The Construct
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The Construct

Lafayette, Colorado, United States | SELF

Lafayette, Colorado, United States | SELF
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"The Construct"

The Construct (formerly known as Orwellian Math) nimbly pushes the boundaries of what punk and indie rock can be as it mates aggressive, fiery songs with lonely, contemplative material. Instead of opting for a traditional band, the Denver-based two-piece social political act has forced itself to be more creative through the use of samplers and systematically switching between multiple instruments during its songs. What could be the musical equivalent of a Rube Goldberg-esque gimmick actually turns out to be a surprisingly rich tapestry of sounds, built on angular guitar work and tricky tempos. While the act's prog rock influence is readily apparent, there's also dreamy atmospheres overlaying the frenetic activity of the more rocking numbers. In that respect, the Construct recalls a less jagged Fugazi infused with doses of Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden, and proves that imagination matters more than remaining true to genre.
-Tom Murphy Westword Weekly
- Westword (Tom Murphy)


"Keep on Truckin'"

...Along with Mark Risius, his partner in an experimental art-rock band called The Construct, he's purchased a 24-foot box truck and outfitted it as a portable stage. The vehicle allows them to play wherever there's a place to park, and since they've installed radio equipment, too, they'll be able to transmit performances as well as politically oriented shows and anything else that strikes their fancy. Gregory pledges that "we'll definitely be utilizing community radio," a moniker he prefers over the more colorful term: "'Pirate radio' sounds cool — it gives it an edge — but it's just another way the government and those in power demonize things. And what we're really about is community. "Giving the community a voice."

Of course, the FCC could silence Gregory at any time. But thanks to the truck's mobility, he feels confident in his ability to evade federal authorities — so much so that he's publicly declared his intentions under his own name and let the masses know about the first truck-bed shows. On Friday, June 6, the Construct debuts on the outdoor stage at 3 Kings Tavern, 60 South Broadway, with Hemi Cuda, Forth Yeer Freshman and Looker scheduled to showcase inside; visit www.myspace.com/3kingstavern for details.

In addition, the truck will be displayed that same evening at 3505 Ringsby Court, Building B, in conjunction with the Motoman Project's "Riotland," which brings together machine artists, kinetic sculptors and audio-visual technicians for "an interactive machine/robot performance-based experiment" (www.MotomanProject.org).

For Gregory, these gigs represent the next major step in a journey that began in 1993, when he and Risius began making music together. Over the years, they've collaborated in acts such as Fahrenheit 451 and Family of Dischordia, whose name references Dischord Records, an imprint associated with the Washington, D.C., punk scene they both love. But Gregory also poured his energy into Bands for Lands, which he co-founded in 1996 with another friend, Doug Bohm. The organization is dedicated to spreading environmental messages and social awareness with the help of musicians and acts such as Rage Against the Machine, Fugazi and Blues Traveler, all of which have allowed Bands for Lands to situate at area concerts over the years.
- Westword (Mike Roberts)


"Back up the Truck"

AN imposing visage and an art-rock obsession do not an environmental activist stereotype make. But Colorado-native Jeremy Gregory already knew that.

“It blows people’s minds,” Gregory says, referring to the slack-jawed reactions he receives when dropping his progressive credos on folks expecting their messenger to have Jesus-like shaving habits and string-beans for arms. “They look at me, and they think I’m probably this guy that is all about sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll. And if not that, it’s like, ‘Wow, you’re talking about gender equality.’ And then, to have them see that I am preaching that stuff, it’s like, ‘Wow, I come off like an Edward Norton, American History X look-alike.’ So people are like, ‘What the hell?’”

Gregory is the cofounder of the Boulder-based nonprofit Bands for Lands and a member of the prog-rock group The Construct. He started Bands for Lands in 1996 with friend Doug Bohm, and through its 12-year existence, the small organization has worked to spread a populist curriculum of “self-sustainability, conservation and social awareness issues” to the concert-going masses. Thus far, their presence has primarily involved either tabling at the area shows of biggies such as Radiohead, Ani Difranco, Blues Traveler and Fugazi or putting on their own local-centric events and fundraisers.

The Construct is comprised of two avant-garde weirdos who don’t jibe with regular venues.

“We had this idea a while ago,” Gregory says. “And my band and I were always talking about, ‘This is how we’ve got to play our shows.’ Mark [Risius] and I are in this experimental project where it’s just the two of us, but we perform like it’s a five-piece band. And the technology that we have to use, it’s just never fit in a venue. And we are just so different anyway. This truck just exemplifies what we are all about.”


This spring, however, marked a procedural shift for Bands for Lands. Gregory and his crew unveiled a 24-foot box truck they’ve converted to a veggie-oil-powered moveable venue. The box-truck, dubbed the Mobile Edutainment Collaboratory, is white with barn-like doors that open for performances and act as visual screens on either side of the stage.

The MEC’s purposes are simultaneously self-serving and altruistic. On one hand, it lends portability to Bands for Lands’ message — a mix of education that, in Gregory’s words, touts “obtainable ways to go green without having to live miserably” and practice-what-you-preach entertainment, powered by alternative fuels. On the other hand, The Construct is comprised of two avant-garde weirdos who don’t jibe with regular venues.

- Boulder Weekly (Elliott Smith)


Discography

2007- Metamorphosis (LP)
2008- The Black Butterfly (EP)
2010- Tindakan (LP) to be released summer of '10

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Bio

THE CONSTRUCT nimbly pushes the boundaries of what punk and indie rock can be as it mates aggressive, fiery songs with lonely, contemplative material. Instead of opting for a traditional band, the Denver-based two-piece act has forced itself to be more creative through the use of samplers and systematically switching between multiple instruments during its songs. What could be the musical equivalent of a Rube Goldberg-esque gimmick actually turns out to be a surprisingly rich tapestry of sounds, built on angular guitar work and tricky tempos. While the act's prog rock influence is readily apparent, there's also dreamy atmospheres overlaying the frenetic activity of the more rocking numbers. In that respect, the Construct recalls a less jagged Fugazi infused with doses of Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden, and proves that imagination matters more than remaining true to genre.
And this explains perhaps why Don Zientara of Inner Ear Studio renowned for recording and producing such pioneering acts as Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, Henry Rollins and Jets to Brazil among others eagerly took on The Construct to complete their album in January of '07.
Just as amazing as their approach to music, and quite fitting, The Construct pushes the envelope even further as they perform out of a 24 ft box truck that has been converted into a mobile stage!