parlor. Monotrona re-relocated to Newark, NJ in January, 1998.
The band toured the east and west coast in 1995, and played in the Wisconsin Dells. "Duotron" is also a pinball machine. For further information, see Bananafish #10 article with Couch and Snipehunt #28 interview
rikkeh suhtn: guitar, vocals, etc.
odi km'kkahn: drums, vocals, etc. (see also: Dot Dot Dot, Monotrona, Math.)
--from google cache of a now-defunct link
thanks for the credits
i've had no luck contacting her since i serendiptously filmed that bit for punkcast, or indeed heard anything more at all
i've downloaded your piece and will listen with interest
joly
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An earlier post described a "radio musical" I heard several years back by Electro musician and performance artist Monotrona (it might be called the first Electro opera.) I taped it on cassette and am now posting it here in all its hissy, lo-fi glory. [36 min, 33.6MB] Here's what I wrote before:
Combining music and stand-up with the sheer Cage-ean randomness of these toy store electronics, "Joey" is brilliant even in a crappy, taped-off-the-radio recording. The bleeping, buzzing acoustics wed the arcade with the abyss, as Joey struggles to master simple digestive and muscular functions under the tutelage of a scary voice recalling Tron's Master Control Program. Monotrona is considerably more than just an entertainer or proto-Electroclash musician or what have you (although her recent songs are tight, smart pop): she is a poet of the "dark technology" embracing us whether we hug back or not. (video still from punkcast 237)- tom moody 3-26-2004 9:05 am
Well that's flipping awesome. Tommy meets Dr. Who with a dash of South Park and pinch of Kristin Lucas. It's dense - I love the mother character and the way she keeps saying "as you know." Also the rock opera rocks out big time for the whole second half. Thank you very very much for posting this. I think I will go and listen to it about 17 more times now. Wish I could show y'all Michael Balser's videosRocket Science and Popular Science in return. Sadly, this late great doesn't have any web presence. Maybe I'll start a fan site ...
- sally mckay 3-26-2004 6:28 pm
Good comparison re: Tommy: in my first draft I said "Electro operetta," took it out, and have since added it back in the first sentence as "Electro opera" because I think the rock opera analogy is solid. Also, the Lucas connection: I'll be curious to get Kristin's take on this.
Here's what I collected off the internet about Monotrona in 2002, when I first wrote about her. She's kind of a mystery woman. Her website, launched around the time of the Hawkeye and Firebird CD, is half-finished and hasn't been updated since. Bill knows about Mr. Quintron, her erstwhile performance partner--a WFMU favorite. I know very little about him, though. Here's the infodump (can't vouch for the links):
Upon first seeing the robed, glow-in-the-blacklight performance artist/superhero/lo-fi synth mistress Monotrona last year, chanting distorted gibberish while striking imposing stances onstage, we were ready to beleive she was from outer space. However, evidence of her involvement in Duotron (with New Orlean's Mr. Quintron) canceled that theory, and recent reports link her to New York. Her songs have something to do with the cosmology of a set of superbeings, of which "Hawkeye & Firebird" represent the heroine/slave. Or something; I guess we'll find out when her website is built up more. This is frantic, weird, sugary-to-sinister synth ultra-pop videogame music, sung in a language resembling bizarro japanese- and there's a smashing cover of Doo Rag's "Thermos Malling's Coin." Like a J-pop Matthew Ritchie trapped in a gameboy, Monotrona has created a strange, alternate universe, governed by it's own gods and languages -- definitely an interesting place to spend the next 20 minutes. --Aquarius Records blurb.
Before Outhud there was Monotrona, an electro faux-samurai who sang about honor and pacman. She was a big hit with the crowd. In the song here you'll see me having difficulty keeping up as she ricochets around the stage in a pacman-inspired dance number.
MONOTRONA "Ooka Meets Jing Pow Ki Poo" LP Like a very strange storybook this one woman project (of Math and Duotron fame) belts out the science of being totally-off-your-rocker. Her live performances are equally renowned displays of schizophrenic theatre. Part-comedy, Part-music, Part science fiction, more than a record...it's a voyage! --Eerie Materials homepage (outfit that released LP--don't know if it's still available) [UPDATE: new eerie materials CD and LP page is up; description now reads "Jodo (of Math & Duotron infamy) creates a one-woman percussion & science gear extravaganza. More than a record; it's a noisy storybook!"--Jodie or Jody is Monotrona's real first name, I've learned]
DUOTRON
Formed 1994
Rikkeh Suhtn came from Ann Arbor, MI via Jackson, Mississippi. He was in numerous (hundreds, reputedly) "concept" bands with Bulb Records honcho Peter Larson. His band Cornelius Gomez (featuring Couch drummers Charlie and Jeff) recorded one seven inch for Bulb in 1993. Rikkeh relocated to Chicago and revived Cornelius Gomez briefly with Odi Mm'kkahn on drums and Weasel Walter on bass, before ditching Walter to form Duotron. Rikkeh helped book and run the 6 Odum venue and also played other bands incl. GO! in Chicago before bailing to San Francisco in 1997. Currently he's reported lost in Los Angeles.
Odi Mm'kkahn is one of the Old Ones and has been alive for one million years. Duotron deceased in 1996 when Odi/Jodie/Jodo relocated to Portland, Oregon where she became Monotrona and proprietress of the Poop Parlor. Monotrona re-relocated to Newark, NJ in January, 1998.
The band toured the east and west coast in 1995, and played in the Wisconsin Dells. "Duotron" is also a pinball machine. For further information, see Bananafish #10 article with Couch and Snipehunt #28 interview
rikkeh suhtn: guitar, vocals, etc.
odi km'kkahn: drums, vocals, etc. (see also: Dot Dot Dot, Monotrona, Math.)
--from google cache of a now-defunct link
- tom moody 3-27-2004 10:15 pm
thanks for the credits i've had no luck contacting her since i serendiptously filmed that bit for punkcast, or indeed heard anything more at all i've downloaded your piece and will listen with interest joly
- wwwhatsup 1-01-2005 9:20 am