Artist description Electro-pop + geeky-computerized-samples with guitar and accordion on the side.

Music Style Computerized pop

Musical Influences They Might Be Giants, DJ Shadow, Buffalo Daughter, Bis

Artist History Hence the Name is an electro-pop duo (Ken and Steve) from Santa Cruz, CA. They formed while attending separate universities in 1997 in order to cover the TMBG song "Where Your Eyes Don't Go" for the "We Might Be Giants, Too!" tribute album. Soon thereafter, they began writing wonderfully strange tunes on their computers using both real instruments (guitar, turntables, keyboards and accordion) and samples taken from all sorts of popular media. After many hours in front of computer monitors, they finally released their first album, "Safety First" in the summer of 1999. Since then, their work has also appeared on "Flogging a Dead Cow" (Dead Milkmen tribute) and "'Til Someone Loses an Eye: The Safety Tips Compilation." Ken and Steve are currently balancing job/grad school gigs with their music writing and hope to release their second album later this year (2002).

Group Members Kenneth Moodie and Steve Knowles

Instruments Computer, Keyboards, Turntables, Accordion, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Korg EA-1 & ES-1

Albums Safety First (1999)

Press Reviews Vinyl Boy's review of "Safety First" (1999)..."The future of music, I hope...A collection of songs that Hence The Name has released from 1997-1999 over the internet. The band is made up of two guys, Ken Moodie and Stephen Knowles, and is part of a kind of sampladelic music that almost cannot be performed live that has been growing in popularity since the early 80's. To me, this is the future of music. Computers have given the power of producing songs to ordinary people. Hence The Name is a perfect example."

Additional Info Safety First, along with many other crazy HTN mp3s, can be downloaded for free from their website (http://www.hencethename.com).

Location San Jose, CA - USA

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