User:Rsdio/Grounds

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The grounds page is basically the generic sandbox featured on the main page and in many peoples user profiles. Most of the things you'll find on here will just be along the lines of minor tweaks and other assorted things. You're free to search around as you please.

The Mile End Ladies String Auxiliary is a Canadian instrumental music band based in Montreal, Quebec.

The band is composed of Sophie Trudeau and Beckie Foon from A Silver Mt. Zion and Genevieve Heistek of Hrsta. They play Violin, Cello, and Viola respectively within the band.

Template:Infobox band

Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. An influential ensemble in their scene, they have released four creations; one of which is an EP. They are also one of the first bands to be signed on the agreeably influential Canadian independent record label Constellation Records.

Contents

[edit] About the band

They took their name from God Speed You! Black Emperor, an obscure 1976 Japanese black-and-white documentary by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi, which follows the exploits of a Japanese biker gang, the Black Emperors. When they first used the film's name, the group placed the exclamation mark at the end of the name. They later retracted this act on the basis that it was not as grammatically correct as the true name, and placed the exclamation mark in it's original place. The band is most commonly classified as post-rock, but they exist outside any established scene and take influences from a range of styles including progressive rock, punk, classical music and avant-garde. Each record consists of a few fairly long tracks (mostly between 15-25 minutes), divided into "movements" which are sometimes specified in the record sleeve.

The band formed around 1994 with three members, but its lineup has changed frequently. The band has had as many as fifteen members at one time, but has tended to settle down to a group of nine. The instruments played vary with the lineup, but the music tends to be based around electric and bass guitars, strings and a percussion section. Other instruments such as the Glockenspiel and the French horn make more occasional appearances. The music on some of their records is accompanied by spoken samples recorded by the band across North America, including an apocalyptic street preacher from Providence, Rhode Island, an announcement at a gas station, and a group of children talking and singing in French. Most of the members are also anarchists, and their music has strong political overtones.

The band members have in the past been reluctant to go in for the traditional self-publicising interviews, and have openly expressed their distaste for the mainstream, corporation-owned music industry. This has given them a reputation as shadowy, even anti-social figures, and not a great deal is known about them personally. They did, however, become considerably more widely known after appearing on the cover of British music magazine the NME in 1999.

Cover to the July 24 1999 issue of NME.
Cover to the July 24 1999 issue of NME.

The member who interacts with the press the most is Efrim Menuck, and for this reason he is sometimes presented as a front-man. However, he has strongly repudiated this label.

Members of the group have formed a number of side projects, including A Silver Mt. Zion, Fly Pan Am and Set Fire to Flames. The band contributed a section of the song "East Hastings", specifically the movement "The Sad Mafioso...", from their debut album to the soundtrack of the UK film 28 Days Later, although it is only featured in the film and not on the soundtrack available for purchase.

The band released the CD versions of its first two albums on the Kranky record label, with the LPs being published by Constellation Records; the contract with Kranky having run out, both the LP and the CD of Yanqui U.X.O. were produced by Constellation.

In 2004, long-time guitarist Roger-Tellier Craig left the band on amicable terms to devote more time to Fly Pan Am.

The band has often played an unrecorded song entitled "Albanian" when touring. Efrim has said that when the band reforms they will record it for their next release. Another unreleased song, "Gamelan," may also be recorded. However, due to the band's open taping policy, both these songs are available as high quality audience recordings. It has frequently been the case, in fact, that new material is released through the fans before its official recording.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor announced an indefinite hiatus in the summer of 2003, and have no plans to reconvene in the immediate future. In a recent radio interview Constellation Records co-founder Don confirmed that the band is likely to remain inactive in 2006.

Rather strangely, the group was one time misconstrued as being band of terrorists [1]. After stopping at a local Sinclair gas station in the small town of Ardmore, Oklahoma, for fuel during their 2003 tour of the United States, the station attendant working that day believed the group of Canadians to be terrorists and passed a note to another customer also getting fuel to call the police. When the local police appeared, the group was held until they could be questioned by the FBI. When no incriminating evidence was found in their various vehicles and background checks were ran, the ensemble was released from custody and continued on their way to their next show in St. Louis, Missouri. Interestingly, Efrim Menuck later spoke to the crowd about what happened to them during their appearance in Missouri and said, if they were of any other race than white, they would have been detained much longer than they were originally, hinting heavily towards the suspicion of racism in the police force. The incident was mentioned in Michael Moore's book, Dude, Where's My Country?.

[edit] Discography

Year Title
2002 Yanqui U.X.O.
2000 Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, also known as Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Antennas to Heaven
1999 Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada (EP)
1998 aMAZEine 7", contributed track "Sunshine + Gasoline".
1998 f♯a♯∞ (CD, with different recordings/arrangements to the LP)
1997 f♯a♯∞ (LP, initially in an edition of five hundred copies, numbered, with various inserts including a train-flattened penny)
1994 All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling (cassette only, limited to 33 copies)


[edit] Related projects

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Category:Post-rock groups Category:Canadian musical groups Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups Category:Progressive rock groups Category:Constellation Records


v • d • e
Alternative rock
Other topics