A Minor Forest

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A Minor Forest was a San Francisco-based math rock band in the 1990s. They were musically related to the Chicago scene of "post-rock" groups like Slint, and had personal connections to the San Diego scene of Three Mile Pilot and related bands. Their songs had pop, prog, and punk influences, and featured changing time signatures, sudden dynamic changes, silent pauses, unintelligible screaming, catchy, repeating melodic passages and absurd, in-joke titles. Their slogan was "A Minor Forest Supports the Destruction of Mankind." They formed in San Francisco in 1992 and, in addition to other smaller releases, put out three albums: Flemish Altruism (1996) and Inindependence (1998) on Chicago label Thrill Jockey, and So, Were They in Some Kind of a Fight? (1999), a career-spanning compilation on My Pal God records. They played their last show on November 1, 1998 at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

[edit] Members

• Erik Hoversten guitar, singing, yelling (also of Threnody Ensemble, Pinback)
• Andee Connors drums, yelling (also of Pee, Lumen, Tic War)
• John Trevor Benson bass and some vocals (also of Creepy Crawly Claw, Tic War)
• Dominique Davison plays cello on some tracks (also of Spitboy)

[edit] Releases

Flemish Altruism (Constituent Parts 1993-1996): (1996)

1. ...But The Pants Stay On (6:42)
2. Bill's Mom Likes To Fuck (10:23)
3. Ed Is 50 (4:20)
4. So Jesus Was At The Last Supper (14:00)
5. Jacking Off George Lucas (7:07)
6. Speed For Gavin (3:59)
7. Perform The Critical Straw Transfer (7:48)
8. Dainty Jack And His Amazing Technicolor Cloth Jacket (4:08)
9. Beef Rigger (6:16)
10. The Lonliest Enuretic (8:42)

Inindependence (1998)

1. the Dutch fist (6:29)
2. erik's budding romance (4:21)
3. look at that car, it's full of balloons. (8:37)
4. ...it's salmon!!! (3:55)
5. the smell of hot (18:21)
6. micheal anthony (4:57)
7. discoier (7:14)

So, Were They in Some Kind of Fight? (1999) The double CD on My Pal God records featured material from before and after their Thrill Jockey albums: "All of A Minor Forest's seven-inches, the Joyful Ride On The Donkey 10-inch, the infamous limited-to-300 tour only locked groove 12-inch (minus the locked grooves), plus unreleased recordings, demos, remixes, a film score, and a Little River Band cover."

Disc 1:

1. No One Likes An Old Baby
2. Fatal Wound
3. Cocktail Party
4. ...So, Were They In Some Sort Of Fight?
5. Three Long Piles
6. Putting The Gay Back In Reggae
7. Five Bucks On Pump Number Seven
8. Wussy
9. Intercontinental Stalker (And So Does The Wolf Whistle)
10. Disco Party
11. The Ball Window

Disc 2:

1. John Gets Leftovers Again
2. Well Swayed
3. (Talking to the) Man From Lusk
4. Fuck The Hours
5. Fatal E's (Dave Cerf remix)
6. Water Song
7. Armigh Is A Hovercraft
8. Speed For Gavin (As Interpreted By J Lesser)
9. Lady
10. The Convent
11. Shaggy Parasol

[edit] References

• Brainwashed A Minor Forest site
• Thrill Jockey A Minor Forest site with good bio
• My Pal God site for So Were They in Some Sort of Fight
• jaja VH1