COG

Did the world really need an experimental instrumental rock ensemble fronted by a grunge cellist?  Probably not--but it got one.

Julie Miller was a child prodigy, making first chair in the Portland Youth Orchestra at the age of 8.  She liked the camaraderie and ensemble performance, but the classical repertoire left the talented cellist somewhat cold.  As she entered her teen years, she developed a fascination with other types of music -- particularly heavy metal, '60s psychedelia and the Ramones.  This prompted her to try electric guitar, which she quickly figured out (despite trading her bow for a plectrum and dealing with those two additional strings).  She was drawn to the howling tones and endless sustain she could pull from the instrument, sending her signal through a variety of effects pedals into an amplifier that was unnecessarily powerful for her second-floor bedroom.  A dedicated perfectionist, she would practice her cello for two hours before school; her post-homework evenings were spent endlessly extracting what she thought was beautiful noise from her guitar.

Her father, who had always been supportive, finally had enough.  (Julie's mother was not around, having long ago surrendered herself to endlessly touring as one of Gary Numan's principal groupies.)  One Tuesday evening, as Julie experimented with just how long she could get her Stratocaster to feed back, her father banged on the ceiling with a broom handle and screamed, "Julie!  Dammit!!  What's it gonna be?  Cello or guitar??!!!"

The answer, of course, is now well-known.  Julie--who dabbled in small electronics repair and was especially adept at soldering--went to her local RadioShack and gathered the parts necessary to create an underbridge cello transducer impedance-matched to drive her guitar amplifier.   (In layman's terms, she electrified that mother.)   The cello became her sole axe.  Her father could hardly complain about her compliance or the results, although he had every reason to do so.

Graduating high school, Julie devoted a gap year (which turned into gap years) exploring the rock and roll lifestyle.  This led to the formation of her third band, COG.  (She thought it was a clever acronym for her father's "pick an instrument" challenge; most people thought it referred to something mechanical, and given her taste in music Julie did not disabuse them.)  The band, featuring Julie's distorted, phase-shifted cello backed by raging guitars and moody synths (and amateurish, almost spastic drums from 57-year-old novice Brad Slonk), toured the West Coast club circuit for six months in 1993.  The band even took a weekend to record its debut (and only) CD, the self-produced Gnashville. 

Before the end of the year, it became apparent that the the lack of vocals/lyrics--and therefore context for the band's "soundscapes"--likely was contributing to dwindling audiences and underwhelming CD sales.  (Certain band members also speculated that it was due to Julie's terrible songs.)   Several singer/songwriters auditioned, but none clicked.  Frustrated, the band folded in early 1994.

Julie shifted gears, moving to Los Angeles in 1996.  She managed to become a first-call studio musician when producers needed a grunge cello.  (The phone rang with some infrequency.)  Julie later patented a double-necked electric cello, but it never went into production, as even she could not figure out a use for it.

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Original promo poster from COG's headlining performance at Utopia Ballroom, Eugene, OR, July 17, 1993 here.

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COG's album Gnashville here