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Soundbytes: Oxymoronatron
BY: Paul Barbatano and Tim Death
DATE: 7-27-2004
PUBLICATION: Dayton City Paper
Volume xx, Number xx.

Something About Oxymoronatron
“Well, I dunno. Where do you wanna eat?” was how the interview with Oxymoronatron frontman Robot X5 (Jason Sanders in human form) began. It nearly ended with this question as well, as Jason grabbed me by my Motorhead T-shirt and growled, “Tell me where we’re eating before I go talk to a real rock journalist!” He then asked if I had Rev. Chad Well’s phone number before I suggested The Dublin Pub.

Once we arrived, I had the honor of waxing intellectual (i.e. geeky) with Mr. X5 about the fact that George Lucas has ruined Star Wars, the probability that only two known forces in the world could defeat MC Hammer’s pants (Godzilla and Superman) and, of course, the likelihood of a Freddy vs. Jason vs. Alien vs. Predator film. But all things geeky are really cool if you pretend to be a robot trying to take over the world with “subliminal” music on an almost weekly basis.

“It’s pretty hit and miss with us,” Sanders said. “Some people hate us and don’t get it and are all redneck about it like, ‘why you screamin’ into that microphone?’ But the people with brain cells actually get it and really like it.”

And it’s true. Of the scientists we asked, one out of one claims to love Oxymoronatron. Well, he might have been a scientist. He had a clipboard, at least.

“It’s completely sweet,” Sanders said of the new Oxymoronatron DVD that will be unveiled at Elbo’s on Saturday, July 31. “It’s a lot more cleaned up than the last DVD. There are two videos, a commentary and some backstage footage of us just goofin’ off. Maher Al-Samkari from Modus Productions hooked us up and did the videos. They’re amazing.”

The music videos are for “21st Century Robot Love” and “Dance Dance Revolution.” The latter is “pretty much like the video game,” according to Sanders. As I marvel at his seemingly infinite bowl of stew, Sanders mentions that the “21st Century Robot Love” video had to be remade because the old video had clips of German porn and they were afraid of getting in trouble.

Oxymoronatron plays their music videos on large monitors during their sets, for an audio-visual experience not unlike watching muted MTV while listening to good music. In addition to this, They offer gadgets such as a remote-controlled drumming robot for the audience to play with. Lugging around all this stuff in addition to their normal equipment is admittedly quite taxing on the fun of touring. But Sanders said the band is looking into bribing 14-year-old skaters into being their roadies.

In the near future, Oxymoronatron are working on and writing material for a new album. In the meantime, fans can feast themselves upon the 11-song CD currently in release or the newly finished 7-inch split record with My Latex Brain, the local kings of chaotic composition. This project came about when the Latex Brains and punk grab-assers Mondolux were to collaborate on a split.

Sadly, Mondolux broke up, pulled out of the project and started all new bands. This is where the Oxy robots took the torch and hopped onto half the record and the rest is vinyl history.

“I don’t think the idea even occurred to them to get someone else to do the split with them until we brought it up,” Sanders said. “But those guys are geniuses. This split is the best reason to go buy a record player.”

With sadness in his voice, Sanders concluded the interview by saying, “I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this stew.”

The Oxymoronatron DVD release party will take place at Elbo’s, located on the corner of Fifth and Jefferson Sts., on Saturday, July 31, with guests Rockbot and The Science of Big Machines. Fore more information, call (937) 461-elbo or visit www.oxymoronatron.com.

My Latex Brain/ OXYMORONATRON The 7 inch Split
By: Tim Death
Pool Party Magazine / Issue: Nine
June-July '04

OXYMORONATRON!!
OXYMORONATRON is the best band of robotic cyborg musicians in Dayton. But don't let the fact that they're Dayton's only robotic cyborg musicians detour you from the fact that I mean that as a compliment. Pretending to be robots while playing in a band isn't a new idea, surely, Servotron did it, Garth Plinko had plans to do it until he heard Servotron and Nsync took the idea to the masses (and whatever happened to Go, Robot, Go!?), but OXYMORONATRON is something apart from that.

Their shows are part musical event part nostalgia/pride parade for those of us who remember the 80s. Their audio/visual assault on us mere humans is a throwback to the old days of nerdom but with a sound that is as ahead of it's time as it is as retro as DEVO and Atom and His Package (they broke up, it's technically retro).

The track "30 Lives" is an homage to the old Contra cheat for Nintendo that enables you to start with 30 lives. This song is energetic, slightly angry and fast which is exactly how I like to play my Contra. You want to know the cheat, little kids? Listen to the song. But, I detest your use of it if you're playing Contra on your computer via an emulator.

"21st Century Robot Love" is about robot love in the 21st century. Which, of course, is silly. Robots cannot feel but I fear the day they do. This track is also very energetic and slightly prettier. It's almost as if Tori Amos became a robot. This 7 inch is a good representation of the rest of the stuff of their full length cd (that both these tracks are on) but these recordings are not as 100% as the live show. You must see them to get the whole Oxymoronatron Experience.

oxymoronatron.com

Oxymoronatron's Robotic Dream
by: Don Thrasher
Dayton Dailey News
Apr 02 2004

According to Isaac Asimov there are Three Laws of Robotics. 1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given to him by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. In their own way, the demented musical scientists and robot enthusiasts of local sci-fi rockers Oxymoronatron have added a fourth law to Asimov's edict: A robot, when ordered, must join with human musicians to kick out the jams at extreme decibels.

Since performing at the Lego League Robotics Competition at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in December, the members of Oxymoronatron have been locked away in their lab working on several different projects. In addition to remixing songs for an upcoming CD and completing the full-length DVD Robots Gone Wild, Robot X5, Hard Wood Paneling, Jet, MC WoodChuck and amERICan Dream have been revamping their robotic band mates and working on a few new prototypes. The cyberpunk combo recently emerged from the latest round of experimentations to play its first show of the year at Elbo's on March 20. Release dates for the CD and DVD were still tentative at press time but in the meantime, Oxymoronatron will satiate human and robotic fans alike with a split 7-inch single with local post-punkers My Latex Brain set for release in April. To find out more, visit www.oxymoronatron.com.

Oxymoronatron Saturday, Jan. 4 Empty Bottle // Chicago
by: Sara Farr
Impact Weekly
Jan16-22 2003

I had to look twice to make sure I wasn’t loosing my mind: Oxymoronatron, scheduled to play Chicago’s hotspot Empty Bottle club on a Saturday? Could this possibly be true? I’d met band that couldn’t get a Saturday night at the Bottle even after they’d signed to a major label!

I checked it out on the web, and indeed, Dayton’s favorite, chaotic performance artists were most accursedly to be there. So with my roommate in tow, we went to show our support for the Gem City.

We Arrived during Oxymoronatron’s sound check. The group sounded very different then the last time I’d seen them, but then again, Oxymoronatron is a rare band that sounds different every show.

We talked briefly with the band’s members, then stationed ourselves near the stage to wait for another friend and the appearance of what was to be , by all accounts, a show the likes of which Chicago had not yet experienced.

To Call Oxymoronatron a band is inaccurate. Oxy isn’t so much about the music as it is abut the presentation. The idea, of course, is that there are MAD ROBOTS taking over the world, and as renegades from an embittered interplanetary war, they must attempt to warn us all about the mad robots’ evil plot. Or something like that, it’s hard to tell. A home movie projected onto a screen behind the stage opened the show, followed by a “grand entrance” b the band members (read: three costumed dudes charging up very loud. The “transmission” began, and the group played some of its odes to action figures, TV shows and pop culture to an audience that remained skeptical.

The show was interrupted at various points with messages from “the leader” and scrambled signals from the mad robots. Two things stick out: No. 1, how well the video footage went with the music; and No. 2, just how much these guys don’t care if people get it.

Frankly, the group’s concept is something hard to follow. On record, these guys sound a lot more together than they are live, but then, given the fact some of their instruments are remote controlled by audience members, it’s hard to rag on their technical abilities. Besides, in what other Dayton band can you see a man hump a keyboard?

Part electroclash, part one-chord hard rock, Oxy isn’t afraid to jump around, run off the stage and antagonize its audience. Only later would one of the band members observe, “Man, Chicago is a rough town.” While Chicago might not have been ready for the chaos that was Oxymoronatron, the group is prepared to deliver the message again. As our Chicago friend so elegantly put it: “For sheer entertainment, the $8 admission was well worth it.”

Rock Insider; Songwriters tell of their muses • Oxymoronatron opera?
BY: Angelique Campbell
DATE: 12.13.2002
PUBLICATION: Dayton Daily News

• Art depends on inspiration, right? The muse, the source of inspiration, is a fickle thing. You can go through a drought of creative thought and then be kept up all night trying to find the right way to get an idea out of your head and into the world. When genius strikes, you’d better strike back, otherwise whatever it is that inspires you might not find its way back again.

With that in mind, here’s a look at where some local musicians find inspiration:
• Jason Sanders seems to find inspiration in just being a member of the robotic funk madness that is his band, Oxymoronatron. “Probably just having fun or whatever. Trying to, you know, get people to have a good time; have a better outlook of Dayton for a little while. They’ll think ‘Hey, Dayton isn’t so bad!’ ”

• Oxymoronatron is working to bring Dayton something it hasn’t seen in a while, if ever: A two-part rock opera. The one-time-only show starts Saturday night at Elbo’s and concludes Thursday night at Canal Street Tavern. The band will be adding a full interactive video to its shows starting Saturday, and word is that most of the band’s infamous robots (including my personal favorite, the wall o’ fish) will be up and running and spinning and swimming and whatnot.

Rock Insider, by Angelique Campbell of the Dayton Daily News, gives a behind-the-scenes, in-the-clubs view of the Dayton music scene. It appears every other week. Contact her at acampbell@coxohio.com.

When robots attack! Kicking out the cyber jams
BY: Leslie Benson
DATE: 11-7-2002 to 11-13-2002
PUBLICATION: Impact Weekly
Volume 10, Number 45.

In the summer of 2000, in a galaxy far, far away, three young men (“robots”) joined a musical coalition to impact the Dayton scene. Full of slaphappy antics, the musicians smacked audiences with a wave of dirty, electronic punk the likes of which few have heard before. Oxymoronatron (yeah, say that in one breath) set the stage for action heroes everywhere with their cyber view of the world through techno glasses.

With songs such as “Robotic Parts,” “Show Me Your Rubies” and “Action Hank,” it’s hard to tell whether these guys are out of their minds or just cartoon-crazed robots at heart. The comical trio, known only by unique nicknames, prides itself on originality. Mr. Knuckles on rhythm guitar and Hardwood Paneling on various incarnations of keyboards and drum programming help to back up front-man/vocalist Robot X5, who also plays the guitar, bass, moog and turntables.

Music ideal for the 1980’s TV-fanatic and videogame-player, Oxymoronatorn’s songs range in topic from tributes to “The A-Teams’” Mr. T to the most violent videogame series currently on the shelves, “Grand Theft Auto.”

“Grand Theft” (the song) puts you right into the video game. You feel as if you’re actually in Liberty and Vice City experiencing all the mayhem,” Knuckles said.

Having grown up watching such television shows as “G.I. Joe,” “Battlestar Gallactica,” “Ren and Stimpy,” “Transformers,” “Voltron,” “Quantum Leap,” “The Simpsons” and “The A-Team” the musicians’ addiction to science fiction and action heroes forms the Holy Grail of their musical backbone.

According to Hardwood, the band’s “stage presence is so thick that you have to eat it with a fork, not a spoon.” Accordingly, the guys like tot stir things up during live performances.

“I constantly think of how I can push the envelope,” Hardwood said. “I want every show to be something fresh and new for the audience. I don’t actually care how they react, as long as we get a reaction.”

“We played a show at Canal Street where we rocked so hard we broke all of our gear-two guitars, one keyboard, three mics, one computer and three robots,” Robot X5 said. “We duct taped what we could to keep it going. It was a blast. We were blowing stuff up.”

Similar to his fellow bandmates, Robot X5 has been raising musical hell since he was an infant.

“When I was one-year old I discovered how to scratch records. My dad was pissed. They took photos of me crawling around with huge headphones on … in the nude,” Robot X5 said. “In kindergarten I was involved in an experiment where they tried to teach a select few to play the violin. Ever since, I have been playing music.”

Robot X5, who, according to Knuckles, “sounds like the Incredible Hulk raring,” found his niche listening to James Brown, Jon Spencer, Devo, Brainiac, XBXRX, the Beastie Boys and Beck. “All these entertainers know how to keep my sprockets moving,” he said.

Knuckles, who refers to himself in the first person, said he “prefers the soothing rock sounds of the Dead Milkmen.” Hardwood, on the other hand, got hooked on Queen, Joy Electric and Aphex Twin while growing up.

Taking themes straight out of their childhood, the members of Oxymoronatron each embody a robotic action hero as their musical alter egos. According to this fantasy, “The Mad Robots are the bands arch enemy. They sabotage equipment and from time to time adduct band members and replace them with robotic doppelgangers,” Knuckles said. “They wan to dominate the music scene throughout the universe, but to do that they must first eliminate their greatest competition.”

In order to overcome the fictional Mad Robots the imaginative rockers “use the power of music, M.C. Hammer’s pants, OXY-GEN and science to combat evil robots,” Robot X5 said.

Hardwood added, “I absolutely adore all music. I tend to gravitate toward anything which is keyboard-based, as that is my instrument of choice, but in reality, I love anything with a good beat and nice melody.”

Featuring techno drumbeats from a keyboard synthesized background noise and robotic vocals, Oxymoronatron’s recent EP, Demo CD Version .0001 (the follow up recording to Version .01 featuring drummer Rocket Fuel) is an appropriate soundtrack for the life of a computer-savvy, sci-fi addict.

“While Version .01 had a lot of punch, it was designed more for listening a Jaguar with the top down. Version .0001 is more danceable, but still has the harsh edge,” Robot X5 said.

The band hopes to release a full-length album in 2003, followed by a nation-wide tour. “We are also working on a VCD and DVD of our live shows and a music video,” Robot X5 said. (We have) lots of plans. There are more modifications to the robots that will be very cool.

Playoffs reward power of music
BY: Angelique Campbell
DATE: 09-20-2002
PUBLICATION: Dayton Daily News

Oxymoronatron had the entire reticent crowd on its feet due to the creative use of whirling trashcans.

Rock Insider; Is `Battlebots With Soul' An Oxymoronatron?
BY: Angelique Campbell Dayton Daily News
DATE: 06-14-2002
PUBLICATION: Dayton Daily News

* What happens when you combine songs about kung-fu, a wall of singing plastic fish and a (literally) electric singer/guitarist man? Oxymoronatron, of course.

Fronted by Jason Sanders, or Robot X5 as he likes to be known, Oxymoronatron is one of the more unique bands around town. They formed in the summer of 2000, and, after a six-month break, the band is hitting the stage again. With a back story that smacks of the X- Files (secret government agencies, cover-ups and kung-fu assassination attempts are just the beginning), Oxymoronatron brings a much needed sense of humor to local music.

With songs including odes to Mr. T, the Iron Chef and the Cartoon Network, the band is winning over new fans with every performance.

`That was an experience. That was just incredible,' said local music fan Turtle after a recent Oxymoronatron show. `You just have to see it to understand.'

Their stage show is what sets Oxymoronatron apart from the pack. Sanders plays guitar and sings lead vocals while dressed in swanky '70s suit and doing kung-fu moves. James Cook (keyboards) and Arnell Johnston (guitar) add to the funky mix with a range of costumes and their own unique stage presence.

But what really sets them apart, and what gets the crowd on its feet, are the robots. It started last autumn with MR 7-12 Wall of Fish, a contraption of singing `Billy Bass' hooked up to synchronize with the band's songs. Now that they have reformed, they have added three others to the lineup: MR 3 DJ Robot, an upside-down trashcan on wheels with a turntable spinning on top; MR 4 Bass Robot, a Halogen lamp with a bass duct taped to the front; and the biggest robot of all, MR 6 Drum Robot. The drumbot has a bass drum attached to the front and the robot's head lights up and looks like the ship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The band depends on audience members to get the robots going, so seeing the band isn't necessarily a passive experience.

Their Battlebots with soul sound has been all over the place lately (Canal Street band playoffs, Elbo's Courtyard Collision, MS Walk) and for more information about how to see the band soon, go to www.oxymoronatron.com/.

Mad Robots, on the loose!
BY: Kyle D Mayes
PUBLICATION: DaytonBands.com

After the long wait, Oxymoronatron took their place on stage!

Early on, I was speaking with the front man, known only as Robot X5, only to find out the truth, "...that basically, ALL humans, deep inside, really want robots to yell at them!" And yell they did! Now, before I continue, I want to explain the situation here. The sound man never tested nor checked the sound system before they went on, and during the entire set, was basically NOWHERE to be found!

Hmmm! Could he be one of the "Mad Robots" set out to destroy Oxymoronatron? Could be, but that didn't stop them! They pulverized the stage with their brash rock/punk passages, mixing the abuse of several instruments, including scratching from a turntable, and hand held keyboards! Their tongue-in-cheek approach of their original songs were humorous, and they shined during "Mr.T's Advice" & "MC Hammer's Pants"!

This package of robotic carnage is not for everyone, but the people in attendance seemed to enjoy the hilarious antics, especially the girl who couldn't keep her extremely large mammaries to herself! Uh...thanx, I think!!

The highlight of the evening was when the human patrons were subliminally forced to request an encore, and were enslaved to participate in tormenting Robot X5's electronic effects whilst he droned savagely away at his guitar-like appendage!

An interesting evening to say the least, the musical noises and attacks had an adverse effect on a few humans, mainly women...exposing their breasts, letting men grope and salivate on them, and at least one female who couldn't seem to convince ANYONE, even her husband's best friend, to copulate with her, although she kept trying...and trying...and trying!!"

Breaking Free
by: Sara Farr
Impact Weekly
09.13.2001

The son of X5-1 Hmm. guess that means that Jason Sanders of local band Oxymoronatron, who goes by the code name of Robot X5, has a son --- or no, its could mean that powerman 5000 will be making a stop in dayton as a part of the returned, expanded X-Fest, a music extravaganza hosted semi-regularly by WXEG-FM(103.9) to celebrate its birthday.

Round 3 // Wednesday, Aug. 1 Oxymoronatron Vs. Tilted Rigby
by: Leslie Benson
Impact Weekly
Aug.9.2001

Psychedilic wah-wah gutar riffs, rustic funk rhythms, overdubbed vocal samples and DJ-style scratch effects jolted the Canal Street Tavern audience when up-and-coming Dayton superheroes Oxymoronatron took the stage. Like a comic book come to life, the robotic jam band edged into the techno realm while reveling in its Beastie Boys-inspired flavor. The band topped off its set with a improvised song mouthed by six plastic, dancing fish mounted on wooden plaques like the ones your friends bought on clearance for $6 at Spencer's.

Round Two // Wednesday, July. 18 Oxymoronatron Vs. Choke Hazzard
by: Don Thrasher
Impact Weekly
July.26.2001

Oxymoronatron is hard to pin down. Depending on the lineup, the band can be many things: ironic neu-metal practitoners, Moog-induced skronk rockers and blue-eyed electro-funkers. This evening it was heavy rock with an ode to Mr. T, a song about Action Hank and a cover of Styx's "Mr. Roboto". For the Occasion, several members of Oxymoronaron donned outfits --- the bassist came as Elvis, complete with white jumpsuit and a huge black pompadour wig; the cape, "Lone ranger"-style mask and plastic, horned helmet; and the lead singer wore his customary powder blue three-piece leisure suit. Top vote-getter: Oxymoronatron

Mad Robots // Readymaid // Drexel Thursday, July 5 El Diablo Lounge
by: Xtian Spencer
Impact Weekly
July.12.2001

Mad Robots are a side project/"alter ego" of Oxymoronatron, a Relatively new band on the Dayton orignal rock scene. The creation of frontman and turntablist Jason Sanders, Mad Robots were first up, using a drums/bass/eletronic setup to confuse and startle the crowd. Some fine-tuning would help, but as the group was added late to the bill, it performed admirably well.

Round One Wednesday, May 3 Oxymoronatron, Rash And Strawberry Love Gel
by: Sara Farr
Impact Weekly
5.10.2001

Canal Street Tavern began its 18th annual Bayton Bands Playoffs competition with one of those bands that becomes the "hidden gem" of the event. Oxymoronatron was amazing, in a word. These guys definitely studies at the school of Brainiac --- except they add turntables to a few of the songs and head in a slightly diferent musical direction. With a lead singer (Robot X5) dressed in a powder-blue leisure suite and space-age sunglases and another member manipulating a Moog, this band packed more stage presence into its set that most others ever do. Musically, it combines a mix of punk, electronic samples and straight-ahead grooves that aren't necessarily danceable but are creative, unique and entirely fun. With songs about action heroes ("Action Hank") and science ("Experiments and Projects"), Oxymoronatron is definitely something to watch.

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