Soar (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Soar | |
|---|---|
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| Country | New York City, New York, USA |
| Years active | 2006 – present |
| Genres | Post-rock, Art Rock, Industrial |
| Members | Daniel Patrick Lorien Bryan Graham |
Soar is a post-rock band formed in New York City in 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Music
Soar's music defies easy categorization. From the band's 2006 genesis in New York's Lower East Side, Lorien and Graham flirted with loose, avant-garde musical styles, embracing cerebral art rock and experimentalism to the delight of a small but devoted regional fan base. But the twosome has remained keenly mindful of the boundaries of popular entertainment, a discipline which keeps their work accessible and enjoyable to more casual fans. (As Graham once famously said in an interview, "People are going to like whatever they find pleasing to the ears. Music is music, not a fucking I.Q. test.") Soar incorporates styles closer to prog rock, space rock, industrial, dub, jungle, electronica and film music, rather than the standard rock and roll and punk that has dominated indie rock for years.
The band is known for addressing philosophical and spiritual issues in their lyrics, along with the connection of mass media and government and their effects on modern life. Songs explore the nature of the human experience, with themes such as greed, conflict, fear and desire, the decay of interpersonal relationships, modern alienation, mental illness and death.
Among the groups that have had a significant influence on Soar include Yes, Sonic Youth, Tool, Radiohead, DJ Shadow, King Crimson, A Flock of Seagulls, Pink Floyd and Younger Brother.
[edit] History
The roots of Soar can be traced back to the fertile Washington, D.C., music scene of the early 2000s, when Lorien came together with two fellow students to form (irreverently named) three-piece Gay Dad. After playing in a battle of the bands, the band became a popular campus fixture at local student watering holes -- Rooney's and The Grog and Tankard. A season of bar gigs encouraged the band to begin playing a number of intimate shows at a local art space, the Thompson Gallery where they composed their first live compilation entitled "The Sessions at O. St." After this engagement things turned sour for the band and in the summer of 2005, Lorien sent loyal fans a letter acknowledging conflicting visions for the future of the band and announced his resignation from the the group.http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soar_%28band%29&action=edit§ion=2
Six months after leaving Washington D.C., Lorien organized a brief reunion show that culminated with a small set at an old watering hole, The Grog and Tankard. The performance was a mere three songs long and ended with Lorien walking off the stage in sheer frustration. He headed for New York in late 2005, where he moved into an East Village apartment with writer Graham, a childhood friend from Philadelphia. The two conceived Soar in early 2006.
Soar has slowly and methodically combined Graham and Kucer's somewhat variant artistic visions and differing playing styles. A season of playing together has laid the foundation for what should be an exemplary experimental release, Seek and Meet Soar. Although Seek and Meet Soar has had some initial setbacks, the bands deliberate and organic creative process should appease any eager fans with a more honest, contemplative album.
[edit] Mixed Media
Soar has been known to supplement the live performance of its music with video projections and complex stage light configurations. On some occasions, the band has performed semi-improvised scores to clips from films (including Koyaanisqatsi, Nick of Time and Natural Born Killers) during live performances. It is common for the music to be juxtaposed with the images shown in ironic fashion.
Soar's first New York City show was staged in front of a large backdrop portraying the destruction of Minoru Yamasaki's 2,870 unit Pruitt Igoe housing project, once a standing symbol of modernity in St. Louis, Mo.
Lorien has constructed numerous wind art installations playing with air and space. The band has performed within these installations in a variety of performance settings. Choloya I (2005) and Choloya II (2006) are examples of Lorien's early wind art where Lorien portrays the harsh contrasts of modernity and the human condition through a visual spectacle.
Artists have completed several paintings on stage during Soar performances on a number of occasions.
[edit] Trivia
Graham has been a vegetarian since birth.
Among the band's most celebrated cover songs are "What Goes On" (The Velvet Underground), "Fat Old Sun" (Pink Floyd) and "Aliens" (Jon & The Cookie Dusters).
Though Soar is known to fans as a New York band, both Lorien and Graham hail from Philadelphia.
One long-swelling fan rumor has surrounded the possible collaboration of Soar and Italian auteur Drake Floyd on the score for Troll 4 (though, to date, neither side has made an official statement confirming or denying the speculation).
Lorien is ambidextrous.
Graham is a vinyl purist.
[edit] Members
[edit] Current
- Daniel Patrick Patrick Daniel Lorien – guitar, keytar, vocals
- Bryan Graham – keyboards, drums, vocals
[edit] Discography
- The Soar Album (LP, 2007)
- Seek & Meet Soar (EP, 2007)
