The Octopus Project is an experimental electronic band based in Austin, Texas and formed in 1999. The band has a unique sound, blending pop and experimental elements, is a combination of digital and electronic sounds and noises (including drum machine, keyboard/ synthesizers and other strange devices that offer an eerie feel through the use of a Theremin) and analog equipment (including guitars and live drums). Their music is mostly instrumental, except for tracks like "Queen", "Moon Boil" and "Wet Gold". On April 30, 2006, the band played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. They were offered the opportunity after a fan, unbeknownst to the band, entered them in a contest held by the festival on MySpace in which voters were to "nominate their favorite band for an open slot at the festival". All members are known to switch instruments live (for instance, Josh Lambert playing drums while Toto Miranda plays guitar, or Yvonne Lambert playing guitar while Josh Lambert operates the electronics), but each member can be said to play a primary instrument. Yvonne Lambert is one of the few modern rock musicians to consistently play the theremin on recordings and in performances. The instrument appears on many of the band's tracks. The theremin is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other, so it can be played without being touched. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. Josh Lambert: guitar, bass, keyboards Toto Miranda: drums, guitar, bass Yvonne Lambert: samplers, keyboards, theremin, glockenspiel, guitar Ryan Figg: guitar, bass, keyboards Octopus Project toured with Explosions in the Sky in 2011 for US venues.
