Information Society’s Kurt Larson On The New “ODDfellows” Album, The 1980s Minneapolis Music Scene, Future Plans & More
Dubbed “absolute legends of synth-pop, electronic, MTV Generation, and, above all, original music” by the Jammer Zine publication, Information Society first made waves with music fans the mid-1980’s with the single “Running.” That track was followed up by more hits, including the #1 hit “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy),” “Walking Away”, “Think” and “Peace & Love, Inc.” Information Society has returned with the original incarnation of the band in tact via founding members Paul Robb on synths, Kurt Larson on vocals and James Cassidy on bass; Zeke Prebluda (a.k.a. Falcotronik), who has been performing live with the band since 2009, joined the band as its official fourth member in 2019.
ODDfellows — as released earlier this month via Hakatak International Records — is the 8th studio album from Information Society, or “INSOC,” for short. “Room 1904” is the latest single from the full-length, which electro-focused publication Rockdafuqout called a “vintage-style pop-music glitter-bomb.” Added Paul Robb about the track in a prepared statement: “’Room 1904’ is one of our favorites and definitely the poppiest song on the new album. It’s a melancholy song at heart about unattainable love and missed connections, but like all the best sad songs (we think), it’s actually pretty bouncy uptempo. Audiophiles should also take note that ODDfellows holds the distinction of being the very first complete album to be released with a headphone version rendered in THX Spatial Audio.
On August 24, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Information Society co-founder Kurt Larson via Zoom, as embedded below. Besides ODDfellows, we talked about INSOC’s strange appearance on VH1’s Bands Reunited, the group’s innovative approaches to technology, whether it came up alongside other notable Minneapolis bands of the 1980’s and plenty more. Additional information on Larson, INSOC and ODDfellows — including future tour dates — can be found by clicking here, here and here.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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