Efrim Menuck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Efrim Menuck | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Canada |
| Genre(s) | Post-rock |
| Affiliation(s) | Godspeed You! Black Emperor A Silver Mt. Zion |
| Label(s) | Kranky (1998 – 2002) Constellation |
| Years active | 1994 – present |
Efrim Menuck is a Canadian musician involved in a number of Montreal-based post-rock groups, most notably Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion. As other members of his bands do, he keeps much of his personal information as well secret as possible, so such things as where and when he was born are unknown at this time; indeed, Constellation Records, the record label to which Menuck is signed to, often simply credits him and his bandmates by their first names alone, rather than use their full name. Because of this, a certain aura of mystery surrounds Menuck and his fellow musicians.
Around the year 1994, Mauro Pezzente and Menuck founded Godspeed You! Black Emperor, an influential post-rock group. Their first album, All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, was limited to nothing more than 33 copies on cassette, effectively making it incredibly hard to find. It was not until the release of their official debut album, f♯a♯∞, did they start receiving recognition for their work. Menuck is also responsible for the creation of A Silver Mt. Zion, along with fellow Godspeed You! Black Emperor alumni Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. The band was originally created to aid Menuck in learning how to score music, but that goal was quickly abandoned and the group has since become a full-time occupation.
Menuck seemingly sings for the very first time ever on He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms..., the debut album of A Silver Mt. Zion. However, Constellation states on the band page for A Silver Mt. Zion that Menuck did in fact sing vocals before the creation of the group on a "rare 1996 GYBE cassette release".[1] It is also worth noting that Menuck, along with other voices, can be heard singing along with a guitar line on the track "East Hastings" from the 1998 release of f♯a♯∞, perhaps conducting the playing.[2] However, for the most part, Godspeed You! Black Emperor was based more upon the delivery of meaning through the symphonic sounds it creates, Menuck decided to incorporate lyrics to use as another instrument of the song. The lyrical style of Menuck is best described as poetic. The topics of his lyrics range from the fear and loneliness experienced while driving alone on an American highway at night to the urban atmosphere to love songs. Indeed, "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather+Sing, the third album by A Silver Mt. Zion, was essentially created as a requiem for open and abandoned spaces in Montreal, as well as for similar loss and decay around the world, due to either urban development or military action. Menuck is also known for integrating politics into the song names, lyrics, and album cover art of A Silver Mt. Zion. As such, references to anarchism and anti-war viewpoints are often expressed.
Menuck has also testified as a follower of the Jewish faith. Because of this, he often uses religious imagery in lyrics and albums; an example is the album, He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms..., which was described by Menuck, speaking specifically about the recording process, as a "Jewish experience." The release was dedicated to Menuck's dog Wanda, who had died of cancer while Godspeed You! Black Emperor were on tour. Another such instance is the album, Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward., whose title is likely from the Book of Job Ch. 5:7. However, it should be noted that he distances himself from Zionism and criticizes the policies of the Israeli government; yet, he claims a special affinity for certain groups within the Jewish community.
Along with Howard Bilerman and Thierry Amar, Menuck owns and operates the Hotel2Tango, a loft space that acts as a practice area, recording studio, and one of the very few non-commercial venues in Montreal that is capable of playing live concerts. The studio was originally confined to the recordings of friends and the bands of the people that own it, but has of lately opened its doors to a multitude of other bands. As such, Menuck can often be found on album credits of a wide variety of bands as the person who recorded the session. He even takes small parts in the album of the band he's recording if given the opportunity, such as playing guitar on one song or finding atmospheric sounds for another.
In 2006, Efrim, with Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar (the Godspeed You! Black Emperor members who founded A Silver Mt. Zion), assisted in the recording of Carla Bozulich's first release for Constellation, Evangelista.
[edit] References
- ^ Constellation Bands; A Silver Mt. Zion Biography (html). Constellation Records. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
- ^ The singing heard in "East Hastings", juxtaposing the simple guitar line, begins at 8:20 and ends at 8:50. The most prominent voice heard is that of Menuck, with other less pronounced voices singing along as well.
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor |
| Efrim Menuck | Thierry Amar | Aidan Girt | Sophie Trudeau | Norsola Johnson | Mauro Pezzente | David Bryant | Bruce Cawdron |
| Releases |
| All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling | f♯a♯∞ | AMAZEine 7" | Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada | Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven | Yanqui U.X.O. |
| Related Articles |
| A Silver Mt. Zion | Constellation Records | Post-rock | Canadian bands |
| Official Website |
| A Silver Mt. Zion |
| Efrim Menuck | Thierry Amar | Becky Foon | Sophie Trudeau | Ian Ilavsky | Scott Levine Gilmore | Jessica Moss |
| Releases |
| He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... | Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward | "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather+Sing | Pretty Little Lightning Paw | Horses in the Sky |
| Related Articles |
| Godspeed You! Black Emperor | Constellation Records | Post-rock | Canadian bands |
| Official Website |
