Blonde Redhead
is an American rock trio comprising Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace. The band performs in multiple languages including English, Japanese, Italian, and French.
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BLONDE REDHEAD TICKETS
EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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Blonde Redhead Tickets 10/4 | Oct 04, 2024 Fri, 8:00 PM | | Blonde Redhead Tickets 10/7 | Oct 07, 2024 Mon, 7:30 PM | | Blonde Redhead & Nation of Language Tickets 10/9 | Oct 09, 2024 Wed, 8:00 PM | | Blonde Redhead & Nation of Language Tickets 10/10 | Oct 10, 2024 Thu, 8:00 PM | | Nation of Language & Blonde Redhead Tickets 10/12 | Oct 12, 2024 Sat, 8:00 PM | |
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History
Amedeo and Simone Pace were born in
Milan, grew up in
Montreal (
Saint-Léonard), but later moved to
Boston to study
jazz. After earning
Bachelor's degrees, they entered the
New York City underground music scene. Named after a song with the same title by
DNA, a
no wave band from
New York, The Pace brothers and
Japanese art students Kazu Makino and Maki Takahashi formed the band in 1993 after a chance meeting at an
Italian restaurant in New York.
Blonde Redhead caught the attention of
Sonic Youth drummer
Steve Shelley, who went on to produce their
self-titled debut album in 1995. Shortly afterward, Takahashi left the band and was replaced by her friend
Toko Yasuda as bassist. Despite this, Yasuda does not appear on any studio recordings. Yasuda soon left the group as well, explaining that "it wasn’t comfortable for me to write songs so I was kind of frustrated".
[1] The remaining members of Blonde Redhead continued as a trio. On their third album,
Fake Can Be Just as Good
, they were joined by
Vern Rumsey of
Unwound, who filled the role of guest bassist. On their more recent albums,
Skúli Sverisson, who the twins knew from their
Berklee days, has been playing bass. He sometimes joins them for live performances. On their fourth album,
In an Expression of the Inexpressible
,
Guy Picciotto of
Fugazi was hired as producer. Picciotto also contributed in the construction to the song "Futurism vs. Passeism Part 2" as well as lending it his vocals. Picciotto also produced the band's records
Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
and
Misery Is a Butterfly
.
Alan Moulder (
My Bloody Valentine,
Nine Inch Nails,
U2,
Smashing Pumpkins) mixed their most recent record,
23
, which was released on
4AD in April 2007.
Blonde Redhead has slowly built a sizable fan base in the underground and
independent music scene. Their early music has been described as emulative of Sonic Youth, while their more recent releases have somewhat digressed and branched out in a unique direction. Makino is noted for her high, eerie voice, which hovers over melodic
guitar riffs and clockwork
drum beats.
Blonde Redhead made extensive use of
Teisco guitars early in their career, including the uncommon Teisco six-string bass.
The large span of time between
Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
and
Misery Is a Butterfly
is attributed to Makino's recovery time after being trampled by a
horse.
[2] Much of the visual and lyrical imagery of
Misery Is a Butterfly
is reflective of the accident, especially in the
music video for "Equus".
The song "Spring and By Summer Fall" from
23
was recently used in the introduction to an October 2007 episode of the
CBS series
Numb3rs
. "Spring and By Summer Fall" also appears on the internet and television commercials for the 2009
Pontiac promotion entitled "Experience Pontiac." Their song "Elephant Woman" was also used as the ending theme for the
David Slade film
Hard Candy
. This song was also used on the
Billabong Girls website in February 2008.
The track "23" was also recently used in a trailer for the British TV series
Skins
in February 2008, and ad for
Crystal Geyser in May 2008 in
Japan. The title track was also featured in an episode of
Grey's Anatomy
.
As of March 2009, they are currently writing and producing their eighth album.
Discography
Albums
- 1995: Blonde Redhead
- 1995: La Mia Vita Violenta
- 1997: Fake Can Be Just as Good
- 1998: In an Expression of the Inexpressible
- 2000: Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
- 2004: Misery Is a Butterfly
(US #180, ITA #42)
- 2007: 23
(US #63, ITA #20, UK #152)
- 2010: TBA
EPs & Singles
- 1993: Amescream / Big song
– 7" Single, Oxo Records (SLR007)
- 1994: Vague / Jet star
– 7" Single, Smells Like Records (SLR007)
- 1995: 10 Feet High / Valentine
– 7" Single, Smells Like Records (SLR014)
- 1995: Flying Douglas / Harmony
– 7" Single, Rough Trade (45rev36)
- 1997: Symphony of Treble / Kasuality
– 7" Single, Touch & Go Records (TG168)
- 1998: Limited conversation / Slogan
– 7" Single, Touch & Go Records (TG188)
- 2000: Melodie Citronique
– 12"/CD EP, Touch & Go Records (TG219)
- 2004: Elephant Woman
– 7" Single, 4AD/Beggars Banquet (BAD2408) (UK #82)
- 2004: Equus
– 7" Single, 4AD/Beggars Banquet (AD2415) (UK #84)
- 2005: The Secret Society of Butterflies
– CD EP, 4AD/Beggars Banquet (BAD 2503)
- 2007: 23
– 7" Single, 4AD (AD2714)
- 2007: Silently
– 7" Single, 4AD (AD2720)