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Pere Ubu are a Rock Music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio , in 1975. Despite many long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant. The group is named after the Protagonist of '' Ubu Roi '', a Play by Frenchman Alfred Jarry . {Link without Title} While Pere Ubu have never been widely popular—usually categorized as " Underground Rock "—they have a devoted Following , have been hugely influential on several generations of avant-garde musicians and are a critically acclaimed American musical group. Critical opinions of Pere Ubu include: "the most original and important of the in the last decade and a half. Either that or they will be entirely forgotten" {Link without Title} . Pere Ubu have consistently conducted their affairs as they see fit, regardless of convention: They refuse to discuss or explain their sometimes odd music, forgoing Newspaper and press interviews. Pere Ubu have compiled a list of guidelines for touring, live performances and the like, including such statements as, "Lighting should be Theatrical rather than rockist. We are interested in atmosphere, Mood , Drama , energy, subtlety, Imagination -- not rock cliché," and note that the Danish Broadcasting Corporation is one of the few organizations they trust to record live performances, "solely on the basis of the King of Denmark's Defense Of The Jews in WWII " {Link without Title} . Tired of being asked to define their music, Pere Ubu coined the term ''Avant Garage'' to reflect interest in both experimental Avant-garde music (especially Musique Concrète ) and raw, direct Blues influenced Garage Rock . Thomas has stated "Avant Garage" is "a Joke invented to have something to give Journalist s when they yelp for a neat Sound Bite or Pigeonhole ." {Link without Title} HISTORY 1970s , while David Thomas and Guitar ist Peter Laughner joined with guitarist Tom Herman , Bass Guitar ist Tim Wright , Drummer Scott Krauss and Synthesist Allen Ravenstine to form Pere Ubu in 1975. At the time the band formed, Herman, Krauss, and Ravenstine lived in a house owned by Ravenstine. {Link without Title} Pere Ubu's debut single was "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" (inspired by the " Doolittle Raid " and named after a film depicting the raid), backed with "Heart of Darkness"; followed by "Final Solution" in 1976. One review noted that "30 Seconds" "was clearly the work of a Garage Band , yet its arty dissonance and weird Experimentalism were startlingly unique." {Link without Title} Of their second single, "Final Solution" (backed with "Cloud 149"), one scribe writes that Ubu's "call for a 'final solution' was the cry of teen Final Solution .) From these first recordings, Pere Ubu sounded like little else. Their propulsive Rhythm ic pulse was similar to Krautrock , but Thomas's yelping, howling, desperate singing was and still is peculiar when compared to most other rock and roll singers. In their songs, Pere Ubu imagined 1950s and 1960s Garage Rock and Surf Music Archetypes as seen in a distorting funhouse mirror, emphasising the music's Angst , loneliness and Lyrical Paranoia . Sometimes sounding like a demented Nursery Rhyme sing-along, this already bizarre blend was overlaid with Ravenstine's ominous EML synthesizer effects and Tape Loop ed sounds of mundane conversation, ringing Telephone s or steam whistles. After "Street Waves", their third single, Pere Ubu signed to Blank Records , an imprint of Mercury Records . Laughner left the group after their first two singles, and died soon afterwards after a struggle with Drug Addiction . Tony Maimone signed on as bassist after Tim Wright left to join DNA . Their debut album, '' Hit Song Of The Same Name ; "Drinking Wine Spodyody" has no apparent connection to the Jerry Lee Lewis song. This practice has continued through 2006's '' Why I Hate Women '', which has a song called "Blue Velvet" (again, no relation to the 1963 Hit Song by Bobby Vinton ). Special note should be made of Ravenstine's contributions to Pere Ubu. While most synthesizer players tended to play the instrument as they would a Piano or Organ , Ravenstine generally opted instead to make sounds that were reminiscent of spooky Sound Effects from 1950s Science Fiction films, or perhaps Electronic Music and Musique Concrète . One critic writes that Ravenstine "may be one of the all-time great synth players" and his playing has been called "utterly original" [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=pere_ubu . '' Dub Housing '' and '' New Picnic Time '' followed, with much the same reaction. ''Dub Housing'' is notable as one of the earliest rock albums to use recordings of enigmatic Shortwave Radio Number Stations on "Ubu Dance Party". The group briefly disbanded in 1979, but reformed soon afterwards with Herman replaced by Mayo Thompson (of Red Krayola ). 1980s '' The Art Of Walking '' (1980) featured Red Krayola 's Mayo Thompson on guitar. For the next original album, '' Song Of The Bailing Man '' (1982), Krauss was replaced by Anton Fier . The group disbanded again soon afterwards; Krauss and Maimone formed Home & Garden , while Thomas worked on a solo career, notably with Richard Thompson and with members of Henry Cow . By the late 1980s, one of Thomas's solo projects eventually featured much of Pere Ubu. The band was reformed again in 1987, with Jim Jones and Chris Cutler joining for the release of '' The Tenement Year '' ( 1988 ), a far more pop-oriented album than ever before. The following year, "Waiting for Mary" (off '' Cloudland '') appeared on MTV briefly. After the recording of '' Cloudland '', Ravenstine left the group (although he made a guest appearance on '' Worlds In Collision '') and later became an airline pilot. Eric Drew Feldman joined the band in time for the Cloudland tour and the recording of ''Worlds in Collision'' but left afterwards, joining Frank Black . 1990s and beyond '' Story Of My Life '' (1993) was released on Imago Records; Maimone left (once again) to join They Might Be Giants , and Michele Temple and Garo Yellin joined the band for the '' Story Of My Life '' tour and feature on Ubu's 1995 album, '' Ray Gun Suitcase ''. Robert Wheeler has played Synthesizer and Theremin with Pere Ubu since 1994. Krauss left the band during the '' Ray Gun Suitcase '' sessions. For the '' Ray Gun Suitcase '' tour, guitarist Jim Jones departed as a ''touring'' member(although he continued to contribute to recordings), founding guitarist Tom Herman replaced him for the tour. Concurrent with the 1996 release of the Datapanik In Year Zero box set, Jim Jones retired due to health problems. Tom Herman returned to the band after a twenty year absence to tour with the band in 1995, and went on to record '' Pennsylvania '' (1998) and '' St. Arkansas '' in 2002. Jim Jones contributed guitar tracks to each album as well. Herman left again in 2005, being replaced by Keith Moliné , of David Thomas's "solo" group the Two Pale Boys . The new lineup completed an album entitled '' Why I Hate Women '', which was released on September 19 , 2006 . QUOTES
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