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The Residents: A cult band minus a genre

The Residents
The Residents

And now for some good old deconstruction of American pop music: the Residents are taking a lap around the country in celebration of their 40th anniversary as a creative unit. Too strange for some, the Residents are a musical rarity in that they are a cult band minus a genre. They align with no particular scene whatsoever. And one is hard pressed to describe their music, other than to cloak it in terms like “bad acid trip” or, at the very least, a Blue Man vibe with sideshow tendencies. First off, there’s the ambiguity of the group. They wear plastic eyeball helmets or ghoulish masks so that their faces are always hidden from view. The music is synth-based, the vocals howling and nightmarish, and the guitar tones often sound like something recorded from deep down inside the innermost reaches of a wasp’s nest. Did I mention funny? Comedy is the engine of this art collective.

The Residents originated in Louisiana but landed up in San Francisco, which should come as no surprise to anyone. Since 1974, they have churned out one or two albums per year — 47 of them by now (not counting compilations), including last year’s Coochie Brake. Anonymity has always been a mandate of the group, which, as nearly as I can tell, may consist of only two core members: Hardy Fox and Homer Flynn, along with Nolan Cook and a frequent collaborator named Philip Lithman, a guitarist who goes by the name of Snakefinger. The Residents’ first record set the tone for the rock mockery to come: it was Meet the Residents, but with goofy doodling on the original portraits of the Fab Four on Meet the Beatles. The Residents appear to be going strong in their strangeness, but exactly where does one go with this sort of thing? It makes me itchy and anxious just thinking about the possibilities.

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The Residents: Belly Up, Tuesday, February 26, 8 p.m. 858-481-8140. $25 advance/$27 doors

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March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
The Residents
The Residents

And now for some good old deconstruction of American pop music: the Residents are taking a lap around the country in celebration of their 40th anniversary as a creative unit. Too strange for some, the Residents are a musical rarity in that they are a cult band minus a genre. They align with no particular scene whatsoever. And one is hard pressed to describe their music, other than to cloak it in terms like “bad acid trip” or, at the very least, a Blue Man vibe with sideshow tendencies. First off, there’s the ambiguity of the group. They wear plastic eyeball helmets or ghoulish masks so that their faces are always hidden from view. The music is synth-based, the vocals howling and nightmarish, and the guitar tones often sound like something recorded from deep down inside the innermost reaches of a wasp’s nest. Did I mention funny? Comedy is the engine of this art collective.

The Residents originated in Louisiana but landed up in San Francisco, which should come as no surprise to anyone. Since 1974, they have churned out one or two albums per year — 47 of them by now (not counting compilations), including last year’s Coochie Brake. Anonymity has always been a mandate of the group, which, as nearly as I can tell, may consist of only two core members: Hardy Fox and Homer Flynn, along with Nolan Cook and a frequent collaborator named Philip Lithman, a guitarist who goes by the name of Snakefinger. The Residents’ first record set the tone for the rock mockery to come: it was Meet the Residents, but with goofy doodling on the original portraits of the Fab Four on Meet the Beatles. The Residents appear to be going strong in their strangeness, but exactly where does one go with this sort of thing? It makes me itchy and anxious just thinking about the possibilities.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The Residents: Belly Up, Tuesday, February 26, 8 p.m. 858-481-8140. $25 advance/$27 doors

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Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

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San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
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Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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