Pere Ubu

Pere Ubu

Pere Ubu is an experimental rock group from Cleveland, United States, formed in 1975 and active ever since. The band is associated with alternative rock, art punk, art rock, experimental rock, new wave and noise rock. It develops from the Cleveland underground around Rocket From The Tombs, after that group breaks up and David Thomas and guitarist Peter Laughner join with guitarist Tom Herman, bassist Tim Wright, drummer Scott Krauss and synthesiser player Allen Ravenstine to form Pere Ubu.

Style and name

The group takes its name from Père Ubu, the central character in Alfred Jarry’s play Ubu Roi. It coins the phrase “Avant Garage” to describe a sound that combines avant-garde music, including musique concrète, with raw garage rock. Ravenstine’s synthesiser work is a major part of that approach, with electronic textures that differ from conventional keyboard playing.

Early releases

Pere Ubu releases its first five records as singles on its own Hearthan label. Its first single is “30 Seconds Over Tokyo”, backed with “Heart of Darkness”, followed by “Final Solution” in 1976 and then “Street Waves”. In 1977 the group signs to Blank Records, a short-lived Mercury imprint. Laughner leaves after the first two singles and dies soon afterwards.

The debut album, The Modern Dance, arrives in 1978 and sells poorly, but becomes influential. Later that year the band releases Dub Housing, followed by New Picnic Time in 1979. The debut also begins a recurring practice of repurposing titles from famous popular songs: for example, “Sentimental Journey”, “Drinking Wine Spodyody” and later “Blue Velvet” use titles without relation to the better-known original songs.

Line-up changes and later albums

After Tim Wright leaves to join DNA, Tony Maimone joins on bass. The group briefly disbands in 1979, then reforms with Tom Herman replaced by Mayo Thompson of Red Krayola. The Art of Walking appears in 1980, and Song of the Bailing Man follows in 1982, by which point Scott Krauss has been replaced by Anton Fier. The band disbands again soon after, while Krauss and Maimone form Home and Garden and Thomas works on solo projects, including work with Richard Thompson and with members of Henry Cow.

Pere Ubu reforms again in 1987. Jim Jones and Chris Cutler join for The Tenement Year in 1988, a more pop-oriented record than earlier releases. “Waiting for Mary”, from Cloudland in 1989, briefly appears on MTV. After that recording, Ravenstine leaves, though he later makes a guest appearance on Worlds in Collision in 1991. Eric Drew Feldman joins for the Cloudland tour and the recording of Worlds in Collision, then leaves to join Frank Black.

1990s and 2000s activity

Story of My Life is released on Imago Records in 1993. Maimone leaves again to join They Might Be Giants, and Michele Temple and Garo Yellin join for the tour and for the 1995 album Ray Gun Suitcase. Robert Wheeler joins on synthesiser and theremin in 1994 and remains part of the group’s line-up. Krauss leaves during the Ray Gun Suitcase sessions. Jim Jones stops touring because of health problems, though he continues contributing to recordings, and founding guitarist Tom Herman returns to tour and later records Pennsylvania in 1998 and St. Arkansas in 2002, with Jones also contributing guitar to both albums. Wayne Kramer of MC5 joins for the 1998 summer tour.

Herman leaves again in 2005 and is replaced by Keith Moliné of David Thomas’s group Two Pale Boys. The new line-up completes and releases Why I Hate Women. By this period the band continues to use the “reclaimed title” idea, including a song called “Blue Velvet”.

Key members

Across its history, Pere Ubu includes David Thomas, Peter Laughner, Tom Herman, Tim Wright, Scott Krauss, Allen Ravenstine, Tony Maimone, Mayo Thompson, Anton Fier, Jim Jones, Chris Cutler, Eric Drew Feldman, Michele Temple, Garo Yellin, Robert Wheeler, Wayne Kramer and Keith Moliné, among others. Thomas remains the constant member throughout the group’s history.