Group

Pere Ubu

US rock group from Cleveland

From: Cleveland, United States
Since: 1975–present
Rating: ★ 3.5 (2 votes)
Releases: 84

post-punk
art punk
art rock
experimental rock
proto-punk
alternative rock
new wave
noise rock

About

Pere Ubu was an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of lineup changes, with frontman and leader David Thomas the sole constant member. In December 1975, they released their debut single "30 Seconds Over Tokyo"; their debut album The Modern Dance followed in 1978. They disbanded in 1982, but reformed in 1987 and remained active until Thomas' death on April 23, 2025.

Their work drew inspiration from avant-garde music, garage rock, musique concrète, performance art, and the environment of the Midwestern Rust Belt. Despite their association with art punk and post-punk, Thomas rejected the punk rock label, describing the band as "avant-garage" and "just a rock band".
Their single "Waiting for Mary" peaked at number 6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart on June 17, 1989. The music video was played on MTV. Pere Ubu have been cited as an influence by artists such as Joy Division, Pixies, Hüsker Dü, the Breeders, Henry Rollins, Guided by Voices, R.E.M., Sisters of Mercy, Thomas Dolby, Julian Cope, Six Finger Satellite, Mission of Burma and Peter Murphy.

From Pere Ubu on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

Michele Temple 1993–now electric bass guitar
Steve Mehlman 1995–2018, 2024–now drums (drum set)
Andy Diagram 1999–1999, 2007–2007, 2022–now trumpet
Keith Moliné 2002–2002, 2005–2016, 2016–now electric guitar
Jack Jones 2022–now background vocals, theremin
Alex Ward 2022–now clarinet, guitar
Allen Ravenstine 1975–1975, 1976–1982, 1987–1988 · original member · former saxophone, keyboard
Peter Laughner 1975–1976 · original member · former electric bass guitar, electric guitar
Dave Taylor 1975–1976 · former synthesizer, organ
Tim Wright 1975–1976 · original member · former electric guitar, electric bass guitar
Scott Krauss 1975–1977, 1978–1981, 1987–1994 · original member · former drums (drum set)
Tom Herman 1975–1979, 1995–1998, 1998–2002, 2016–2016 · original member · former electric bass guitar, electric guitar
David Thomas 1975–1982, 1987–2025 · original member · former lead vocals
Tony Maimone 1976–1982, 1987–1993, 2003–2004 · former electric bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboard
Anton Fier 1977–1978, 1981–1982 · former drums (drum set), marimba
Mayo Thompson 1979–1982 · former electric guitar
Chris Cutler 1987–1990, 2004–2004, 2019–2022 · former percussion, drums (drum set)
Jim Jones 1987–1995 · former electric guitar, keyboard
Eric Drew Feldman 1989–1992 · former keyboard
Garo Yellin 1993–1994 · former electric cello
Paul Hamann 1994–1994 · former bass
Scott Benedict 1994–1995 · former drums (drum set)
Robert Wheeler 1994–1999, 1999–2007, 2009–2020 · former synthesizer, theremin
Wayne Kramer 1998–1998 · former electric guitar
Gagarin 2007–2024 · former synthesizer
Sarah Jane Morris 2009–2009 · former
David Cintron 2013–2013 · former electric guitar
Darryl Boon 2013–2016, 2016–2018 · former clarinet
Kristof Hahn 2016–2018 · former steel guitar
Gary Siperko 2016–2018 · former electric guitar
P.O. Jørgens 2019–2019 · former percussion, drums (drum set)