Culture Queer

Artist Information

Biography

Culture Queer has taken the elements of traditional Pop (sprightly melodies, unquenchable effervescence) and injected the proceedings with a quirky liquidity (Electronic experimentalism, Eno- like lyrical conundrums, New Wave energy, a wonderfully disguised darkness), resulting in a fascinating mash-up of style and substance.
Culture Queer consistently provides the soundtrack for you to dance your ass off at the intersection of Think and Don't Think. Dig It:
Brian Eno and Puffy Ami Yumi starring in the big screen musical version of Three's Company (with Carl Newman and Neko Case as the Ropers).
Culture Queer is international pop quartet that blends sweet and melodic guy/girl harmonies and weirdo soundscapes. These Cincinnati natives embrace their midwest roots but also transcend it with a sound that is completely unique and without pretense. Their live shows are always a spectacle as they combine live mixed video with their sets. (3 members are accomplished filmmakers). As all members are multi-instrumentalists (their drummer is a girl for God sakes!) they defy comparison and love to mess with the audience's sense of normal. After the show, they will talk to you about love, death and how you are feeling.

Performing with groups the likes of.....Low, Deerhoof,
Of Montreal, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Punk Bunny, Macha, the Frogs, Bevis Frond, Quasi, Vhs or Beta, Wussy, Josiah Wolf, Heartless Bastards, Duchess Says, Phantogram etc.
plus....Pop Montreal , Midpoint Music Festival, NXNE, Contemporary Art Center, Ensemble Theater, LiteBriteTest film festival ,the Northside Music Festival , Rock and roll Carnival, and Autumedia
Comfortable in clubs & galleries .
Their album "Supersizeit under Pontius Pilate" was declared album of the year by Citybeat magazine .

Instrumentation

Scott Fredette "I am Culture Queer" - Bass, Guitar, and Keyboards
Sam Womelsdorf - Guitar, Bass and Keyboards
Jeremy Lesniak - Bass, keyboards, and Guitar, Electronica
Dana Hamblen - D for Drums

Discography

"NIGHTMARE BAND" 2012

"Kid Friendly Dinner Party 2009

this record was composed, shot, shat upon, and then rebirthed over the course of 2 years...There was enough energy from the fighting alone of the band members to decimate the entire city of Terre Haute, Indiana. Luckily, the tunes were freezed packed in dry ice and then buried in the ground 100 feet from a megachurch...once the artists were able to collect themselves...they dug it up....the cd was in a locked treasure chest....After several failed attempts at opening the chest, someone outside the band sawed the fucking lock off for them.
Inside, there was the cd, perfectly manufactured and shrink wrapped, surrounded by diamonds of all sizes, the heart of a dolphin?!!, and several varieties of Little Debbie snack cakes. While Sam enjoyed one of the cakes, the cd was sent to a mastering company in Japan where a Zen master sat with it for 4 years before sending it back....His only comment was "YUP." So, here it is....enjoy..]

"Born Again"- dvd single
"SuperSizeIt under Pontius Pilate"-full length 2004-Tokyo Rose Records
"aCQep" -2005 -Tokyo Rose Records
http://www.tokyoroserecords.com/
"Baby"-radio single broadcast on WOXY,WAIF,WVXU,etc!
"Baby"-used as the theme for the LiteBriteTest film festival 2004
iLove- compilation of Love Songs -feb 14th 2005

Official Website

http://soundcloud.com/culture-queer

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Tumblr
• Reverb Nation

Audio

• U Bummin Mr. Drummond
  Listen   Download
• Wasted Garden
  Listen   Download
• Nightmare Band
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Druid / [ Better get used to it ]

Video

CQ-Wasted Garden Master

U Bummin Mr Drummond MASTER_Vignette_web.mov

Photo Gallery

Press

• MOKB Premeire : Culture Queer : “U Bummin’ Mr. Drummond” [+ Show ]
  

  Pop-quartet Culture Queer use sweet and melodic guy/girl harmonies over weird flowing electronic sou...Pop-quartet Culture Queer use sweet and melodic guy/girl harmonies over weird flowing electronic soundscapes. All members are multi-instrumentalists and the band has been a constant in the Cincinnati, OH music scene for several years now. They might have finally found their stride in their latest effort, Nightmare Band, that is slated for release on October 16th. We have a fun little cut titled “U Bummin’ Mr. Drummond” from said album for your listening pleasure.

• Video: Culture Queer – “U Bummin’ Mr. Drummond” (CoS Premiere) [+ Show ]
  

  Video: Culture Queer – “U Bummin’ Mr. Drummond” (CoS Premiere) By Chris Coplan on October 30th,...
  Video: Culture Queer – “U Bummin’ Mr. Drummond” (CoS Premiere)
  
  By Chris Coplan on October 30th, 2012 in CoS Premieres, Music Videos
  
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  What: Cincinnati pop-quartet Culture Queer’s brand of wub-heavy alt-funk gives a burst of life and urgency to a small town in the video for ”U Bummin’ Mr. Drummond”. Here’s hoping this is the start of a beautiful and groovy renaissance of Pogo-assisted dance parties across the nation.
  
  The band’s latest album, Nightmare Band, is available now.
  
  Directed by: Vocalist/guitarist Scott Fredette
  

• Culture Queer | You Bummin' Mr. Drummond [video] [+ Show ]
  

  Cincinnati's an interesting place. You don't find this kind of thing in Canada's Cincinnati; Sarnia....Cincinnati's an interesting place. You don't find this kind of thing in Canada's Cincinnati; Sarnia. Tim Willig, Cincinnati's man-about-town, is the Queen City's source of many late-night laugh-riots, and Culture Queer's video for "U Bummin' Mr. Drummond" is impeccable in it's timing today. I think I'm going to find myself a Nudie Suit, a 6-pack of Hudepohl, and a boom box... time to dance

• Welcome To Their 'Nightmare' Culture Queer hones its musical vision with its latest album, ‘Nightmare Band’ [+ Show ]
  

  Nightmare Band is clearly the best studio work that Culture Queer has produced to date. On CQ’s Reve...Nightmare Band is clearly the best studio work that Culture Queer has produced to date. On CQ’s ReverbNation page, they identify themselves as “Fruitpie Pop for God” and “Bubblegum from underneath the school desk”; Nightmare Band gives credence to those descriptions. There’s a goofy ’60s sugar Pop swagger that hints at the B-52’s and Devo, while a Glam Rock undercurrent suggests Mott the Hoople if they’d been steered by Eno instead of Bowie.
  CQ has maintained a sonic profile that includes melodic Indie Rock, Synth Pop and an avant garde sense of experimentalism combined with a fascinating visual/video component — Fredette alludes to Queen, while Hamblen references Sparks. Culture Queer blends in with that company well; they’re all stylistically diverse and appreciate humor in their music, remaining completely serious in the pursuit of excellence while never taking themselves seriously.
  
  

• Culture Queer - Nightmare Band (Independently released CD, Pop) [+ Show ]
  

  One thing you should know about this band...the members are not gay unless you're using to word to r...One thing you should know about this band...the members are not gay unless you're using to word to refer to folks who are happy-go-lucky. And that three word string is certainly an apt way of describing the cool melodic uplifting tunes on Nightmare Band. Culture Queer is the quartet comprised of Sam Womelsdorf, Scott Fredette, Dana Hamblen, and Jeremy Lesniak. These folks emit positive vibrations with their music. No bad attitudes here...and the emphasis is on music rather than technology. Listening to these cool tracks it becomes immediately obvious that these musicians are making music for all the right reasons. These folks love making music...and their passion for what they're doing shines through crystal clear on every single track. Pure playful energy. Our favorite cuts include "Wasted Garden," "Never Look Back," "Better Get Used To It," and "Trial By Fire." Sometimes goofy, sometimes pensive...and sometimes rather thought provoking. Top pick.

• New Culture Queer: Wasted Garden [+ Show ]
  

  Culture Queer, a staple of the Cincinnati electro-pop scene for years, are back and ready to hit you...Culture Queer, a staple of the Cincinnati electro-pop scene for years, are back and ready to hit you with an all new set of songs. The quartet, known for their energetic live shows and loyalty to their hometown Cincinnati, might have their best recorded work to date waiting in the wings right now. Today, we unveil one of those new songs for you, dubbed “Wasted Garden” which you can stream or download below.
  
  Let us know what you think of the new song and get ready for a brand new Culture Queer album, called Nightmare Band.

• MPMF.12 Day 2: The Storms are All Inside This Year [+ Show ]
  

  I would have loved to hang around for more of Kansas Bible Company, but I really wanted to see Cultu...I would have loved to hang around for more of Kansas Bible Company, but I really wanted to see Culture Queer at the Cincinnati Club, seeing as how I’ll be interviewing them next week for an upcoming feature to advance the album release show for their excellent new disc, Nightmare Band. Assorted detours got me to the show about mid-set, and CQ was well into a scorching Electro-Pop dance groove at that point. It wasn’t the full-bore dancing girls-and-a-transvestite slut bride chorus line from last year’s roof-raising blow up at Artworks, but it was an astonishingly talented four piece (and their man-behind-the-curtain wizard controlling the screen projections behind the amps) cranking out a sonic blurt that suggested the B-52s with the campy novelty excised in favor of incendiary Indie Rock and New Order without the subtext of severe depression.
  
  CQ's Scott Fredette entertained up front (“So what do you want to do? I’ve got a doobie in my glove compartment...”), Sam Womelsdorf peeled off guitar runs that walked the line between Indie Rock power and Dance Rock slink, Jeremy Lesniak split his time between guitar and keyboard in the same pursuit, and Dana Hamblen pounded out the beat with the sadistic joy of an interrogator working over a Guantanamo detainee for information while harmonizing or singing lead.
  
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  It was stripped down but it was standard Culture Queer weird brilliance or brilliant weirdness or both.
  

• Culture Queer Release Party [+ Show ]
  

  Cracked, crack-like-addictive Art Pop quartet Culture Queer recently had its incredibly entertaining...Cracked, crack-like-addictive Art Pop quartet Culture Queer recently had its incredibly entertaining new music video for “U Bummin’ Mr. Drummond” debut on the hugely popular music website Consequence of Sound, which should help bring the group’s recent album, Nightmare Band, more of the widespread attention it so richly deserves. (Check it below). CQ presents a free, all-ages release party for the amazing new full-length at 8 p.m. Saturday at Hoffner Lodge (4122 Hamilton Ave., Northside). The multimedia event will feature lots of surprises (from video art to photo displays to cake!), as well as openers April Combs and Fists of Love. Read CityBeat's recent profile of CQ here.

• Filmmaking in Cincinnati: A Wide Angle [+ Show ]
  

  “It’s a great home base to be able to travel and shoot the stuff I do.” He has created promo sp...“It’s a great home base to be able to travel and shoot the stuff I do.”
  
  He has created promo spots for MTV2 and countless music videos for everyone from Bad Religion to Atmosphere, [which includes clips of CNN stock footage from Cincinnati’s 2001 riots]; concepted, produced and directed whimsical story-based commercials for Danish shoe company ECCO; and directed the visual projections that played behind Jay Z for his 2010 Home and Home Tour.
  Hamblen and Fredette also form half of “fruit pop” band, “Culture Queer.” They work together on their own music videos, another sign that creative teamwork is part of his natural repertoire.
  
  In 2006 Fredette came full circle when he got the opportunity to work with Jarmusch on a video for The Raconteurs. He understands the need for directors to be open to creative opportunities.

• Long Live the Queer [+ Show ]
  

  One of the city's best, most criminally underrated Indie Pop bands, Culture Queer, returns with a ne...One of the city's best, most criminally underrated Indie Pop bands, Culture Queer, returns with a new CD this Friday. The band will play Northside's Gypsy Hut to celebrate the new Kid Friendly Dinner Party, CQ's third album. Also on the bill is Wussy (fresh off of an East Coast tour).
  
  In these times of over-stuffed CDs, nothing makes me happier than getting an old-school "album," with just nine songs and clocking in under 23 minutes. CQ's sparkly-to-rugged brand of Pop might just have the power to suspend time. The opening "Needy Wannabe" reintroduces CQ in 61-seconds, but it feels like a fully formed song and not just an incomplete snippet. The whole album follows suit, fully satisfying despite having only one track over the three-minute mark.
  
  While CQ's last album featured a few tracks of experimental mirth, the experimentation is more subtly interwoven within the saccharine-sweet harmonies, inescapable melodies, wavy keys and adventurous guitar quirks. The band can even get a little Prog-y within the Pop infrastructure -- call "Sunshine" the world's shortest Prog song, with a hovering intro and keyboard/organ that adds a little Deep Purple-meets-Imperial Teen grooviness to the proceedings. Elsewhere, the band is more consistently rollicking. The toothy, raving "Nervous Wreck" gets agro-ish with attacking guitar, swirling, scraping sound effects, Scott Fredette's mordant snarl and maniacal backing hoots. Singer/drummer Dana Hamblen is predictably awesome, singing the New Wave-ish "Save It For the Night" with her spine-tingly vocal sweetness.
  
  Culture Queer creates a beautiful sound with a Rainbow Brite color scheme, but there are many emotional shades to Kid Friendly Dinner Party, from sincere and amorous to sarcastic and surreal. Come for the untouchable Pop, stay for the fabulous interior decorating. (myspace.com/culturequeer)

• Local trio Culture Queer's multimedia performances come to the CAC [+ Show ]
  

  "It was our seventh show before we had one that didn't feature at least the threat of the band break..."It was our seventh show before we had one that didn't feature at least the threat of the band breaking up!" The room laughs as Sam Womelsdorf chronicles the volatile history of his three-piece multimedia collaborative, Culture Queer. The group has existed since early '99 as a side project for the busiest Girl in Fairmount, Dana Hamblin; ex-Throneberry co-founder and current Loveland magistrate, Womelsdorf; and Scott Fredette, a photographer/film conceptualist. CQ saturates the visual aspect of their performances, projecting an unpredictable array of video images onto a screen behind them, while their bassless attack allows for a sonic sparseness where the three distinct voices cohabit their groovy electric lounge. The blend will be further enhanced by a narrative storyline, a musical play in two acts, when the band appears Oct. 20 at the Contemporary Art Center.
  They will be the first "normal Rock band" to appear as part of the CAC's Friday series, when they unveil their two-act play on Oct. 20. "The first act is called 'The Rehearsal,' " jokes Womelsdorf, when asked if the band wanted to tip its hand concerning the storyline of the newest endeavor, so it seems to be a work in progress. But the conception stage is relished here.
  
  "What makes this band different from any I've been in, or am in, is the way we collaborate," says Womelsdorf. "Everyone's just so fertile with ideas that if we had to, I think we could write a record in a week. Since there is no bass, it changes the musical dynamic dramatically and for the better. We take that aesthetic plunge, and we do feel naked without the bass sometimes, but the payoff is that you can really hook-up the guitar with the drums, and getting that done creates a ton of space for everyone's singing."
  
  Their name originated from bygone Lakota High School social labeling, where kids who looked strange and didn't play sports were designated Culture Queers.
  Fredette feels that the promises of the conveniently-named smoking cessation aid, Nicoderm CQ, are also apropos for the band -- "The power to fight, the power to comfort, the power to MAKE YOU QUIT."
  
  With the band's highest profile engagement approaching, here's hoping nobody quits. ©
  

Setlist

30 minute set with video art projection and possible dramatic interludes and/or puppets
comfortable in museums, galleries, and playhouses that are noise-friendly .
9-11 song list with smooth segues and multiple changeups .tag team switching.

we do a fabulous version of 13 by Big Star when prompted

Basic Requirements

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