The Strange Attractor tries to avoid the the dominant separation between mind and body, current punk (or other subcultures and subgenres) seclusion from radically engaging other proletarians and taking ourselves too seriously. We use the dialectical method that flows from Hegel to Marx to the situationists to the Marxist-Humanists and certain ultra-left projects to subvert, synthesize and juxtapose elements that seem diametrically opposed: 4 decades of punk, soul, grindcore, death metal, black metal (without its fascist/social Darwinist tendencies), blues, doo-wop, 50's R&B, rockabilly, 70's glam, Brazilian soccer music, tango, reggae, hip-hop, surf, mod/freakbeat, 60's/70's hard bubblegum, etc. These elements have more in common than usually thought as they are generally proletarian in origin, focus and/or appeal. We can cut across ideology, cultural constraints, post-modernist ahistorical eclecticism/novelty, music industry homogenization, and other barriers, including "taste", with dialectics as well as overcome our general social conditioning.
History:
The Strange Attractor started as an idea in 1995 by the Soul Rebel. After a few years of missteps and lack of bass player, we began to play publicly since December 1999, at DIY shows, benefits and a couple of club gigs. We have had 3 bassists and one previous drummer before settling on our current lineup. Former bassist Nick Banner returned to Chicago coincidentally and joined us for one gig, Rusty Nails's Movieside showcase at the Prodigal Son in March 2003. We played sans Nick at the Mutiny on April 12, 2003 with local garage luminaries the Functional Blackouts. Joining us for one song on harmonica was rock journalist/performer James Porter. More recently, we played the annual Bughouse Square debates in front of the Newberry Library in late July 2004 with our new lineup.
