The Molecules
The Molecules first collided in Oakland, California in 1990 creating a style of music that combined free improvised tantrums with tightly arranged angular songs. Ron Anderson (guitarist) had moved to the West Coast from NYC where he, among many other things, had been a member of W.O.O.. Ron had also been involved in the original version of the band, RAT AT RAT R, in Philadelphia. Chris Millner (bassist) had moved out to the Bay Area after spending some time in art school in New York and living for a while in France. Thomas moved to the Bay Area in 1988 and was improvising with Mills College grad students, and becoming involved in the vibrant local music scene. The Molecules, led by Ron, became known for their frantic shows and bombastic mixture of progrock, no wave, noise and punk.
The group played the local San Francisco Bay Area scene relentlessly, including participation in the Bay Area Second Annual Improvised Music Festival, and performances with Elliot Sharp, Sun City Girls, Uz Jsme Doma, and locals Caroliner Rainbow, Three Day Stubble, Splatter Trio, and Pluto to name a few. They also shared local bills with the Japanese noise acts Boredoms, Ruins, Zeni Geva, Omieda Hatoba, Melt Banana, Space Streakings, CCCC, and Merzbow.
In 1992, the band powered through a 30-date tour of the United States. A highlight was opening for Charles Gayle at the original Knitting Factory in New York. The Molecules toured Europe several times with performances in France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany. In 1993, the band was invited to the New Musique Action Festival, and traveled to France and the Czech Republic, opening for such acts as Borbetomagus and Elliot Sharp. Chris Millner left the band and Ryo Fujiwara replaced him on bass. In Sept/Oct 1995, The Molecules toured Europe as a double-bill with Ruins. The trip had some fantastic moments including an unscheduled improvisation with Shelley Hirsh at the Vorax Festival in Italy.
That same year, the band journeyed to Japan and played several shows including a Tokyo performance with the brilliant Otomo Yoshihide. John Shiurba became the third bass player for the group in 1996. The group briefly toured the Pacific Northwest with Melt Banana in 1996. Then, the band went back to Europe for another tour in 1997, where Jac Berrocal made a guest appearance at their show in Paris. That same year The Molecules also made a brief trip to the East Coast, including a gig at the Knitting Factory playing with Marc Ribot. The "last show" at this time before Ron moved to Switzerland was a double-bill with Ruins in December of 1997, at the Paradise Lounge in San Francisco.
Ron moved back to the United States in 1999 and resettled in Brooklyn, New York. In April of 2006 The Molecules reunited for a show at the Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco. In 2007 they played the Western Front Push Festival in Vancouver, Canada. The group toured Europe in May and played in the Musique Action Festival in Nancy and the Festival Terra Terma in Cherbourg, France. The Molecules went back to Europe in early November of 2007 for a short tour ending with the Music Unlimted Festival in Wels, Austria. In 2013 The Molecules toured the East Coast of the U.S. which included playing the Experi-Mental Festival in New York and the Sonic Circuits Festival in Washington, DC.