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pitchblende

 
Dictionary: pitch·blende   (pĭch'blĕnd') pronunciation
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n.
A massive variety of the mineral uraninite.

[Partial translation of German Pechblende : Pech, pitch + Blende, blende; see blende.]


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: pitchblende
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Amorphous, dense, black, pitchy form of the crystalline uranium oxide mineral uraninite; it is one of the primary mineral ores of uranium. Pitchblende is found in granular masses and has a greasy lustre. Three chemical elements were first discovered in pitchblende: uranium, polonium, and radium. Deposits, frequently in association with uraninite or with secondary uranium minerals, are known in the Czech Republic, Britain, the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan in Canada, and Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Utah in the U.S.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: pitchblende
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pitchblende (pĭch'blĕnd'), dark, lustrous, heavy mineral, a source of radium and uranium. Largely natural uranium oxides, triuranium octaoxide (U3O8) and uranium dioxide (UO2), it usually contains some lead and variable amounts of thorium and rare-earth elements. It is massive in form, frequently with a botryoidal, or grape-cluster, appearance, and has a variable but high specific gravity. Pitchblende is greenish, brownish, or black in color, with a pitchy to submetallic luster. The uranium yield is from 50% to 80%. Uraninite, a closely related ore richer in uranium (uranium dioxide), commonly crystallizes in the cubic system. It yields 65% to 80% uranium and has a specific gravity somewhat higher than that of pitchblende. The color range is from deep black to brown. Both ores occur as primary constituents of quartz veins and with other metals. They supply radium and polonium in addition to uranium. Although the ores occur in small quantities throughout the world, the Great Lakes region of Canada, Congo (Kinshasa), the Czech Republic, the Colorado Plateau, Australia, and South Africa are the major sources.

Science Q&A: What is pitchblende?
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Pitchblende is a massive variety of uraninite, or uranium oxide, found in metallic veins. It is a radioactive material and the most important ore of uranium. In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered that pitchblende contained radium, a rare element that has since been used in medicine and the sciences.

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Artist: Pitchblende
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Group Members:

Scott de Simon, Treiops Treyfid, Patrick Gough, Justin Chearno

Similar Artists:

Oxford Collapse

Followers:

The Raymond Brake

Formal Connection With:

Triptic of a Pastel Fern, Treiops Treyfid, Turing Machine
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "Gygax!," "Squeezin's from the Mole Jug," "Kill Atom Smasher"

Biography

Art punk quartet Pitchblende emerged in March 1991 from the same thriving metropolitan Washington, D.C., independent music scene home to the Dischord/TeenBeat/Simple Machines axis. Singers/guitarists Justin Chearno (a onetime member of Unrest and the Dustdevils) and Treiops Treyfid first met while working at a local bookstore, and made their earliest recordings as a duo, aided by a drum machine; after placing an advertisement in the Washington City Paper, they recruited bassist Scott DeSimon and drummer Patrick Gough, soon making their live debut under the name Comet Anger. As Pitchblende, the quartet recorded a ten-song demo tape that summer, and in early 1992 issued their debut single, "Sum," on the Landspeed label, moving to Jade Tree later that year to release the EP Weed Slam. Their full-length debut, Kill Atom Smasher, followed on Cargo in the spring of 1993, and Pitchblende toured the U.S. relentlessly in the months to follow, releasing their sophomore effort, Au Jus, in 1994. Early the next winter, Chearno relocated to New York City; when DeSimon followed a few months later, the group went on hiatus, although the foursome continued working intermittently on their third LP, GYGAX! (so named in honor of the creator of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons). Pitchblende officially dissolved following the album's release; Chearno and DeSimon later reunited in Turing Machine. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Wikipedia: Pitchblende (band)
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Pitchblende
Origin Washington, DC
Years active 1991 - 1995
Label(s) Cargo
Jade Tree
Matador Records
Simple Machines
Associated acts Turing Machine
Members
Justin Chearno (guitar)
Treiops Treyfid (guitar)
Scott DeSimon (bass)
Patrick Gough (drums)

Pitchblende was a four-piece art-punk band from Washington, DC, featuring Justin Chearno on guitar, Scott DeSimon on bass, Patrick Gough on drums, and Treiops Treyfid on guitar. Between 1991 and 1995, the group recorded three full-length albums and several singles for independent labels Cargo, Jade Tree, Matador Records, and Simple Machines.

Contents

Style

Although based in Washington, DC, Pitchblende's dense, angular sound was commonly thought to be closer in style to contemporary music scenes in New York and Chicago than what one would hear on DC-based post-punk labels at the time. Central to Pitchblende's approach was an emphasis on experimentation and dynamics; the band's songs often featured complex structures, unusual arrangements, alternate tunings, and jarring time changes.

Pitchblende's recordings and loud, energetic live shows earned them critical accolades and comparisons with influential bands such as Mission of Burma and Sonic Youth. The group melded together the chaotic spirit of punk with an absurdist, dada aesthetic; somewhat pop sensibilities; and a musical proficiency informed by prog-rock bands. In spite of occasional references to being inspired by jazz, very little of Pitchblende's music was improvisational. This misconception prompted the band to cheekily rename itself The Pitchblende Quartet for its final 1995 album Gygax!

Breakup

Despite extensive touring and prolific recorded output, Pitchblende remained largely a favorite of critics and college radio. After a disastrous final US tour in 1994 when the band's gear was stolen in San Francisco and DeSimon was jumped and beaten up in New Mexico, Chearno and DeSimon moved to Brooklyn where they formed the three piece instrumental band Turing Machine. Chearno also went on to form the bands Doldrums and Panthers. These days, Chearno works in the wine industry in New York between recording and touring. DeSimon is a magazine editor. Gough is an urban planner in Northern Virginia who currently plays in Imperial China, and Treyfid is a Los Angeles-based fine artist, solo musician, and graphic designer.

Discography

  • Sum/Lacquer Box 7", Landspeed - LS001, February 1992
  • The Weed Slam EP 7" - "Weed Slam"/"Ask Rexella"/"Ursa Minor", Jade Tree - JT1008, October 1992
  • Kill Atom Smasher CD/LP, Cargo - Fist12, April 1993
  • Penny for the Guy Working Holiday Split 7" (with Swirlies), Simple Machines - WH11, November 1993
  • "Psychic Power Control"/"In the Flat Field" 7", Cargo - Fist15, May 1994
  • Au Jus CD/CS, Cargo - Fist22, June 1994
  • Au Jus CD/LP, Matador (Europe) - Ole 102, April 1995
  • "Nine-Volt"/"Karoshi" 7" (alternate versions), Pushead Fan Club limited/signed run of 400, September 1994
  • Windshield Kiss split 7" (with Eggs), Jade Tree - JT-16, November 1995
  • Gygax! CD, Cargo - HED-048, February 1996
  • Gygax! CD/LP, Matador (Europe) - Ole 190, April 1996

Compilations

  • Drop In the Big Drink Split 7" (with Rocket from the Crypt, Rodan, and Walleye), Compulsive - COMP12, October 1993
  • Chairman of the Board - Frank Sinatra Tribute, Double CD, "Here's to the Losers", Grass/Dutch East - GROW1212-2, Spring 1995
  • Working Holiday! Double CD, "Penny for the Guy" 7" version and a live recording of "Flax" at the Working Holiday Festival, January 1994, Simple Machines - SMR 26, December 1994
  • WGNS Gots No Station Compilation, "Sideling Hill" (alternate version), 1994
  • Jade Tree First Five Years, "Windshield Kiss" 7", 2000

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Science Q&A. The Handy Science Answer Book. 2003 ©Visible Ink Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pitchblende (band)".  Read more