User:Nstabile

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Triangular Momentum (often called TriMo for short) is an American rock trio that specializes in parody, targeting a wide variety of source material across multiple genres and time periods. The band does not have a permanent drummer, as the majority of their work is based in the studio with computer-generated sounds. To date, the band has released one full-length album, as well as several scattered demos and bits of unfinished material.

Beginnings (2005)
This needs editing for truthiness....

This was the order of things... Imbriano became the Apple campus rep and during a weeknight hanging out in his room some friends spurred his often too willing tendencies to talk about and evangelize the Mac. He began by describing the ease with which one could make and distribute a podcast, then proceeding to record an impromptu Podcast episode called the "K&C Podcast". Imbriano played the hose with guests on that show were Kristen Shibiner and Eric Huselton and discussion topics included Valentine's Day, gardening, interior decorating, the Counterweight, and Theta Chi Fraternity.

Then a second episode was created called the "K&C Podcast Minus the K plus the N" featured Nicholas Stabile as the "Resident Musical Interpretationalist." etc...

Somehow Jason and I decided we should go to 7th Street to come up with material (not sure if this was for "the band" quite yet... but at the end of that session "Plot It" was written...

Triangular Momentum began as a collaboration between Chris Imbriano and Jason Maron during their sophomore year at Bucknell University. The two physics majors initially felt that they needed a creative outlet to balance what were oftentimes dull and weighty classes; however, their earliest works ended up centering around physics or math. Their first two songs were parodies of Tenacious D's "Fuck Her Gently" and "Wonderboy" - "Plot it Exactly," an ode to advanced mathematics, and 'Patent Clerk," a more personal look at the life and times of famous physicists such as Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr. While these songs were being written, Imbriano and Maron also brought in fellow student and guitarist Nick Stabile to help record weekly podcasts about their thoughts. Only two podcasts were recorded: the first was a mock news report, with Stabile serving as a "musical interpretationalist" who provided guitar-based impressions of residents with which they shared their living space, while the second incorporated a slam poetry-style tribute to their RA written by Maron. Afterwards, Stabile became a full-time member of the band, primarily providing instrumentation until the three began to share their responsibilities more equally.

"Cover Song" and Initial Response (2005-2006)
Not long after Stabile joined the band, he began to write lyrics to a parody of Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" after Imbriano suggested an opening line that dealt with someone having a terrible sinus infection. Eventually titled "I Wanted To Write A Good Cover Song But All I Got Was This Stupid Sinus Infection" (paying homage to a similarly titled song on Fall Out Boy's second album), the single became a well-received entry into the consciousness of their friends and peers, partly due to the notoriety of the original. The song was recorded into a laptop microphone with only three tracks: one for main vocals, one for rhythm acoustic guitar and one for acoustic secondary guitar. As such, the song was shelved as a demo with expectations that the band would re-record a fuller, better-sounding version in the future; however, the second recording of the song was considered inferior to the first. Despite the non-parity of the two takes, both appeared on the album; the original labelled as DEMO. Recording quality aside, the original garnered positive approval and allowed TriMo to proceed with writing new material.

Musical Progress and Album Release (2006-2008)
Shortly after releasing their first three songs, the band decided to progress from their original "from scratch" method of recording to one in which MIDI instruments provided the framework for their compositions. This allowed the trio to create more complex compositions that closely mirrored the originals that they intended to parody, leaving more time to focus on lyrical content. Instruments such as drums, piano and various backing tones were often placed onto the track first, with the band then adding their own guitar and bass tracks before singing. This new process changed the band's sound dramatically, and generally resulted in more favorable responses from fans. In 2007, TriMo created a Facebook group, PureVolume page, and YouTube channel in order to expose a wider audience to their material. In addition to electronic publicity, the band also began to play live shows around Bucknell's campus, utilizing acoustic and electric formats (the latter including help from live drummer and friend Zach Theroux), as well as pre-recording backing tracks. Finally, after much delay, their first album, This Is Not Really Recording Time, was released in digital form in June 2008, compiling all of their completely recorded songs, up to that point, into one volume.

New Material (2008-Present)
Since the release of the album, the majority of TriMo's newer material has often been topical in nature, releasing short songs (often accompanied by a slideshow) to coincide with national holidays. The band's most recent release is "Rock, Rock Jesus Manger," a parody of the original Power Rangers theme song that deals with the historial/religious significance of Christmas. Other ideas in the works are a song dealing with the 2008 presidential election as well as various raps with multiple subjects.

On October 14, 2008, the band entered the International Songwriting Competition in the "humor" category.

Style and Lyrical Themes
While the members of TriMo are mainly influenced by classic, alternative, and progressive rock music, the songs that they parody come from a wide variety of time periods and genres. The most important aspect of a potential parody is recognition, as the band has achieved more success with famous songs than others that they may enjoy on a more personal level - seen best in "Cover Song" and their parodies of "Hey There Delilah" ("Hey Aunt Jemima") and "Livin' La Vida Loca" ("Livin' La Vida Facebook"). Song titling is less important to the band; their parody titles often resemble those of the originals very closely, with one or two words changed to reflect the new subject of the song.

When recording, TriMo imports MIDI tracks or records real instruments/vocals with Apple's GarageBand software. Before utilizing MIDI, vocals and acoustic guitars on early songs ("Cover Song", "Patent Clerk", and "Plot it Exactly") were also done with GarageBand. A FireWire mixer is often used as well, making for a very portable recording setup that can be utilized almost anywhere.

While MIDI files comprise the majority of the instrumentation, the band occasionally records live tracks of guitar, bass and drums to impart their own style to the song, which becomes most evident during solos that often stray from the original source material. Being that all three band members are capable singers, no one is considered the lead vocalist, though Imbriano and Stabile appear on the majority of the tracks. A prime example of this egalitarian band model is on the song "Cologne of Broken Dreams" where Imbriano's "kaleidoscope" production allows all three voices to weave in and out of the lead, featuring the best renditions of each section. This lack of defined roles extends to all other aspects of the band, such as writing and business affairs.

TriMo's lyrics also span a wide range of subjects. While their first few songs focused on math and physics-related content, the band has since taken special care to ensure that each parody song they write will be completely accessible to their audience. Themes have included topics such as immigration, cell phone service and contracts, Nintendo, and body odor. The band also has several unfinished songs that deal with politics and social issues, spending additional time on them to ensure that they are in a relatively appropriate form when released.

Members

 * Chris Imbriano - guitar, vocals
 * Jason Maron - bass guitar, vocals
 * Nick Stabile - guitar, keyboards, vocals

Discography

 * This Is Not Really Recording Time (2008)
 * Yule Regret This (December 2008)