TV on the Radio

TV on the Radio
Tunde Adebimpe at a concert in 2004
Background information
Years active	2001–present
Members	Tunde Adebimpe Kyp Malone David Andrew Sitek Jaleel Bunton Gerard Smith Katrina Ford (collaborator) Martin Perna (collaborator) Nick Zinner (collaborator) Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra (live only)

TV on the Radio is a New York City avant-garde indie-rock vocal band formed in 2001 whose music spans genres as diverse as free jazz, a cappella/doo-wop, trip-hop and electro.

Band Members

The core members are Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/loops) along with Jaleel Bunton (drums) and Gerard Smith (bass).

Other contributors include Katrina Ford of the band Celebration (vocals), Martin Perna (saxophones, flute) of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and Nick Zinner (guitar) of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

History

The first album from TV on the Radio (initially just founding members Adebimpe and Sitek) was the self-released OK Calculator (the title being a reference to Radiohead's seminal album OK Computer), the majority of which is wildly different from their later sound, with elements of electronica, hip hop and turntablism. Later they were joined by Kyp Malone and released the Young Liars EP in 2003 to great critical acclaim. This was followed by their full-length debut, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes which earned the band the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize. They released a second EP, New Health Rock, later in 2004. Their most recent album, Return to Cookie Mountain, leaked in early 2006 and garnered pre-release praise from such outlets as Pitchfork Media[1] before its official release in July overseas. U.S. and Canadian audiences had to wait until September for an official release, on major label Interscope.

Founding member David Andrew Sitek has produced records with such bands as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Celebration, and Liars. Currently building his own studio, Sitek is in the process of producing the first LP for Dragons of Zynth, and working with them on a collaboration with Massive Attack for an upcoming New Gothic/soul album. He has also recently mixed the debut album by The Longcut.

Tunde Adebimpe has also worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, producing and animating their Pin video.

TV on the Radio is one of the favorite active bands of rock icon David Bowie, who also contributes backing vocals on the track "Province" from the latest effort, Return to Cookie Mountain. The album was released July 6, 2006 worldwide (except the United States and Canada) by 4AD. The official North American release date was September 12, 2006 by Interscope Records.[2] Bowie had been following TV on the Radio since 2003, when Sitek sold Bowie's doorman a painting and passed along some of the band's recordings. After surprising the group with an adulatory phone call, Bowie kept in touch with the band members, advising them on everything from how to deal with record executives to what to do with "Dry Drunk Emperor," a Bush-bashing single that they recorded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. (They released the track online for free, per Bowie's suggestion.) "They have a strong link with the great body of American poetry, especially Beat poetry," Bowie says. "The sampling, multitracking and mashing identifies them as the spawn of a techno-industrial society. I love the new record. I play it about three times a week, which is, like, saturation level for me."

Discography

Albums & EPs

Image	Release date	Title	Label
	2002	OK Calculator	self-released
	July 8, 2003	Young Liars (EP)	Touch and Go Records
File:TV on the Radio-Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (album cover).jpg	March 9, 2004	Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes	Touch and Go Records
File:NewHealthRock.jpeg	October 12, 2004	New Health Rock (EP)	Touch and Go Records
File:Return to Cookie Mountain.jpg	July 6, 2006	Return to Cookie Mountain	Interscope Records

Singles

• Staring at the Sun [CD & 7"] (2004), 4AD
• Wolf Like Me [CD & 7"] (2006), 4AD

Videography

• Dreams (directed by Elliot Jokelson & UVPhactory)
• Staring at the Sun (March 2004, directed by Elliot Jokelson)
• Wolf Like Me (Waverly Films, September[?] 2006)

Trivia

TVOTR Live in Boston

• Katrina Ford of Celebration appeared in the music video for Staring at the Sun.
• They have covered "Modern Romance" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Mr. Grieves" by the Pixies, and "Walking the Cow" by Daniel Johnston.
• Before Tunde Adebimpe formed TV on the Radio he was best known for playing the lead role in the independent film Jump Tomorrow. He also directed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs video for "Pin" and was an animator for the MTV show Celebrity Deathmatch.
• Dave Sitek's nickname, by the band, is "coach" or "warden" (a comic take on his being the only white member of the band).
• At the German Festival Highfield, they announced a few of their songs with the title of other songs, for example Satellite as Mr. Grieves.
• The song "Staring at the Sun" was featured as the credit outro on an episode of HBO's "Entourage" aired on August 20, 2006.
• The band takes its name from British DJ Tommy Vance's famous catchphrase "This is T. V. on the radio" referring to his (pseudonymous) initials.
• Staring at the Sun was featured in episode five of Signé Chanel as the opening song for Karl Lagerfeld's Fall/Winter 2004-2005 Chanel couture fashion show.
• In the song, "Mr. Grieves", Tunde Adebimpe recorded 28 separate tracks of his own voice.
• TV on the Radio's "Return to Cookie Mountain" was named "Album of the Year" in Spin magazine's year-end 2006 issue.

External links

• Official Website
• Vision In Sound - TV On The Radio Fan Site
• TV on the Radio at MySpace
• Mesh Interview with Kyp Malone (2006)
• TV on the Radio Artist Commentary
• Prefix Interview with Dave Sitek (2006)