Switchblade Symphony

Switchblade Symphony, a compelling union of chemistry and circuitry, was formed in San Francisco in 1989 by composer Susan Wallace and vocalist Tina Root. These talented artists took dreamy, dark visual imagery, the poetry of alienation, and the timeless romance and grandeur of classical and theatrical styles of music, and layered these elements over dynamic heavy beat industrial and lush electronica to create a unique and vivid auditory tapestry.

Their intense, theatrical live performances in San Francisco and self-released cassettes created a buzz in the underground alternative scene. Their first full-length album, Serpentine Gallery, debuted in 1995 on Cleopatra Records and attracted the attention of the underground music press.

In 1996, the band embarked on their first U.S. tour, with labelmates Christian Death and Big Electric Cat. George Earth joined them as their live guitarist, and Eric Gebow as their live drummer. Switchblade Symphony soon found themselves at the forefront of the alternative darkwave movement which noticed a visible, high profile resurfacing in the 90s.

For their spring, 1997 tour, Switchblade Symphony released Scrapbook, a fans only EP of out of print material from their early demos. Their highly anticipated second album, Bread and Jam for Frances, was released on September 16, 1997. It took a different direction from Serpentine Gallery, incorporating aspects of trip hop, drum n' bass, and experimental. Once again, their album received lavish praise, garnering features in Alternative Press, Industrial Nation, the L.A. Times, Seconds, BAM, and Ink 9, just to name a few. Their fall 1997 tour in support of the album was highly successful.

In 1998, the band began work on their third release, The Three Calamities, but were temporarliy halted when personally asked by labelmate Gary Numan to open up for him on a three-month, sold out, stateside tour. The following spring saw them touring with Frontline Assembly.

The Three Calamitieswas released on May 25, 1999. Taking an atmospheric approach, it steps further into the line of experimentation. This latest effort showcases the production talent of Gregory Butler. The band recorded each track on a new state of the art digital 24 track system which was then taken to Daniel Lanois' EL TEATRO studio in Oxnard, CA. The tracks were then transferred to the studio's world class analog decks and mixed by Grammy Award winning producer/engineer Mark Howard. The end result is a sonic palette rich in maturity and aural textures that have defined such artists as Massive Attack and Portishead. With each new release came a new approach, a Switchblade Symphony trademark.

Switchblade Symphony broke up in November, 1999. Singer Tina Root has been concentrating on her solo project, Tré Lux, while live guitarist George Earth has been focusing on his solo project, Candymachine88.
Tina and George have continued to collaborate on several songs, including a cover of Mr. Self Destruct for Cleopatra's tribute to Nine Inch Nails.