User talk:Jmillrod/Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a Noise/Free Jazz band from New York City, New York, United States. They have shared the stage with notable noise acts such as John Wiese, Graveyards, John Fell Ryan of Excepter, Nonhorse, Ducktails and Grey Skull. The band has also performed live on WFMU and WNYU.

Origin
Grasshopper began as a quartet comprised of Josh Millrod on keyboard and rewired consumer electronics, Jesse DeRosa on guitar, Jon Leonard on flute and Nick Aiello on drums. The band's earliest material would be classified as Post-Rock. This incarnation of the band only performed twice before disbanding.

Second Incarnation
Grasshopper later re-formed after Millrod and DeRosa finished their studies in classical trumpet performance at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music. Grasshopper's first post-graduate release featuring DeRosa on guitar and Millrod on keyboard both heavily processed with electronics, a double 3" CDr release with Baltimore's Insect Factory, was met with praise by Foxy Digitalis. During this period, Grasshopper's music was predominantly atonal white-noise.

Third Incarnation
As Grasshopper began to play more frequently in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Millrod and DeRosa abandoned keyboard and guitar for trumpet and EVI, respectively. They released "Dads Against Vietnam" on Baked Tapes, DeRosa's record label. This album was more akin to psychedelic rock and free jazz than their earlier recordings, which were harsher with no discernible melodies.

Grasshopper then released "Kindertotenlieder", which paid homage to Gustav Mahler, which was also met with praise on Cassette Gods and Tabs Out. This album was later re-released on CDr by Millrod's label, Bloodfist Karate School.

2003

 * ...The pebbles on the beach are washed under the bridge where the birds gather and where rays of light show through CDr (In Orbit Records)

2008

 * Grasshopper/Insect Factory Split Double 3" CDr (Shut Up! I Love You Records)

2009

 * Dads Against Vietnam Cassette (Baked Tapes)
 * Kindertotenlieder Cassette (Baked Tapes)
 * If You Want the Million Dollars, You Have to Sleep in the Haunted House Cassette (Baked Tapes)
 * Wretched Blood Wraith Cassette (Obsolete Units)
 * Kindertotenlieder CDr (Bloodfist Karate School)
 * Grasshopper/Twistycat Split Cassette (Abandon Ship Records)

Forthcoming

 * Classical Music Cassette (Excite Bike Records)
 * The Peaceful Warriors Guide to Daily Living Cassette (Thor's Rubber Hammer)
 * Miles in the Sky Cassette (Baked Tapes)