1977-Present
Group members:
Blaine L. Reininger - keyboards, violin
Steven Brown - keyboards, miscellaneous
Luc van Lieshout - horns
Peter Principle - ???
Frankie Lievaart - keyboards
Ivan Georgiev - various
A unique group, 80% band and 20% performance art. Musically, Tuxedomoon veered towards cold, melancholy pop rock. Elements of jazz were often present with some saxophone work which ranged from gleefully ugly to sadly beautiful.
Though their general tone was fairly dark, Tuxedomoon often exhibited a dry sense of humor -- most notably on their hilariously horrid cover of "I Heard it Through the Grape Vine." Their first single, released in 1978 was titled "Pinheads on the move." This came on the heels of their touring as the opening act for Devo, and was followed shortly by their No Tears EP.
Two years later, they signed with Ralph Records (the label made famous by The Residents) and released their first full length album, Half Mute, which was also their biggest critical success.
The origin of the name Tuxedomoon is cloudy, as its meaning has never been detailed. Reininger and Brown came up with the moniker the date of their first gig, so it may simply be a random concoction, inspired only by a deadline.
Discography :