Bizarre Device

1976/ Melbourne based punk rock band KiKx influenced visually and musically by NewYorkDolls/Velvet Underground/Dead Boys and Stranglers self combusted in 1980 only months after the release of their first single Nova Express/The A side I get my Kicks from sticking pins in yr tits alienated the band from most alternative FM radio stations who failed to see the satirical agenda of the song/ The follow up album Bent Trax never made it out of the recording studio/The band which had been at the forefront of experimental punk for four yrs split/Musical differences drug and alcohol problems and sheer exhaustion from years of hitting the WALL saw the demise of the band/ 3 remaining members Lee Beckworth on bass Monty Oeswald on Guitar and Chris Lawson on electric synares and Drums reformed as Neo Surgeons taking a new direction in experimental electronic music/A minimalist musical texture complimented the often complex lyrics provided by Beckworth/A live recording limited edition cassette of 500 sold out/ Before their time the 3 piece band found it hard to get work and after two years of supporting poprock bands like Cold Chisel Midnight Oil and The Angels the boys had had enough/Oeswald left to pursue a career in Art/Lawson and Beckworth formed their own record label Bizarre Device Productions and using a four track TEAC recorded their first single...Robert and Sometimes/The primitive recording set up and the fact that all instruments were played by Lawson and Beckworth gave the single its loose ambiance/Cover Art work was done by Peter Webb/in 1985 Lawson and Beckworth reformed as Ten Minutes to Logic again favouring a hard edged electro punk style adding synthesizer and a brass section/The band had a residency at the Infamous Geelong Hotel The Eureka and did showcase gigs at some of Melbournes legendary venues such as The Crystal ball room and The Esplanade Hotel/ Again the musical direction of the band members and the lack of money to pay them bought about another split/Lawson and Beckworth found themselves stranded in the 80s with enough music to release several albums but no band to play on them/1990 they decided to release a 3 track 12 inch record writing material that was more MOR in the hope of generating some income/They drew on friends from various bands and without any rehearsal recorded Strange Days on the Brink of Sleep in 5 hrs/Bizarre device were the last band to use Richmond Recorders which went bankrupt in June of 1990/The record was pressed at the Record Plant...the last vynal record to be pressed there as CDs took over as the preferred medium/ Sales of the 12 were slow and Lawson and Beckworth were unhappy with the final product/ Enough was enough.Distracted by personal projects the two musicians drifted thru the 90s / Beckworth continued to record original material on his 4track and Lawson pursued a career in studio production and engineering/In 1995 Beckworth and Lawson reformed the musical connection as Bizarre Device/ During the ten year break Lawson had poured $250.000 into designing his own recording studio filled with state of the art equipment a 64 track digital desk and facilities for computerized mastering and editing/ Bizarre Device was back in business and both Lawson and Beckworth contributed songs for the forthcoming CD/Material on the double CD includes tracks spanning 30 yrs of music experience and styles /but as always it maintains that experimental edgy feel that makes listening to Bizarre Device a unique musical experience/ I use the myspace layout generator at UltimateMySpace.com.