Unextraordinary Gentlemen is a musical project formed in Los Angeles in 2005 by bassist/keyboardist Richard Pilawski & vocalist/lyricist Eric Schreeck to "...explore our love for post-punk, synth-pop, industrial & experimental music combined with the literary genre of Victorian fantasy." The projectwent public in early 2007, joined by Jennifer Pomerantz on violin. The band's name is a tongue-in-cheek nod to Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. UXG has been called one of the "foremost of the musical assets of... steampunk" and has been interviewed by or featured in several genre and local scene publications. Their first CD, 5 Tales from God-Only-Knows received positive reviews from several sources, most notably ReGen magazine, Mick Mercer and Sepiachord. Mick Mercer called their second release, No Hands To Guide Us, "most impressive". In December 2011, the 2010 version of their song, "Open Arms, Empty Air" was a Track of the Week on the UKreview site, "Keep Pop Loud".
Back-story
The band has created a back-story set in a fictional area based on a mixture of Victorian England and American Old West, with the band members taking on alternate identities that relate to that back-story. In character, the band members are time travellers who have come from that past using one of Professor Mangrove's amazing inventions. Most of their songs are set in and tell stories about this fictional 19th century place, sung from the points-of-view of characters like "Clive the Barker", "Dread Penny" and "Elwood Lovekraken". A page on their website contains "The Unextraordinary Encyclopedia", a list of names, places and events in this fictional world that are referred to in their music.
Career
UXG has performed in notable venues such as the CIA, the Knitting Factory and the Derby, and have performed at major goth and steampunk events including Eccentrik Festival, Bats Day and The Edwardian Ball. They can often be heard on a number of steampunk radio broadcasts that stream worldwide, such as The Clockwork Cabaret, and were recently featured in the SmallWORLD podcast's focus on steampunk. Festival appearances have included:
Collaboration
Their song "Open Arms, Empty Air" was remixed by Vernian Process.
Their song "Mr. Soot's Little Black Book" was also included on the steampunk compilation, An Age Remembered: A Steampunk and Neo-Victorian Mix
Malcom Schreeck helped write the lyrics on two songs by Vernian Process and is credited with vocals on versions of those tracks.
In 2011, their song "Open Arms, Empty Air" was again remixed, this time by Barry Adamson, as well as their song, "Goodbye 1870s", a reworking of Yazoo's "Goodbye Seventies".
Adamson also remixed their song, "Black Iron Road", for the "Projekt Presents: A Dark Cabaret 2".
