Robert Bowman – Artist, Producer, and Creator

Robert Bowman is a visionary producer and artist whose career spans over three decades of pioneering sound and layered storytelling. Beginning in the late 1980s as a conceptual artist and electronic music producer, Bowman’s trajectory has been marked by relentless experimentation and evolution. 

At just eighteen, while attending Oak Park High School in Michigan, Bowman earned recognition as 27th in the New York National Scholastics visual artist portfolio competition—an early acknowledgment of his creative potential. This led to his acceptance into the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, though he left after his freshman year to pursue his musical ambitions.

In 1988, Bowman co-founded Black Ocean Drown, a goth-rock band that gained local acclaim until 1991. That same year, he launched his own industrial-avant-garde project, Randolph’s Grin, with key releases like Melt (1997, produced by Kramer and Mike Clark) and collaborations with major labels like Cargo and Metropolis Records. During this period, Bowman also toured with Heavy Water Factory as a live keyboardist, supporting acts like Sisters of Mercy.

Following the dissolution of Randolph’s Grin, Bowman reinvented himself as Mercury Sparrow, releasing Pop-Sickel Girl in Los Angeles in 2003, with production help from Eric Curry. Although various projects and collaborations—like the aborted The Drinn album—did not come to full fruition, his creative drive endured. 

From 2005 onwards, Bowman adopted the moniker Mercury ILacon, producing albums such as Lucid Dreams and Flicker. These works are currently in production for release, illustrating his ongoing evolution. In 2014, he reunited with Winkler to craft Randolph’s Grin’s Dragon Road, with mixing and mastering by legendary producer John Fryer, leading to successful European tours with support for Unzucht and Black Map.

His subsequent albums, like "Intent" (produced in Hamburg by Chris Harms and Lord of the Lost) and the Vampire Mode EP, continued to earn recognition, culminating in festival appearances at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany, Gothfest in Finland, and Estonia's premier Gothic events. The COVID-19 pandemic ultimately put a stop to Randolph's Grin in 2020 and prompted Bowman to create the collaborative project Plastic Assault Network (PAN), releasing their debut album Pandem(on)ic with 15 artists and 11 tracks—an effort to stay connected and creatively active during turbulent times.

Currently, Bowman is working on the re-vision and re-release of his Soothsayer EP—a key pivotal piece in his ongoing series—and continues to produce and release new material, focusing on his signature projects, Odyssey Moth, and serving as the executive producer, music producer, and general guidance for his son Aiden Graczyk AKA Tangle Garden, a Detroit-style DUB-Techno Artist.

Throughout his career, Bowman has maintained the belief that art is an eternal beacon—his words: "I am focused on accomplishing the goal of completing my entire Odyssey Moth series and giving the help I can to see the success of my son's artistic career blossom. I will also always leave the light on for Heidi if she wants to do another Randolph’s Grin track or album. RG will always be so very dear to my heart." 

His work reflects a constant pursuit of deeper connections between sound, story, and the shadow and light that dwell within us all.

Chronological Music and Art Project Involvement List

Black Ocean Drowning (Gothic industrial project 1988 -1990)
Section Eight, aka Four Pound Nine (Never Released Industrial project 1990 - 1993)
Father Crow (fine art and poetry 1990 - 1994)
Floor 18 (Never Released 1993)
Randolph's Grin (1994 to Present)
Twist of Face (Never Released Electronic industrial duo 1996)
Heavy Water Factory ( Live musician tour 1997)
Crash 00 (Never Released Big Beat Techno project 1998)
Odyssey Moth (Electronic Industrial Auto-fiction Multi Media project 1999 - Present)
Mercury Sparrow (Electronic Industrial solo project 2001, now a part of the Odyssey Moth project)
Mercury ILacon (Electronic Industrial solo project 2004, now a part of the Odyssey Moth project)
Mercury Mage (Electronic Dark Dance Music  solo project and now a part of the Odyssey Moth project, 2020 - Present)
Mourning Joy (Fine Art and Poetry project 2020 - Present) 
Plastic Assault Network (Multi-collaboration Electronic Industrial project 2020 - present)
Tangle Garden (Who is his son Aiden Graczyk's DJ Dubstep - House music project that Bowman has produced and is currently managing, 2022 - present )

Audio Visual Employment
Matrix Studio / Producer John Vitale Hollywood, California (Production Assistant 2003 -2004)
Trinity Scope Productions Detroit, Michigan(Actor / Director / Director of Sound and Score 2010 - 2011) 
Audio Visual Tech Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan 2011
Audio intern Oak Park, Michigan Ringside Productions 2012
Audio Visual Tech Detroit Athletic Club 2012
Audio / Video Producer Via TV / Health Management Systems of America 2013 - 2014
Mage Studio 2014 - Present