Reductio ad Absurdum

When this trio formed in the summer of 2001, we agreed that we were tired of listening to singers and guitarists. We sought a unique sound that does not readily submit to a specific category or genre. Our style oscillates across a spectrum from a driving wall of screeching distortion on the brink of discontrol, to an eerie electronic montage of fanatical ranting. We seek to write exciting music with a high level of energy that maintains the interest of the listener from the fast and loud to the soft and intricate. The sound of the ensemble is made up of more instruments then there are players. Ben Shirley adds melodic overtones with sax, flute, keyboards, and theremin. Justin Whitlow plays drums and adds other various special effects. Adon Wallace provides structural substance with bass and keyboards. Electronic percussion is also played by each member. In lieu of vocals, samples are triggered and manipulated in real time.

yes. we play all our music live. Based in Asheville, NC. Opened for Estradasphere, Rasputina, Juan Prophet Orginization

Neurtral Milk Hotel, Mr Bungle, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Naked City, Skinny Puppy, Jethro Tull, Fugazi, Dillinger Escape Plan

What people have said about us: "It's rare for a band to make an instantly memorable song. It's even more uncommon for a group to make such a song that grabs an audience by its collective shirt lapels, head-butts it on the bridge of its collective nose, and then keeps its mass of victims paying stunned attention for the remainder of the show. Reductio Ad Absurdum's music works so well live because the band never veers too far from fundamental melodies of its drum-driven dark-jazz songs. Instead of delivering the loose, gummy feel of a jam band, Absurdum gives off all the rhythmic urgency of a punk group though subverting that perception every so often with a solo of maddeningly variable tone colors. Great swaths of sax and moody torrents of Theremin, bass riffs like overpowered water-pistol squirts to the eye and keyboard solos possessed of near-demonic verve yet this sonic blitz is produced by a mere trio of musicians, including a drummer pounding away with burning percussive alacrity." - 4/16/03 Steve Shanafelt of MountainXpress -------------------------------------------------- "The audience stood around with their mouths open like they were watching a baby dinosaur hatch." - Guy at the 12/28/02 show -------------------------------------------------- "The songs in their set ranged in their influence from the Morphine-like "Screaming on the Inside," with its crazy double time ending of Coltrane-esque jazz, to "Limbo Ride to McDonalds," which sounded like Mr. Bungle playing the soundtrack to your worst nightmare... Reductio ad Absurdum aims to make everything they do ridiculous and serious all at the same time... Reductio ad Absurdum doesn't fit the category of "weakly organized local band," but rather fits its own category of "super-genius jazz musicians who just broke into a Radio Shack." Go see them if you can." - 9/12/02 Corbie Hill - Staff Writer for The Blue Banner -------------------------------------------------- "It's like crazy robot music!" - 7/13/02 Sharon Baggett - Historian -------------------------------------------------- "Reductio Ad Absurdum Eclectic, wild and weird. Found bits of spoken word (usually televangelists) playing under groovy, sax-oriented jazz, with some very nice moments of heavy metal, techno, and funk thrown in to keep it interesting. Definitely brainy, if a little inaccessible to the casual listener. 4 out of 5." - 6/12/02 Steve Shanafelt of MountainXpress (CD Review) -------------------------------------------------- "By mixing equal parts wildly improvisational jazz and heavy rhythmic emphasis over a background layer of recorded fire-and-brimstone preaching, Reductio Ad Absurdum have virtually patented their own kind of music. There were moments when the Asheville-based trio had no less than seven instruments going full-bore. Even more stunning was that they managed to keep the music listenable for their entire set, holding the full attention of the small audience." - 4/14/02 Steve Shanafelt of MountainXpress -------------------------------------------------- "Needless to say, it was something different. Elements of Chaos are added, with sax melodies and crunchy basslines, a beat that is kept instead of mocked as with other experimental bands, and samples of hypocritical evangelism parsed over everything to tie it all together. Everyone was shocked. The people who moved to the lobby will die soon anyway, and people who stayed raved about it for the rest of the night. Pretty impressive." - 1/17/02 Grant Henry of Stemmage.com --------------------------------------------------