Oxbow

Oxbow began as a recording project. In 1988 bandmates Eugene Robinson (vocals, lyrics) and Niko Wenner (guitar, bass, keyboards, music) wrote songs with an approach decidedly different from their band at the time Whipping Boy. Wenner concocted an underlying musical architecture for his abrasive-then-plangent music, through use of arch form and musical palindromes unusual in the noise music genre the band was often placed. This organizing structure later grew to encompass the second Oxbow recording as well, and drew relationships between the two. For his part Robinson changed his vocal approach to include in-the-studio improvisations and extensive vocal multi-tracking. This first record, titled 'Fuck Fest' (1989) has drumming split evenly between Greg Davis and Tom Dobrov. Dan Adams (bass in Oxbow, drums in Whipping Boy) joined immediately on completion of the first recording. All but Davis and Dobrov were at various times members of Whipping Boy, Wenner and Dobrov had been bandmates in the hardcore band Grim Reality. Dobrov departed amicably after the band's 1995 European tour, but performed as guest second-drummer, with Davis, for the studio recording of "Shine (Glimmer)" on the 2002 album 'An Evil Heat'.

'Fuck Fest' was followed by 'King of the Jews' (1991) and then by two Steve Albini-recorded albums: 'Let Me Be a Woman' (1995) and 'Serenade in Red' (1996), the latter featuring guest vocals from Marianne Faithfull. 'An Evil Heat' followed in 2002 on Neurosis' Neurot Recordings label. Oxbow's 2007 album 'The Narcotic Story' was named the number one album in the "Best of 2007" by Rock-A-Rolla magazine, and was listed with three other bands' albums in the nomination of Joe Chiccarelli as 'Producer of the Year' at the 50th Grammy Awards. In May 2017 Oxbow released 'Thin Black Duke' their seventh full-length album, like 'The Narcotic Story' produced by Joe Chiccarelli and Niko Wenner and again on Hydra Head Records, to critical acclaim. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]