Human Drama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Human Drama | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA  |
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| Genre(s) | Post-punk, Rock, Gothic rock, Dark wave, Alternative rock | |
| Years active | 1985–2005 | |
| Label(s) | RCA Projekt Records Noise Kontrol Opcion Sonica (Mexico) Triple X |
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| Associated acts |
Johnny Indovina Sound Of The Blue Heart |
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| Members | ||
| Johnny Indovina Michael Ciravolo Mike Mallory Marc Balderas CJ Ericksson Steve Fuxan |
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Human Drama, led by singer/songwriter Johnny Indovina is considered as one of the most obscure and mysterious bands of the gothic/dark wave scene. They are primarily known for playing a strange mixture of brilliant, sad acoustic and gothic atmospheric melodies. Although they don't count themselves as being only a gothic band - they are mostly named so by music critics, who have portrayed them as one of the more original bands in the dark scene.
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[edit] Human Drama (1985 - 2005)
Human Drama began in New Orleans in 1980 as the Models, and fueled by a couple of self-produced singles and compilation album cuts, they soon climbed to the top of the local mountain. Human Drama's musical influences stem from artists such as Joy Division, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, David Bowie, and Leonard Cohen, among others. By 1985 they had relocated to Los Angeles where they changed their name to Human Drama and quickly became prominent in what was at the time the most celebrated and influential music scene in the world. The legendary "Scream Scene" developed around an underground LA club called Scream, and spawned dozens of major label acts, including Guns n' Roses and Jane's Addiction. It was here that Human Drama built a huge reputation and following through their intense, atmospheric performances.
Hailed by the LA rock press as an "underground phenomenon," Human Drama signed to RCA Records in 1988 and released both an EP, "Hopes, Prayers, Dreams, Heart, Soul, Mind, Love, Life, Death", and an LP, "Feel", the following year. Critics gushed over Indovina's dramatic, guitar-driven personal poetry, predicting that Human Drama would be "one of the big bands of the 1990s." But when RCA failed to provide adequate promotional support, Indovina asked for the band's release.
Human Drama soon signed to Triple X Records, and released "[[The World Inside (album)|The World Inside" in 1992, which added soft acoustic guitars, flute, and touches of classical violin and cello to their instrumental mix, radically altering the band's sonic presentation. The album proved so popular that Triple X eventually released a companion six video compilation which included detailed narration from Johnny Indovina on what has been called his masterpiece.
"Pinups", a collection of cover songs which had influenced Indovina's artistic growth was released in 1993, followed by the simply titled "Human Drama" EP in 1994, and "Songs of Betrayal" in 1995 both on Projekt Records. The band performed before new audiences in Germany and Mexico in 1995, returning to Mexico again in '96 and '97, drawing overflowing crowds to their sold-out shows. In 1998 "14,384 Days Later", a live, career-spanning retrospective was released on both Hollow Hills/Triple X and the Mexican Opcion Sonica label. Showcasing the band's brilliant mix of breathtaking power and heartbreaking emotion, the disc successfully captured a fleeting, magical moment, allowing it to live forever. As further testament to the poetic intimacy of Indovina's lyrics, "My Bag of Secrets...the Words of Human Drama", was published in book form in 1998. The following year brought "Solemn Sun Setting", the band's seventh album, and in 2000, Triple X released "The Best of Human Drama...In a Perfect World".
After touching countless audiences with his powerful live performances, both solo and with Human Drama, Indovina released "Momento's En El Tiempo", the first live document of his legendary solo acoustic shows. Produced by long time Human Drama guitarist Michael Ciravolo, the disc was culled from several performances recorded between 1995 and 2000, in such far reaching venues as Café Bizarro in Mexico City and CBGB's in New York. Fourteen songs full of the quiet, raw emotions that have sustained fans for over a decade of Human Drama's recorded works.
The final piece in the Human Drama puzzle was the album “Cause and Effect” , released in the USA on Projekt Records, and in Latin America by Noise Kontrol. “
[edit] 2005-Present: Post-breakup
In late 2006, Johnny Indovina released a highly acclaimed recording, Sound Of The Blue Heart, released by Triple X Records.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album Cover | Date of Release | Title | Label | Type |
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2005 | Moments in Time | Triple X | Solo |
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2002 | Cause and Effect | Projekt Records | LP |
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2002 | Momento's En El Tiempo | Noise Kontrol | Solo |
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2000 | The Best of Human Drama...In a Perfect World | Triple X | Best Of |
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1999 | Solemn Sun Setting | Triple X | LP |
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1999 | Songs of Betrayal Part Two | Triple X | LP |
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1999 | Songs of Betrayal Part One | Triple X | LP |
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1998 | Heroin / Never Never | Triple X | Single |
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1996 | Fourteen Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Four Days Later | Triple X | Live |
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1995 | Songs of Betrayal | Projekt Records | LP |
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1994 | Human Drama | Projekt Records | EP |
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1993 | Pinups | Triple X | LP |
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1992 | The World Inside | Triple X | LP |
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1991 | Fascination and Fear / Fading Away | Triple X | Single |
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1990 | This Tangled Web / Times Square | Triple X | Single |
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1989 | Feel | RCA Records | LP |
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1988 | Hopes Prayers Dreams Heart Soul Mind Love Life Death | RCA Records | EP |
[edit] Compilation appearances
- Very Introspective Actually- A Pet Shop Boys Tribute - Human Drama "This Must Be The Place I've Waited Years To Leave";
- Orphee - Human Drama " A Single White Rose"; Projekt Records Compilation 2000.
- Songs from the Wasteland: A Tribute to The Mission - Human Drama " Kingdom Come"; Re-Constriction Records 1999.
- Death for Life A benefit compilation for AIDS research - Human Drama "Goodbye"; Mere Mortal Productions 1999.
- New Wave Goes To Hell - Human Drama "The Whole Of The Moon"; Cleopatra Records 1996.
- Scream The Compilation - Human Drama "Wave Of Darkness"; Geffen Records 1987.
[edit] See also
- Johnny Indovina
- Sound Of The Blue Heart
[edit] External links
- Human Drama's Official Site
- dedicated to the final year of Human Drama
- Projekt Records Human Drama Page
- Johnny Indovina's discography
- Johnny Indovina's New Band, Sound of The Blue Heart - Official Site
| Human Drama |
| Johnny Indovina | Michael Ciravolo | Mike Mallory | Marc Balderas | CJ Ericksson | Steve Fuxan |
| Discography |
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| Studio albums: Feel | The World Inside | Pinups | Human Drama | Songs of Betrayal | Songs of Betrayal Part One | Songs of Betrayal Part Two | Solemn Sun Setting | Cause and Effect |
| Live albums: Fourteen Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Four Days Later |
| Solo albums: Momento's En El Tiempo | Moments in Time |
| Best of: The Best of Human Drama...In a Perfect World |
| EPs: Hopes Prayers Dreams Heart Soul Mind Love Life Death |
| Singles: This Tangled Web / Times Square | Fascination and Fear / Fading Away | Heroin / Never Never |
| Videos: The World Inside Video Collection |
| DVDs: The World Inside Video Collection - 2007 |
| Related articles |
| Johnny Indovina | Sound Of The Blue Heart | Projekt Records |
| Categories |
| Human Drama Albums | Human Drama Songs |
