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HARVEY BAINBRIDGE (England)
Beginning with the Hawklords in 1978 Harvey Bainbridge
became one of the longest-tenured Hawkwind veterans
to date, still performing with them from time to time.
Since the early 1980's Harvey has been periodically
releasing his solo works on the side (most recently
"Red Shift") and he also maintained a partnership
in the Alman Mulo Band for a time. Harvey has long ago
developed his own unique musical style and surrounds
himself with banks of keyboards, synthesizers, and tape
devices. Lyrically he's known for his socially relevant
commentaries, both humorous and insightful. His signature
Hawkwind compositions such as "T.V. Suicide",
"Mutation Zone", and "Back in the Box"
attest to the fact that Harvey has an acerbic wit and
certainly has helped Hawkwind maintain their legendary
underground status through the "Dark Ages"
of hair metal and new wave. Musically Bainbridge will
calm you with dreamy ambiance only to jolt your consciousness
awake with pulsing electronics and a direct vocal approach.
You can look forward to yet another rewarding audio
visual experience as he recreates (or even exceeds)
the transcendent atmosphere of his headlining performance
at last year's Strange Daze 2000 performing against
cosmic backdrop of The Solar Fire Lightshow once again!
MR. QUIMBY'S BEARD (England)
Hailing from Sunderland in the north of England, Mr.
Quimby's Beard has quickly commanded a great deal of
attention as the next in line of great British psychedelic
artists continuing in the long admired tradition of
Hawkwind, Here 'n' Now, and the Ozric Tentacles in the
UK. With three excellent Space Rock albums already in
the bank, we can only expect yet greater works of wonder
in the future from these relative newcomers to the psychedelic
multi-verse. Their debut CD "Out There" appeared
in 1995 on the Demi Monde label. Since then have continued
on with the dynamic family of psychedelic artists at
Stone Premonitions right through to their latest release
"The Definitive Unsolved Mysteries of Mr. Quimby's
Beard". MQB releases feature copious amounts of
swirly electronics from keyboardist Hardy amidst a mesmerizing
amalgam of cosmic lock groove anthems, reggae beats,
and blazing guitar leads. It's a tried-and-true recipe
that the five have now taken to another realm. The "SD
2001 Shrouded in Mystery American Tour" will feature
the first performances of Mr. Quimby's Beard on American
soil....and we're in for a real treat!
ALIEN PLANETSCAPES (New York City, Ny)
As the grandfathers of American Space Rock, numerous
phases of NYC's Alien Planetscapes have come and gone
since 1980. Sometimes more rock, other times a bit jazz-y
or electronic. Their champion and guiding force, known
to most as Dr. Synth (but to some of us as Doug Walker)
is at yet another crossroad. Who knows what will be
seen on stage at SD2001 this fall! Recently an album's
worth of synth/guitar instrumental music based on the
"Red Mars" trilogy of novels by Kim Stanley
Robinson was recorded featuring Doug with old time friend
and collaborator guitarist Rich Orlando. Alien Planetscapes
has lived for a long time sequestered in the cassette
underground of NYC and recently some of these great
works have again seen the light of day as limited edition
CD-R's that the band has released themselves. The easiest
way to get your grubby paws on some of these is to come
to the show! In the meantime check out their website
and pick up a copy of their '97 classic-of-the-future
"Life on Earth". It sounds nothing like that
and is actually more reminiscent of Life in Deep Space!
QUARKSPACE (Columbus, Oh)
Columbus, Ohio's very own Space Rock quartet, Quarkspace,
have baffled those of us who have attempted to sum up
the band into a neat little descriptive package and
I think they enjoy doing that to us. You will see them
alternately described as a prog band, a jam band, a
psych-folk band, an electronic band, etc...and they
are all of those! Their "Spacefolds" CD series
(now totaling seven releases) show off their improvisational
moments and the epic "Hidden Moon" two-CD
package reveals their unique song crafting and studio
prowess. In either situation you'll always hear intertwining
electric piano and piercing guitar leads. Sometimes
superimposed on freaky rhythmic loops (manually adjusted
midstream to preserve spontaneity) and at other times
drifting above the rumbly rhythm bass of Chet Santia.
Quarkspace is a 21st century solution to a nearly exhausted
1970s ethic (is Yes still touring?). Last year they
pioneered the two-day indoor SpaceRock festival thing
with Quarkstock 2000. It was one hell of a show, so
come on out and experience the same vibe in suburban
Cleveland
- you won't regret it! For more info on Quarkspace please
visit: http://www.quarkspace.com
EINSTEIN'S SECRET ORCHESTRA (Cleveland, Oh)
The five member orchestra that the mustachioed genius
refused to expose will once again emerge from their
cryogenic sleeping pods to amuse and entertain you.
Fronted by college radio personality and keyboardist
Chas Smith, ESO are even more visually-enhanced with
the presence of violinist and harlequin character Michelle
George. At least that's the guise she sported at Strange
Daze 2000! ESO have recently offered up a CD full of
original songs titled "Sex in Another Dimension"
and another called "Witch Disco" which is
full of amazing improvisational works. Their song styling
are lively, mischievous, and fun! Take a bit of Floyd,
a dab of Ziggy Stardust, a wee smattering of gothic
rock, throw in a little B52's for good measure and stir
repeatedly. Reduce heat and then watch 'em simmer! The
orchestra has been known to accompany the Rev. Ivan
Stang of the Church of the Sub-genius (Hail Bob!) and
they are also a mainstay of the annual Starwood Festivals
at the Brushwood campground in western New York. Certainly
a band not to be missed!
DRUMPLAY (Cleveland, Oh)
Drumplay is an improvisational percussion trio inspired
by Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Middle Eastern rhythms.
Whether in performance, workshop, or educational presentation,
no two Drumplay concerts are alike. Founding member
James Onysko has spent time with Sun Ra and congeo Warren
Levert with Nigerian master drummer Babtunde Olantunji.
It's common to see multiple instrumentalists come by
and contribute additional flavors to this percussive
base. In the past, these have included saxophonist Christopher
Burge and Tim Strelau on vibraphone. With their seemingly
telepathic abilities to communicate with one another,
Drumplay is always able to incorporate these other instruments
into their works seamlessly. It's always a rewarding
experience to watch these artists at work!
SPEAKER/CRANKER (Cleveland, Oh)
Masters of the free improv technique, the members of
Speaker\Cranker have assembled in parallel with their
other Cleveland area ventures that include Pere Ubu,
Mirrors, Rainy Day Saints, and Pufftube. Together the
brothers Pickering (Keith on guitar - Scott behind the
drum kit), and bassist Jim Donadio are most adept at
laying down the driving beat that's a legacy of such
classic Krautrockers Can and Neu. Once the beat is established,
the freakishness flies in via a host of electronic gear
that generates a myriad of synthesizer sounds and other
noises. In recent years they've performed to amazed
audiences with the likes of Gong and Bevis Frond and
several members gathered together with other friends
at Nelson Ledges last year as Trans-Lunar Express. Speaker/Cranker's
self-titled debut CD was a stunner and more is expected
soon! For more info on Speaker/Cranker.
NUCLEON (Cleveland, Oh)
Nucleon coalesced about five years ago after a few
years of honing their chops in clubs all along the North
Coast. They recently managed to compile all their best
tunes onto the most excellent "Hyper-Emitter"
CD that's now available on the Manic Moon label. This
collection is full of crunching space-doom tracks that
match the thundering space bass of founder Paul Resnik
(who lets loose with tremendous bursts of psycho-kinetic
energy and space-FX) with the sizzling leads of Rich
Troha, while M.L. keeps quality time behind the skins.
Lyrically they tackle such important issues as the threat
of being overrun by giant robots and monsters. Veterans
of several Strange Daze events they never fail to please
the hardcore spacerock fans - plus a fair number of
metalheads along the way. I've said it before and I'll
say it again..."Nucleon is Spacier than doom metal
and doomier than Stoner Rock." Nobody else is doing
it quite the same way that the Nucleon power trio are
now masters of! For more info on Nucleon please visit:
RED GIANT (Cleveland, Oh)
Like Nucleon Red Giant is a raw and powerful entity
taking an old Black Sabbath ethic and bringing it forward
into a new design with, yes, a seriously aggressive
approach - but all the while being full of surprising
complexity in their songs. Some of Red Giant's compositions
are quite extensive, multi-faceted works and hardly
follow the one-riff approach of so many modern band
wagoning stoner bands. Red Giant appear to have made
quite an impression upon Dave Wyndorf (of Monster Magnet
fame) who has been quoted as calling the foursome "One
of the best stoner rock groups playing today".
In past years they've opened for plenty of heavyweights
(Hawkwind, Voivod, Fu Manchu, etc.) as well as routinely
doing their own gigs at establishments such as the Euclid
Tavern. Red Giant have released two CDs to date, most
recently "Ultra-Magnetic Glowing Sound". Following
their performance at the inaugural Strange Daze '97
in Brushwood NY, their space anthem "Rooms of Shord"
appeared on the 2-CD SD'97 compilation.
HEAVY LIQUID (New Jersey)
Heavy Liquid is a quartet that plays a kick ass brand
of punked out, rock 'n rollin', stoner psychedelia!
The band consists of Doug on vocals, Trezz on fuzz &
wah guitar, Suds on drums, and Jay Liquid on bass. As
youngsters the members sought out the underground rock
of the '70's like Hawkwind, the Stooges, Blue Cheer,
and Slade. Heavy Liquid was born after guitarist Trezz
pondered the question "what would happen if the
Stooges and old (Lemmy era) Hawkwind collided"?
Heavy Liquid's
only recorded release to date is their 3-song EP which
was produced by Phil Caivano of Monster Magnet There's
lots of influences here and this is some fiery, rocking
stuff. It's too fast and energetic to be labeled Stoner
Rock, though it's certainly in that mold! It's got '70's
heavy rock, punk, and tripped out psychedelia all rolled
up into one neat ass kickin' package. High energy and
total psychedelic stoned out rock 'n roll!
THE RICK RAY BAND (Cleveland, Oh)
Rick Ray is a guitarist (perhaps one of Ohio's best)
who bursts the shred-o-meter mercury with his heavy
brand of jamming, progressive rock. Rick started over
20 years ago with his band Neurotic and has released
many recordings under various band names. Since 1999
there has been a flurry of output which has seen 13
full length Rick Ray Band CD's released, the most recent
being the 2001 "Manipulated D.N.A.". It's
a killer set of tunes that may well be Rick's best to
date. With influences ranging from Mahogany Rush (he
recently opened for them in Cleveland), Emerson, Lake,
& Palmer, and the Beatles, Rick has a beautifully
lyrical playing style that sings even when he's burning
up the fretboard. An avid student of the Bible with
a particular interest in the Book of Revelation, Rick's
albums are thematically potent and cover such subjects
as a One World Government, Aids, Cloning, The Atomic
Bomb, DNA manipulation, Mind Control, and the prescription
drug scourge that is sweeping our nation.
WORLD OF TOMORROW (NYC, Ny)
Space jazz ensemble formed in 1999 after drummer Cliff
Ferdon had seen saxophonist Bonnie Kane & bassist
Scott Prato playing one of the loudest shows in the
history of mankind at CBGB's. The band have two releases
to date, "Soul Motive" and "Water On
Mars". Each has a different line up that reflects
a somewhat different sound from one to the next. "Soul
Motive" features lots of horns (and acid rock to
boot) while Water On Mars" is characterized by
the band's more free jazz and improvised influences
such as Sun Ra. Though new guitarist Sal Musameci appears
on a few tracks, the guitar is essentially relegated
to the background as the band plays music that could
well be from a long lost Arkestra set. Strange Daze
2001 attendees are sure to get a lesson in how music
can be very tripped out with a lineup of horns just
as well as with an army of guitars!
NIK TURNER (England)
A founding member of Hawkwind, Nik has proven to be
one the most enduring and popular frontmen the band
has ever produced. Not nearly as prolific as Robert
Calvert, but embodying a charisma and energy surpassed
by few others in the spacerock genre. Nik's performances
are usually very dramatic and unique. Sometimes he's
a spaceman with big, black, eyes and a shining silver
face under his helmet, and other times he materializes
as a man-like reptoid creature from another planet -
with a special message for mankind! After leaving Hawkwind,
Nik helped form Inner City Unit, a hardcore punk-like
band, and has gone on to work with many others often
sitting in at the drop of a hat. His blatting saxophone
and flute can be heard on many recordings, as well as
his distinctive vocal deliveries. Nik is a crowd favorite
and loves to meet his many fans and other spacerock
admirers. Come on down and see Nik do some of his Inner
City Unit material that is rarely performed in the US,
and meet him as he presses the flesh and meets his fans
at SD2001.
WILLY MAC (Akron, OH)
The trio of Willy Mac (guitars/vocals) Westside Rick
(guitars/keyboards/vocals) and Rusty Pugh (bass/vocals)
is one of Northeast Ohio's favorite hippie-fest acts.
Playing both old and new material, Willy Mac and Westside
Rick's instrumental and vocal talents are truly ear
catching and have attracted a rather large following
of fans with a sound influenced by CSNY, the Grateful
Dead, and James Taylor. They're staunch supporters of
the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana
Laws (NORML) and are always willing to come out for
the cause. Willy Mac covers the entire gamut of the
hippie genre!
JFK JR. ROYAL AIRFORCE (New York)
These guys play raw, acid drenched space rock to the
Nth degree. The quartet consists of Billy Syndrome (guitars/vocals)
Scott Prato (guitars/vocals) Cliff Ferdon (drums/trumpet/keyboards/vocals)
and Evil Jim (bass/vocals). Syndrome's tortured, but
passionate, vocals meld beautifully with the bands free
form deep-in-space psychedelic freakouts and the sonic
whole often recalls early Guru Guru jams. Totally raw,
totally freeform, and totally tripped out! So if you
like the rawest of early Hawkwind, exploratory Krautrock
bands, and the most acidic of power rockin' psychedelia,
then JFK Jr. Royal Airforce is just the tonic for you.
"Mr. Quimby's Beard are one of the fastest
rising bands in the British independent music scene.
Their multi-media stage show and powerful live presentation
recall the glory days of such great bands as Pink Floyd,
and the even more esoteric Hawkwind, while adding a
modern sound to this style of music making it uniquely
their own. Along with other cutting edge UK bands like
Ozric Tentacles, Porcupine Tree, Bedouin, and Spacehead,
they are destined to make their mark in the neo psych-rock
community. Mr. Quimby's Beard constantly presses the
outer limits while they drag the traditional cosmic
psychedelia screaming and kicking into the 21st century.
This is a band that's not to be missed".
Hailing from Sunderland in the north of England, Mr.
Quimby's Beard has quickly commanded a great deal of
attention as the next in line of great British psychedelic
artists continuing in the long admired tradition of
Hawkwind, Here 'n' Now, and the Ozric Tentacles in the
UK. With three excellent Space Rock albums already in
the bank, we can only expect yet greater works of wonder
in the future from these relative newcomers to the psychedelic
multi-verse. Their debut CD "Out There" appeared
in 1995 on the Demi Monde label. Since then have continued
on with the dynamic family of psychedelic artists at
Stone Premonitions right through to their latest release
"The Definitive Unsolved Mysteries of Mr. Quimby's
Beard". MQB releases feature copious amounts of
swirly electronics from keyboardist Hardy amidst a mesmerizing
amalgam of cosmic lock groove anthems, reggae beats,
and blazing guitar leads. It's a tried-and-true recipe
that the five have now taken to another realm. The "SD
2001 Shrouded in Mystery American Tour" will feature
the first performances of Mr. Quimby's Beard on American
soil....and we're in for a real treat!
Mr. Quimby's music has often been described as a combination
of dark and dreamy Pink Floyd with the psychedelic high
energy jams of the Ozric Tentacles and Hawkwind's extremely
spacey and repetitive riffs. But even with these obvious
musical influences, they still manage to hammer out
a unique place of their very own in this dark and psychedelic
musical universe. Those who see them live immediately
embrace their music which has resulted in the beginnings
of a world wide following. Supported by ex-Hawkwind
members Harvey Bainbridge & Nik Turner, they recently
completed their first American tour and headlined STRANGE
DAZE - America's premier SpaceRock event. Upon returning
to the UK, Mr. Quimby's Beard were invited to join Hawkwind
at their 2nd Annual Christmas Party gig held in London
at The Forum on December 20th and are slated to open
for the Ozric Tentacles in their home town of Sunderland,
England on March 18, 2002.
Mr. Quimby's Beard (along with America's Strange Trips
and The Solar Fire Lightshow) is presently arranging
a European Tour which should include Norway, Denmark,
Germany, Holland, Belgium, etc. around April and May
of 2002.
The Recent Adventures of Mr. Quimby's Beard
2001 US TOUR
19/10 - Milwaukee, WI - (Thai Joes) w/ Harvey Bainbridge
21/10 - Columbus, OH - (Little Brothers) w/ Harvey Bainbridge
& Quarkspace
23/10 - Chicago, IL - (JJ. Kelly's) w/ Harvey Bainbridge
& Nik Turner
27/10 - Cleveland, OH - (Beachland Ballroom) - Headliners
Strange Daze Festival
30/10 - Cullman, AL (Civic Centre) w/ Harvey Bainbridge,
Nik Turner, Rwake
3/11 - St. Petersburg, FL. (State Theatre) w/ Harvey
Bainbridge, Nik Turner & Tzamp
6/11 - Atlanta GA. (9 Lives Saloon) w/ Harvey Bainbridge,
Nik Turner & Spaceseed
20/12/01 - London - (The Forum) - supporting Hawkwind
at their 2001 Xmas Party
18/03/02 - Sunderland - (Manor Quay) - supporting Ozric
Tentacles
Mr. Quimby's Beard Biography
Founding band members Kidd, Ray, and Hardy have worked
together in many musical guises off and on since 1983.
In '91 they started what was initially a "recording
only" project using the new name of "Mr. Quimby's
Beard", producing 4 albums worth of material during
the next two years.
In 1993, Kidd joined the spacerock band "Afresco
Mantis" as a flute player. At the time Alfresco
Mantis was looking for a supporting act and it was suggested
that MQB play a gig with them. So Hardy, Ray and Kidd
decided to take the project to the next logical step
and, taking them up on the offer, they became a actual
live band.
Asking fellow Sunderland musicians Gaz and Eddy Barrow
to join them in their new venture, MQB's first line
up was in place by 1993. With Ray on guitar/vocals,
Kidd on bass/vocals, Hardy on keyboards/synths/vocals/FX,
with Eddie Barrow on guitars and Gaz on drums they performed
live as MQB for the first time 6 weeks later. The line
up stayed this way until 1994, when Eddie Barrow decided
to leave the band amicably for various personal reasons.
MQB spent the next three months as a 4 piece outfit.
It was around this time that MQB and Stone Premonitions
linked up when Tim Jones and Terri B. put an advertisement
in a local music news letter in '94 looking for space/psych
bands to promote. MQB sent a demo to them, but never
really expected a reply. Fortunately for MQB, Tim &
Terri loved it for what it was and had the foresight
to see that the band had a lot of potential if they
could only be allowed an opportunity to record in a
proper studio. Conversely, after MQB met with Tim and
Terri, there was no doubt in their minds that Stone
Premonitions and Mr. Quimby's Beard were made for each
other!
It was as a four piece during this time that they recorded
their first album subsequently released as a cassette
by Stone Premonitions. Shortly after this release Dave
(Thrash Bastard) Thorburn joined them on guitar, playing
a few live gigs with MQB and appearing on the CD "Out
There". Davey "Bongos" Johnson also guested
during the summer of '94 at Gaz's request to add extra
percussion. He too played a few live gigs with MQB and
you can hear his recorded bongo tracks on the song "Snake
Dance" from the CD "Out There".
In November of '94, after several labels showed some
interest, Mr. Quimby's Beard signed to Demi-Monde who
released their album "Out There" on CD in
1997. MQB's track "Traveling", taken from
the "Out There" album, was also featured alongside
the likes of Amon Duul II, The Groundhogs, and Mother
Gong on the Demi-Monde compilation CD release "Welcome
to the World of...".
After not showing up for a gig in December of '94,
Dave Thorburn was asked to more fully commit to the
band or leave and MQB had to make the difficult decision
for him in January of '95 when he didn't show up once
again. Spencer Arkley (guitar) replaced Dave and played
live with MQB from spring '95 until the summer '96.
Spencer was a great guitarist and entertainer, but the
intense non-musical differences between Spencer and
Gaz in the summer of '96 proved to be just too much
for Ray and Hardy. They decided to call the present
incarnation of MQB quits, but with the idea of starting
it up again in the future.
Hardy went back into the studio near the end of '97
and started working on a follow up to his solo album
"The Light" which was recorded after the completion
of "Out There". As Ray & Kidd became more
and more involved in the project, it was decided to
reunite with Gaz to make this the 3rd Mr. Quimby's Beard
release and to also have Tim Jones (guitar/narration)
& Terri B. (backing vocals) as guests on this album.
MQB had actually recorded their first two albums with
Tim as engineer before anyone even knew he played lead
guitar! On finding this out MQB persuaded Tim to play
on the album and he really did a great job! That's also
Tim's voice that you hear on "A Glimmer Of Hope".
Unfortunately, Tim & Terri have never played live
with MQB because their involvement in other projects
like "The Rabbits Hat", "A Body Full
Of Stars", and "Census Of Hallucinations"
were already taking up all their time.
Then, after almost 3 years in the making, the year
2000 saw the release of MQB's 3rd album "The Definitive
Unsolved Mysteries of....". The album received
much critical acclaim from both the music press and
the public and the first pressing was completely sold
out within 6 months of it's debut.
After having moved away a few years earlier to become
a school teacher, Jim Walton (guitarist and a founding
member of Afresco Mantis) returned to the NE area of
England in 1999. MQB were looking for a guitarist at
the time so they asked Jim to join MQB, which he did.
Soon after, Gaz left the band in mid rehearsal because
of musical differences and then dropped out of sight.
It was Gaz's leaving that paved the way for Jim's brother
Chris Walton (drums) to join MQB. Chris was also a founding
member of Afresco Mantis, and unlike brother Jim, he
is still with them today. At the moment he's a valued
member of both bands and a very talented artist who's
responsible for the "Out There" inner sleeve
and the artwork on "The Light".
Stone Premonitions is still a cooperatively run independent
underground music label based in the North East of England.
Started in 1993 by Tim Jones, Terri B, and Steve Ellis,
it has grown into one of the finest psychedelic labels
in the UK today! Bands on the label include: The Rabbits
Hat, Census Of Hallucinations, Krom Lek, and Spacehopper
to name but a few.
Freaky Fungi was started in 1999 as the spacerock branch
of the Stone Premonitions label to help cope with the
ever increasing work load of Tim & Terri. It's ran
by MQB band members Hardy, Kidd, & Ray. Freaky Fungi
bands include Mr. Quimby's Beard, Afresco Mantis and
Hardy.
Releases:
Mr. Quimby's Beard - "Mr. Quimby's Beard"
(FFCDR001)
Originally a Stone Premonitions cassette release 1994
Available on CDR from Freaky Fungi
Hardy - keyboards/synths/FX/voice
Kidd - bass
Ray - guitars/vocals
Gaz - drums
Mr. Quimby's Beard - "Out There"
(DMCD1035)
Released on Demi-Monde 1997
Hardy- keyboards/synths/FX/voice
Kidd - bass
Ray - guitars/vocals
Gaz - drums
Dave Thorburn - guitars
Guest Davey Johnson - bongos
Mr. Quimby's Beard - "The Definitive Unsolved
Mysteries Of...."
(SPCD014)
Freaky Fungi/Stone Premonitions 2000
Hardy- keyboards/synths/fx/voice
Kidd - bass
Ray - guitars/vocals
Gaz - drums
Guest Tim Jones - guitar/narration
Guest Terri B - backing vocals
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