Artist description How can you not love us? Not that there aren't plenty of people who don't, mind you...

Music Style post-art pop-punk

Musical Influences Weezer, They Might Be Giants, Velvet Underground, Flaming Lips, Arab On Radar, Neutral Milk Hotel, Devo, Tom Jones, Can, Spookey Reuben, Frank Zappa/Mothers Of Invention, Sonic Youth, Atom & His Package

Similar Artists none

Artist History No Consensus is about doing music however they want to without regard for appeal, commercial or otherwise. But don't let that fool you into thinking that they can't write plenty of catchy, accessible songs with melody and emotion. Be warned, however, that there is a kind of inconsistency to their catalog, due to their acceptance of an eclectic variety of musical influence without regard for genre classifications or cool points. No Consensus's musical style seems to mutate about once a year. The overall sound generally falls within an "alternative" rock-based format with a nonconformist "punk" approach, but things can become very non-specific from there. Spanning stylistic territories from pseudo-bubblegum-50s-teen-pop to dissonant experimental noise, with elements of folk, waltz, march, or polka on equal footing with those of progressive rock, punk, and so-called "emo", detouring into seemingly blank-verse-derived song structures, No Consensus is constantly trying something new. Forming in Cedar Falls, Iowa in 1996 when some members were as young as 12, with little to no preconceived ideas about how the band should properly sound or operate, and arguably rather little knowledge of their instruments, No Consensus (consisting of Joe Riehle, Charles Hoffman, Steve Wilson, and Micheal Hays) took their name from the experience of being unable to come to an agreement on a name, and began opening local all-ages shows with songs that were often caricatures of musical genres and youth subcultures, including punk, goth, and even lounge music, setting Joe's interpretive and often childlike vocals to loose, uncomplicated rhythm and guitar that alternated between a twangy-jangle and a feedback-drenched-fuzz. Gradually their approach turned full-circle, from satirizing various musical styles to actually embracing them as creative influences. Jon Grim joined the band in 1998, causing No Consensus to begin experimenting with applying dense, complex, and sometimes bombastically dissonant triple-guitar interplay to a punk-rock-like framework. Coupling this sound with eccentric onstage antics, the band took their live show into some areas of eastern Iowa outside their hometown. Following an almost year-long hiatus, the group reformed and began re-evaluating their artistic vision into new directions, an approach that has continued since, particularly after Micheal Hays became a part-time bandmember in order to attend art school in Oakland, California in the Fall of 2000, causing the remaining four to re-tool arrangements and write much new material. The members of No Consensus regard their band primarily as an artistic oddyssey, often more interested in crafting new creations through songwriting and recording than in performing live with any regularity. However, it is just this this pattern of behaviour that insures that they can bring an exceptional level of energy and enthusiasm to any one of their admittedly scarce live performances. No Consensus might be thought of as an ongoing experiment, perhaps in the application of organic democratic principles to the creative process (as their name might suggest). The reality is, though, that they simply do what comes naturally to their unique creative impulses, truly believe in what they're doing, have a real blast doing it, all without censoring themselves to fit any predefined genre or scene. That is exactly what makes No Consensus the most interesting band you're likely to see anytime soon.

Group Members Joe Riehle, Chuck Hoffman, Steve Wilson, Mike Hays, Jon Grim

Instruments guitars, bass, drums, accordion, melodica, trumpet, percussion..

Albums Telepathic Ettiquette (1995), What Stupid Does (1997), Sun Shines Like Tomorrow (1997), Going To My Cousins (1998), The Moving Version 1.0b (2000)

Press Reviews "The most original/fucked-up band in Iowa" --from The Eggnogs' website

Additional Info A dancing pumpkin

Location Cedar Falls, Iowa - USA

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