Founded in 1992 by Tim Harding and Ron T. Curry as a setting to explore electric bass duets, Hotel X was quickly joined by a host of Richmond, Virginia underground music scene veterans and released six albums on the L.A. based SST Records. SST Records was founded by members of the seminal punk rock groupBlack Flag and included in their catalog some of the great American underground groups such as Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Sound Garden,Universal Congress Of and Sacharine Trust.
Hotel X toured regionally and nationally between 1992 and 1997, received reviews in Jazz Times, Washington Post, Option, The Wire and Alternative Press among others; was nominated for Best Jazz Group by NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors) 1996, and participated in the JVC Jazz Festival in NYC 1997. National Public Radio selected soundbites of several songs from the Hotel X cd "Engendered Species" for use between news stories in 1994. Richmond Magazine awarded Hotel X with the Pollack Prize for Excellence in Arts in September of 2005.
In the biography "Fela - the Life and Times of an African Musical Icon" by Yale professor Michael E. Veal, Hotel X gets a brief mention (alongside of the Art Ensemble of Chicago , Brandford Marsalis and Steve Turre ) on page 259 when the author talks about the broad influence of Fela Kuti's Afrobeat style. Anyone interested in African music and culture would love this book.
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In 1994 Hotel X contributed an original composition, "One Way Street" (released on the cd 'Ladders' in 1995), to the trailer of the film "Hands of Fate" by Chris Quinn which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival.
Between 1998 to the present Hotel X has been mining the musical wealth of Africa and Latin America by using rhythmns and melodies inspired by traditional music and contemporary composers from those regions. The 2003 self produced/released seventh cd by Hotel X titled "Hymns for Children" marks the departure from the groups' earlier more electric, harmolodic adventures into the organic, world music inspired band of today.
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Hotel X has shared the stage with Bern Nix (Ornette Coleman and Primetime), Greg Ginn (Black Flag), Balla Kouyate (Super Rail Band), Papa Susso (Gambian kora master),The Roots, Yellowman, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Ran Blake, Hasidic New Wave, Marc Ribot, Plunky Branch, Wayne Horvitz and Pigpen, Amy Denio, John Bradshaw and Bazooka just to name a few.
When Hotel X was first formed we had no idea how appropriate the name was- at the time of this writing (8-5-05) we have had at least 58 members "check in" to our guest book!
Hotel X currently includes:
Tim Harding- guitar, alto sax (Tad Thaddock, Always August, Office Ladies, Four Story Sax Qt., New Loft Qt., Joyful Noise Big Band, Thomas Mapfumo)
Ron T. Curry- guitar (Vaughn Brothers Band [with Matt Lincous], Shag Nasty, Damage Report, Near East, Snakehandlers, Milk, Gwar, Third Eye, Rooster Seed, Kill Joy, Yax, Rapid Boil, Blister, Ugly Head, Ron T. Curry Acoustic Band, Mandrake Ensemble, Mao Tse Helen, Chigger, The Haints, Oregon Hill Funk All Stars, Hi-Tone String Ticklers, John Bradshaw and Ron T. Curry, Low Cotton, Joyful Noise Big Band, Tubize Royal Hawaiian Orchestra Tribute Band)
Lance Koehler- drums (Oregon Hill Funk All Stars, Yo Mama's Brass Band)
Jeff X. Morris- percussion (Oregon Hill Funk All Stars, Vertigo, One Love)
Danny Finney- tenor sax (Orthotonics, Good Guys, Half Japanese, Ululating Mummies, Rattlemouth, Four Story Sax Qt.)
George Lowe- bass clarinet (Ululating Mummies, Rattlemouth, solo)
Wayne O'Bryan- bass (Jah Revalations, Michael James, One)
O.J. Hunter- Keyboards (Awareness Art Ensemble, Nina Simone)
Dave Brogan- trombone (Special Ed and the Short Bus, Herb Stone Big Band, Scuffletown Strutters Dixieland Band, The Brothers Brogan)
Molly Berg- alto sax, clarinet (Tiger Bomb, Solo)
Current and former members of Hotel X include:
Tim Harding
Ron T. Curry
Jimmy Ghaphery
Jim Thomson
Woody Jackson
John Keifer
Chris Farmer
Chris Davis
Tom Wall
Billy Fox
Steve Mathews
Darryl Davenport
Jon Mela
Pat Best
Eric Unger
Jeff "X" Morris
Javier Ramos
Lance Koehler
O.J. Hunter
Dave Brogan
Danny Finney
Samson Trihn
Kelli Strawbridge
Molly Berg
Jorge Negron
Rei Gonzalez Alvarez
Gabo Tomassini
Justin Riccio
Bern Nix
Greg Ginn
Joe Baiza
Ogynga
Scott Frock
Jason Stith
Phil Murphy
Larry Bodie
Al Clark
Toby Whittaker
Gordon Jones
Fred McGann
Akili Obika
Charlie Kilpatrick
Johnny Hott
Tony Atherton
Vince Megrouni
Pooh Johnston
Marty McCavitt
Pippin Barnett
Barry Bless
Bruce Waters
George Lowe
Plunky Branch
Bala Kouyate
Wayne O'Bryan
Josh Boden
Lundin Lamb
Ron "Rollo" Fix
Paul Watson
Hunter Duke