Excerpt: "They wore camo, kooky costumes, and masks, and singer Paul Weil—-who sort of looked like Andrew W.K.—-liked to grind up on his bandmates onstage.
The only D.C. band that's come close to the Apes sound is basically its fraternal twin: Heavy Breathing, the electro-rock group founded by three of the same people who started Apes, Amanda Kleinman, Erick Jackson, and Jeff Schmid. Heavy Breathing has never had a vocalist, and it never really wanted one. Perhaps that's partly because Apes cycled through three of them, from Paul Weil to Joe Halladay to Breck Brunson. Brunson would turn out to be the last frontman—-after 2008's Ghost Games, Apes slowed down, and Heavy Breathing emerged."
Apes never officially broke up, though, according to keys player Kleinman. So when Windian Records' Travis Jackson approached the band about recording some new tracks for the label, Apes signed up, along with original vocalist Weil."
I didn't find this interview all that enlightening but it mentions the mask, and your robot vocalist, The Rhythm Machine and while I thought that might be related to the weird Majestic Ape voice, it wasn't described well in this interview.
Excerpt: "Hometown Sounds reporter Tony Porreco sat down with Heavy Breathing’s Amanda Kleinman (Keyboards) and Erick Jackson (Guitar) for a wide ranging discussion including the inspiration behind the creepiness of the band’s live show and the importance of a band’s perceived edginess, the origin story of Kleinman’s signature ski mask look, and their recent reunion to record as their previous musical incarnation, The Apes."
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rooting4redpillers ago
A couple of 2013 articles that explain, to some extent, the relationships between The Apes and Heavy Breathing.
"Prepare for New Music From D.C.'s Apes" Dec 6, 2013 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/music/blog/13080078/prepare-for-new-music-from-d-c-s-apes
Excerpt: "They wore camo, kooky costumes, and masks, and singer Paul Weil—-who sort of looked like Andrew W.K.—-liked to grind up on his bandmates onstage.
The only D.C. band that's come close to the Apes sound is basically its fraternal twin: Heavy Breathing, the electro-rock group founded by three of the same people who started Apes, Amanda Kleinman, Erick Jackson, and Jeff Schmid. Heavy Breathing has never had a vocalist, and it never really wanted one. Perhaps that's partly because Apes cycled through three of them, from Paul Weil to Joe Halladay to Breck Brunson. Brunson would turn out to be the last frontman—-after 2008's Ghost Games, Apes slowed down, and Heavy Breathing emerged."
Apes never officially broke up, though, according to keys player Kleinman. So when Windian Records' Travis Jackson approached the band about recording some new tracks for the label, Apes signed up, along with original vocalist Weil."
I didn't find this interview all that enlightening but it mentions the mask, and your robot vocalist, The Rhythm Machine and while I thought that might be related to the weird Majestic Ape voice, it wasn't described well in this interview.
"Interview with Heavy Breathing" Dec 12, 2013 https://hometownsoundsdc.com/2013/12/12/interview-with-heavy-breathing/
Excerpt: "Hometown Sounds reporter Tony Porreco sat down with Heavy Breathing’s Amanda Kleinman (Keyboards) and Erick Jackson (Guitar) for a wide ranging discussion including the inspiration behind the creepiness of the band’s live show and the importance of a band’s perceived edginess, the origin story of Kleinman’s signature ski mask look, and their recent reunion to record as their previous musical incarnation, The Apes."