HALLMARK SHORT:
Born Derby Weekend 1984 to Tim Harris, Tara Key, Wolf Knapp and Mike Weinert as 2 bass attack module.
Shuffle. Reform as trio in 1989 with Charles Schultz.
Shuffle. Reform as current trio in 1991 with Madell.
And so on.
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IN DEPTH PLAY-BY-PLAY:
http://carrottoprecords.com/artists/antietam
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WORDS ABOUT OPUS MIXTUM
Spin (March 2008): "Now in their third decade, this Kentucky-spawned, New York–based trio could pass for a bunch of eager newcomers who can’t decide what kind of band they want to be when they grow up. Although the two-disc, 26-track Opus Mixtum lacks focus, the sprawl of ideas is dazzling: tensely elegant rockers ("Pennants and Flags"), mesmerizing free-form instrumentals (the nine-minute "Tierra del Fuego"), psychedelic-funk fusion ("King Me"), and good old-fashioned punk aggression ("You/I"). As always, Tara Key’s husky, offhand vocals and inventive yet precise guitar embody hip charisma, generating heat without straining for effect. Four Stars.
(Jon Young)
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The Absolute Sound (March 2008): " .The Louisville rock trio boasts a taut chemistry and ravishing rawnwss that confirm what a great band is supposed to sound like. Much of the threesome’s communicative vibe can be attributed to the husband-wife team of bassist Tim Harris and vocalist/guitarist Tara Key. But the interplay is also due to fluid songwriting and Key’s inimitable guitar skills. No "Best Guitarists" list is complete without her name." (Bob Gendron)
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Signal to Noise (Spring 2008): ".the Louisville, KY trio behind two-disc powerhouse Opus Mixtum have been virtually unknown for their twenty-some years as a touring and recording rock band. If there’s any justice, Mixtum-an expansive work rewarding late-night or early-morning behind-the-wheel listens-should change all that." (Raymond Cummings)
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Sequenza 21: ".Opus Mixtum is a wonderfully rich, variegated recording – one of the few recent double albums that require its extended duration to share all of its rich aspects. It reasserts Antietam’s place as a vibrant, musically sophisticated, and abundantly relevant contributor to the indie rock scene." (Christian Carey)
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Guitar Player (March 2008): "The band’s guitarist, Tara Key, is one of the genre’s unsung 6-stringers, with a style that merges post-punk nihilism with thick distortion and occasional psychedelic flourishes. Opus Mixtum, a sprawling double CD, showcases Key’s talents in myriad ways. The instrumental, "Red Balloon Waltz" lopes along with beautiful washes of acoustic and electric tones, while "Pennants and Flags" sports some chunky, incendiary riffing." (Darrin Fox)
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Uncut (March 2008): "Lousiville, Kentucky’s finest guitar group resurface with glorious fifth album.Antietam are one of America’s most consistently overlooked groups.completely essential." Four Stars. (Jon Dale)
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Terrascope (March 2008): "Survivors, but not just content to survive, with ’Opus Mixtum’ the band have drawn from their histories, both together and in collaboration, and seamlessly woven the main elements of their sonic obsessions into a fascinating fabricThe first disc opens with a deceptively mellow acoustic guitar and cello instrumental before launching into a blistering set of tracks that largely fall into the garage-punk transitioning into power-pop category. ’RPM’ is great garage rock, pure 1978 CBGBs in feel, and one can really get that the Stooges, Clash, and Dead Moon were/are major influences. ’Shipshape’ is a wonderful tune, with splintering, coruscating Crazy Horse influenced guitar work. Interesting here and elsewhere how guitar is used to carry so much of the melody. It’s an extraordinary track, but there is so much in store one barely gets a chance to doff one’s cap in its direction. ’Turn it on Me’ is classic power pop, postulating what the Bangles might have sounded had the music driven the vehicle alone, without other passengers with different agendas grabbing the steering wheel as well. ’Miss Me Bliss’ is exemplar of the first disc as a whole, gloriously melodic, structurally perfect, and radiating like a burning star nucleus" (Tony Dale)
