Efrim Menuck

Efrim Menuck
Menuck performing with Godspeed You Black Emperor! in London, England in November 2000
Background information
Born	November 4, 1970 (age 43) Montreal, Quebec, Canada[1]
Genres	Post-rock
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Guitar, piano, vocals
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Kranky, Constellation
Associated acts	Godspeed You! Black Emperor Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band

Efrim Manuel Menuck (born November 4, 1970) is a Canadian musician involved with a number of Montreal-based bands, most notably Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. Menuck is also a frequent record producer, working with musicians from Montreal and abroad.

Biography

In 1994, Mauro Pezzente, Mike Moya, and Menuck founded Godspeed You! Black Emperor,^[2] an influential instrumental rock ensemble. Their first album, All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, is the earliest recorded document of Godspeed You! Black Emperor.^[3] Self-released in December 1994, the cassette was dubbed only 33 times.^[3] It was not until the release of their official debut album, F♯ A♯ ∞, that they began receiving recognition for their work.

Menuck is also responsible for the creation of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, along with fellow Godspeed You! Black Emperor alumni Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. Originally conceived as an aid to Menuck in learning how to score music,^[4] the group has since blossomed into a regular collaboration.

When He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... debuted, it was notable in that it included vocals by Menuck and his band mates; this was in contrast with the taciturn Godspeed You! Black Emperor. However, Constellation states on the biography for Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band that Menuck did in fact sing vocals before the creation of the group on a "rare 1996 GYBE cassette release".^[5] Whether or not that is a reference to All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling is speculation, as the cassette was released in 1994. However, it is worth noting that Menuck, along with presumably other band members, 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.^[6]

While the music of Godspeed You! Black Emperor was marked by its sampling and symphonic development, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band more regularly incorporated lyrics as well. Menuck confessed to being at odds with the role of the singer in bands, noting that lyricists are often featured as the main attraction at the expense of their bands.^[4] He also felt uncomfortable with his own singing, but has since overcome that feeling.^[4] Menuck often shares vocal duty with all the other members of A Silver Mt. Zion.

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^[7] to urban decay, and even a tribute to a deceased pet dog. Indeed, "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, the third album by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, 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.^[8] Menuck is also known for integrating politics into song titles, lyrics, and album cover art for A Silver Mt. Zion. As such, references to anarchism and anti-war viewpoints are often expressed.

While Menuck sometimes utilizes religious imagery in the lyrics and albums of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, and described the recording sessions of He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... a "Jewish experience",^[4] he does not consider himself an adherent of the Jewish faith, quoted in one source as saying "I don’t go to synagogue, I don’t believe that there’s a God in heaven, I don’t believe in any of that stuff".^[9] With Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward, the band references the Book of Job Ch. 5:7. Menuck has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government; the liner notes for Yanqui U.X.O. criticize Ariel Sharon's 2000 visit to the Temple Mount.^[10]

Along with Howard Bilerman, Radwan Moumneh 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 capable of accommodating live concerts. The studio was originally confined to the recordings of friends and the bands of the people who own it, but has of late opened its doors to a multitude of other bands. As such, Menuck can often be found in album credits for a wide variety of bands as the record producer. When presented with the opportunity, he will often contribute musically to making the album, contributing guitar or sound effects.

In 2006, Menuck, with Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar, assisted in the recording of Carla Bozulich's first release for Constellation Records, Evangelista.

On August 5, 2009, Silver Mt. Zion violinist Jessica Moss gave birth to her and Menuck's baby, Ezra Steamtrain Moss Menuck.^[11] The couple took him on tour with Vic Chesnutt. Menuck's first official solo project was released via Constellation Records on May 24, 2011. The album is entitled Plays "High Gospel".

Musical equipment

The following is a list of musical equipment used by Efrim Menuck.

Guitars

• Gibson Les Paul
• Fender Jaguar – Sunburst, modified with a humbucker in the neck position and a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece^[12]
• Travis Bean^[12]
• Mosrite 'The Ventures' Mach 1 (A Silver Mt Zion)
• Gibson ES-225 (A Silver Mt Zion)

Amplifiers

• Ampeg V4 head^[12]
• Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Trem-O-Verb head^[12]
• Fender Showman^[12]

Discography

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

• All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling demo (1994)
• F♯ A♯ ∞ (1997, Constellation)
• aMAZEzine! 7" (1998, aMAZEzine!)
• Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada EP (1999, Constellation)
• Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000, Constellation)
• Yanqui U.X.O. (2002, Constellation)
• 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (2012, Constellation)

Silver Mt. Zion

• He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms... (2000, Constellation)
• Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward (2001, Constellation)
• "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, (2003, Constellation)
• The "Pretty Little Lightning Paw" E.P. (EP, 2004, Constellation)
• Horses in the Sky (2005, Constellation)
• 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons (2008, Constellation)
• Kollaps Tradixionales (2010, Constellation)

Efrim Manuel Menuck (solo album)

• Plays "High Gospel" (2011, Constellation) - (2011, Constellation)^[13]

Menuck also contributes small samples and guitar work to various artists for whom he produces; these are not listed here.

Notes

External links

• A Silver Mt. Zion official website
• Constellation Records official website
• DON’T LOVE MUSIC EVER IT’LL ONLY BREAK YR. HEART o.k.?;(for mr. bobby darin) - An essay by Efrim Menuck
• Godspeed You Black Emperor! and the Politics of Chaos - An essay by Brad Weslake from the zine Neo-Industrial Opera