5uu's
| 5uu's | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Dave Kerman/5uu's |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Avant-rock |
| Years active | 1984–1988, 1994–2004 |
| Labels | Recommended, Cuneiform |
| Associated acts | Motor Totemist Guild, U Totem, Thinking Plague |
| Website | Dave Kerman/5uu's homepage |
| Past members |
Dave Kerman Greg Conway Jon Beck Curt Wilson Sanjay Kumar Bob Drake Deborah Perry Udi Koomran |
The 5uu's were an American avant-rock group founded in Los Angeles, California in 1984 by drummer-composer Dave Kerman. The group released their first album in 1986 and recorded a second in 1988 with Motor Totemist Guild, a similar band from the area. The two groups merged in 1988 to form U Totem and made two albums. When U Totem split up in 1994, the 5uu's reformed and went on to make two more albums. In 2000 the band became known as Dave Kerman/5uu's and released a further two albums under this name.
The 5uu's were influenced by the European Rock in Opposition (RIO) movement of the late 1970s and created, along with other groups like Thinking Plague and Hail, an "American version of RIO".
While in high school, Dave Kerman formed a garage band with guitarist Greg Conway and bassist Jon Beck. They began as a King Crimson cover band but soon switched to experimenting with noise music. In 1976 the band played at a Greenpeace Festival in San Diego, California, calling themselves, "Farmer Fred Genuflects to A-440". While their performance did not go down very well, one concert goer recognised potential and suggested they listen to Henry Cow and Faust.
These new influences prompted Kerman to explore new compositional techniques and he soon accumulated a collection of experimental songs. He added pop singer Curt Wilson to the band, who also ran a recording studio, and, calling themselves the "5uu's", they began recording Bel Marduk & Tiamat in 1984. The album, based on the concept of Babylonian cosmology, took two years to complete and was released in 1986 on their own label. They also released a single, "Bar Code" comprising the songs "Misery Loves Company" and "Hot & Cold Frog". Ex-Henry Cow drummer Chris Cutler of the British record label Recommended Records, always on the lookout for new talent, promoted and distributed Bel Marduk & Tiamat, giving the band much needed exposure.
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