20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo

Description

Pere Ubu is an American avant-garde art rock band. Founded in 1975 in Cleveland and still active today, it is considered a major figure in the post-punk movement. Some musicians have stayed in the band for long periods, but its only permanent member is singer David Thomas. The band is named after Père Ubu, a key character in the literary universe of French writer Alfred Jarry. Although Pere Ubu has never achieved great popularity or commercial success, it has gained a loyal fan base, exerted a significant influence on several generations of avant-garde musicians, and received critical acclaim. Among the superlatives used to describe the band are: "the only expressionist rock 'n' roll band," or "Pere Ubu will be considered the most important American band of the last fifteen years. Or they will be completely forgotten." To define its music, Pere Ubu coined the term "Avant Garage," which reflects an interest in both experimental avant-garde and the raw, bluesy character of garage rock. Thomas stated that it was actually more of a joke invented to have something to say to journalists who wanted to label them.