Bowery Electric Explained

Bowery Electric
Origin:	New York City, New York, United States
Years Active:	1993–2000
Label:	Beggars Banquet Records, Happy Go Lucky, Hi-Fidelity Recordings, Kranky
Associated Acts:	Echostar, Happy Families
Current Members:	Lawrence Chandler Martha Schwendener
Past Members:	Jon Dale Michael Johngren Wayne Magruder

Bowery Electric was an American band formed in New York in 1993 by Lawrence Chandler and Martha Schwendener.

History

Formed by Lawrence Chandler and Martha Schwendener in late 1993, Bowery Electric played their first show in New York City in January 1994.^[1] The band's debut double 7-inch single was recorded by Kramer and released by Hi-Fidelity Recordings in 1994.^[1] After listening to it, Kranky contacted the band.^[1]

The band's first album, Bowery Electric, was recorded by Michael Deming at Studio .45 in Hartford, Connecticut and released by Kranky in 1995.^[1] The album was included by Andrew Earles in his 2014 book, Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981–1996.^[2] In 2016, Pitchfork named it the 36th best shoegaze album of all time.^[3]

In 1996, the band released an album, Beat. It includes a single, "Fear of Flying".^[4] In 2016, Beat was reissued on vinyl as a 20th anniversary edition by Kranky.^[5]

Vertigo, a remix album of tracks from Beat, was released in 1997. Vertigo featured a roster of artists including Third Eye Foundation, Robert Hampson, Witchman and others.^[6]

In 2000, the band released an album, Lushlife, which was recorded at Electric Sound.^[7] The album peaked at number 14 on the CMJ Top 200 chart^[8] and number 11 on the Core Radio chart.^[9]

They have not performed or released any recordings as Bowery Electric since.^[10]

Musical style

In the November 1995 issue of The Wire, Simon Reynolds listed Bowery Electric as one of the bands that are "a distinctively American post-rock".^[11]

Discography

Studio albums

• Bowery Electric (Kranky, 1995)
• Beat (Kranky, Beggars Banquet Records, 1996)
• Lushlife (Beggars Banquet Records, 2000)

Remix albums

• Vertigo (Beggars Banquet Records, 1997)

EPs

• Drop (Hi-Fidelity Recordings, 1994)

Singles

• "Fear of Flying" (Beggars Banquet Records, 1997)
• "Without Stopping - Witchman Mix (Hell or High Water Dub)" (Beggars Banquet Records, 1997)
• "Coming Down - Immersion Mix" (Beggars Banquet Records, 1997)
• "Blow Up" (Happy Go Lucky, 1997)
• "Floating World" (Beggars Banquet Records, 2000)
• "Freedom Fighter" (Beggars Banquet Records, 2000)

Use of songs in media

Advertisements

• "Beat" was used in commercials for Puma and Michelin

Films

• All We are Saying ("Deep Sky Objects", "Freedom Fighter")
• Made in Britain ("Looped", "Low Density")
• The Mothman Prophecies ("Under the Sun")
• The Princess and the Gangster ("Lushlife")
• Transworld Skateboarding Anthology (“Fear of Flying”)
• Transworld Skateboarding Sixth Sense (“Fear of Flying”)
• Transworld Skateboarding Modus Operandi (“Shook Ones”)

Television

• Behind the News ("Freedom Fighter")
• CKAL News at Noon ("Fear of Flying")
• Comic Relief ("Low Density")
• Deepwater Black ("Fear of Flying")
• Gardners from Hell ("Low Density")
• Ideal ("Over and Over", "Slow Thrills")
• Les histoires extraordinaires de Pierre Bellemare: Le virage d'Anna ("Soul City") - Season 2, Episode 18
• WNBC-TV Listen-Voices of the Future ("Beat", "Fear of Flying", "Floating World", "Freedom Fighter", "Over and Over", "Saved", "Under the Sun")
• MTV Real World/Road Rules Challenge ("Deep Blue", "Soul City") - Episode 406; ("Psalms of Survival") - Episode 416; ("After Landing", "Shook Ones") - Episode 504; ("Deep Blue", "Psalms of Survival", "Saved") - Episode 505; ("Lushlife") - Episode 506, Episode 916
• Moorgate Legacy ("Beat", "Low Density")
• Motorway Cops ("After Landing", "Beat", "Fear of Flying", "Passages", "Psalms of Survival")
• No Disco ("Freedom Fighter")
• Paris Modes TV ("Floating World") 

See also

• List of ambient music artists

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bowery Electric. Kranky. October 25, 2017.
2. Book: Earles, Andrew. Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981–1996. Voyageur Press. 2014. 978-0760346488. United States. 47.
3. Web site: The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time (page 2 of 5). Pitchfork. October 24, 2016. January 21, 2018.
4. News: Bowery Electric rewired shoegaze to trip-hop to create a huge '90s sound. O'Neal. Sean. The A.V. Club. October 25, 2017.
5. Web site: Kranky. Facebook. October 25, 2017.
6. Web site: Raggett. Ned. Vertigo - Bowery Electric Songs, Reviews, Credits AllMusic. AllMusic. August 25, 1997. August 21, 2014.
7. Web site: Kellman. Andy. Lushlife - Bowery Electric Songs, Reviews, Credits AllMusic. AllMusic. October 27, 2017.
8. April 10, 2000. CMJ Top 200. CMJ New Music Report. 62. 661. 13.
9. March 27, 2000. Core Radio. CMJ New Music Report. 62. 659. 18.
10. Web site: Bowery Electric - History. Brainwashed. August 21, 2014.
11. Reynolds. Simon. Simon Reynolds. November 1995. Back to the Future. The Wire. 141. 26–30.