User:Drew.Vinciguerra/sandbox

The Itchy-O Marching Band (IOMB), formed in 2009, is an American, Denver-based performance group and an extension of the experimental film/music troupe itchy-O.

Itchy-O is well-known for surprise, unannounced performances, or happenings. However, the troupe also has scheduled engagements. Itchy-O has played events such as the Biennial of the Americas, Riot Fest, Film on the Rocks at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver's  Underground Music Showcase, Westword's Artopia, Austin's Art Outdoors festival and Atlanta's Goat Farm. They have played with David Byrne & St. Vincent, Devo and shared bills with Beats Antique, Warlock Pinchers, Extra Action Marching Band, The Melvins, March Fourth, and many others.

History
In 2013, LockerPartners produced a short documentary on the band titled, Dark Junk and Light. The documentary was selected as a finalist for the International Documentary Challenge as was featured at the Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto, Canada.

Itchy-O's first EP, Inferno!, was released 2011 and their first full-length LP, Burn the Navigator, was released in September, 2014. Both works were engineered by Bob Ferbrache (Slim Cessna's Auto club, 16 Horse Power, and Blood Axis). In 2014, the band signed with the iconic label, Alternative Tentacles.

Itchy-O was voted Denver's best avante garde act in 2014 by Westword.

Musical style
The Itchy-O Marching Band (IOMB), a 30+ player line-up, consists of a seven-member drum corps, three taiko drum players, an electronic guitarist, two bassists, three synthesizer players, a sampler player, a vocalist using a vocoder, a theremin player, operators of effects and various other electronic devices. The band is often accompanied by dancers and Chinese lion performers. Itchy-O's industrial drum corps music is distinct from other marching band projects in that the traditional role of brass has been replaced by battery powered electronic devices providing both melody and cacophony. All members of the band wear stylized uniforms and masks so that the band is perceived as a singular entity. Each of its shows are performed with a degree of ritual.

Albums

 * Inferno (EP) (2011)
 * Burn the Navigator (LP) (2014)

Videos

 * [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWS7SI_3A7Y/ The Itchy-O Marching Band Documentary]

Press Quotes

 * “The itchy-O Marching Band tore down the third wall (and the fourth and the fifth) in an all-enveloping performance that aimed to elevate the conscious mind. Tonight, we would realize all dichotomies are false. Nearly three-dozen performers roared from the stage and the dance floor. They weaved among audience members, making us part of the show.” “Further blasting away the notion of differences, Itchy-O combined cultural forces: Taiko drums, mariachi getups, pseudofascist propaganda, Illuminati cultishness, cyberpunk splatter, alien space jams, full-face hijabs, even a Chinese dragon that writhed about the dance floor in wild abandon throughout the entire set. There was solidarity in our collective acknowledgement of the freakishness of our ways — all of our ways. Think 21st century drum circle, where cyborg bulls are slaughtered on the altar of Mystery Science Theater 3000.” – Jesus Angel Garcia, SF Weekly


 * “Like an Appalachian tent revival performing a Day of the Dead ceremony in the year 2500, Itchy-O’s live performances have become infamous for a kind of digital spirituality, a bone-shaking sensory experience of complex instrumentation and feverish exigency.” Josiah Hesse, Westword


 * “If the 2000s have taught us anything it’s that marching bands aren’t just for high schools anymore. While many marching bands have sprouted up across the country over the last few years, fans would be hard pressed to find one more genre bending than these guys. While the format for this Denver based band is semi-traditional, the music and instrumentation are anything but. A staggering 32 piece marching band equipped with drums, electronic instruments, and synthesizers may be a puzzling concept to wrap your ears around, yet the band has been lauded for their experimental performances which explore the limits, as well as blur the boundaries, between the entertainer and the entertained.” Derek Miles, the Marquee Magazine

http://www.alternativetentacles.com/news.php?news_section=MAIN http://www.confluence-denver.com/features/itchy-o_012914.aspx http://shelf3d.com/Search/DAVID%2BBYRNE%2BPlayListIDPLEF4DE8FB3F15A544 http://www.thedenveregotist.com/news/local/2013/july/23/dark-junk-light-documentary-denver-marching-band-itchy-o-lockerpartners http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2012/08/live_review_8412_itchy-o_and_e.php http://kuvo.org/webclip/itchy-o-marching-band http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/20/itchy-o-unconventional-co_n_904787.html