Representative Albums: "23," "In an Expression of the Inexpressible," "Misery Is a Butterfly"
Biography
Blonde Redhead's noisy, dissonant guitars, alternate tunings, and quiet, stilted lyrics have often been compared to early Sonic Youth. After randomly meeting at an Italian restaurant in New York, Japanese art students Kazu Makino and Maki Takahashi and Italian twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace formed the band in 1993. The name was taken from a song by the '80s no wave band DNA. With Makino and Amedeo on guitars and vocals, Simone on drums, and Takahashi on bass, the band's chaotic, artistic rock caught the attention of Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, who produced and released the band's debut album, Blonde Redhead, on his Smells Like Records label. Shortly after the album's release, Takahashi left the band. The remaining members continued as a trio, releasing a second album in 1995 on Shelley's label, titled La Mia Vita Violenta. For their 1997 release Fake Can Be Just as Good, recorded on Touch and Go, the trio was joined by guest bass player Vern Rumsey from Unwound. By 1998, the band eliminated bass and scaled back to guitars, drums, and vocals for In an Expression of the Inexpressible. Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons and the Melodie Citronique EP followed two years later. The band's first for 4AD, Misery Is a Butterfly, was released in spring 2004. For 2007's 23, the group opted for a mix of dream-pop and delicate electronic textures. ~ Tracy Frey, All Music Guide
Blonde Redhead is an Americanrock trio comprising Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace. The band performs in multiple languages including English, Japanese, Italian, and French.
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.
