Everything about Olivia Tremor Control totally explained
The Olivia Tremor Control was an
Athens, Georgia indie rock band in the mid- to late
1990s which, along with
The Apples in Stereo and
Neutral Milk Hotel, was one of the three original
Elephant 6 projects. The band was founded by the remnants of the group
Synthetic Flying Machine (
Jeff Mangum,
Bill Doss, and
Will Cullen Hart) in
1994 and disbanded in early 2000.
Sound and History
The band's distinct sound is a mixture of Doss and Hart's experimental tendencies. This chemistry is evident in their albums given that some tracks are 2-3 minute pop songs, while others are electro-acoustic collages ranging in length from 2 seconds to 10 minutes, and differing in content from vibrant horns to near silence. Furthermore, the band released a record of experimental electro-acoustic music,
The Late Music, Volume One, under the name The Black Swan Network, in 1997. Another Black Swan Network release, a 7" EP on the Happy Happy Birthday to Me label, appeared in 2000, though it didn't feature Bill Doss. In October 1997, a "collaborative" LP between The Olivia Tremor Control and The Black Swan Network was released, originally as a tour-only item, and later put out as a CD by Flydaddy, which gave the record the title, The Olivia Tremor Control Vs. The Black Swan Network,' though the band had never wanted the record to be named as such. The band was influenced by the odd quality inherent in
dreams and asked their listeners to send in tapes describing their own, examples of which can be heard in the final track of
Black Foliage and the OTC-BSN collaborative LP.
Other Projects
The members of The Olivia Tremor Control embarked on a variety of different projects before and after the band broke up. Eric Harris released a record under the name
Frosted Ambassador and later two CD-R releases under his own name on
Cloud Recordings, the label founded by Fernandes and Hart in the wake of OTC's demise. Pete Erchick released two records,
Individualized Shirts and
Special Fanfare For Anything, under the name
Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't. Bill Doss followed OTC by putting out records as The
Sunshine Fix, a name he'd used years before. The
Sunshine Fix has evolved from a recording project to a formal working band. Hart's post-OTC project,
Circulatory System, has taken a similar route. The self-titled 2001 LP continued the melding together of pop and experimental traditions the OTC had worked on and won high accolades from the press. While the follow-up is still in the works, the band continues to play live shows in Athens and occasionally elsewhere.
Reunion
In 2005, the Olivia Tremor Control temporarily reunited, solely for live shows, at the behest of the
All Tomorrow's Parties festival. They appeared at a UK version of the festival, preceded by warm-up shows in Athens and London; that summer, they again played Athens, at the
Orange Twin Conservation Community, as well as gigs in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and L.A.
Members
- 1992 to 2000 - Bill Doss; guitar, cornet, percussion, songwriting, vocals
- 1992 to 2000 - Will Cullen Hart; guitar, vocals, songwriting
- 1995 to 2000 - Eric Harris; drums, theremin, guitar
- 1995 to 2000 - John Fernandes; bass guitar, violin, saxophone, clarinet
- 1996 to 2000 - Peter Erchick; keyboards, bass, vocals
- 1992 to 1995 - Jeff Mangum; drums, guitar, vocals
Discography
Albums
Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle (Flydaddy; double LP/CD; 1996)
(Flydaddy; CD; 1996)
The Late Music Volume One (Camera Obscura; CD; 1997) (as The Black Swan Network)
(Flydaddy; double LP/CD; 1999)
Singles and Beyond (Kindercore/Emperor Norton; LP/CD; 2000)
EPs and singles
California Demise (Elephant 6; 7" 33 1/3 RPM; 1994)
The Olivia Tremor Control/The Apples in Stereo split (Small Fi; 7"; 1994)
The Giant Day (Drug Racer; 7" 33 1/3 RPM; 1996)
The Opera House (Blue Rose; double 7" 45 RPM/double CD-single; 1996)
The Olivia Tremor Control/Black Swan Network (Flydaddy; LP, October 1997; CD, 1998)
Jumping Fences (Blue Rose; 12" 45 RPM/CD-single; 1998)
Hideway (Blue Rose; 12" 45 RPM/CD-single; 1998)
Those Sessions (self-released CD; 2000)
Compilation appearances
"The Ships" on Succour (Flydaddy; CD; 1996)
"The Late Music 2" on Treble Revolution, Vol. 1 (Kindercore; Cassette; 1996)
"Silverbug" on Treble Revolution, Vol. 2 (Kindercore; CD; 1996)
"Beneath the Climb" on Dreamboat (Cassiel; CD; 1996)
"Collage #1" on Terrastock (Ptolemaic Terrascope; CD; 1997)
"Christmas with William S." on Christmas in Stereo (Kindercore; CD; 1997)
"I Won This Dog At The Driftwood Reunion Carnival 12/2/72" on Soundtrack To The Bible Belt Reunion Carnival (Anhedonia; CD; 1997)
"Do You Like Worms? (Do You Dig Worms)" & "Little Pad" on Smiling Pets (Sony; CD; 1998)
"Outside Explorations, Pt. 3" on (WFMU
; CD; 2000)
"European Son" on (Victor; CD; 2000)
"Glass Beard" on Keep Left Vol. 1 (Ace Fu; CD; 2000)
"Hideaway (Remix)" on Kindercore Fifty (Kindercore; CD; 2000)Further Information
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