Bolonium

Formation (2012)

Bolonium's core creative duo consist of singer and accordionist Richard Taylor and multi-instrumentalist Tim Johnson, two Denver-based filmmakers and musicians who met in film school and subsequently collaborated on a number of independent video projects, most notably the 2012 low-budget horror comedy feature film Atom the Amazing Zombie Killer, on which both worked in multiple production roles.[1] The pair wrote and recorded the original song "Rock and Bowl" for the movie's soundtrack as well as filmed an accompanying music video, both attributed to the fictitious band "Bolonium", named after a fictional meat-based fuel from the 1982 science fiction cult film Big Meat Eater.[2] The experience of writing and recording music together, however, ultimately inspired Taylor and Johnson to develop Bolonium into a real band.[3][2]

Bolonium's music draws primarily from elements of geek rock and new wave, with occasional satirical style parodies of specific genres or artists; for example, the song "Kookie Jar" is a cover of the traditional children's folk song "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?" performed in the industrial rock style of Marilyn Manson.[3] Taylor and Johnson have cited "Weird Al" Yankovic, Devo, Electric Six, They Might Be Giants and Barnes & Barnes among their primary artistic influences.[3][2]

Bolonium and live shows (2015-2018)

Bolonium independently released their self-titled debut album on May 5, 2015, preceded and succeeded by the daily release of twelve music videos, one for each of the album's songs. In an interview with KGNU, Taylor and Johnson explained the importance of emphasizing the visual aspect of the band as much as their music, drawing upon their backgrounds in both video and animation.[3][2]

Bolonium was released to positive reviews from the Colorado alternative press. Yellow Scene magazine praised the band's "strange blend of uniquely stylized musical comedy" as "a very pleasant experience", additionally describing their music videos as "a special kind of weird (in a good way)".[4] The following year, Bolonium gained wider recognition from the international comedy music scene when their song "Banana Peels Are Slippery" was added to The FuMP - The Funny Music Project, an online collaboration of comedy musicians - appearing on the website's CD compilation album The FuMP Volume 56 as well as receiving airplay on the long-running novelty music showcase The Dr. Demento Show.[5][6][7]

Although Taylor and Johnson had initially never intended for Bolonium to perform live, the duo chose to establish Bolonium as a live band in 2016, recruiting a rhythm section of drummer Bonnie Finley and bassist Ben Drendel, the latter of whom was succeeded by Paul Day in 2017.[8] The quartet performed their first live show at The 7th Circle in Denver on May 13, 2016 and have continued to play frequently throughout the Denver area, opening for such comedic and theatrical acts as Peelander-Z and Clownvis Presley and performing at events including the Denver StarFest science fiction convention and the 2018 "Weird Al" Yankovic fan convention Fest of Al, where they opened for The Gregory Brothers.[9][10][11]

On October 13, 2018, Bolonium performed live on the PBS series Sounds on 29th, a showcase of Denver music and comedy act, where several of their music videos had previously been featured.[8][12]

Snacktacular (2019-present)

Snacktacular, Bolonium's second studio album and first recorded with a full band, was released on September 24, 2019 by Needlejuice Records, an independent label which houses similarly comedic alternative artists including Lemon Demon and MC Lars.[13][14] The album was again received well by the comedy music community, with the track "Cosplay Suit" added to The FuMP and its CD compilation The FuMP Volume 78.[5][15][16] Like their debut, Snacktacular was accompanied by a consecutive series of music videos, ten for the album's eleven songs. In a 2020 "Best of Denver" feature by Westword newspaper, Bolonium were voted as having the "Best Music Video Series" for Snacktacular, the paper writing "there is something special about a rock-and-roll band that refuses to be chained to earnestness, that breaks from every conventional subject matter, and that creates something heartily geeky to boot".[17]

Current members

• Richard Taylor - lead vocals, accordion, synthesizer (2012-present)
• Tim Johnson - lead guitar (2012-present)
• Bonnie Finley - drums (2016-present)
• Paul Day - bass (2017-present)

Former members

• Ben Drendel - keyboards, bass (2016-2017)

Studio albums

Compilation appearances

• Bolonium on Facebook
• Bolonium on Bandcamp
• Bolonium on YouTube