Artist description The Alienist Outfit is an endlessly faceted musical ensemble or simply put by todays standards... art rock. The group is unique in today's music scene because of their progressiveness, originality, and willingness to take risks. Their original sound (which defies genre stagnation) is a product of the groups musicianship and vast knowledge of music history. Elements of many genres slip in and sneak out of Alienist tunes, but the end result is always captivating and leaves impressions in their listeners heads for a long time. One of the most frequently asked questions at Alienist shows is, "What do you guys listen to?" The answer is everything (from Stravinsky and DeBussy to Zeppelin and The Beatles, from Ellington and Charles Mingus to Radiohead and Portishead, from Nick Drake and David Bowie to Mr. Bungle and Steely Dan… you get the point). The groups strengths are their songs/compositions. Fueled by colorful soundscapes, melodic chordal writing, dense vocal harmonies, space, changing time signatures, dynamics, well crafted lyrical stories, improvisation and most importantly musical communication and listening. We never underestimate our audience. We believe that the only art that lasts is produced by artists who are willing to progress and bring something new to the audible platform. People are getting tired of big corporations shoving the same capitalist crap down their throats… hence the digital evolution and the new way our generation will find their music. The Alienist Outfit is not afraid to lead the way.

Music Style post rock, alternative, everything...

Musical Influences David Bowie, Charles Mingus, Mr. Bungle, Motown, The Flaming Lips, Thelonius Monk,The Beatles, Nick Drake, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Soundgarden, Klezmer Music, Burt Bacharach, Coltrane, Claude Debussy, Tom Waits, Fugazi, Stravinsky, Duke Ellington,

Similar Artists Tortoise, The Doves, The Beatles, Mr. Bungle, David Bowie, Nick Drake, Steely Dan, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, The Beach Boys, The Bogmen, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Beck, Radiohead, John Zorn

Artist History The group started in 1997 as a recording project put together by guitarist, vocalist, saxophonist Tom Korkidis. Tom brought on board bassist, multi-instrumentalist Joe Faria and one of the most diverse and musical drummers around Josh Fleischmann. The three set out to do something different and musically progressive. Korkidis (the primary composer of the group) was writing involved dense vocal and chordal harmonies intertwined in odd time signatures and lush melodies. Korkidis, Faria, and Fleischmann proved to be a tightly knit rhythm section (taking on these original compositions) which became evident in their earliest recordings being deemed the one-take wonders by studio engineers. The songs called for more instrumentation so they brought onboard fellow musicians (currrently involved in groups like The Freelance Bishops, Michigan Blacksnake, and The Royal Family) to fill out some of the many different parts. The Alienist Outfit reached a stand still when it came to trying to put these songs in front of a live audience. Not to mention the members commitments to a number of other local groups (Blue Light Special, The Unforgettables, Dr. Smooth, and The Zoi Tribe) which got in the way of getting a strict schedule together. Through 97-00 the group continued to rehearse and put together a number of studio tracks/projects. One track was selected by the UMASS Sound Recording Department to be entered into The Audio Engineering Society contest for best recording. Well it took the group close to 3 years and a number of line-up changes but they have finally put together a group that can do justice and then some to close to 25 tracks that the group has recorded since their conception. Along with the 3 core members (Korkidis, Faria, Fleischmann), the group has added Vincent Fairchild (keys, synths, accordion, misc.), Bert Foster (electric guitars, keys, samples, vocals, tables) and Christopher Olds (vocals, persussion, noise) to The Alienist Outfit.

Group Members Tom Korkidis-vocals, acoustic/elec. guitars, micro-cassette samples Chris Olds-vocals, percussion, noises Vince Fairchild-keyboards, synths, accordion, samples Joe Faria-electric/upright bass, vocals Josh Fleischmann-drums, pots/pans Bert Foster-electric guitars, samples, keys, vocals, tables

Instruments acoustic guitar, trap kit, electric and acoustic bass, electric guitar, percussion, accordion, keys, synths, samples, pots and pans, microcasette samples, vocals

Albums EP

Press Reviews The Boston Phoenix 12.20.01 Cellars by Starlight By Ted Drozdowski IT'S RARE that a new Boston-area band aim for a sound that's ambitious and inventive rather than fitting into a comfortable club genre, so hats off - if you wear 'em - to the Alienist Outfit, a sextet who embrace jazz, rock, Philly soul, trip-hop, and textural music with total comfort. Their first album, The Alienist Outfit (Retroversal), which they released officially with a gig at Somerville's Sky Bar last month, often echoes Jack Bruce's long-lost gem of a solo debut, 1969's Songs for a Tailor. Guitarist Tom Korkidis's voice follows a similar melodic path as the former Cream bassist's, and the lyrics sometimes share Bruce's sense of world-weary romance and magic realism. Melodies abound in the synths and guitars, too, but in "MCM" they're balanced with snarky punk-rock attitude and angularity. And when sampled sounds burble,they set a tone or work to take songs to a different place. Eight guest musicians round out the core sextet's strong performance, which begs attentive listening. Northeast Performer 01.02 The Alienist Outfit Self-Titled CD Review By Justin McClean Engineered and Mixed by Bert Foster, Ian Blaquiere, and and Jeremy Parker & Ben Hillman; Produced by Tom Korkidas; Mastered by Bert Foster at MWorks Upon first reading this disk's accompanying press materials, I was a little skeptical of the quintet, which (like myself) hails from the hallowed halls of UMass-Lowell's music department. In their bio, they describe themselves as an art-rock band, proudly listing all their lesson teachers (and teachers' affiliations) and quoting composers DeBussy and Stravinsky as influences. However, the unassailable quality of this disk does give the players involved ample reason to brag. As the disk glides from groove to groove, it exudes an air of both coolness and grace. The Alienist Outfit., the brainchild of singer/guitarist/saxophonist Tom Korkidas, is a difficult band to pin down. They are at times groove-leaden rockers, evidenced by the track "MCM". They are also capable of making the smoothy kind of jazz sound modern, thanks to an infusion of programmed drums and keys (and a great sax solo by guest tenor Steve Giannaros) on "Perhaps Alexis". Around each sonic hook, there is another surprise (a subtly altered chord, an odd-time bar) which gives this disk the feel of a good movie. Each listen yields more depth and complexity to the listener's experience. One of the most exceptional elements of this disk is the consistently tasteful vintage tones supplied by principle keys player Vince Fairchild (auxiliary players Ben Hillman and Jeremy Parker similarly shine on their showpiece, "Perhaps Alexis"). My favorite tidbit is definitely the creepy keyboard wheeze (reminiscent of a soundtrack to an Ed Wood movie) that peeks through the mix in numerous places. Bert Foster's effected guitar and samples also seem to percolate through the mix and give the album a great edgy quality. Another undeniably strong element is the solid and inventive drums of Josh Fleischmann. The disk's last track (unlisted) displays a spooky Portishead-like groove, nicely anchored by Joe Faria's arco bass; a fine coda to a highly creative and original CD.

Location Boston, MA - USA

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