Amps for Christ
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Amps For Christ is the current music project of Man is the Bastard and Bastard Noise veteran and metal/noise pioneer Henry Barnes. The project is based out of Claremont, California.
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[edit] Concept
The concept for Amps for Christ started in 1996 when Barnes met recording-enthusiast and The Dull bandmember Enid Snarb. Barnes decided that he wanted to combine his experience with experimental noise and death metal with his love for traditional folk music, classical composition, and jazz.
Barnes and his friend and fellow Man is the Bastard veteran Joel Connell started the band Two Ambiguous Figures to satisfy the itch. Barnes played the sitar and Connell played the tabla. Fiddling with the traditional Indian instruments led to the creation of Amps for Christ.
Barnes also wanted to add an element of technical sound making to the project. Barnes and his collaborators often modify or create their own musical instruments in order to get specific sounds for their tracks. Some examples of these instrument and sound creations include stringed instruments, pre-amps, amplifiers, and other acoustic instruments. Barnes is fascinated with waveform manipulation, another theme that is prominent through out Amps for Christ.
Amps for Christ also utilizes a lot of esoteric instruments from all over the globe.
[edit] Influences[1]
Barnes, a well known pioneer of the experimental music scene, attributes his desire to experiment with sound to his eclectic interests in music as a kid.
Barnes interest in folk music stemmed from his mother. Barnes' mom was a traditional ballad singer and folk music enthusiast. Barnes' father, an avid John Cage enthusiast and jazz singer/songwriter and washboardist, also had a large effect on the project that would become Amps for Christ.
Barnes also says his grandmother, a church organist, had a great effect on his music.
[edit] Works
Amps for Christ has a great amount of diversity among its musical creations making their work hard to define, which in many ways is the point of the project.
The tracks put out by Amps for Christ are highly experimental sound ventures that are meshed, fluidly and organically, with folk poetry and structured acoustic music.
Some of the tracks are mostly experimental noise (Imitation, song) where as other tracks are mostly European folk inspired (Enid's Rant). Many of the tracks are also reminiscent of early 70's American folk-rock (Flowers And Leaves).
Most of the projects tracks are multi-cultured, multi-layered, and multi-genered.
The themes of the tracks encompass as broad of a scope as the music itself does. Many tracks are about Barnes' relationship with God (Branches,song), love, peace, and problems with modern capitalism.
The political statements in the music have spilled over from the left wing concepts of Man is the Bastard.
[edit] Other members and guest appearances[2]
Amps for Christ projects often include Enid Snarb on electronics, Tara Tikki Tavi on Chinese instruments/vocals and Charlie White with poetry.
Barnes friends make guest appearances in tracks, notably Marz of Pyramids On Mars, members of Scam (band), VomitToxin, Barnes' brother R. Barnes , and Barnes' dad R.G. Barnes.[3]
[edit] Discography[4]
The Plains of Alluvial, tape (1995, Shrimper)
The Secret of the Almost Straight Line, 7" (1996, Westside Audio Labs)
Beggars Garden, cd (1997, Shrimper)
Thorny Path, lp/cd (1997, Vermiform)
Songs from Mt. Ion, cd (1998, Total Annihilation)
Circuits, cd (1999, Vermiform)
AFC/Jalopaz split, 7" (1999, Manufracture)
Electrosphere, cd (2000, Shrimper)
The Oak in the Ashes, cd (2001, Shrimper)
AFC/1-Eyed Cyclops split, 7" (2001, Empty Chairs)
The People at Large, cd (2004, 5RC)
AFC/Bastard Noise, cd (2005, Helicopter)
Every Eleven Seconds, cd (2006, 5RC)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Amps for Christ Official Site
- The People at Large Review
- Every Eleven Seconds Review
- Man is the Bastard Discography
- Vermiform Records Official site
