The Epoxies were an American band from Portland, Oregon formed in 2000. Heavily influenced by punk rock and New Wave the band described themselves as robot garage rock. Members included FM Static on synthesizers, guitarist Viz Spectrum, leading lady Roxy Epoxy, bassist Shock Diode, and drummer Ray Cathode. They grew in popularity due in large part to extensive touring in both the United States and Europe where they showcased frantically paced, highly energetic on-stage productions. They were known for using special effects for their live act and sporting home-made costumes, sometimes made mostly of duct tape.

The group's music is a novel synthesis of punk rock and New Wave but their lyrics are strictly focused on sci-fi themes, Atomic Age futurism, alienation, and consumerism. Robots, androids, clones, and nuclear weapons all figure prominently in the Epoxies lyrics.

History

Inception (2000-2002)

Members of the Epoxies have been involved with punk bands in the Portland area since the mid-1990s. Most notably, FM played with and Roxy photographed many album covers for The Automatics. FM and Viz conceived of a band wearing spray-painted refrigerator boxes and dryer hose as home-made robot costumes. This soon gave way to less restrictive (but generally just as low budget) costumes as the impracticality of wearing a box and playing a guitar became apparent. Kid Polymer soon took up the bass when FM and Viz finally decided to go ahead with the idea. Dr. Grip and Roxy were the last to join the band in 2000, completing their first lineup. Surprisingly, this would be the first time Roxy had considered being in a band. They were first known as the Adhesives before discovering that another group with that name existed nearby.

In September 2001 the Epoxies released their first recording on Dirtnap Records, based in Seattle at the time. The self titled 7" vinyl contained the tracks "Need More Time", "Molded Plastic" and a cover of "Beat My Guest" by Adam & the Ants. This would be the start of a longstanding association with the Pacific Northwest label and several other bands on it at the time such as The Briefs and The Spits.

Increasing popularity (2002-2006)

The first recording would form the basis for a full length album that followed in March 2002 with extensive West Coast tours to support it. Between the release of their debut album and August that year Kid Polymer left the band and was replaced on bass by Shock Diode, who has the fictional persona of a clone.

2002 also saw the release of a 7" single, "Synthesised", in October with a B-side cover of Alice Cooper's "Clones (We're All)". Before their first US tour at the end of the year, the Epoxies also began making a CD EP to sell at shows that collected their previous 7" releases. Soon after the tour Dr. Grip decided to leave the band and was replaced by Ray Cathode, who claims to be a clone much like Shock Diode.

The Epoxies continued to tour the United States throughout 2003 and 2004 often opening for the Groovie Ghoulies. The group also toured Europe for the first time in 2004 with NOFX. "Need More Time" was released again the following year on Fat Wreck Chords' Rock Against Bush compilation.

This inclusion led the Epoxies to sign with Fat Wreck Chords for their second album, Stop the Future, released in April 2005, featuring a cover of the Scorpions' "Robot Man". It showcased more of the short, fast songs that fans had come to expect while also showing a more down-tempo and melodic style with the ending track "Toys" (their first song to clock longer than 4:30).

They spent most of 2005 and 2006 touring with similarly pseudonymed bands The Aquabats and The Phenomenauts; Fat Wreck Chords label-mates Smoke or Fire, The Soviettes, and Against Me!; and fellow pop-punkers Teenage Bottlerocket.

Amid this busy tour schedule the band re-recorded the single "Synthesised" in the fictional simlish language for the release of The Sims 2: Open for Business computer game in 2006.

2007

Lead vocalist Roxy Epoxy began hosting a radio show broadcast on Portland State University's campus radio station in April 2007.

The Epoxies signed with Metropolis Records in June 2007 and released an EP in August entitled My New World. Posts to Metropolis' website indicate that they planned an album to follow later in the year. However, in a MySpace blog interview on March 17 2008, Roxy confirmed rumors that the Epoxies were probably broken up, or at least on an extended hiatus.

FM Static went on to replace Corporal JoeBot 2.0 in Oakland-based "Rocket Roll" band The Phenomenauts.

Musical style

The Epoxies started as a reaction to popular rock music at the time. The original members felt that the entertainment and stage performance aspects of popular music were being ignored and it is this sentiment that results in their characteristic energetic shows and flamboyant home made costumes.

As part of rebelling against established musical conventions the band chose to include a synthesizer; they "had the intent of offending people with it because it's such an uncool instrument." However with the rise of synthesizers in popular music since the Epoxies are often compared to acts such as The Bravery and The Killers, leading the band to wonder if they aren't accomplishing their objectives by being "overly cool" instead. One of the synthsizers FM often uses is a monophonic Roland SH-101 keytar.

Viz used a futuristic looking Epiphone Explorer that had been repainted and modified to contain a laser and a bank of LEDs.

Discography

Main albums

• 2002 Epoxies
• 2005 Stop the Future

EPs

• 2001 Epoxies
• 2007 My New World

Singles

Year	Song	B-side
2002	"(We're All) Synthesised"	"Clones (We're All)"

External links

References