|
Richard Bone Interest in creating music began very early in Richard's life. By his early teens he was already creating experimental sound compositions. Several years later he discovered electronic music and the album The United States of America where he first heard cutting edge electronics used in a rock format. He was greatly influenced by that LP and the solo works of Joseph Byrd, which eventually led him to start creating music using primitive synthesizers. Formal training in the arts began in the seventies when he studied drama for four years at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts. His passion for sound design led him to create soundtracks and scores for several off-Broadway companies working in experimental theater. His atmospheric musical soundscapes were used by the New York Conservatory in several of their plays and videos. Richard's first official foray into the music business was with a demo that was produced by Patti Smith's legendary guitarist, Lenny Kaye. Driving forces behind the demo were Lenny and Danny Fields, both well known in the rock field. For the next few years Richard performed at locations along the East Coast while continuing with his theater studies. His first American single was the 45-rpm Pirate the Islands/Headlines Have It released with his band Bone on his own Rumble Records in 1979. The B-side Headlines went on to be covered by the Dutch band Urban Heroes as their first worldwide single. Their second LP also included another song written by Richard entitled When Worlds Collide that would have been one of four tracks featured on the double 45 called Nobody Discos on Pluto. However, that follow up was never released. His next releases were two abstract works, Life in Video City and Quiz Party, both released on very limited cassette by the Los Angeles based Eurock label. In 1981 he joined the legendary band Shox Lumania whose Live at the Peppermint Lounge became one of the first releases on the visionary RIOR label. Shox Lumania featured Stephanie Kaye (Lenny Kaye's wife), Anton Sanko (who went on to record Solitude Standing with Suzanne Vega) and Richard on synthesizers. They were a very theatrical band with as much emphasis on choreography and costume as music. It was the best of both worlds for Richard. The darlings of NYC, it was not uncommon to find everyone from Klaus Nomi, Souixie Souix to David Bowie & Devo in their dressing rooms. During that same time period Richard recorded and released a solo 7" called Digital Days/Alien Girl on his own Rumble Records that was quickly picked up by Survival Records in the UK. While with Survival Records he released two LPs - Brave Tales and Exspectacle; four EPs - The Beat is Elite, Joy of Radiation, The Real Swing, Living in Partytown; two 45s - Digital Days/Alien Girl and Joy/Do Angels Dance; and singles for the Mind & Matter, Dance Report and Art of Survival compilation. His single of Joy... reached #1 on the dance charts in Hong Kong. From 1981 to 1983 he also produced the 7" Jolene/Who's on Top? for the band Rubber Rodeo as well as contributing musically on two of their other releases. In 1983 Richard's video for his single "Alien Girl" was included on Danspak, an experimental Sony video. In 1984 he was asked to contribute to the double cassette called Film Noir - American/European Style released on Ding Dong Records. His track was entitled "Far From Yesterday (parts 1&2)" on that limited edition compilation cassette. By this time Richard was firmly placed in the British alternative charts and was even referred to as the American version of Howard Jones by the British press. As Survival Records continued to move in a dance oriented direction, Richard began to find his musical interests shifting away from the 80's New Wave club scene so on his own he recorded several experimental works. Emerging Melodies (Rumble Records) was the soundtrack to a video art project that aired on award-winning cable and broadcast television in America (USA Cable & Co-Directions in NYC). "Alternate Music for the Hindenberg Lounge" was included on the American Music Compilation released by the Eurock label in 1982. That same year Richard also recorded an experimental concept album called Grey Hideaway that was never released. One track from that work however, was used in 1986 on an early AIDS awareness music video also entitled "Grey Hideaway" - part of a longer video called "Chance of a Lifetime". In 1991 Richard started his own label, Quirkworks Laboratory Discs, allowing him the freedom to create music of a more experimental nature and remain in control of his musical direction. His first two releases, Quirkwork in 1993 and X Considers Y in 1994, were somewhat similar to the synth-pop style of his Survival days and were also the last full-length recordings that featured Richard's vocal work. The release of the instrumental Ambiento in 1994 introduced a new ambient direction for Richard's music. Next came Vox Orbita in 1995, an upbeat ambient work full of samples, rhythms and a bit of a Laurie Anderson influence. The Grace Pro disc Media Works followed featuring six tracks of Richard's; two from Vox Orbita, two from Ambiento and two tracks that were previously unreleased - "Mi Mundo" and "The Deluxe Set". Richard also contributed tracks in 1995 on two benefit CD's - "Etherea Arriving" on the Maine Vocals compilation and "Overstated Papers" (Richard's very last vocal work) on the Anon compilation. That same year he also contributed tracks on two Alternative Press Samplers; #5 contained "X Considers Y" from X Considers Y and an alternate mix of "El Gato Negro" from Vox Orbita . Sampler #7 contained "Vox 9" from Vox Orbita and the previously unreleased "Illicit Behavior". By the time his next disc The Eternal Now was released in 1996, Richard had decided to pursue instrumental music exclusively. The Eternal Now , containing the two separate suites "Zone" and "The Millennium Pages", was recorded only after sunset, by candlelight. His most personal recording, the creation of The Eternal Now was the beginning of Richard's journey into the mystic. While recording The Eternal Now , he simultaneously recorded another CD, Metaphysic Mambo - an upbeat work similar in style to Ambiento and Vox Orbita , released on the Reversing Recordings label. That same year "In the Shadow of Rain", a track from Vox Orbita was used on the Russian compilation Back to the Universe and an untitled track was used on the Staalplaat compilation called The Answering Machine Solution. His next project was to be an EP length recording of electronically structured pieces entitled Solo Cog . Although the work was completed, it was never released. In 1997 the mini-compilation A Survey of Remembered Things was released containing five tracks of Richard's and four by electronic percussionist John Orsi. The compilation entitled em:t 1197 from t:me Recording LTD was also released in 1997 and included "Vox 2.5", an alternate mix of "Vox 2" from Vox Orbita. Also that year, Headcandy Productions released their first video entitled Sidney's Psychedelic Adventure that included "Komarov's Fire" from A Survey of Remembered Things. In 1998 Richard released the highly acclaimed Electropica, his homage to Bossa Nova masters Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa and Joao Gilberto. The rhythmic Electropica came about from a rather mystical occurrence at a record store in 1996 causing Richard to devote a year of his life to the study of 60's bossa nova and the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim in particular. Also in 1998 Richard began working with Mike Griffin at Hypnos Recordings. He recorded the track "Via Mycropia" for the first Hypnos compilation, The Other World and his next disc, the atmospheric The Spectral Ships was released on Hypnos near the end of 1998. That same year he recorded the track "Murmurio" for the Halcyon Recordings compilation Oscillations and co-produced and contributed musically to Mary Zema's Songs of Early Paradise that was released on the Quirkworks label. Early in 1999 Richard released the rhythmic Coxa, his follow-up to Electropica. This work however, was more influenced by the 60's jazz masters Creed Taylor, Rudy Van Gelder, Cal Tjader and Dave Pike. Later that year he released his next atmospheric disc, Ether Dome, on the Hypnos label. The compilation Distillation, featuring tracks from earlier Quirkworks releases plus two unreleased ambient works was also released in 1999 on the Halcyon Recordings label. The Electroshock compilation Electroacoustic Music V 3 was released that year as well and included a track by Richard entitled "Elusia, I Can See!" Ascensionism, influenced by the Ascension Schools and the beat poets, was released August 15, 2000 concluding the trilogy that began in 1998 with Electropica. Well received by fans and radio alike, Ascensionism quickly reached and held the #1 spot on the New Age Voice Top 100 charts for two months, remaining in the Top 10 for 4 consecutive months. The November 2000 issue of New Age Voice magazine included an interview with Richard as their featured artist and Ambient Visions conducted an in depth interview with Richard that was released November 30, 2000. Richard's next ambient project Tales from the Incantina, inspired by ancient Toltec philosophy and travels to the Mayan/Toltec ruins in Mexico was released April 3, 2001. This recording made its debut at #6 on the New Age Voice Top 100 for April 2001 airplay and remained in the Top 10 for two months. Tales from the Incantina marks the first release for INDIUM, an ambient division of Quirkworks Laboratory Discs. In May of 2001, Richard released his first D.A.M. CD, Alternate Worlds Vol. 1 which included previously unreleased tracks from Tales from the Incantina and Ascensionism as well as several other unreleased tracks exclusively at MP3.com. Richard's next rhythmic recording Disorient, was released March 5, 2002 on the Quirkworks label. Shortly after its release, Disorient made its debut at #1 on the New Age Voice Top 100 charts and remained there for two consecutive months. In April 2002 Richard completed the re-recording of "Joy of Radiation", a vocal track he first recorded in 1983. This track was going to be featured on a tribute site devoted to the Survival artists of the early eighties, but the project never materialized. In June of 2002 an agreement was reached between Richard and Lyra Studios making available twenty-two downloadable tracks as background music for the multiplayer online role-playing game Underlight. Richard's latest ambient CD Indium, was released by Electroshock Records on Dec. 10, 2002. In addition to several previously unreleased tracks, this CD also contains a thirty minute piece Richard included on a limited release ambient video also entitled Indium. Harmony with Ambience, a multi-artist compilation organized by the Japanese label Windfarm Records, was released June 1, 2003. This disc included Richard's track "Dzibana" from his CD Tales from the Incantina. On August 10, 2003 Alternate Realities was released on the Spiralight label featuring nine alternate mixes and unreleased tracks of Richard's work. This CD made the #11 position on the New Age Reporter charts for September airplay, the Backroad's Music and Wind and Wire lists of Top Recordings for 2003 and the Star's End list of significant releases of 2003 among other honors. Richard's next rhythmic recording was The Reality Temples that released June 30, 2004 on the Spiralight label. This disc debuted at the #6 position on the New Age Reporter Top 100 chart for August airplay and was nominated for the 2004 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards' Best Electronic Album. Orlandomaniac Music released Untold Tales on April 15th -- a CD of nineteen previously unheard vocal demo tracks Richard recorded during his early Survival years of 1979 - 85. Other 2004 projects included a various artist compilation CD from Spiralight Recordings called Ambienism Vol. One featuring a new track by Richard entitled "Stillness Repeating" that was released March 15, 04. On September 20, 2005 Richard released Saiyuji, the final recording of the trilogy begun with Disorient and The Reality Temples. Saiyuji quickly climbed the New Age Reporter Top 10 charts and was nominated for the 2005 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards' Best Ambient Album. Richard released Vesperia (Music for Vespers at the First Congregational Church of Holliston, Massachusetts) on May 2, 2006 and a limited edition DVD entitled The Vesperia Videos shortly thereafter. His ambient recording Serene Life of Microbes was released October 17, 2006 on the AD Music label. In March of 2007 Richard released Via Poetica, a collaboration with poet/vocalist Lisa Indish, and Experiments '80-'82, a limited edition CD featuring selected tracks from his cassette only 1980 recordings Life in Video City and Quiz Party along with three tracks he contributed to the 1982 American Music Compilation LP. Richard also completed a recording of new material entitled Infinite Plastic Creation that released September 10, 2007 and was awarded the 2007 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards' Best Electronic Album. Two additional recordings, Connection Failed - a collection of previously unreleased ambient tracks created as backing tracks for collaborations and Songs From The Analog Attic - a collection of unreleased vocal works recorded between 1992 and 1998, were also made available just before the end of 2007. Projects of 2008 included a DVD & soundtrack CD release entitled Short Waves - Brief Excursions in Surreal Video that released March 20, 2008 and an ambient recording entitled Sudden Departure that was released September 16, 2008. Sudden Departure has just been nominated the 2008 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards' Best Ambient and Best Electronic Album. Richard released the ambient work The Ghosts of Hanton Village on September 15, 2009. His next recording was in March 2010 when he released his first iTunes application Mind Environs and a 3-track EP of the same name. On October 19, 2010 a CD of archival tracks entitled Beleaguered Blossoms (selected artifacts 1993-2009) was released. Late October 2010 also saw the release of the Christmas album ChristmasAD - The First Snow that included two of Richard's holiday tracks. More recent projects have included a May 2011 release that featured remixes of selected tracks of Richard's music assembled by Daniele Baldelli & Marco Dionigi entitled Adaptors, and a July 2011 release of new material entitled XesseX. A collection entitled Anthology was released as a download only on March 25, 2013 and a recording of all new material, Images From A Parallel World released April 24, 2013 -- both on the AD Music label. A vinyl EP entitled Cranium Fizz became available September 2013. Releases for 2014 included a recording of all new matierial entitled Vertical Life that released in March, and a boxed-set of long out-of-print material from the years 1979 - 1985 entitled Vaulted Visions from Vinyl-on-Demand. In 2015 there were three releases: Brave Sketches - a double LP set released by Orlandomaniac Music, Obtuse Tantrums, a 7" vinyl EP from AttractiveCO, and the CD Involution Vol. 1 that was released by Quirkworks on September 23, 2015. Richard completed a very limited-edition USB only recording entitled AERA (may, 2016), Age of Falconry (july 2017) - and a dark ambient project entitled Nibiru (jan 2018). He also created Empyrean Castles , A Garden of Invited Flowers in 2019, and Refraction in 2020. In 2021, he released Valengraph. He recently released Solitude & Solace (2022), Hermetic Embers (2023) and most recently, Phaeton's Bungalow in Jan 2024. (updated 02/15/24) |