Artist description "Local guitar maven Terry Eason has been a sought-after sideman and leader of his own solo projects since the Reagan administration, in such bands as Dylan Hicks, Rhea Valentine, the Ultrasonics and North Equator Nine. On his new solo CD, Via Satellite, he's joined by some of the best players in town, including Own's Jane Anfinson and drummers Christopher McGuire ( 12 Rods) and David King (Happy Apple, Love-cars). The members of his current trio, called simply Eason, include drummer Matt Novachis (of Tugboat) and bassist Taras Oustroushko [of Henry]." -- Christopher Bahn, twincities.citysearch.com

Music Style Alternative, Indie, Rock, Pop, Folk, Art Rock, Jazz, Improvisation, Punk, Glam, Psychedelic

Musical Influences Eno, Bevis Frond, Guided By Voices, Olivia Tremor Control, 12 Rods, Tugboat, Henry, Ultrasonics, Dylan Hicks, Rhea Valentine, North Equator Nine, XTC, Wire, Go Betweens, Martin Newell, Wire, Peter Gabriel, Bill Frisell, Patto, Hendrix, AC/DC, The Beattles, Robin Hitcock, Todd Rundgren, Ian Hunter, Mercury Rev, Television Personalities, The Kinks, Dinosaur Jr., Syd Barrett, Frank Zappa

Similar Artists Eno, Bevis Frond, Guided By Voices, Olivia Tremor Control, 12 Rods, Tugboat, Henry, Ultrasonics, Wire, XTC, Yo La Tengo, Robyn Hitchcock, Beatles, Greg Brown, David Bowie, Wire, AC/DC, Replacements

Artist History Terry Eason's recorded output dates to 1984, when his band North Equator Nine issued Sorta Like Normal, a platter that earned Steve Albini's highest accolade: "Sorta like fucking cool" in Matter magazine. Four-track explorations commenced shortly after, resulting in 1990's Therefore...Um solo cassette, an instrumental exercise that garnered rave reviews in the indie press. Gigs with Minneapolis favorites like Dylan Hicks, Babylon Pink and the improvisational trio Henry cemented his reputation as a first- rate guitarist but failed to satisfy his artistic yearning, so Ultrasonics was born. The group's 7-inch debut, "Supernatural" b/w "Stone's Throw," appeared in 1994. The moody garage- pop on the A-side was accented by some caustic-psychedelic soloing from Eason. The flip was even better, a post-punk Buffalo Springfield with beautifully busy bass and airily propulsive drums. The following year saw the release of Shooting Time, a jewel of a record that drew favorable comparisons to XTC, Robyn Hitchcock, Paul Westerberg and other pop masters. Ever busy, Eason continued his sideman work, playing on Rhea Valentine's Shrug (a Twin Cities chart-topper in 1995 along with Shooting Time) and Dylan Hicks' 1996 TRG/No Alternative release Won. Eason's previous work was impressive enough, but his 1997 solo CD, The Sun Also Says Howdy, was a huge leap forward. An eclectic collection of home recordings, Howdy is a fascinating, enchanting record that girdles the pop globe from the Stones to Eno, XTC to AC/DC, Todd Rundgren to Ian Hunter. Eason drapes it all in a hazy, blurry ambience. Don't call it "lo-fi"; it's a deeper, stranger sound than that, in a league with Mercury Rev or Television Personalities. "A lot of the sound of Howdy is probably because of my limited access to good sound gear," Eason says modestly. "I didn't really know what I was doing when I mixed it." Eason is a terrific songwriter, particularly in his reflective moments (see "All That I Can Do" and "Sometime This Century"). No surprise, then, that the University of Minnesota's Radio K (KUOM 770-AM) put Howdy in heavy rotation shortly after its release in May 1997. Encouraged by the response to his solo work, Eason put Ultrasonics "on the back burner" and focused his attention on recording a follow-up record. 1999 was a busy year that saw the release of Via Satellite, an album dominated by songs that bear all the catchiness of power-pop tunes without the arrangement or lyrical cliches. Listeners will hear traces of The Kinks, Dinosaur Jr. and, through Eason's inventive and versatile guitar playing, Frank Zappa, Television or Richard Thompson. Hailed as a "stereophonic sound spectacular" by AP magazine, Via Satellite is chock-full of unique psychedelic-leaning pop with nicely placed keyboard, string and sound-effect overdubs. Eason has a knack for pure pop hooks, but he's not a purist. This is evident from the album's unexpected arrangements, the casual inclusion of hard-rock guitar and in particular the last two selections: the short, pretty guitar feature "Silver Water" (winner of the Unisong International Songwriting Prize) and the sample-laced noise-rock epic "Black Wall." Eason followed Via Satellite with the Eno-esque Lo-fi Digital Ambercroppie Nosepiece, a 30-minute instrumental collage that was the soundtrack for Karl Raschke's short film The Situation on the Ground. He also contributed two previously unreleased songs, the Syd Barrett-esque "Shut Up Thank You" and "Gray Nothing," to the 1999 compilation Do You Know the Secret Trousers? on Stick It to the Man Records. Another previously unreleased track, the Kinksy "Klondike Fitzgerald," was selected as "MP3 Single of the Month" by Australia's Camera Obscura Records, which featured the song on its Web site and later released it on its Seratonin Ronin compilation. Since then, Eason's been back in the studio with bassist Taras Ostroushko, drummer Matt Novachis and special guest, world- renown multi-instrumentalist Peter Ostroushko, who contributes violin to the song "Monday Thru Friday". These recording sessions yielded 22 melodic, guitar-driven songs, all viable candidates for Eason's next release. While finishing touches are being put on the as-yet-untitled album, look for Eason's guitar work on new releases by Dylan Hicks (Alive With Pleasure, No Alternative Records) and former Suburbs leader Chan Poling (Frankenstein, Manifesto Records).

Group Members Terry Eason, Pat O'Brien, Steve Parker, Rob Gilboe, Mark Herr, Gary Hake, Christopher McGuire, Harry Leblanc, Jane Anfinson, Barq Share, Taras Ostroushko, Dave King, Matt Novachis

Instruments Voice, Guitar (Electric, 6-String Acoustic, 12-String Acoustic), Keyboards (Casio), Drum Machinery, Drums, Bass, Drum Kit, Violin, Bowed Acoustic Guitar, Baby Grand Piano, Hammond Organ, Porkchop Hand-Grenade, Percussion, High Hat

Albums North Equator Nine Sorta Like Normal LP 1984, Terry Eason Therefore ...Um cassette 1990, Ultrasonics Supernatural 7" 1994, Ultrasonics Shooting Time CD 1995, Terry Eason The Sun Also Says Howdy 1997 CD, Eason Via Satellite 1999 CD, Eason Music from the Situation on the Ground 1999 CD, Eason Do You Know The Secret Trousers compilation 2000 CD, Eason Seratonin Ronin II Australian compilation 2000 CD, Terry Eason tentatively titled Best Album Ever CD 2001 (to be released), Babylon Pink Long Weekend EP 1989, Dylan Hicks The New Dylan cassette 1990, Dylan Hicks Chump Remover 7" EP 1993, Rhea Valentine Shrug CD 199, Rhea Valentine Stuck On AM compilation CD 1996, Dylan Hicks Won CD 1996, Dylan Hicks Poughkeepsie CD 1998, Chan Poling Frankenstein CD 2001 (to be released), Dylan Hicks Alive With Pleasure CD 2001 (to be released)

Press Reviews "Sorta like fucking cool"--Steve Albini, Matter magazine. "Via Satellite is dominated by loose, pleasant pop-rock inspired by such underground geniuses as the Bevis Frond, Guided By Voices and Olivia Tremor Control. Like those bands, Eason's unafraid to experiment, beginning with the spacey swirl that kicks off "Foot Down" and mixing bits of prog, Hendrix, punk and psychedelia along the way ... "Finite," a straight-ahead rocker, sounds great, and a strong pop sensibility is evident throughout the production ... the album never stops reaching for what's out of the ordinary, and that's commendable."--Christopher Bahn, twincities.citysearch.com. "Silver Water"--winner of the Unisong International Songwriting Prize. "Klondike Fitzgerald--selected as "MP3 Single of the Month" by Australia's Camera Obscura Records. "stereophonic sound spectacular"--AP magazine.

Location Minneapolis, MN - USA

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