The Boston Typewriter Orchestra (BTO) is an American collective percussion ensemble for typewriter and voice, based in the Boston area. It was founded in 2004.[1]
Boston Typewriter Orchestra | |
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 Boston Typewriter Orchestra in 2022. From left to right: James O'Grady, Steve Mazzulli, Derrik Albertelli, Alex Holman, Chris Keene, Brendan Emmett Quigley, James Brockman | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | bostontypewriterorchestra |
Formation
editOne night in 2004, Boston-area artist Tim Devin was presented with the gift of a child's typewriter at a bar. His typing eventually annoyed the waitress who asked him to stop, whereupon he responded "It's OK, ma'am. I'm the conductor of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra."[2][3] Thinking there was something to the idea, he assembled a group of interested performers on the night of October 20th, 2004 in Somerville, Massachusetts.[1]
An office setting was quickly decided upon as an overarching theme for live performances. The members (usually numbering between four and eight people) perform wearing white shirts and neckties,[4] engage in typical workplace banter and write office-themed lyrics to satirical or comedic effect. The typewriters are utilized in a rhythmic fashion while melodic elements are supplied by the vocalists. The group uses several varieties of manual typewriters from such manufacturers as Underwood,[5] Smith Corona,[6] Hermes, Remington[7] and Royal.[8]
The Boston Typewriter Orchestra began performing at house parties, eventually expanding venues to clubs, arts festivals, and museums. Local and national media appearances soon followed. The group appears in the documentary California Typewriter, and their song "Entropy Begins at the Office" has been used in promotional ads for the film The Post.
Notable performances and appearances
edit- November 27, 2006 – Paradise Rock Club with Amanda Palmer
- February 4, 2007 – Weekend Today, NBC[citation needed]
- October 9, 2008 – Boston Orchestra Makes Typewriters Sing, NPR[3]
- June, 21 2011 – America's Got Talent, NBC[citation needed]
- January 31, 2015 – Langston Hughes Google Doodle[9]
- September 2, 2016 – California Typewriter (documentary film)
- April 5, 2017 – Playing Against Type, Great Big Story (CNN)[10]
- September 27, 2017 – Outlook, BBC World Service[2]
- December 30, 2017 – The Post (promotional video)[11]
- February 9, 2020 - The Blunderwood Portable[12][13]
- August 17, 2020 - The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Television Distribution[14]
- July 22, 2022 - WBZ-TV, CBS Boston[15]
- December 7, 2023 - NBC Nightly News,[16]
Discography
edit- The Revolution Will Be Typewritten! (2006)
- Overtime at the Piano Factory – Live (2008)
- Termination Without Prejudice, Volume 1 (2017)
- Workstation to Workstation (2020)
- Delegation: The Remixes (2021)
References
edit- ^ a b "Upcoming Shows | The Boston Typewriter Orchestra".
- ^ a b "BBC World Service - Outlook, The Boston Typewriter Orchestra". BBC.
- ^ a b Hurley, Sean (October 9, 2008). "Boston Orchestra Makes Typewriters Sing". NPR. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "NPR Choice page". choice.npr.org. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ "Boston Typewriter Orchestra: The Revolution Will Be Typewritten". CBS Boston. June 6, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ "Jamming with the Boston Typewriter Orchestra". www.mentalfloss.com. December 8, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ "Human Resources | The Boston Typewriter Orchestra". Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ "r/typewriters - Boston Typewriter Orchestra - Termination Without Prejudice, Deluxe Edition: The Correction Tape". reddit. July 23, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ "Langston Hughes' 113th Birthday". www.google.com.
- ^ "Playing Against Type". Archived from the original on April 14, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- ^ "The Post | "An Exhilarating Thriller" TV Commercial | 20th Century FOX" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Blunderwood Movie". Projects by Jason.
- ^ "The Blunderwood Portable | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston".[dead link]
- ^ "Orchestra Plays Music Using Only Typewriters!" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Boston typewriter orchestra makes music in new key, bringing old sounds of office to life" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Typewriter orchestra making music in a different key" – via www.nbcnews.com/.