Since the group’s conception in the mid-1970’s, Pere Ubu has been described as art punk, “avant garage” – a term coined by founder and front man David Thomas – post-punk, proto-industrial, early noise rock, but, above all and still to this day, experimental music. While the band’s sound is grounded in the blues origins of American rock n’ roll, these classic roots are warped through progressive synthesizers, sound effects, tape loops, bizarre noises and sonic distortions. Above this mosaic of sound, Thomas’s vocals can range from primal screams to spoken word poetry. Unlike most artists who fall into a comfortable rhythm as they grow older or try (and fail) to recapture their glory days, Pere Ubu has arguably drifted away from a more mainstream style adjacent to the early US punk scene towards experimentalist tendencies. Thomas drew the group’s name from a character in 19th century French author Alfred Jarry’s absurdist play Ubu Roi.