Porcupine Tree
From Freepedia
In 1987, Steven Wilson began Porcupine Tree, a musical outlet for his early songwriting that became an English progressive rock band. Unique from its conception, Porcupine Tree was created to satisfy growing interest about the "legendary Porcupine Tree," the fictional influence claimed in the booklet Wilson distributed with early tapes of his work.Originating as the punch line of a joke, Porcupine Tree grew into a successful solo project, and then into a full fledged four-piece group. As a result of growing attention, Wilson recruited keyboardist Richard Barbieri, bassist Colin Edwin, and drummer Chris Maitland to play live gigs. Their first album as a four-piece was Signify in 1996. This configuration remained unchanged until 2002, when Chris Maitland was replaced by Gavin Harrison. Beginning in 2002, Porcupine Tree has been joined on tour by John Wesley, providing additional guitar and vocal contributions to the band's live shows.
Contents |
Discography
Albums
- On The Sunday Of Life... (1991, Remastered 2004)
- Up the Downstair (1CD 1993, 2CD Expanded/Re-recorded 2005)
- The Sky Moves Sideways (1995, US Edition 1996, Expanded Remaster 2004, 3LP + bonus 7 inch single 2004)
- Signify (1CD 1996, 2CD Expanded 2003, LP 2004, Digipack 2004)
- Metanoia (LP 1998, Expanded CD 2001)
- Stupid Dream (1999)
- Voyage 34: The Complete Trip (2000, Remastered 2004, Remastered 2LP 2005)
- Lightbulb Sun (2000, Special Edition 2001)
- Recordings (2001)
- Stars Die : The Delerium Years 1991-1997 (2CD 2002)
- In Absentia (1CD 2002, 2CD European Special Edition 2003, Expanded DVD-A surround sound edition 2004)
- Deadwing (1CD 2005, 1CD + 1DVD-V Special Edition 2005, Expanded 2LP 2005, Expanded DTS 5.1 DVD-A [[2005])
Live albums
- Coma Divine - Recorded Live In Rome (1CD 1997, 2CD Expanded 2003, 3LP + bonus 7 inch single 2003, Digipack 2004)
- Warszawa - Recorded Live In Poland [live] (2005)
Singles and EPs
- Voyage 34 (1992)
- Staircase Infinities (1994)
- Moonloop EP (1994)
- Waiting (1996)
- Piano Lessons (1999)
- Stranger By The Minute (1999)
- Pure Narcotic (1999)
- Four Chords That Made A Million (2000)
- Shesmovedon (2000)
- Lazarus (German release, 2005)
Limited edition
- Tarquin's Seaweed Farm (1989)
- Love Death and Mussolini (1990)
- The Nostalgia Factory (1990)
- Spiral Circus - Live (1993)
- Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape (1994)
- Insignificance (1997)
- Coma Divine II (1999)
- Stars Die - Rare and Unreleased (1999)
- Tonefloating : The Use of Ashes vs Steven Wilson (2000)
- Transmission IV (2001)
- XM (2003)
- Warszawa (2004)
- Porcupine Tree Sampler 2005 (Transmission 3.1) (2005)
- XM II (Transmission 4.1) (2005)
Promotional
- Radioactive E.P. (1992)
- Waiting (1996)
- The Porcupine Tree Delerium EP (2001)
- porcupine tree sampler (2002)
- porcupine tree sampler 2002.1 (2002)
- porcupine tree sampler 2002.2 (2002)
- porcupine tree sampler 2002.3 (2002)
- Blackest Eyes (2003)
- Trains (2003)
- The Sound of Muzak (2003)
- Lava Records Pre-cleared Songs for Film vol. 1 (2003)
- Futile (2003)
- Shallow (2005)
See also: list of progressive rock musicians
Tour
Porcupine Tree is currently on tour. The dates are as follows:
- Sep 23 2005 USA, Tampa: The Masquerade
- Sep 24 2005 USA, Atlanta: The Masquerade
- Sep 26 2005 USA, Washington DC: 9:30 Club
- Sep 27 2005 USA, Philadelphia: Keswick Theater
- Sep 28 2005 USA, Providence: Lupo's
- Sep 30 2005 USA, Boston: Berklee Performance Center
- Oct 01 2005 USA, New York City: Town Hall
- Oct 03 2005 CANADA, Montreal: Club Soda
- Oct 04 2005 CANADA, Ottawa: Barrymore's
- Oct 06 2005 CANADA, Toronto: Phoenix Concert Theatre
- Oct 08 2005 USA, Detroit: The Majestic
- Oct 09 2005 USA, Cleveland: House of Blues
- Oct 10 2005 USA, Cincinnati: Bogart's
- Oct 11 2005 USA, Chicago: Park West
- Oct 13 2005 USA, Milwaukee: The Rave
- Oct 15 2005 USA, Boulder: Fox Theater
- Oct 17 2005 USA, Portland: The Aladdin
- Oct 18 2005 USA, Seattle: The Moore Theater
- Oct 21 2005 USA, San Francisco: The Grand/Regency Center
- Oct 22 2005 USA, Los Angeles: House of Blues
- Oct 23 2005 USA, Anaheim: The Grove
- Oct 24 2005 USA, San Diego: House of Blues
- Oct 25 2005 USA, Phoenix: Arizona Beach Club
- Oct 27 2005 USA, Houston: The Engine Room
- Nov 13 2005 FRANCE, Paris: Bataclan
- Nov 14 2005 GERMANY, Frankfurt: Hugenottenhall
- Nov 15 2005 GERMANY, Leipzig: Werk 2
- Nov 16 2005 POLAND, Lodz: Hala Anilana
- Nov 18 2005 GERMANY, Berlin: Columbia Club
- Nov 19 2005 GERMANY, Cologne: Live Music Hall
- Nov 21 2005 GERMANY, Hanover: Capitol
- Nov 22 2005 GERMANY, Stuttgart: Longhorn
- Nov 23 2005 AUSTRIA, Vienna: Planet Music (VENUE CHANGE)
- Nov 24 2005 ITALY, Treviso: New Age
- Nov 25 2005 ITALY, Milan: Live Music Club
- Nov 26 2005 SWITZERLAND, Fribourg: Fri Son
- Nov 27 2005 SWITZERLAND, Pratteln: Z7
- Nov 29 2005 GERMANY, Nurnberg: Lowensaal
- Nov 30 2005 FRANCE, Strasbourg: La Laiterie
- Dec 02 2005 LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg City: Den Atelier
- Dec 03 2005 BELGIUM, Antwerp: Hof Ter Lo
- Dec 04 2005 HOLLAND, Tilburg: 013
- Dec 06 2005 UK, Wolverhampton: Wulfren
- Dec 07 2005 UK, London: Shepherds Bush Empire
- Dec 08 2005 UK, Manchester: MDH
- Dec 09 2005 UK, Glasgow: Carling Academy
- Dec 11 2005 UK, Cambridge: Junction
Origin of the name 'Porcupine Tree'
By declining to provide an answer, Steven Wilson has started controversy over questions about the origin of the band's name. A number of theories exist, including the following:
- There is an American Indian legend about a porcupine who tricks the other animals by planting a tree which grows under him so he can shoot his spines down to kill them.
- Douglas Hofstadter's book Metamagical Themas is about computers, fractals and recursion, known as 'tree structures' in computer-speak. It includes a picture of an infinite tree of porcupines to illustrate fractals on page 409. Steven Wilson is known to be a former computer programmer and may well have been influenced by this.
- The name might simply refer to marijuana, a plant known for its distinguished "spiky" leaves and mind-altering effects when smoked or ingested.
- In Edward Albee's 1962 play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, it is mentioned that one character "to avoid a porcupine...drove straight into a tree".
