Content deleted Content added
Lwarrenwiki (talk | contribs) →Material performed by Game Theory (1990): Copyedit (minor) |
m →top: add {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} |
||
| (84 intermediate revisions by 29 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{Short description|American power pop/new wave band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|
| image = Alternate Learning performing in Davis, California, in 1980.jpg
|
|
|
| years_active = {{Start date|1977}}–{{End date|1982}}
| origin = [[Sacramento, California]], United States
|
| associated_acts = [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]], [[The Loud Family]]
| past_members = * [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]]
* Jozef Becker
* Scott Gallawa
Line 20 ⟶ 21:
}}
'''Alternate Learning''' (or '''ALRN''') was a [[power pop]]/[[new wave music|new wave]] band from 1977 to 1982, based in [[Davis, California]] and fronted by [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]], a singer-songwriter later known for his work as leader of the 1980s band [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]] and 1990s band [[the Loud Family]].<ref name=rollingstone2013/><ref name=strongdiscog/>
==Musical career==
===Early ''ALRN'' period (1977–1978)===
Alternate Learning, which was [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]]'s first band to record on independent recording label Rational Records, was initially formed while its original members were in high school.<ref name=burt/> Miller, Jozef Becker, and Scott Gallawa began performing at [[Rio Americano High School]] under the name Alternate Learning as early as 1977.
{{Infobox album
| italic_title = no
| name = ALRN
| type = ep
| artist = Alternate Learning
| cover = ALRN EP front cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1979
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 12:19
| label = Rational
| producer = [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]]
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
The group's self-titled first release, a four-song 7" [[extended play|EP]], was recorded by the three original members in [[Sacramento]], in Miller's home recording studio. The EP was independently released on Rational Records in 1979.<ref name=burt/>
The band and the ''Alternate Learning'' EP both became known by the abbreviation ALRN, which was prominently featured on the front cover of the debut release. Although the disc was labeled with the band's unabbreviated name,<ref name=alrncover/> the release is most often known as the ''ALRN'' EP.<ref name=alrn-news5/> The first EP is also sometimes referred to as the ''Green Card'' EP,<ref name=discogs-gt/> based on the title of its first song.<ref name=alrncover/>
{{Track listing
| headline = Track listing
| all_writing =
| title1 = Green Card
| length1 = 2:49
| writer1 = S. Miller
| title2 = What's the Matter
| writer2 = S. Miller
| length2 = 3:44
| title3 = Gumby's in a Coma
| writer3 = Kern Scott Gallawa
| length3 = 2:16
| title4 = When She's Alone
| writer4 = S. Miller
| length4 = 3:30
}}
===Original Davis line-up (1978–1980)===
[[File:Alternate Learning band photo 1980.jpg|thumb|376px|right|Alternate Learning performing in Davis, 1979–1980. Left to right: Lynn Ross, [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]], Carolyn O'Rourke, Jozef Becker (drums), Scott Gallawa.]] In 1978, Miller moved the band to [[Davis, California]], where he was attending college.
Bass player Carolyn O'Rourke and keyboard player Lynn Ross joined the Davis-based band, which became regionally well known for their performances in the [[Sacramento]] area, in [[San Francisco]], and most frequently at [[U.C. Davis]].
In 1980, Lynn Ross, Scott Gallawa and Jozef Becker left the group, with Becker citing conflicts of personality.<ref name=twr-form/> Gallawa and Becker formed the Les-Z-Boys with Guy Kyser; Becker and Kyser went on to become founding members of [[Thin White Rope]].<ref name=alrn-news5/><ref name=twr-form/> Becker, who was also a member of [[True West (band)|True West]], rejoined Miller as a member of [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]] from 1989 to 1990, and later was a member of Miller's 1990s group [[The Loud Family]].
===''Painted Windows'' period (1981–1982)===
In February 1981, drummer Eric Landers joined Alternate Learning, as did keyboard player Byl Miller (no relation to [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]]).<ref name=alrn-news5/>
{{Infobox album
| italic_title = no
| name = Painted Windows
| type = studio
| artist = Alternate Learning
| cover = Painted Windows front cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1982
| recorded = 1981
| venue =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 36:11
| label = Rational
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
The 1981 lineup of Alternate Learning recorded a full-length [[LP record|LP]] called [http://www.discogs.com/ALRN-Painted-Windows/release/1619433 ''Painted Windows''], which was released on Rational Records.<ref name=alrn-discogs/> During the recording of ''Painted Windows'', Miller distanced the band from the previous ALRN release, writing in a newsletter that the 1979 EP "was not made by the present Alternate Learning, but by Scott Miller with Joe Becker and Scott Gallawa (now of Les-Z-Boys)."<ref name=alrn-news5/>
After recording the album, and prior to its release, the ''Painted Windows'' line-up debuted in an appearance with [[Pylon (band)|Pylon]] in April 1981.<ref name=alrn-news5/> They went on to perform a series of shows from April through October 1981.<ref name=alrn-news5/> Although the album was released in January 1982, the band did not perform again until late February 1982.
All songs on ''Painted Windows'' were written and composed by [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]].
{{Track listing
| headline = Track listing
| all_writing =
| title1= Another Wasted Afternoon
| title2= Sex War
| title3= The New You
| title4= Dark Days
| title5= Occupation: Unknown
| title6= Dresden
| title7= Beach State Rocking
| title8= Ulysses
| title9= Painted Windows
| title10= Let's Not Wait
| length1=3:51
| length2=2:41
| length3=6:23
| length4=4:32
| length5=3:19
| length6=2:59
| length7=2:48
| length8=1:49
| length9=5:03
| length10=2:12
}}
===Breakup (1982)===
After the release of ''Painted Windows'', the group's final show took place at the [[U.C. Davis]] Coffeehouse on Saturday, February 27, 1982.<ref name=aggie3-3-82/><ref name=gt-news1/> The trio of Scott Miller, Carolyn O'Rourke, and Byl Miller performed without a drummer, accompanied by taped percussion and effects, until they were joined onstage by drummer [[Gavin Blair]] of the X-Men for their concluding songs.<ref name=aggie3-3-82/><ref name=gt-news1/>
Alternate Learning was officially disbanded by [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Miller]] in May 1982. Within a few months, Miller had formed his new group, [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]].<ref name=gimarc/> The new band included keyboard player and backing vocalist Nancy Becker, who had previously performed on synthesizer as a "sometime" member of Alternate Learning.<ref name=gt-news1/><ref name=yudt-obit />
{{anchor|15 Minutes}} <!-- This Anchor tag serves to provide a permanent target for incoming section links. Please do not move it out of the section heading, even though it disrupts edit summary generation (you can manually fix the edit summary before you save your changes). Please do not modify it, even if you modify the section title. It is always best to anchor an old section header that has been changed so that links to it won't be broken. See [[Template:Anchor]] for details. (This text: [[Template:Anchor comment]]) -->
== Collaboration with Steve Wynn ==
In 1981, Alternate Learning members collaborated with [[Steve Wynn (songwriter)|Steve Wynn]] to form a trio called '''15 Minutes''', which released one single on Wynn's label, Down There Records.<ref name=discogs-15min/>
15 Minutes consisted of Wynn on guitar and lead vocals, Caroline O'Rourke on bass, and Eric Landers on drums.<ref name=discogs-15min/> Their single, "That's What You Always Say" b/w "Last Chance For You," was written and produced by Wynn, with [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]] engineering.<ref name=discogs-15min/> The A-side, "That's What You Always Say," was later recorded by [[The Dream Syndicate]] for their 1982 album ''[[The Days of Wine and Roses]]''.<ref name=discogs-dream/>
Both songs by 15 Minutes appear as bonus tracks on [[Rhino Records]]' 2001 remastered CD reissue of ''[[The Days of Wine and Roses]]''.<ref name=discogs-dream/>
==Legacy==
[[File:Nan Becker and the Wheels 2013-07-20.png|thumb
===Material recorded by Game Theory===
On [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]]'s double album ''[[Lolita Nation]]'' (1987), the track "Pretty Green Card Shark" includes the opening portion of "Green Card."
In 1990, former Alternate Learning members [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]], Jozef Becker, and Nancy Becker returned to the studio, joined by [[Michael Quercio]], to record a new version of the Alternate Learning song "Beach State Rocking." Despite being a new recording by [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]], the 1990 remake of "Beach State Rocking" was the opening track on the chronologically ordered Game Theory compilation CD ''[[Tinker to Evers to Chance (album)|Tinker to Evers to Chance]]'', released on [[Enigma Records]].
=== Memorial performance (2013) ===
After [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]]'s death, a [[Game Theory (band)#2013 Reunion|memorial tribute concert]] was held in [[Sacramento]] on July 20, 2013, with proceeds directed to a memorial fund for the education of Miller's children.<ref name=cosper-obit/> Nancy Becker performed alongside Fletcher Gallawa (son of original member Scott Gallawa) and his band, billed as "Nan Becker and the Wheels," to open the show with a set of Alternate Learning songs that included "Green Card," "What's the Matter," and "When She's Alone."<ref name=yudt-obit/><ref name=cosper-obit/>
=== Remastered tracks on Game Theory reissues (2014–2020) ===
Alternate Learning's original [[Mastering (audio)|master tapes]] were obtained by [[Omnivore Recordings]] after Miller's death, in connection with Omnivore's series of Game Theory reissues that began in 2014.<ref name=cmj2014/><ref name=omnivore/> As a result, the 2014 reissue of Game Theory's ''[[Blaze of Glory (Game Theory album)|Blaze of Glory]]'' included four bonus tracks from Alternate Learning: "What's the Matter" from the ''ALRN'' EP, and "Another Wasted Afternoon," "Beach State Rocking," and "The New You" from ''Painted Windows''.<ref name=slicing2014/>
A newly released live version of "Beach State Rocking" appeared as a bonus track on Omnivore's 2015 reissue of ''[[Real Nighttime]]'', and the 2020 Game Theory compilation ''[[Across the Barrier of Sound: PostScript|Across the Barrier of Sound]]'' concluded with a remastered version of "When She's Alone."<ref name=omnivore-rnpr/>
==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:50px;"| Year
!style="width:185px;"| Title
<!-- !style="width:300px;"| Track Listing -->
!style="width:75px;"| Format
!Label
!Catalog no.
|-
|1979
|''Alternate Learning'' (or ''ALRN'')
<!-- |{{Track listing
| headline =
| all_writing =
| title1 = Green Card
| length1 = 2:49
Line 181 ⟶ 183:
| length2 = 3:44
| title3 = Gumby's in a Coma
| note3 =
| length3 = 2:16
| title4 = When She's Alone
| extra4 = S. Miller
| length4 = 3:30
}} -->
|7" [[extended play|EP]]
|Rational
|RAT-001
Line 193 ⟶ 195:
|1982
|''Painted Windows''
<!-- |{{Track listing
| headline =
| all_writing =
| title1= Another Wasted Afternoon
| title2= Sex War
Line 216 ⟶ 218:
| length9=5:03
| length10=2:12
}} -->
|[[LP record|LP]]
|Rational
|ATI-002
|}
===Various artist compilations===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:50px;"| Year
!style="width:185px;"| Title
!Track listing
!Format
!Label
|-
|1979
|''The Other #1''
|"When She's Alone" <small>(side 2, track 15)</small>
|[[Compact cassette|CS]]
|The Other Tapes<ref name=discogs-other1/>
|-
|2004
|''Homework #9''
|"Sex War" <small>(track 13)</small>
|[[CD-R]]
|Hyped to Death (H2D #68)<ref name=h2d/><ref name=h2d-catalog/>
|}
=== Game Theory reissues (bonus tracks) ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:50px;"| Year
!style="width:185px;"| Title
!Track listing
!Format
!Label
|-
|{{dts|2014}}
|''[[Blaze of Glory (Game Theory album)|Blaze of Glory]]''
|{{ubl
|"Another Wasted Afternoon" {{small|(track 13)}}
|"What's the Matter" {{small|(track 14)}}
|"Beach State Rocking" {{small|(track 20)}}
|"The New You" {{small|(track 23)}}
}}
|rowspan="3"|LP, CD
|rowspan="3"|Omnivore
|-
|{{dts|2015}}
|''[[Real Nighttime]]''
|"Beach State Rocking (Live)" {{small|(track 19)}}
|-
|{{dts|2020}}
|''[[Across the Barrier of Sound: PostScript]]''
|"When She's Alone" {{small|(track 25)}}
|}
===Collaborations===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Group
!Title
|-
|15 Minutes <small>(with [[Steve Wynn (songwriter)|Steve Wynn]])</small>
|"That's What You Always Say" <small>(Wynn)</small> b/w "Last Chance For You" <small>(Wynn)</small>
* Released 1981 as 7" single on Down There Records (DT-1)<ref name=discogs-15min/>
* Released 2001 as bonus tracks 15–16 of remastered [[Compact disc|CD]] reissue of [[The Dream Syndicate]] album ''[[The Days of Wine and Roses]]'' on Rhino Records (R2 79937)<ref name=discogs-dream/>
|}
==See also==
* [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]]
* [[Scott Miller discography]]
* [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]]
* [[The Loud Family]]
==References==
{{reflist|
<ref name=omnivore-rnpr>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Game Theory ''Real Nighttime'' |publisher=[[Omnivore Recordings]] |date=January 26, 2015 |___location=Los Angeles, California |url=http://omnivorerecordings.com/press-release-game-theory-real-nighttime/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126211503/http://omnivorerecordings.com/press-release-game-theory-real-nighttime/ |archivedate=2015-01-26 |access-date=2015-01-28 }}</ref>
<ref name=slicing2014>{{cite web |title=Game Theory's 1982 debut 'Blaze of Glory' to be reissued with 11 unreleased bonus tracks |date=July 15, 2014 |work=[[Slicing Up Eyeballs]] |url=http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2014/07/15/game-theory-blaze-of-glory-reissue/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715190405/http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2014/07/15/game-theory-blaze-of-glory-reissue/ |archivedate=2014-07-15 }}</ref>
<ref name=cmj2014>{{cite journal |last=Davidson |first=Eric |title=Game Theory Catalog To Be Reissued: Blaze Of Glory out September 2 |date=July 15, 2014 |journal=CMJ |url=http://www.cmj.com/news/game-theory-catalog-reissued/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715185802/http://www.cmj.com/news/game-theory-catalog-reissued/ |archivedate=2014-07-15 |access-date=2014-07-26 }}</ref>
<ref name=omnivore>{{cite web |author=Omnivore Recordings |title=Release: Blaze of Glory |date=July 14, 2014 |url=http://omnivorerecordings.com/music/blaze-of-glory/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715041732/http://omnivorerecordings.com/music/blaze-of-glory/ |archivedate=2014-07-15 }}</ref>
<ref name=discogs-gt>{{Discogs release|release=1619964|name=Green Card EP|type=ep }}</ref>
<ref name=aggie3-3-82>{{cite news|last=Heinitz|first=Eric|title='Three Band Bash' a mixed bag|date=March 3, 1982|newspaper=[[The California Aggie]]|pages=2, 8 }}</ref>
<ref name=alrncover>{{cite web|title=Alternate Learning – ''Green Card'' EP Images|publisher=Discogs|url=http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1619964}}</ref>
<ref name=alrn-discogs>{{cite web|title=Alternate Learning|publisher=Discogs|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Alternate+Learning }}</ref>
<ref name=alrn-news5>{{cite web|title=Alternate Learning Newsletter|number=5|year=1981|url=http://musicbrainz.org/release/6b2cd59d-ec4b-46e4-beb7-4209e085734b/cover-art}} Archived ([http://coverartarchive.org/release/6b2cd59d-ec4b-46e4-beb7-4209e085734b/6229240342.jpg front], [http://coverartarchive.org/release/6b2cd59d-ec4b-46e4-beb7-4209e085734b/6227272279.jpg back]) from the original at [[Cover Art Archive]].</ref>
<ref name=burt>{{cite journal|last=Burt |first=Stephen |authorlink=Stephen Burt |title=Game Theory, or, Not Exactly the Boy of My Own Dreams |date=Winter 2011 |journal=[[New Haven Review]] |issue=9 |pages=6–25 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610214912/http://www.newhavenreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/NHR-9-Burt.pdf |archivedate=2012-06-10 |url=http://www.newhavenreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/NHR-9-Burt.pdf |url-status=dead }} Reprinted as {{cite journal|last=Burt |first=Stephen |authorlink=Stephen Burt |title=Game Theory: "Pure pop for nerd people," the greatest unknown '80s band |journal=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |date=April 18, 2013 |url=http://www.salon.com/2013/04/19/game_theory_pure_pop_for_nerd_people_the_greatest_unknown_80s_band/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419035244/http://www.salon.com/2013/04/19/game_theory_pure_pop_for_nerd_people_the_greatest_unknown_80s_band/ |archivedate=2013-04-19 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name=cosper-obit>{{cite journal|last=Cosper|first=Alex|title=Sacramentans pay tribute to musician Scott Miller|date=July 22, 2013|journal=Sacramento Press|url=http://sacramentopress.com/2013/07/22/sacramentans-pay-tribute-to-musician-scott-miller|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102184955/http://sacramentopress.com/2013/07/22/sacramentans-pay-tribute-to-musician-scott-miller|archivedate=2013-11-02}}</ref>
<ref name=discogs-15min>{{Discogs release|name=That's What You Always Say / Last Chance For You|release=1766975|type=single}}</ref>
<ref name=discogs-dream>{{Discogs release|name=The Days of Wine and Roses|release=763716|type=album}}</ref>
<ref name=discogs-other1>{{Discogs release|name=The Other #1|release=2697492|type=album}}</ref>
<ref name=gimarc>{{cite book|last=Gimarc|first=George|authorlink=George Gimarc|title=Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock, 1970-1982|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard Corp./Backbeat Books|isbn=9780879308483|page=676|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4WM6Cb1z-PwC&pg=PA676 }}</ref>
<ref name=gt-news1>{{cite web|title=Game Theory Newsletter|date=Summer 1982|url=http://musicbrainz.org/release/e363939b-c700-4118-a71d-353e36fa1bf8/cover-art}} Archived ([http://coverartarchive.org/release/e363939b-c700-4118-a71d-353e36fa1bf8/6335633299.jpg front], [http://coverartarchive.org/release/e363939b-c700-4118-a71d-353e36fa1bf8/6335633829.jpg back]) from the original at [[Cover Art Archive]].</ref>
<ref name=rollingstone2013>{{cite magazine|last=Blistein|first=Jon|title=Scott Miller, Game Theory and Loud Family Singer, Dead at 53|date=April 18, 2013|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/scott-miller-game-theory-and-loud-family-singer-dead-at-53-20130418|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021223728/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/scott-miller-game-theory-and-loud-family-singer-dead-at-53-20130418|archivedate=2013-10-21 }}</ref>
<ref name=strongdiscog>{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Martin C.|authorlink=Martin C. Strong|title=The Great Indie Discography|year=2003|publisher=Canongate Books|isbn=9781841953359|page=345|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJfGtREyuSAC&pg=PT128 }}</ref>
<ref name=twr-form>{{cite web|last=Becker|first=Jozef|title=Thin White Rope formation|work=Davis 80s Music|url=http://www.davis80smusic.com/davis80smusic%20thin%20white%20rope%20joe%20becker.htm|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828221133/http://www.davis80smusic.com/davis80smusic%20thin%20white%20rope%20joe%20becker.htm|archivedate=2007-08-28 }}</ref>
<ref name=yudt-obit>{{cite news|last=Yudt|first=Dennis|title=A way with words: Friends pay tribute to Scott Miller, the late Davis artist who combined his love for music and literature into an influential career|date=July 18, 2013|newspaper=[[Sacramento News & Review]]|url=http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/PrintFriendly?oid=10674648|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119211740/http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/PrintFriendly?oid=10674648|archivedate=2013-11-19}}</ref>
<ref name=h2d>{{cite web|title=Track listings for the ''Homework'' compilation series|work=Hyped to Death CDs|url=http://hyped2death.com/Hwktrx08.html|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306170152/http://hyped2death.com/Hwktrx08.html|archivedate=2014-03-06}}</ref>
<ref name=h2d-catalog>{{cite web|title=Homework: U.S. D.I.Y./No Wave CDs|work=Hyped to Death CDs|url=http://hyped2death.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=30|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112120411/http://hyped2death.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=30|archivedate=2013-11-12}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
* {{Discogs artist|artist=Alternate Learning|name=Alternate Learning}}
* {{Discogs artist|artist=15 Minutes|name=15 Minutes}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1977]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Davis, California]]
[[Category:Alternative rock groups from California]]
[[Category:American new wave musical groups]]
[[Category:American power pop groups]]
[[Category:1977 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1982 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:Scott Miller (pop musician)]]
| |||