Limpid Green (U.S.) for Crossover Prog - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Limpid Green is the latest vehicle for musical expression of the duo Greg Mathieson (also known as Stegor) and Bernard Olson (also known as Dr.Dust).

They are (or were) also part of the long-running project known as Bat Lenny, which began life back in 1976 as...Limpid Green! (http://batlenny.com)

The full team was:

Bernard Olson: (Dr. Dust) Drums, percussion, keyboards, buttons knobs and switches and things
Mark Thompson: (The Nail) Almost all the vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Greg Mathieson: (Stegor) Guitars, bass, synths and programing thereof, storage jars, a little violin, artwork

I feel that if we are to consider the latest resurrection of Limpid Green, then we have to do so as part of its Bat Lenny 'parent project'.

For an interview with Greg Mathieson which discusses his life in music, see: http://autoreversetoinfinity.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/interview-greg-mathieson-of-bat-lenny-limpid-the-green-stegor-etc/

Many of the early Bat Lenny releases were on home-made cassettes via Tim Id Productions: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~olso0209/ (Tim Id Productions is dedicated to the promotion of Do it Yourself (DiY) music, also known as cassette culture, home taping and home recording. It is the home of DiYers Bat Lenny and Stegor- so scan down the page for info on released tapes, reviews and sampled sound files.)

See also http://www.tc.umn.edu/~olso0209/bat/bat.html, from where this is taken:

"In one form or another Bat Lenny has been together since 1976. The first incarnation was a group called Limpid Green which experimented with tape and sound effects. From this period they accumulated several hundreds of minutes of sounds. Nothing significant came from it, but learn they did! Circa 1979, Limpid Green lost its positive qualities and shuffled off this mortal coil.

Between 1979 and 1982 the members floundered.

In 1982 Bat Lenny began to take shape and in the summer of 1983 Bat Lenny was formalized. Their first recording session was held in a member's kitchen. This environment left something to be desired so they relocated to another member's basement, where most of the first tape was recorded.

While phoning in a membership pledge to KFAI, a local public radio station, they became acquainted with Jerry Modjeski, the co-founder of a late night eclectic music show called "Frothing at the Beaker". They gave him two prereleased tapes: Pastoral Pleasantries and Fun for Me Fun for You.

After hearing their music, Jerry asked them to write and record a soundtrack for "Dick Future and His Fabulous Dancing Stool", a radio play he had written. Shortly thereafter Bat Lenny moved to a proper studio and produced a soundtrack for "Hot Rods from Outer Space" and the theme song for Jerry's radio show, "The Mechanical Spider Clinic".

A proper studio brought thoughts of full length cassettes. They decided to release an album on tape and yclepted it Quasi Quo. There was much reaction. "October 31st" was included on Passed Normal the Cassette which accompanied Passed Normal the album which was included in the Ralph Records catalog.

For the next tape they conjured the name March of the Small Ones from one of their old unreleased songs. "Surf" made it all the way to number two on the "Univeral Top 12", as compiled by the Bob 2000 Computer on the syndicated radio show "The Little City in Space". "Delphi" was included on the Audio Alchemy CD, a compilation of DiY'ers released by What Next? Records.

What next you ask? They came up with Stream of Unconsciousness, a tape of strangely spoken word pieces woven with even stranger music.

Coming soon (?), Songs from the Belfry"

"Classifying our music would be difficult. Our style changes from piece to piece. Basically we would fit into some sort of progressive/experimental classification, but the homemade aspect and quality throws in another oblique twist. We are not mind blowing musicians by any means. This would seem to knock us out of the progressive category right away, but we feel that we make up for it with just plain creativity. Yes, we are an acquired taste, but we all know an acquired taste is the best taste. Some have said we lack direction. The lack of direction is our direction."

Well, 'Songs from the Belfry' came out quite some time ago now, and you can read about it (and even buy it for $10.00) here: http://www.homemademusic.com/shop/62.html

CASSETTE RELEASES:
Quasi Quo
March of the Small Ones
Pastoral Pleasantries
Stream of Unconsciousness
Songs from the Belfry

Limpid Green was resurrected in 2011 - initially as a vehicle for live recordings: http://batlenny.com/Limpid.html

"Limpid Green has nothing to do with any sort of movement. Sometimes a color is just a color.

Limpid Green is the opposite of Bat Lenny. Limpid Green is performed live, usually with no preconceived notion of what's going to happen before or after the red button is pushed. Most Bat Lenny music is meticulously composed, crafted and assembled. Every LG musical piece is recorded as it is performed. If it can't be performed it doesn't exist. Post-production is limited to subtractive editing rather than additive. MIDI is used as a controller of the performance and recording process, but not as an artificial embellishment after the fact. Layering is achieved live with loop based recording rather than with overdubs. All mixing is performed in real-time as it's performed. The performances are captured on a single stereo track, just like the old days, eliminating the possibility of fixing anything later. We have eliminated the safety net, lest it become a hammock.

Post-Rock is probably the category to shoehorn LG into, if you must."

Three works were produced during this first re-incarnation: Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines Vol. I, Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines Vol. II, and Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines Vol. II (full audio samples at http://batlenny.com/Limpid.html)

Here’s a concise discography up until the latest resurrection of limpid Green as suggested by Svetonio, and featured on bandcamp:

Bat Lenny
1983: Pastoral Pleasantries
1984: Fun For Me Fun For You
1985: Quasi Quo
1989: March of the Small Ones
1991: Stream of Unconsciousness
1994: Crop Circles
1999: Songs From the Belfry (Best of)
2002: Views From the Belfry (DVD)
2005: Fractured Reflections
2008: Shadowland EP
2009: The Atomic Toybox

Stegor
1992: The Cog that Binds the Wheel that Grinds
1997: Moonwheel

Limpid (the) Green
2011: Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines Vols 1, 2 & 3

The 1994 album 'Crop Circles' - info and brief review here: http://gajoob.net/album.php?p=2467

Greg Mathieson's 'Bat Lenny' page on soundclick.com, with six of the eleven tracks from the 2005 album 'Fractured Reflections': http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=226962, from where the following was taken:

"Progressive Rock? - Maybe. You might hear an epic song or 2, and an occasional Mellotron, but you won't hear any self-indulgent solos or songs about dragons or faeries. King Crimson, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, XTC, Flaming Lips...

Band History:

We've been around since 1983. We've enjoyed a very small cult following ever since.

Influences?

Progressive Rock (ELP, Yes, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Kin Crimson, Pink Floyd) is our biggest single influence, but really good pop music, (Beatles) some of the more creative Christian bands (Daniel Amos, Delirious), Punk, New Wave and synth-pop (XTC, the Suburbs, Pere Ubu, Gary Numan, Ultravox) had an impact on us when the Progosaurs were wallowing in the tar pits. Pre-hairband metal had it's place (UFO, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Alice Cooper). And Ralph had us going too (Yello, Residents, Snakefinger)"

So they probably belong on here, although a lot of their stuff seems to be improvisation in the main...Please have a listen to Sve's bandcamp links, and some of the earlier stuff too, and then post your thoughts here guys...

Edited by yam yam - March 09 2013 at 12:38

Not sure if Limpid Green would get on here under its own steam but if the Bat Lenny stuff is included I think it definitely belongs. The Limpid Green is certainly experimental / improvisational but maybe all a bit too samey with loops and treated vocals. The Bat Lenny album The Atomic Toolbox on their official website is excellent though, and as the blurb with one of the above videos says - the line between these different projects is very blurry (also including the Stegor solo works). Not sure how they will treat this band but I think the Crossover boys should give it the once over. I'll wait for David to wade in with some thoughts before passing it to the team.

Hi Svetonio, yam yam, seventhsojourn and any and all Prog fans that may be reading this,

I was trying to avoid jumping in here, but I can't contain myself. I'm really impressed and flattered that you put all this effort into researching us. You dug stuff up that I didn't even think still existed! Just goes to show what you do on the internet stays on the internet. Some of it makes me cringe a bit now...

I've never participated in the forum here until now, but I've been a frequent reader of Progarchives for many years. This is an awesome place! If you have any questions or comments please let me know.

But I'm not trying to influence any decisions...

Thanks!
Greg Mathieson

Yep, been checking it everyday. Thanks! You guys are the best! This is huge to us. I feel so... legitimate!

http://limpidgreen.bandcamp.com/

Great work Olav! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=8006. Now for Bat Lenny...!! http://progfreak.com/Bat-Lenny-156144.html?path=pa/recent.

Edited by yam yam - April 20 2013 at 16:02