Michael Krassner

Last updated

Michael Krassner
Born1971 (age 51–52)
Wisconsin, U.S.
Genres Post-rock, folk
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active1991–present
Labels Atavistic

Michael Krassner (born 1971) is an American musician and composer, known for his work in the Boxhead Ensemble and The Lofty Pillars. He has collaborated with numerous musical artists, including Califone, Dirty Three, Gastr del Sol, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Will Oldham, Scott Tuma and Ken Vandermark. [1]

Contents

Biography

Michael Krassner grew up in Wisconsin and moved to Arizona when he was a teenager. He began writing music at the age of fourteen after hearing The Velvet Underground. In 1991, Krasner formed the Boxhead Ensemble in Los Angeles to record a soundtrack for Braden King. [2] After relocating to Chicago, the ensemble comprised Charles Kim, Ken Vandermark and members of the post-rock group Gastr del Sol. [3] Under his direction, the group recorded the soundtrack for the film Dutch Harbor. [4] The line-up for the group has constantly changed, with Krassner being the only consist member. [1] After the release of his debut solo album in 1999, Krassner formed The Lofty Pillars with singer-songwriter Wil Hendricks, with whom he had been writing songs since 1993. [5]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Vandermark</span> American composer and musician

Ken Vandermark is an American composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Grubbs</span> American musician

David Grubbs is an American composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. He was a founding member of Squirrel Bait, Bastro, and Gastr del Sol. He has also played in Codeine, The Red Krayola, Bitch Magnet and The Wingdale Community Singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Drumm</span> American musician

Kevin Drumm is an experimental musician based in Chicago, United States.

Gastr del Sol was an American, Chicago-based band, consisting for most of their career, of David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke. Between 1993 and 1998 they released seven albums ranging in genre from post-rock to musique concrète.

<i>Camoufleur</i> 1998 studio album by Gastr del Sol

Camoufleur is the fifth and final studio album by American indie rock band Gastr del Sol, released on February 23, 1998 on Drag City.

<i>The Serpentine Similar</i> 1993 studio album by Gastr del Sol

The Serpentine Similar is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Gastr del Sol, released on June 1, 1993 by TeenBeat Records. The album was re-released by Drag City on June 16, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Lonberg-Holm</span> American cellist based in Chicago (born 1962)

Fred Lonberg-Holm is an American cellist based in Chicago. He moved from New York City to Chicago in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Rutili</span> American singer-songwriter

Tim Rutili is an American musician, filmmaker, and visual artist. He is best known as the founder of Red Red Meat and Califone, and his membership in supergroups Ugly Casanova and Loftus.

<i>Axxess & Ace</i> 1999 studio album by Songs: Ohia

Axxess & Ace is the third album by Songs: Ohia. It was recorded by Michael Krassner at Truckstop Studios in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and released by Secretly Canadian on March 15, 1999.

The Lofty Pillars is an American slowcore band from Chicago, Illinois, United States. The band is composed of Wil Hendricks, Michael Krassner; Krassner is known as the founder of the Boxhead Ensemble. The Lofty Pillars have released two studio albums.

Braden King is a New York-based filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. His feature film, Here (2011), starring Ben Foster and Lubna Azabal, premiered at the 2011 Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals and was distributed theatrically by Strand Releasing in 2012. A multimedia installation version of the project, Here [ The Story Sleeps ], premiered at The Museum of Modern Art in 2010 and toured internationally with live soundtrack accompaniment by composer Michael Krassner and Boxhead Ensemble. King's previous work includes the feature film Dutch Harbor: Where the Sea Breaks It's Back, the award-winning short film Home Movie and music videos for Glen Hansard, Sparklehorse, Sonic Youth, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Dirty Three.

Boxhead Ensemble is a musical collective founded by composer Michael Krassner. The project began in 1991 to record music for the independent film The Original Pantry Café. The group features an ever rotating line-up, which as included Edith Frost, David Grubbs, Glenn Kotche, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jim O'Rourke, Doug McCombs, Scott Tuma, Mick Turner, Ken Vandermark, Jim White. Krassner is the only consistent member and Lonberg-Holm has contributed the most frequently to the project.

<i>Dutch Harbor – Where the Sea Breaks Its Back</i> 1997 soundtrack album by Boxhead Ensemble

Dutch Harbor – Where the Sea Breaks Its Back is an album by post-rock/ambient musical collective Boxhead Ensemble, released on March 11, 1997 through Atavistic Records. It consists of an alternative live soundtrack for the 1998 documentary film Dutch Harbor.

<i>The Last Place to Go</i> 1998 live album by Boxhead Ensemble

The Last Place to Go is a live album by Boxhead Ensemble, released on October 20, 1998 through Atavistic Records.

<i>Two Brothers</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Boxhead Ensemble

Two Brothers is the debut studio album of Boxhead Ensemble, released on August 21, 2001 through Atavistic Records.

<i>Quartets</i> (Boxhead Ensemble album) 2003 studio album by Boxhead Ensemble

Quartets is the second album by Boxhead Ensemble, released on October 7, 2003 through Atavistic Records.

<i>When We Were Lost</i> 2000 studio album by The Lofty Pillars

When We Were Lost is the debut album of The Lofty Pillars, released on July 18, 2000, through Atavistic Records.

<i>The Lousy Dance</i> 1999 studio album by Simon Joyner

The Lousy Dance is an album by Simon Joyner, released in 1999.

Discography for jazz reedist Ken Vandermark. The year indicates when the album was first released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Vatcher</span> American jazz percussionist

Michael Vatcher is an American jazz percussionist who lived in the Netherlands.

References

  1. 1 2 Steed, Jim (2000). "Michael Krassner – That Unique American Sound". fakejazz.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Boxhead Ensemble: In Association with Truckstop Media/NYC & Aurora Picture Show". fotofest.org. March 13, 2004. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Canongate U.S. ISBN   9781841953359 . Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  4. ↑ Gladstone, Neil (March 1999). "Dutch Harbor: Aleutians of Grandeur" (67). CMJ: 64. Retrieved June 20, 2013.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ↑ Lofty Pillars (2011). "Lofty Pillars History". loftypillars.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.