credit: Tim Charters
Rubberlegs began life as three musically codependent friends, practicing an improvised
form of at-home group therapy as they attempted to work through many lifetimes' worth of
karmic buildup. Their apartment was the instrument of choice, centered as it was around
an array of favored synthesizers and sound processing devices, while not sparing other
surfaces which were equally well abused. Microphones were scraped in and out of levis
jeans and across exposed brick walls, banged against corningware casserole dishes and
liquid-filled crystal wine glasses. Primitive personal computers and delays were
strong-armed into playing jarringly hypnotic loops of sounds, captured live from the air
and circuitry around them, while the three 'legs jumped through sound banks, keyboards,
percussion devices and masonry, adding spice to the mix. A tape was always rolling in
record mode, and thus were born the varied sounds of "Leg Warmers Reheated," in crazed
spontaneous emissions of live experimentation. Many of these sessions were later
deconstructed, and reformed as the inspirations for the more structured pop songs that
begin the retrospective CD.
"Leg Warmers Reheated" is a collection of some of the best electronic music that you
never heard in the '80s and '90s. It may well be the first retrospective that was ever
released BEFORE the individual songs that it recaps! This irony is not lost on
Rubberlegs, whose songs "China Too" and "People Who Talk in Elevators" were finally heard
by MP3.com's masses in May 2000, putting them in the top 5 of the New Wave chart for
weeks, and were first performed live in public soon thereafter. The truth is, the 'legs
were having so much fun back in the day, making sense and meaning out of all these
wonderful noises, that it never occurred to them that they had a duty to expose
themselves and their wacky sound palette to the rest of the world. How wrong they were.
Bringing back the future, in 2006-2007: enter new maxi-single "The Timinator," with the
armageddon angels in the intro to the "Tim's Toms Mix" heralding a new sound and a new
beginning for the band. Rubberlegs performs regularly in and around their New York City
home base, ranging from the mid-Atlantic states to Austin, Texas. True to their live
recording roots, they play without any backing tracks or drum machines: every sound you
hear at a Rubberlegs show originates directly from their own fingers and voices. This is
well evidenced by the inclusion of two live tracks on the latest release — in particular
the perennial crowd-pleaser, a cover of the '80s gem from Our Daughter's Wedding,
"Lawnchairs." The new CD was nominated for an OUTMUSIC Award, for "Outstanding New
Recording by a Duo or Group." With Ant on electronic drums, the live experience careers
headfirst into new territory with harder-hitting 'tude and in-your-face sonics. Devo gets
a Chicks-On-Speed makeover. Says Peg, "We couldn't find a musical genre that adequately
describes what we do, so we had to create our own! ALT.TRONICA. It's not a newsgroup,
it's a floor wax AND a dessert topping!"
Lately they've been supplementing their live Alt.tronic showcases with long multi-set bar
& club nights, featuring a host of '80s new wave cover tunes. The richness of live sound
generated by these two guys leaves audiences feeling like their pleasure centers have
been tasered, and the reinterpreted electropop/punk-rock gems of the recent past get you
pogo dancing before you know it. From the hard-wave treatment of Iggy Pop's classic "Five
Foot One," to Hilary's WLIR favorite "Drop Your Pants," to extreme-energy mashups of
Dancing With Myself and Sedated, Jet Boy Jet Girl and Ça Plane Pour Moi, Warm Leatherette
and Telecommunication, Rubberlegs rocks you in a different way that is both completely
new and kevlar-piercingly familiar.
Don't be caught with your pants down when sex, as we know it, becomes obsolete. Get plugged
today ----> ( )
Peg - synth/voc
Ant - edrums
ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
(click here if you'd like to read an ultra-complete, partially-illustrated Rubberlegs history)
