Uzi (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1984 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
| Products | Alternative rock music, EP Sleep Asylum |
Uzi was an alternative rock group from the United States, established in 1984 in Boston, Massachusetts, and dissolved in 1987. The ensemble featured Thalia Zedek on vocals and guitar, Danny Lee on drums, Randy Barnwell playing bass, Bob Young on guitar, and Phil Milstein handling tape loops. Although they did not achieve mainstream success, Uzi developed a dedicated following within Boston's underground rock community.
History
Following her departure from the all-female post-punk band Dangerous Birds in 1983, Zedek teamed up with Lee to create Uzi. Initially, Barnwell was replaced by Craig Federhen briefly before the band’s debut live performance.
In 1986, Uzi released a single EP titled Sleep Asylum through Homestead Records. Their music featured a fusion of "gritty wall of sound guitars, tape loops, and powerful drum rhythms," centered around Zedek’s distinctive vocal style. This sound drew parallels to noise rock groups such as Sonic Youth and Big Black. The EP earned the No. 5 spot in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Internal conflicts led to the group's breakup soon after the EP’s launch. Sleep Asylum saw reissues on CD by Matador Records in the United States (1993) and Placebo in the United Kingdom (1994).
Post-breakup and other projects
Prior to Uzi’s formation, Zedek had been involved with White Women and released a single called "Alpha Romeo" (1982) with Dangerous Birds under Propeller. The B-side track "Smile on Your Face" was included on the influential Sub Pop compilation Sub Pop 100.
After Uzi ended, Zedek joined the New York no wave band Live Skull in 1987, contributing to albums such as Dusted (1987), Positraction (1989), and the Snuffer EP (1988). Following Live Skull’s dissolution in 1990, she returned to Boston and co-founded blues-rock band Come alongside former Codeine drummer Chris Brokaw. Come produced four albums before disbanding in 2001. Subsequently, Zedek pursued a solo career with releases including Been Here and Gone (2001), Trust Not Those in Whom Without Some Touch of Madness (2004), and Hell Is in Hello (2004), as well as two albums credited to the Thalia Zedek Band: Liars and Prayers (2008) and Via (2013). She also took part in the 1998 Suffragette Sessions tour.
Lee served as drummer for Boston’s alternative metal outfit El Dopa, which issued United in States of Narcolepsy (1997) via Conscience Records. He additionally performed on Marlene Tholl’s 2007 record Kore.
Following Uzi’s breakup, Barnwell and Young formed A Scanner Darkly, releasing their album This Is The Way (1988) on the Belgian label Sub Rosa. Young pursued a solo venture named Emerald Vein that produced Existence (1988) and later Land of the Living (1991), both featuring Barnwell on bass and released through Sub Rosa.
Milstein established the Velvet Underground Appreciation Society in 1977 and edited its fanzine titled What Goes On. He participated in the collaborative project Between Meals alongside musicians like Jad Fair, Moe Tucker, among others, producing the mini-album Oh No I Just Knocked Over a Cup of Coffee (1984).
His initial solo effort under Pep Lester and His Pals yielded the EP Jack-O-Lantern Moon (1984), which included contributions from artists affiliated with bands such as Mission of Burma and Combustible Edison. This was followed by the double LP The Mathematical Genius of Pep Lester in 1988.
Milstein compiled a collection of tape effect experiments used during his time with Uzi titled Tapeworm: SFX by Phil Milstein, released in 1990 by Penn Jillette's 50 Skidillion Watts Records. Under the name Phil X. Milstein, he collaborated with Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore on a live experimental recording called Songs We Taught the Lord, Vol. 2 (1997).
He was also involved with 7 or 8 Worm Hearts, appearing on their cassette release All Writhe (1989); contributed guest performances on Cul de Sac's debut album Ecim (1991); and worked with Tom Ardolino on the "MSR Madness" song poem compilations.
Band members
- Thalia Zedek – guitar, vocals (1984–1987)
- Danny Lee – drums (1984–1987)
- Randy Barnwell – bass guitar (1984–1987)
- Bob Young – guitar (1984–1987)
- Phil Milstein – tape loops (1984–1987)
- Craig Federhen – bass guitar (around 1984)
EPs
- Sleep Asylum (1986, Homestead Records)