Music
Press
"Mars Accelerator hinted at greatness on it's 1996 debut, I AM THE SOUTH POLE, then perfectly harnessed its hybrid of Pacific Northwest guitar pop and Krautrock-influenced meditations on the recent follow-up, Frankfurt: Telephonics (color coding and directional signals), on hometown Seattle label Rx Remedy. The Steve Fisk produced disc skews the Built To Spill/Modest Mouse sound to include spaced-out diversions and even some prog-like repetitiveness that walk that fine line between esoteric and accessible like a nimble Romanian gymnast on a balance beam. Most signs indicate that this talented quartet will accelerate past its regional brethren to become the next Pacific Northwest breakout band" - NXNW blurb, 1999
"Mars Accelerator hinted at greatness on it's 1996 debut, I AM THE SOUTH POLE, then perfectly harnessed its hybrid of Pacific Northwest guitar pop and Krautrock-influenced meditations on the recent follow-up, Frankfurt: Telephonics (color coding and directional signals), on hometown Seattle label Rx Remedy. The Steve Fisk produced disc skews the Built To Spill/Modest Mouse sound to include spaced-out diversions and even some prog-like repetitiveness that walk that fine line between esoteric and accessible like a nimble Romanian gymnast on a balance beam. Most signs indicate that this talented quartet will accelerate past its regional brethren to become the next Pacific Northwest breakout band" - NXNW blurb, 1999
"By intentionally fracturing its music with warped time changes and spacey sonic disturbances, Mars Accelerator soundly puts the life back into the cult of noisy indie-rock.Frankfurt: Telephonics, the Seattle-based quartet's second album, is teeming with guitar effects and stunning contrasts between structure and sound...It's and indie-rock heart massage: surging from near nothingness to raging vitality in many instances. The band gruffly disturbs atmosphere using its instruments to create blistering pockets of sound that eventually pop with amazing force. All lingering blemishes and burns, however, are neatly relieved by comforting strips of guitar. The ultimate tonic in its musical bag is Bobby Nath's rapturously youthful voice" -- Kelso Jacks (CMJ) - CMJ-Kelso Jacks
Discography
FULL LENGTHS //
CLOUDS FOR YOUR Y-AXIS
(Forthcoming - Email m13r@marsaccelerator.com for a promo version)
Track List //
Clandestine / Fill For The Glacial Till / Sore Spot / Ben Trovato! / Our Friends In Multimedia / Canned Air / An Elevator In Hyderabad / Your Viscosity On Down / The Weight Of Your Design / Angle & Threat / You/Me Syzygy / Slow Science (When You're Right, You're Right) / (Title Track)
FRANKFURT: TELEPHONICS (COLOR CODING & DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS)
RX Remedy (US) / RXRLP011 / RXRCD011 / Release Date: 24 Feb 1998
Track List //
Spites Are Looming / Starlxt / 1040m / Your Friends In Multimedia / Jupiter Fell Into A Lapse / Captains (Then Spies) / Id Et Mien / Zeroes And Ones / Mezzanine Faction / Mr. Tom Blood Poetry / < Dinner w/ Resa > [bonus track (cd only)]
I AM THE SOUTH POLE
RX Remedy (US) / RXRLP007 / RXRCD007 / Release Date: 20 August 1996
Track List //
Holy Cow! / Plastic Afterglow / Culprit Shy / Satellite Texas Farm / (Formaldehyde) / Raygun / Adrenaline Template - os os os / Part That Go-Action / Kill Tokyo / Astronaut-B / Glut / Our Jedi Hero / Sasquatch Vs. Francis Bacon / All Skate [bonus track (cd only)]
7" //
QUASI / Mars Accelerator / Space Pants
Team Lizabean (US) / BEAN 001 / Release Date: unknown
Track List //
{Side A} Desire and Love - Quasi
{Side B} Failed Connection - M13R / At All - Space Pants
Mars Accelerator / Suplex
M-Theory Records (US) / M26 / Release Date: unknown
Track List //
{Side A - M13R} With.Absolute.Certainty (mislabeled as "Sore Spot)
{Side B - Suplex} Aries/Six
SEMAPHORE LOVELETTER (The Adding Machine & Mars Accelerator)
First Alert Doppler (US) / FAD002 / Release Date: unknown
Track List //
{Side A - M13R} Bubbles, Lurching / Yes, Slimy
{Side B - The Adding Machine} Missles / Baby's Own Colour Annual 1976
Torpor Fix
RX Remedy (US) / RXR005 / Release date: 07 May 1996
Track List //
{Side A} Torpor Fix / One Star Flux
{Side B} Total Fate Program
Welcome Vs. Mars Accelerator
Corn! (US) / CRN001 / Release date: 21 Feb 1995
Track List //
{Side A - Welcome} El Vez / Soft Spot
{Side B - M13R} Scummy Little Midwesterner Frank (A Love Dream)
Other //
Designer Drug, Volume Two
Estate Records (US) / ER007 / Release Date: unknown
Track List //
C'mon buddie - Rentawally / Candy Jane - Deleno / Smoke Narcotics - Iron Beef / I'm Alone - Foil / Janie - The Snarkouts / Superchild - Marjoe / Tinman - Michael Rook / Tire Fire - Resonator / Lisa Marie - Rentawally / Reptile Girl - Pretty Mary Sunshine / Butterfly - The Meat Illness / Button Nose - The Primate 5 / Tonight - Marjoe / Iron Flower - Iron Beef / Scummy Little Midwesterner Frank (A Love Dream) - Mars Accelerator / Lunar Cycle - Non Robot / Roast Aroma - Deleno / Valerie - Pretty Mary Sunshine / Heroin - Resonator / Vitamin Erogenous - Skyward / He Hides it All - Wine Devils
Letters To: Aliens (West)
Undercover Records (US) / UNCV004 / Release Date: unknown
Track List //
Quasi Stellar Radio Source - The Black Watch / 1040m - Mars Accelerator / Atari 400 - Reload / Ancestor - Kayo / Comet - Snowmen / Send My Remains to the Colonies - Star Hustler / Flying Saucers are Real - Kickstand / Oh Dahmer - Chrome / Paranormal Preamble; Song #57 - Brilliantine / Dead Astronaut - Flaming Box of Ants / Alien Love - Roger Nusic / Space Boy - Sister Psychic
Chutes and Ladders
Cactus Gum Recordings (US) / CACTUS015 / Release date: unknown
Track List //
{Side A} Scenester - the Soapbox Racers / MariLou - BJ Kramp / If You Could Read My Mind - Pedestrian Xing / Forgotten Recollections - The Magic Blue Bicycle / Vio-lent - Mote / Starship Rocket - The David Hasslehoff 5 / Whiskey You're the Devil - Hot Asphalte / Fro-J - Frookie & the Jammies / Half Assed - Gum Tree / Flannery O'Connor - Simon Joyner / Cosmic Girl - Boy Genius / Song About the Beach - Little Jupiter / Pony Song - Franklin Bruno / Into the Funnel - Time Wanish / Exciting Girl - Cane / Rebel's Digest - Bingo Trippers
{Side B} / The Sadness of Science - Six Cents and Natalie / Japanese Girlfriend - the Botanists / Music Palace NYC - Mean Spirit'd Robots / Nice to Me - Just / Mushroom Gurl - Neener / Baby You're My Whatsastuff - Moviola / Go it Alone - Wrist / Clock Ticking, Resonance - AZ 1492 / So This is Superman - Corsair / Camry Blues - Zero Series / Wish You Were Mine - The Stunt Doubles / Erone - The Asuza Plane / Suspended in the Air - Lucky Dime / The Foreign Line - Edith Presler / Hide and Seek - My Motorbike / Formaldehyde iii - Mars Accelerator
Photos
Bio
TIMELINE //
1993
KC, Victoria, Mark, and Bobby practice for the first time at Victoria's former residence on Capital Hill, Seattle;
our first covers are "Texas never whispers" by Pavement, "Bone Machine" by The Pixies, and "Pastoral" by The Jesus Lizard".
1994
We play our first show at Foxy's in Renton, WA. some geezer heckles Mark, shouting "You call that music?!"
as he exits the room in huff.
1994
After getting our equipment doused with Papst by Zeke and North American Bison, Mars Accelerator plays the "headlining" slot to a cleared out room at the Lake Union Pub in Seattle. Afterwards, we meet Pete and Mike from Welcome(the only people remaining at the end of our set) for the first time.
1995
Welcome and Mars Accelerator self-release a split7" and tour the west coast together.
1996
"Torpor Fix" is released on RX Remedy records.
1996
Our first full-length, I Am The South Pole, is released on RX Remedy records. Originally intended as an EP release, the songs were recorded in two separate sessions with Mel Dettmer at Hansek Audio.
1996
Welcome and Mars Accelerator go out on a midwest tour together. Mike Wurn (Welcome) and Bobby share the nonpareil experience of Robot World at the Wisconsin Dells.
1997
Thanks to a generous advance from sub pop, Mars Accelerator returns to the studio eith Steve Fisk
(producer) and Kip Beelman (engeneer).
1998
Frankfurt: Telephonics (Color Coding and Directional Signals) is released on RXR.
a West Coast tour with Pedro The Lion follows in support of the album. Afterwards KC leaves the band to pursue responsible-adult type things, and is replaced by Dean Whitmore from Welcome on the drums
1998
Split 7" with The Adding Machine is released, featuring early tracks "Bubbles, Lurching" and "Yea Slimy".
1999
"Failed Connection" is recorded for a split " with Quasi and Spacepants.
2000
"With,Absolute,Certainty" is mistitled as "Sore Spot" for a split 7" with Suplex.
2000-2006
After a few personnel changes -- and a period of sporadic rehearsals due to school, work, relocations, etc
We finally settle into a new practice space with a fixed recording setup (dubbed "Static Halos") and a new lineup including Pete Brand (Drums), Mary Genova (Bass), Mark Leblanc (Guitar), and Bobby Nath (Guitar/Vocals). Recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely at home, Clouds For Your Y-Axis was completed during the winter of 2006.
2006
Pete and the rest of Mars Accelerator amicably agree to go our separate ways, so that Pete can focus on the release of Welcome's third album, Sirs (FatCat).
Justin Tomsovic replaces Pete in November.
2007-present
Multi-instrumentalist Doug Morse joins the group.
Mars Accelerator continue to write, record, and play shows in the Seattle club circuit
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