HISTORY


Miracle Room was an experimental rock band formed in Austin, Texas in 1986 by Steve Marsh, former leader of Austin punk band Terminal Mind, on guitar, vocals, electronics and loops, with Ed Greer on bass and percussion, and Richard Smith on drums and percussion. The drum set consisted of found objects such as oil drums, gas cans, freon tanks, circular saw blades, five gallon water bottles and truck springs augmenting large toms and bass drums, all played from a standing position. On several songs in the set, Ed joined Richard on percussion while Marsh manipulated live loops. Ed and Marsh also improvised on amplified string instruments made from hollow-core doors and piano wire. The band was also noted for periodically creating live performances using such items as an abandoned car for the percussion set, a washing machine cut into pieces with circular saws and, on the night of the Harmonic Convergence, the ritual deconstruction of an upright piano. The piece called "Untitled" was performed by all three members improvising on an amplified length of pipe through delay.

In late 1987, legendary Austin drummer Rock Savage took over the drumming duties from Smith, who joined the noise group Crust. Miracle Room's first tour (in Ed's pickup truck) took them to the Knitting Factory in New York City where, on April Fool's Day 1988, they performed on a bill with Blind Idiot God. The response was overwhelming and, after returning that summer for a New Music Seminar gig at the Knit, the group moved to New York that Fall after recording a farewell show at Club Cairo in Austin, showcasing their incredible live presentation with an elaborate onstage installation and custom stage lighting.

Once in New York, Jerry Leibowitz (a former manager at the Knitting Factory) was asked to "manage" the band, a song was included on the first "Live At The Knitting Factory" disc, an E.P. was released on Bar/None Records, and the band was invited to take part in the first Knitting Factory tour of Europe in 1990, opening for the Sonny Sharrock Band.

Despite the extremely positive press they were receiving everywhere, the band found it difficult to find a label that would release a full length record. Meanwhile, Savage left to play drums in the indie rock band Barkmarket, and Clem Waldmann (later of Ui) joined on percussion, along with the performance artist Jane Dowling. This lineup completed a tour of America in 1991 and a mini-tour of Europe and Canada before the group broke up in 1993.