Album Notes

June Cleaver & The Steak Knives - Biography

Although June Cleaver and the Steak Knives began as a collaboration centered around film and video experimentation, Christopher and Patrick Bradley, brothers from Syracuse, NY, soon decided to focus their energy on the recording arts. Using a broad array of instrumentation, ranging from traditional rock (guitar, bass, drums) to the more exotic (sitar, zither, accordian) and electronic, June Cleaver connects innovation, concept, and the reconstruction of many popular modes of musical expression. The duo has recorded 5 CD's, each uniquely different from one another. The music is unusual, yet infectious. Employing a highly innovative approach to composition and production, the music is often created within a conceptual framework. The last two CD's have been collections of unrelated songs, experimenting within more traditional popular musical structures.

The band spent a few years on the independent label, Esoteric Music Group, before its demise in 2000. The company's founder, Tom Timony, ran Ralph Records in the 1980's working with with underground favorites like The Residents and Yellow, and he found similar potential in June Cleaver. J.C. & the S.K.'s have recorded soundtracks for film and video works, radio and TV commercials, radio dramas, and even soundscape material for an interactive exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum. The band has slowly perfected the creation of its own unique brand of uncategorizable rock music. This band is extremely self-sufficient. Every aspect of making the CDs -from composition to performance to engineering to production (with the exception of mastering) - is done by the two brothers...even the artwork for the finished product. Quality control.... However, collaboration keeps things interesting. The last two CD's have featured the talents of several guest musicians from a variety of musical backgrounds.

The brothers are currently living half way across the country from one another. Music is constantly being transported between respective residences in Chicago and New York's Hudson Valley. The group was voted "Best Local Band 2003" by Hudson Valley Magazine. The group has become more of an animation production house as of late. Pat creates the visuals, often writing the stories himself or collaborating with developers. Chris is in charge of the audio end, creating both scores and songs for the productions. The two have done nationally award winning animations for several permanent exhibits at the Field Museum, and are currently finishing up a Patrick Bradley original, entitled UNDO, about what life might be like if we could erase certain sections of it. Look for it at independent film festivals at the end of 2008.

June Cleaver and the Steak Knives has reached its 10 year anniversary this summer, and have recreated a song from the first CD called Steven. Recent work has begun on a new studio CD.

Cleavage -
This album contains 15 songs recorded between 2000 and 2002. Although the music has more of a traditional structure than past CDs, the underlying nature of weirdness is very apparent. It is like The Brothers Quay attempting to produce a Hollywood action film. So, what has actually been produced is a collection of music that is both unlike anything you have ever heard and many things that you hear all the time. Countless genres are explored, but with one foot planted firmly in rock 'n roll.