Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments
OriginColumbus, Ohio
GenresLo-fi music
Years active1989 (1989)–2000 (2000)
Labels
Past members
  • Ron House
  • Bob Petric
  • Craig Dunson
  • Ted Hattemer

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments was a band from Columbus, Ohio active from 1989 to 2000.[1][2]

History

The band was formed in 1989 by Ron House, the former frontman of the band Great Plains.[3] The band is named after Thomas Jefferson's slave quarters at Monticello.[4] Soon after their formation, they released several 7"s in the Columbus area.[1] They followed these up with their debut album, Bait and Switch, which they recorded at a cost of $800,[5] and which was released in 1995 on American Recordings imprint Onion Records.[2] This album was followed by their second album, Straight to Video, which was released in 1997 on Anyway Records following Onion's closure.[3][6] Also in 1997, the band released a compilation album, You Lookin' for Treble,[7] which contained singles the band had released from 1990 to 1992, as well as songs from an EP released during that time.[8] Their third and last studio album, "No Old Guy Lo-Fi Cry", was released in 2000 on Rockathon Records, a label owned by Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard.[9]

While the band ended its initial run in 2000, they would continue to perform live in their native Ohio sporadically throughout the 2000s and 2010s.[10][11][12][13]

Guitarist Bob Petric died in April 2021.[14]

Critical reception

Bait and Switch received a favorable review from Entertainment Weekly's Ethan Smith, who wrote that the album was "short on polish, long on charm" and gave it a B+ rating.[15] Greg Kot also reviewed the album favorably, writing that there is "Nothing new here, just a clangorous, nasty good time courtesy of some saw-toothed riffs and a supremely estranged wit."[16] Robert Christgau gave Bait and Switch an A− rating, writing that the first five songs on the album "rush by in a perfect furious tunefest".[17] Another review of this album appeared in Spin, in which Eric Weisbard wrote that "House was right to reground his art, putting the way music flows and falls before singer-songwriterly commentary." He also said that on the album, House begins the process of doing something with noise, but that he does not go far enough.[18] In Billboard, David Sprague wrote that Bait and Switch "retain[s] the relaxed, lo-fi vibe" that was apparent on the band's early singles.[4]

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

  • You Lookin' for Treble? (Year Zero/Vinyl Retentive, 1997)

References

  1. 1 2 DaRonco, Mike. "Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Lost Classics". Magnet. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 Sprague, David. "Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments". Trouser Press. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 Sprague, David (27 May 1995). "Slave Apartments Find a Home at Onion Imprint". Billboard. p. 13. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Wojciechowski, Mike (8 June 2012). "1995: Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments - Bait and Switch". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Morgan, Kellie; Lax, Tom (January 28, 2015). "TJSA 's Straight to Video to Be Released on Wax in March". Straight to Video. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  7. ↑ Graves, Karen E. "You Lookin' for Treble? Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  8. ↑ Bruno, Franklin (March 1998). "Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments". CMJ. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Graves, Karen E. "No Old Guy Lo-Fi Cry". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "70+ artists announced for 2015 Independents' Day Festival". 614now.com. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Donewaiting 9: Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments". donewaiting.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "2015 WCSB Halloween Masquerade Ball Lineup!". wcsb.org. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "2016 NMF Artists". nelsonvillefest.org. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Koe-Krompecher, Bela. "Remembering Bob Petric, longtime guitarist for Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments". Columbus Alive. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  15. ↑ Smith, Ethan (28 July 1995). "Bait and Switch Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  16. ↑ Kot, Greg (7 September 1995). "Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments Bait and Switch". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  17. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments". Village Voice. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  18. ↑ Weisbard, Eric (August 1995). "Bait and Switch". Spin. pp. 94–5. Retrieved 6 December 2014.

Further reading

  • Bradshaw, Erick (2022). Bait and Switch (LP liner notes). Dot Matrix Recordings. DM-5611.
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