Steve Gore RIP (Rascal Reporters)

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This was posted by Steve Kretzmer over at Progressive Ears:

I lost my best friend today. Details will be forthcoming as I learn, but for now suffice to say the World is a sadder place. 

Best, 
Steve Kretzmer

For info on the Rascal Reporters:
http://rascalreporters.tripod.com/

Their bio:

"From the ashes of "Raw Meat" (an earlier, "rock/noise" 2-man group,
with musicians Steve Gore, and David Johnson; operating during the late
1960's/early '70's), rose the Rascal Reporters in 1974. Steve Gore
remained; David Johnson was replaced by Gore's high school buddy, Steve
Kretzmer. Both musicians shared similar interests in life and music,
both were composers and musicians, and both just happened to play
keyboards and drums. A perfect musical union was formed that continues
to this day, and beyond.Both Steve's were born in 1958 and raised in
suburban Detroit (Oak Park, Ml). Both Steve's are left-handed. During
the years 1975 and 1976, the group literally were writing and recording
one song per day, everyday, throughout both years. A 12-CD box-set of
unreleased music could be culled just from these two years alone. Steve
Gore, renowned for never erasing any piece of music from any tape at
any time or any year, is largely responsible for the existence of the
30-year "bottomless" tape vault known as the "RRkives."The first
attempt to "go public" was in 1978, with a planned 45rpm picture-sleeve
release, "My Name"/"Ricky And His Dad." The release was cancelled due
to lack of funding, though the two songs will appear on the
"Rascalities 1974-1999" 12-CD box set, to be discussed further
on.Public exposure finally came in 1980, when Archie Patterson of
Eurock then based in California, released the Rascal Reporters'
full-length "cassette album," "Freaks Obscure" to the world. This was
one of Eurock's very first releases in the relatively new era of "group
self-produced albums on cassette." This was immediately followed-up
with "We're God," also a Eurock cassette release, and also issued in
1980. These two releases established a small, but strong world-wide
cult following for the band. People suddenly wanted to hear more of
this strange, bizarre, often obscene ("Freaks Obscure"), though
definitely rooted in the British Progressive Rock movement of the late
70's, Rascal Reporter music. The group complied, issuing a 45rpm single
in 1981, and a Landmark LP in 1984, "Ridin' On A Bummer," which boasted
guests Fred Frith, and Tim Hodgkinson; their first reuniting since the
break-up of their group, Henry Cow, in 1978. The Reporters' popularity
increased greatly after this release. The Rascal Reporters' legacy was
permanently cemented in 1988, when they released their "masterwork,"
"Happy Accidents" LP. The musicians they loved and were influenced by,
were suddenly becoming their friends. As such, the LP. boasted guests,
Guy Segers of Belgium's "Univers Zero", Nick Didkovsky of New York's
"Doctor Nerve," Dave Newhouse of "The Muffins" (a very frequent
contributor to their work; almost a "third member" of the group),
Steven Feigenbaum, CEO of the Cuneiform Records label and Wayside
mail-order company, playing his final-ever musical performance (guitar)
on an album, David Kerman, of "5uu's," "U-Totem," and guest drummer on
far too many CD's to list here, James Grigsby, leading composer for the
group "U-Totem," as well as Steve Kretzmer's virtuoso bass
guitar-playing older brother, Paul Kretzmer, who has been an RR "3rd"
member on and off for 20 years. "Happy Accidents" sold out quickly and
audience demand for more became greater. Up to this point, all music
was released on the group-owned label, "Hebbardesque."Neither of the
two Steve's are able to ``read or write" music in the formal sense. All
music is composed by ear, and the "rote-repetition" discipline. It is
certainly a bizarre coincidence that both musicians play keyboards and
drums (Steve Gore being a stronger drummer; Steve Kretzmer being a
stronger keyboard player), and compose music. Another very odd method
of the group is this: The majority of the music is both completely
composed and performed by only one of the two members at any one time.
Basically, two "one-man bands" working together, forming a unique
"Four-man band" comprised of two individual musicians with differing,
but complimentary composing styles. Inviting guests to record with them
is difficult. The music is so complicated, that the guest must be able
to "reach music that the RR's don't know how to "write" out. The
best-case scenario involves guest musicians who can both read music,
and also play by "ear".It is estimated that there are over 1,200
completed RR songs on tape in the "RRkives," thus allowing the band to
retire, and rely strictly on archive releases, something the group
would never do, as they are dedicated to the concept of continual
musical evolution.The unique aspect of The Rascal Reporters is they are
able to compose in virtually all musical genres: Progressive, Pop,
Christian Pop, Jazz, Cabaret, Techno/Dance, Rock, etc. They are as
simple as you want them to be, or as complex as you would like them.For
the record, The Rascal Reporters' major musical influences are: The
Beatles, Frank Zappa Gentle Giant, Egg, Hatfield and the North (and
off-shoots), Henry Cow, Soft Machine, The Residents, Gryphon, The Enid
Stackridge Univers Zero, Art Zoyd Tipographica, The Muffins, Burt
Bacharach, Bela Bartok, The Archies, PFM, Van Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson
Judy Collins, U-Totem, Bread, The Regeneration, Herman Szobel,
Krzysztof Komeda, Genesis, Magma, etc."

Edited by avestin - March 14 2009 at 22:16