Christopher Tait
Christopher Tait, also known as Tait Nucleus?, is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the synthesizer player of the rock band Electric Six [2] and the founder of Passenger Recovery. Although he was credited as an associate on Fire,[3] it wasn't until the band's lineup change in 2002 when he officially joined. His inclusion took the group from a five-piece to a six-piece band, rendering the joke of their name (Electric Six despite only featuring five members) redundant.[1]
Christopher Tait | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Tait Nucleus? |
| Born | United States |
| Genres | Alternative rock, dance-rock, dance-punk, freak folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | vocals, synthesizer, guitar |
| Associated acts | Electric Six, Belle Ghoul, Ghost City, Laser Destroyer Team[1] |
| Website | Official website |
Discography
Electric Six
| Year | Album | Synthesizer | Music Writer | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Fire | Yes | No | Credited as an "associate" |
| 2005 | Señor Smoke | Yes | Yes ("Boy Or Girl", "Vibrator") | |
| 2006 | Switzerland | Yes | Yes ("Rubber Rocket") | piano |
| 2007 | I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being the Master | Yes | Yes ("Broken Machine") | |
| 2008 | Flashy | Yes | No | Credited with "Bleep Blop" |
| 2009 | Kill | Yes | Yes ("My Idea Of Fun") | |
| 2010 | Zodiac | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Heartbeats and Brainwaves | Yes | Yes ("I Go Through Phases") | |
| 2012 | Absolute Pleasure | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | Mustang | Yes | No | |
| 2014 | Human Zoo | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Mimicry and Memories | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Bitch, Don't Let Me Die! | Yes | Yes ("Drone Strikes", "Kids Are Evil" and "If U R Who U Say U R") | |
| 2016 | Roulette Stars of Metro Detroit | Yes ("An Omen of Things to Come", "I Upgraded to You" and "Shrink the Bastards") | Yes ("An Omen of Things to Come" and "I Upgraded to You") | guitar on "An Omen of Things to Come", drum programming on "I Upgraded to You") and producer of "Night Vision (Dubai Bros. Remix)" |
| 2016 | Fresh Blood for Tired Vampyres | Yes | Yes ("The Number of the Beast", "I'll Be In Touch", "Lottery Reptiles" and "Greener Pastures" | |
| 2017 | You're Welcome! | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | How Dare You? | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Bride of the Devil | Yes | Yes ("Daddy's Boy") |
Dubai Bros.
Tait produces remixes under the Dubai Bros.
| Year | Title | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Interchangeable Knife (Dubai Bros. Remix) | Single released to coincide with release of Electric Six album "Heartbeats and Brainwaves". |
| 2014 | Lakes of Fire (Dubai Bros. Remix) | Remix of Belle Ghoul song "Lakes of Fire". |
| 2016 | Lift Me Up (Dubai Bros. Remix) | B-side on the single release of Belle Ghoul song "Lift Me Up". |
| 2016 | Night Vision (Dubai Bros. Remix) | Song released on the "Roulette Stars of Metro Detroit" soundtrack album by Electric Six. It is a remix of a song from their album "Switzerland". |
| 2017 | Making Progress (Dubai Bros. Remix) | Song released on the Electric Six album "You're Welcome!". It is a remix of a song featured on their album "Flashy". |
| 2017 | Transatlantic Flight (Dubai Bros. Remix) | Song released on the Electric Six album "You're Welcome!". It is a remix of a song featured on their album "Flashy" |
Ghost City
Ghost City was a band featuring Tait on keyboard and vocals. They were active from 2005 until 2007.[4]
They released one album, the self-titled Ghost City in 2008.[5]
Belle Ghoul
Tait is a founding member of the band Belle Ghoul, started in 2011.[4]
They released their first album Rabbit's Moon & Doomsday in 2014.[6]
Laser Destroyer Team
Tait is a founding member of the band Laser Destroyer Team, started in 2014,[4] alongside Keith Thompson (aka Smörgåsbord, Electric Six's longest serving bassist), Chad Thompson (who had previously worked with Electric Six on "Heartbeats and Brainwaves"[7] and Shaun Hatton.
The band specifically produce music for video games.[8]
Discography
| Year | Title | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Always Sometimes Monsters EP | The first soundtrack release from "Always Sometimes Monsters".[8] |
| 2014 | Always Sometimes Monsters LP | The second soundtrack release from "Always Sometimes Monsters".[9] |
| 2014 | Always Sometimes Monsters XP | The third soundtrack release from "Always Sometimes Monsters".[10] |
| 2015 | AUTODESTRON[11] | |
| 2016 | Phantasy Star LP | A cover album focused on the score from Phantasy Star.[12] |
Passenger Recovery
Tait founded Passenger Recover as a service that provides resources for people recovering from addiction while on the road.[13] In an interview with Spill Magazine, Tait explained how the project started: "Passenger Recovery started basically from personal experience. So we bought this house in Detroit where travelling musicians can go to have a sober green room. There is recovery reading, chargers, coffee and most importantly peace and quiet.”[14]
Passenger set out to create that network and provide easy access to the help those in need when their usual support systems are miles and miles away.[15] In an article Tait wrote for the creative collective Nothing in the Rulebook, he said that he hoped his own personal experiences of addiction would mean the project worked for others finding themselves in a similar situation: "I’m not alone, and much as my ego would like me to be the only single “tortured artist” on the planet that’s ever dealt with this, I’m not. We’re everywhere [...] Our hope is to present a united front where artists from all walks of life can stand together to support those who have recognized issues or concerns in their own lives."[16]
Since the project began, a number of other creative artists have become involved or pledged their support to the campaign, including Flogging Molly, Patti Smith, The Sword, the Flint Institute of Arts, Wayne State Press, and Lol Tolhurst.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Project | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | I Buy the Drugs | Electric Six music video | Himself - Tait Nucleus? |
| 2008 | Formula 409 | Electric Six music video | Himself - Tait Nucleus? |
| 2011 | You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch | Electric Six live performance video produced for The A.V. Club | Himself - Tait Nucleus?[17] |
| 2012 | That Voodoo You Do, or 'The Legba Luncheon | short film | Harlem Hank |
| 2014 | Absolute Treasure | Electric Six concert film | Himself - Tait Nucleus? |
| 2016 | Roulette Stars of Metro Detroit | Electric Six mockumentary feature film | Himself - Tait Nucleus? |
| 2017 | I Got the Box | Electric Six music video | Harlem Hank |
Personal life
As of 2020, Tait lives in Detroit, Michigan with his wife.
References
- "Tait Nucleus? - ElectricSix.co.uk". www.electricsix.co.uk.
- "On The Line with Tait Nucleus? of Electric Six – Journey of a Frontman". www.journeyofafrontman.com.
- "Fire - ElectricSix.co.uk". www.electricsix.co.uk.
- "Christopher Tait - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". www.metal-archives.com.
- "Ghost City discography". RateYourMusic.
- "Rabbit's Moon & Doomsday, by BELLE GHOUL". Elefant Records.
- "Electric Six - Heartbeats And Brainwaves". Discogs.
- "Phantasy Star LP, by Laser Destroyer Team". Laser Destroyer Team.
- "Always Sometimes Monsters LP, by Laser Destroyer Team". Laser Destroyer Team.
- "Always Sometimes Monsters XP, by Laser Destroyer Team". Laser Destroyer Team.
- "AUTODESTRON, by Laser Destroyer Team". Laser Destroyer Team.
- "Phantasy Star LP, by Laser Destroyer Team". Laser Destroyer Team.
- "Passenger - Compass | Patronicity". Patronicity. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- "SPILL FEATURE: SUPPORTING SOBRIETY IN MUSIC - A CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS TAIT OF ELECTRIC SIX | The Spill Magazine". The Spill Magazine. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- "Passenger Recover - Light the Path". Passenger Recovery - Light the Path. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ""What It Was Like, What Happened and What It's Like Now"". nothingintherulebook. 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- The A.V. Club