15 Degrees Below Zero

The story of 15 Degrees Below Zero began on May 13, 2000, with Imperial Floral Assault Unit. Gary TVG of The Violet Grind put together a band for what was supposed to be a one-off performance on KSZU, Stanford University's radio station, for their annual Day of Noise, 24 hours straight of noise performances. The members were Gary, Michael Addison Mersereau (of CTC, Cipher Utopia, and 18 Frames Per Second, amongst others), Daniel Blomquist (of Decibel, which has slowly mutated into The Twittering Machine), and I, Mark Wilson (then about to start my own project Conure). Prior to this performance, only Mike and Gary had collaborated together before, one recording of which can be heard on The Violet Grind/Cipher Utopia release on Troniks. In fact, this was going to be my first time working with music at all (besides some self-taught amateurish drumming in high school). Due to time crunches, we did not have time to rehearse prior to the show, and since we had to start five minutes after Mike and Gary arrived at the station, we really had no idea what we were going to do. We just went ahead and played. As mentioned, this was meant to be a one-off performance. After listening back to the recording of our set, we knew we couldn't allow that. We were amazed at what we had pulled off, especially considering the factors mentioned above. (The recording was available on our split release with Stolen Light, Conure, and Goose.)

So we continued as IFAU for another six months, releasing a few items, playing several shows, and receiving mostly positive responses. However, in January, 2001, Gary decided he wanted to go his own way, and he split up the project. Despite the disappointment, Dan, Mike, and I decided to continue working together. The name 15 Degrees Below Zero was decided on in February, 2001, and we began our first recordings a month later.

We've played numerous west coast shows as well as the Providence Noise Fest in Rhode Island. Crunch Pod released a posthumous set of live IFAU material along with a set of live 15DBZ material. Our first CD (an EP) was released mid-2004 on the same label, and the full length follow up CD was released two years later on Force of Nature. Our first vinyl release was released on .Angle.Rec. in August of 2007, and our second full length CD has just been released on Edgetone Records.

Initially, 15DBZ's music was all structured improvisation (as was the case with IFAU). However, over time, composition has become very central to our work, both in the "studio" and in the live environment. Improv still has a part in what we do, but now it's within the framework of our compositions.

Thanks to the promoters, bands, labels, and friends who have helped us. As always, special thanks go to Ben Arp from Crunch Pod for the level of support he's given us almost since the inception of IFAU. Much of the recognition we've received so far is due to him. (read less)

The story of 15 Degrees Below Zero began on May 13, 2000, with Imperial Floral Assault Unit. Gary TVG of The Violet Grind put together a band for what was supposed to be a one-off performance on KSZU, Stanford University's radio station, for their annual Day of Noise, 24 hours straight of noise performances. The members were Gary, Michael Addison Mersereau (of CTC, Cipher Utopia, and 18 Frames Per Second, amongst others), Daniel Blomquist (of Decibel, which has slowly mutated into The... (read more)