Hi there, we were PopCanon…
we’re all broken up now after six rocktastic years together, but back in the day people described us thusly:
sort of a cross between XTC, TMBG and X, but with more vowels…
a 6-piece nonska band with horns, attitude and a Master’s degree in English…
yes, the band that can play in 5/4 time and sings about postmodern writers!
Read what people have said about PopCanon:
‘Frank would’ve liked this.’
–Mark Pinske, Frank Zappa’s engineer, who mastered the first PopCanon CD
‘[d'art is] an embarrassment of riches.’
–Jerry Gerrard, MOON Magazine’s Music Scale
‘This band is smart, funny, occasionally chaotic and musically adept when it comes to memorable popsong constructions … clever and thoughtful … insidiously catchy … the best pop band in Gainesville … masters of pop and chaos.’
–Jim Doherty, MOON Magazine/Scene Magazine
‘A tour de force of postmodern delights … muscular pop rhythms, bizarre time signatures and clever college-radio hooks … odd, surprising and enjoyable.’
–A. Ruch, The Libyrinth.com
‘They are Gainesville’s wittiest and most underrated songwriters and performers.’
–Chaz Scales, owner of Hyde & Zeke Records
‘Very very seldom bands are able to create a sound that you can’t compare–PopCanon is definitely such a band!’
–Lord Litter, German radio icon
‘PopCanon has one of the best abilities to organize complex arrangements that I have ever heard.’
–J.P. Maggio, InSite Magazine
‘This is smart-alec pop that doesn’t skimp on the smarts. Or the alecs.’
–Curtis Ross, Tampa Tribune
But who are PopCanon, really?
PopCanon was a non-Euclidean pop band consisting of several Gainesville scene veterans as well as some fresh voices:
M. David Hornbuckle, singer and second guitarist, began PopCanon in 1995 and was the primary songwriter for the band. Hornbuckle now lives in New York City, where he writes fiction and sometimes performs solo or with his band the M-Word.
Ned Davis, the eclectric guitarist, has played in many Gainesville bands including the Tonewelders, What anne Likes…, Planet Ten and the UF Jazz Band. With PopCanon, he wrote songs, sang a lot, bounced up and down a lot and occasionally yelled obscenities into his guitar pickups. Dr. Eugene Chadbourne once called his guitar playing ‘crazy’… Davis is the only member of PopCanon who still resides in Gainesville. He has recently played several reunion shows with his old band What anne Likes.
Alyson Carrel sang and played trombone, trumpet and tuba in PopCanon. She has also been a member of the UF Orchestra, the UF Trombone Choir, Jacaré (the Brazilian Music Ensemble) and Rosa Rugosa, and has played and recorded with many other bands including Meringue, The Pawn Rook Four, Syrup and Honeygrind. She also ventured into the noise scene with her art/noise project S.S. Djylian. She now lives in Chicago, where she runs the label Cloth Monkey Records with her husband Whitey.
Michael Murphy played fretless and fretted basses and sang backing vocals. He has also been in numerous Gainesville bands, including the Young Pioneers, Blackacre, Visitor, The Root Doctors and even a stint with Pol Parsley, the Thai Elvis. Michael also maintains our stunning band website. He currently lives in San Francisco.
Don Undeen was the saxophone player. He was a founding member of experimental bands Chasing Poppy and Nambla. He also played in the garage rock band Grit Kisser. Don now lives in New York City where he is a member of the popular gypsy band Nervous Cabaret as well as the M-Word.
Robby Copeland played (and still plays) drums like you wouldn’t believe. While studying jazz at Santa Fe Community College, he also played with our own Don Undeen in The Chairs, in addition to many other bands (too many to keep track of). Robby’s unusual lefthanded playing style lent a distinct flavor to many PopCanon songs. He now lives in Orlando and performs with the hippie-hop band One Drop.