CHANGING
MODES
Wendy Griffiths, keyboards, vocals
Yuzuru Sadashige, bass, guitar
Camille B. Atkinson, vocals
David Oromaner, drums, backing vocals
The music of New York City based rock band Changing Modes began quietly
in the mid-90s when the principal songwriter of the band Wendy
Griffiths (keyboards, voice) started making her bedroom tapes.
She says she had no intention of making these songs public. They
were like art songs with very unusual rock beats. Yuzuru
Sadashige (bass, guitar) recalls when he heard her songs for the first
time. She programmed very complex layers of accompaniment
in her Yamaha SY77, then sang along to record onto her $30 Sears tape
recorder, very LoFi, you would hear house noise and car horns in the
background, but they were extremely interesting and totally unique.
Wendy & Yuzuru, both classically trained composers whose influences
range from Bartok, Stravinsky to Nirvana, King Crimson & Sparks
have been leading the band since 2000. The band has been actively
performing in NYC venues such as Knitting Factory, Pianos, Luna Lounge,
CBGB, CBs Gallery, CB's Lounge, Continental, Barnard College and
ACME Underground.
Changing Modes created a unique art rock with Sparks-esque fun/pop sophistication
with Zappa-esque stylistic diversity/complexity and punk rock energy.
Versatile and vibrantly energetic drummer David Oromaner joined the
band in 2004. In August of 2006, high-energy vocal virtuoso Camille
B. Atkinson joined band.
Changing Modes has released three full-length albums - Down and Out in Shangri-la (2008), A Perfect Day (2003),
Aeroplane (2005) and two EPs (2000 and 2001).