The Origin of Uglyography:

Current Location: The Hampton Roads, Virginia Area
Current Time: The early 2010's

Matthew Thomas (Vocals, Bass, iWood Quirkatronic) was never interested in time travel or leaving his turn of the century steam-driven town in Oregon. As an inventor of sonic patterns, his lifelong pursuit was the development of therapeutic frequencies for treating temperaments of mentally disturbed who had been committed to the frontier's filthy and torturous sanitarium. After years of testing, his most difficult and recluse patient finally responded to a frequency variation that caused the mute and lame outcast to stand tall, his knotted hair standing on its ends and his red eyes glowing with a brass-like sheen. Before Thomas was able to rejoice in his success, the patient locked eyes with him and muttered the word "UGLYOGRAPHY," at which time the inventor found himself flying and rolling through a vortex of dimensions into the 21st Century. Quickly realizing how commonplace mental disturbance had become amongst the general 21st Century public he began a new type of invention... DJ Blake (Guitar, Drums, Vocals) is a Renegade Mennonite with a time traveling beard. As a young lad, he drew the ire of his Amish compadres who scorned DJ for having the thickest, fullest beard of all the young men. One day, DJ was shingling the roof of his father's barn despite the impending inclement weather. Lightning struck the very same weather vane to which DJ was tethered for safety. DJ was drawn into a wormhole's path of travel and re-materialized when the time machine finally ground to a halt in 2011. Free from the constraints of his previous Amish lifestyle, DJ began to explore the world of electronics and quickly took a shining to the guitar and drums.

Albert Dimaggio (Percussion, Bass, vocals) hails from Dodge City, Kansas circa 1875. As an entrepreneur, Albert faired quite well as the proprietor of a string of saloons where ranch hands and rail yard workers could relieve themselves of their hard earned wages. Business was booming, but Albert's true passion was making music. He constantly worried that because of his status as an affluent businessman, no one would take his music seriously. Some nights, Albert would cleverly disguise himself as a drifter so he could play street drums for passersby without fear of being ridiculed. One evening, a man on his way home from work tossed a silver piece into Albert's cigar box-turned tip jar. Albert watched as the coin bounced around in the box and rolled in a few tight circles as it agonizingly slowed to a stop, resting on its edge, perfectly balanced. Albert couldn't believe what had just occurred. The universe responded by belching forth an inter-dimensional worm hole which sucked up poor Albert and deposited him in the early 21st century. He discovered Uglyography shortly thereafter and took up residence as their drummer.

THE TALE SO FAR:

Uglyography is a Hampton Roads VA based trio that plays quirkadelic rock music.  Quirkadelic rock is a new genre that was actually coined by Uglyography and describes the eclectic sounds and influences that the band projects.  Borrowing from They Might Be Giants, The Pixies, Ween, early East Bay pop-punk, and countless others, the songwriting style of band leader Matt Thomas is undeniably unique, catchy, and thought-provoking.  More importantly, the energy and fun that the band has on stage trickles down into the audience.  Happiness ensues.

The members of Uglyography were each transported from the 19th Century to the 2010’s through various means of time travel, all accidental.  Albert Dimaggio (Drums, Bass) was sucked into a vortex while busking on the street when a silver dollar landed in his cigar box and balanced upright on its edge.  DJ Blake (guitar, drums) was installing a weather vane to his Amish barn when he was struck by lightning and plunged into a wormhole.  Matt Thomas (bass, iWood Quirkatronic) was running audio tests on the mentally ill, when he hit a magic frequency combination which cured his patient and sent him spiraling to the 21st century.  Convinced that the magic frequency could be struck once more with the help of an ensemble, Thomas recruited Dimaggio and Blake to join him in a musical quest to get the three of them back to the 1870’s through the power of audio.

Uglyography was named Best Local Band 2012 by Virginia Living Magazine and received three nominations at the Veer Local Music Awards in February 2012 for Best Band, Best Album (2011’s Undercover New Machine), and Best Video (My Brain).  They have also been named Defenstration WHRV’s Band of the Month and have been broadcast regularly over the airwaves on 96x’s Local Music Show and WHRV’s Out of the Box, including a live radio performance. Television appearances include WAVY 10’s Hampton Roads Show, Cox Channel 11’s Sound Check, and Johnson City Tennessee’s Tha Soundboxx.  The band also makes regular appearances on the music podcast YourMusicShow and has been written up on several occasions by newspaper publications The Daily Press, The Virginian Pilot, Veer Magazine, Pulse, and many others both in print and across the world wide web.

Three full-length albums have been release by Uglyography and a brand new EP will be released by the end of 2013. The trio stays very busy between touring, performing at festivals and conventions, recording, creating original music videos, regular local performances, and trying to adjust to 21st Century living. They are one of the hardest working and most captivating bands in the 757 and their enthusiasm and passion is reflected in their ever-growing ardent fanbase.

A CONDENSED LIST OF PLACES UGLYOGRAPHY HAS BEEN FEATURED AS OF AUGUST 2013:
ConTemporal Steampunk Convention, The Daily Press, WAVY TV 10, MetaFest Music Festival , Hampton Summer Street Fest (Block Party), YourMusicShow, The American Theatre, Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Music Festival, AltDaily, Mekos’s Skate Shop, Veer Magazine,  Hampton History Museum, The Jewish Mother, WHRV 89.5 FM Radio, Hampton and Norfolk Taphouse, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Christopher Newport University, Old Dominion University, Olde Towne Tavern, Virginia Living Magazine, Fantasy, Pulse/VA Pilot, Mojo Bones, Meridian Coffeehouse, Geared Up Rock Bar, County Grill, Toured to 7 states in 2009 and 2012 including NY, OH, WV, TN, NC, SC and of course VA.