The Christian Underground Encyclopedia

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====== Piltdown Man ======

Alternative Rock\\
Marietta, Georgia, USA

"Piltdown Man was a jangle-pop band formed in 1991 by Dave Sutton and Gabe Aldridge. Enlisted quickly thereafter was drummer Matt Goldman and guitarist Kevin Alton. After a year and a half with the original line-up, Matt Hinton replaced Kevin on guitar. Dave was replaced by bassist Alex Johns in 1995. Mark Little replaced Matt Goldman for a show (I think). And somewhere in there everybody else left leaving Mark to pick up the pieces... Pick up the pieces he did not. In fact I'm not sure much of that is true. What is true is that some if not all of the members are considering the possibility of entertaining the idea of a "what the heck" reunion show, there I said it. If we decide to really do this we might fancy up this page to let folks know that we may actually book some sort of show ... and I sort of quote: "If anyone would even show up". We (or somebody) will keep you posted long in advance as it will take a while to reach those at the far end of the galaxy who remember a time when people would actually leave their homes and dormitories to endure an hour of jangly guitars, noodley bass, shuffley drums and abstract lyric of such biting social commentary.  As was the style at the time." (from [[http://www.myspace.com/piltdownmanband]])

Members included: Gabe Aldridge, Dave Sutton, Matt Goldman, Kevin Alton, Matt Hinton, Alex Johns, Mark Little

Concerts with:\\
1995: Rocketboy, Third Day (http://www.rocketboylives.com/shows1995.html]])\\
1996: Rocketboy, V.O.L., Havalina Rail Co., Exeter Flud, Lugsole ([[http://www.rocketboylives.com/shows1996.html]])\\
Annie: [[http://www.graydot.com/support/anx.html]]

1993 review in “The Commoner”:
Piltdown Man captured everyone's attention second semester as the next Student Union concert. Piltdown Man, a musically genius band in its own right, includes Matt Goldman, a current Bryan student and Kevin Alton, a former student. Goldman provides what has come to be known as the "jungle beat" for the group, playing the drums, while Alton, "the source", plays guitar. Rounding out the group are Atlanta's Dave Sutton, who plays bass, and Gabe Aldridge, who thrilled the audience with his melodic crooning.

Drummer, Matt Goldman, worked with other bands, such as:
  * Pacifico: [[http://www.tollbooth.org/2001/reviews/pacifico.html]]
  * Annie: [[http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/annie/1112151]]
  * Age of Faith: [[http://dankennedy3.blogspot.com/2008/07/ae-ak.html]]
  * The 77s: [[http://www.77s.com/newsletter/1997.html]]

==== The Story of Piltdown Man ====

(source unknown)

Piltdown Man was born in the heady (and footy) days of the early 1990s when a small band of ill-bred rogues heard of the infamous paleoanthropological hoax and decided that there should be a band by the same name. Having found no actual bands willing to change their name to Piltdown Man, even when jabbed with pointy sticks, the lads had no option but to form the band themselves. After they felled a tree and used stone tools to carve it into instruments, which bore a striking resemblance to brand-name instruments, they used the same tree to carve amplifiers as well as quarter-inch cables to connect the instruments to the amps. They wanted an authentic sound. They began to make songs and to play these songs for groups of people who acted like they enjoyed the experience, though the members of Piltdown Man have always suspected that the audience were involved a hoax of their own and that they were cheering and clapping for each other rather than for the band.

The first to catch on was Kevin, The Literate, who departed to pursue a career in competitive cross—stitch. This gave Matt, The Even More Literate Washer of the Skies, no choice but to take up and wield the perfectly-proportioned, six-stringed ax of prosperity, cleverly disguised as a Fender Telecaster. The band pressed on, convinced that their music was actually curing people of both lice and scurvy. There is no evidence to prove that this was not the case, as no one who has ever attended a Piltdown Man show has been reported to have contracted either malady since.

In the Year of the Violent Wombat, known in the West as 1995, despite the band's seemingly increasing success, Dave, the Seemingly inﬁnite Sniffer of Planets, couldn't resist the draw of public service and left the band to become president of the United States. The whole world recalls his twelve consecutive terms in office with a combination of warm gratitude and white-knuckled terror. The remaining members of the band donned black clothing and ski masks and crept up slowly in a windowless Ford Econoline along Ponce de Leon Ave. and kidnapped and hogtied Alex, The Rightful Prioress of Metal Church, who was subsequently conscripted to provide bass playing, backing vocals, and chips and salsa on command. '8os pop star Daryl Hall joined the band briefly as they walked past each other in an airport. Then he was gone.

While on another one of their irresponsible rock and roll jaunts, along with some of their wild-eyed companions from [[Luxury]], two of the members would square dance with death in a less-than-pleasant highway accident. Before and after this auspicious incident, they entered the studio on a number of occasions, and on some of those occasions, they recorded music. Their ﬁnal album was produced by [[Steve Hindalong]], The Much Assaulted, and was recorded in Atlanta and Nashville, with the exception of the kick drum, which was recorded at the and at the Mowson Station Research Post in Antarctica. In the subsequent year, as the band continued enthralling crowds, founding skin pounder, Matt, Mocker of Pyramids and Manner of Gold, departed in order to complete his black belt in Feng Shui. He was replaced by Mark, The Shimmery, who left a lucrative and exciting career as an assistant undercover research chimp to keep the band’s dream of rock and roll infamy alive. This left Gabe, the Gold-lntestined Toucher of Tongues, the only founding member.

None of the members of Piltdown Man can recall when, or if, the band ever ended or if the band ever, in fact, existed, but for twenty years they have fought viciously about what the title of the song "Untitled" should be, and only now, some twenty years later, have their lawyers come to a workable agreement. So, here it is, the final Piltdown Man album, along with some bonus tracks. Please enjoy it.


===== Discography =====

| 1994 | But No Cigar |
| 1995 | Piltdown Man |
| 2016 | You'd Think There Would Be Something by Now |

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==== But No Cigar ====

1994 Independent

Produced by [[Steve Hindalong]] and Piltdown Man

Dave Sutton was mentioned as playing on this album in a //Visions of Gray// review of this tape.

  - Close Enough
  - Pie in the Sky
  - Day Passes On

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==== Piltdown Man ====

1995 Independent

Gabe Aldridge - Vocals, guitars\\
Matt Hinton - Guitars, vocals\\
Mark Little - Bass guitar, vocals\\
Matt Goldman - Drums

Mark Blackburn - vocals on track 2

Produced by Piltdown Man and Mark Blackburn

  - Our Blessed Lady
  - I Astound Me
  - She's Great
  - While You're Under

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==== You'd Think There Would Be Something by Now ====

2017 Independent

Gabe Aldridge - Vocals, guitar\\
Matt Hinton - Guitar\\
Johns - Bass, vocals\\
Matt Goldman - Drums

Produced by [[Steve Hindalong]]

  - Carry On (3:04)
  - You'd Think There Would be Something (3:44)
  - Our Blessed Lady (3:14)
  - I've Been in Your Place (3:28)
  - Isn't it Pretty to Think So? (5:20)
  - While You're Under (4:36)
  - Untitled (6:57)
  - Working Man (4:20)
  - Jane (ft. [[Lee Bozeman]]) (4:32)
  - Close Enough + Pie in the Sky (7:56)
  - Day Passes On (5:02)

All songs by Aldridge, Goldman, Hinton, and Johns; except "Close Enough" and "Day Passes On" by Aldridge, Goldman, Hinton, and Sutton.

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