This is a one man show, we're only pretending to be a band. Let's keep it our little secret.
Influences
Frank Zappa, Charles Mingus, Fred Frith, Hermeto Pascoal, Lou Harrison, Moondog, Kazutoki Umezu, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Harry Partch, 10cc, George Antheil, Jobim, Captain Beefheart, Raymond Scott, Industrial Jazz Group, Jaga Jazzist, Danny Elfman, Stereolab, The Residents, Esquivel.
The Ordinaires, Phillip Johnston, NRBQ, Sun Ra, Steely Dan, Henry Kaiser, Miles Davis, Jerome Kern, Carl Stallings. Luciano Berio, Django Bates, and tons of other influences-musical and otherwise-that aren't necessarily reflected in the pudding.
Sounds Like
...something that isn't something else...the stuff swirling around in your head when you're half asleep with the flu...the interplay between the fax machine, the garbage disposal and the sirens outside your window...head music for when your high school friends aren't around...a fake book of standards turned upside-down and performed by a colony of naked mole rats.
The Hard Orange X-tet is an ever evolving ensemble of anonymous participants dedicated to performing and recording the music of composer and amateur tinkerer, Brian Nolan.
The X-tet brings many diverse influences into the mix but steers clear of techno-drone gimmickry or artsy minimalism. The music is best described as a sort of jazzoid-flavored eclectic instrumental aural amusement incorporating a common thread of erratic whimsy and harmonic vinegar. Phew!
With regards to New Age fluff, any member of the X-tet that so much as utters the term "soundscape" will be taken out back and violently flogged.
We value the art of composition yet try to stop short of becoming full of ourselves. Do we succeed? You decide.
Hey, thanks for the add and comment. I dig your stuff, too. It's good for us freaks to find each other. Who does the Z stand for in WWZD? Zappa? Zorn? Ze? Comedy script writer Jerry Zucker?
Hey -- thanks much for seeking us out across the vast digital emptiness. I quite dig the tracks you've got up here. Say "hi" to Massachusetts (I lived there briefly long ago), stay in touch, and good luck.
