Pelt (band)

Last updated
Pelt
Origin Richmond, Virginia
Genres Drone music
Years active1993 (1993)–present
Labels VHF
Associated acts Black Twig Pickers, GHQ, The Spiral Joy Band
MembersMike Gangloff
Patrick Best
Mikel Dimmick
Nathan Bowles
Past members Jack Rose

Pelt is a drone music group formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1993.

Contents

History

The band was originally formed in 1993 by violinist Mike Gangloff. [1] The rest of the early lineup left on the verge of series of live dates, and in 1995 Gangloff recruited Patrick Best and guitarist Jack Rose, both of the band Ugly Head, to replace them. [1] Inspired by traditional American music, Indian raga, and artists such as John Fahey and The Dead C. [1] [2]

After releasing Burning/Filament/Rockets in 1995 they released Brown Cyclopedia a year later on their own Radioactive Rat label. [3] [4] It was reissued by VHF Records, the label that the band stayed with until 2009. Max Meadows followed in 1997, the first of ten albums recorded for VHF, and featured homemade and modified instruments. [5]

Current members Mikel Dimmick and Nathan Bowles joined the group in 2004 and 2006 respectively. [1]

Rose left the group in 2006 to concentrate on his solo work. He died in December 2009. [1] [6]

The band has recorded in unusual locations to achieve particular sounds, including in caves and grain silos. [1] Their 2012 album Effigy was recorded in former opera house. [1]

Musical style

The band make drone music using a variety of instruments. They began using electric guitars with a psychedelic rock element and influences such as La Monte Young and Sonic Youth, but have moved more towards drone and expanded to use instruments such as tabla, flute, esraj, tambouria, Tibetan bols, and lap steel guitar. [2] [7] [8]

Best said of the band's relationship with traditional music: "Folk music has always used drone as a technique for adding depth to the music. Drone is just so fundamental to all music that is good." [1]

Bowles described their music as "improvisational but not necessarily experimental", with the compositional process based around their choice of instruments for a particular piece, sometimes deciding in advance on "a specific scale, rhythm, or method of attack". [1]

Side projects

Gangloff also formed the Old-time band Black Twig Pickers, with which Rose also recorded, Best played in GHQ, and Rose recorded extensively as a solo artist both while a member of the band and after leaving. [1] [9] [10] Best and Dimmick also performed as The Spiral Joy Band, which has also featured Karl Precoda of Dream Syndicate. [1] [11]

In 2003, the Rose-Gangloff-Best lineup of Pelt, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and drummer Chris Corsano, under the name of The Din, were the backing band for Dredd Foole on his album The Whys of Fire. [12] All of Dredd Foole's backing bands are known as The Din.

Discography

Related Research Articles

Mission of Burma American band

Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. The band was formed by Roger Miller (guitar), Clint Conley (bass), Peter Prescott (drums) and Martin Swope. Miller, Conley and Prescott share singing and songwriting duties.

Esmerine

Esmerine is a Canadian modern chamber music group that incorporates genres such as post rock, drone music, post punk, and Turkish folk. Founded in Montreal in 2000 by Bruce Cawdron (drums) and Beckie Foon (cello), current members also include percussionist Jamie Thompson and multi-instrumentalist Brian Sanderson. The band has released six albums. Dalmak, was awarded Instrumental Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2014. Their 2015 album Lost Voices is nominated for Instrumental Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2016.

New Weird America is a 21st century style of music that primarily draws on psychedelic and folk music of the 1960s and 1970s.

Matthew Bower

Matthew Bower is a British musician, active since the early 1980s, with a vast collection of collaborative and solo work behind him.

Jack Rose (guitarist) American guitarist

Jack Rose was an American guitarist originally from Virginia and later based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rose is best known for his solo acoustic guitar work. He was also a member of the noise/drone band Pelt.

VHF Records is an American record label, known for their extensive work with several major experimental artists. The label is based in the Washington, DC suburb of Fairfax, Va., and it initially focused on indie and experimental bands from that region. The label has since branched out to release innovative and offbeat music from around the world, although Northern Virginia artists are still prominently featured in the catalog. The label was founded by Bill Kellum in 1991, originally to release a single each by his own band, Rake, and that of his friends, Wingtip Sloat. After a handful of releases by both bands, Kellum acquired the US rights to the first releases by UK psychedelic group Flying Saucer Attack including the CD edition of their debut album. Following this, Kellum released an album by Matthew Bower's Skullflower, which in turn led to the release of an LP by Bower and Richard Youngs. Since then, Youngs has released a dozen collaborative albums on the label, including 6 with Simon Wickham-Smith, 3 with Alex Neilson, one from his progressive rock unit Ilk and one with Makoto Kawabata. Kawabata has also released 3 solo albums for the label. Other artists include Vibracathedral Orchestra, Roy Montgomery, Jack Rose, Pelt, and Stephen O'Malley's Æthenor. Matthew Bower released another 2 Skullflower albums on the label, one Total release and several more under his most recent solo alias, Sunroof!.

Miracle Fortress is a Canadian indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. The band's studio work is primarily a solo, project of songwriter Graham Van Pelt, who is accompanied by the rest of the band during live shows.

The Black Twig Pickers is an Appalachian old-time band consisting of Mike Gangloff on fiddle/banjo/jawharp/vocals; Nathan Bowles on banjo/percussion/vocals; Isak Howell on guitar/mouthharp/vocals; and Sally Anne Morgan on fiddle, flat-foot dancing, square dance calling, and vocals. They come from Shawsville and Blacksburg in Montgomery County, Virginia and Lewisburg in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

<i>Brown Cyclopaedia</i> 1995 studio album by Pelt

Brown Cyclopaedia is the debut album of Pelt, released in 1995 through Radioactive Rat Records.

<i>Burning/Filament/Rockets</i> 1995 studio album by Pelt

Burning/Filament/Rockets is the second album by Pelt, released in 1995 through Econogold Records.

<i>Max Meadows</i> 1997 studio album by Pelt

Max Meadows is the third album by Pelt, released on March 24, 1997 through VHF Records.

<i>Técheöd</i> 1998 studio album by Pelt

Técheöd is the fourth studio album by drone rock band Pelt. It was released on April 1, 1998, through VHF Records.

<i>For Michael Hannas</i> 1998 compilation album by Pelt

For Michael Hannas is a compilation album by Pelt, released in 1998 through VHF Records. It contains various unreleased recordings by the band.

<i>Empty Bell Ringing in the Sky</i> 1999 studio album by Pelt

Empty Bell Ringing in the Sky is the fifth studio album by the rock band Pelt. It was released in 1999 through VHF Records.

<i>Ayahuasca</i> (Pelt album) 2001 studio album by Pelt

Ayahuasca is the sixth album by drone rock band Pelt. It was released on June 12, 2001, through VHF Records.

<i>Pearls from the River</i> 2003 studio album by Pelt

Pearls from the River is the seventh album by Pelt, released on October 14, 2003 through VHF Records.

<i>Pelt</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Pelt

Pelt is the eighth studio album by the drone rock band Pelt. It was released on July 19, 2005 through VHF Records.

Steve Gunn (musician) Musical artist

Steve Gunn is an American singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn. He studied art and music at Temple University before moving to New York City. Gunn was formerly a guitarist in Kurt Vile's backing band, The Violators.

Dan Ireton, known professionally as Dredd Foole, is a vocal improviser and songwriter based in New England whose various collaborative backing bands have been known as The Din.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Keenan, David (2012) "Incredible String Band", The Wire , October 2012, p. 32-37
  2. 1 2 Wilmoth, Charlie "Pelt Biography", Allmusic, retrieved October 7, 2012
  3. ↑ Foster, Patrick "Brown Cyclopedia Review", Allmusic, retrieved October 7, 2012
  4. ↑ "Pelt, Black Twig Pickers ". Chicago Reader, July 15, 2004 By Bill Meyer
  5. ↑ Foster, Patrick "Max Meadows Review", Allmusic, retrieved October 7, 2012
  6. ↑ Keepnews, Peter (2009) "Jack Rose, 38, founding member of noise band Pelt", Boston Globe , December 10, 2009, retrieved October 7, 2012
  7. ↑ Burns, Todd (2003) "Pelt Pearls from the River", Stylus Magazine, October 13, 2003, retrieved October 7, 2012
  8. ↑ Wilmoth, Charlie "Ayahuasca Review", Allmusic, retrieved October 7, 2012
  9. ↑ Masters, Marc (2010) "Jack Rose Luck in the Valley", Pitchfork Media, February 24, 2010, retrieved October 7, 2012
  10. ↑ Mortifoglio, Richard "Jack Rose & the Black Twig Pickers Review", Allmusic, retrieved October 7, 2012
  11. ↑ Shanahan, Joel (2011) "Interview: Pelt’s Patrick Best and Mikel Dimmick", The A.V. Club , June 15, 2011, retrieved October 7, 2012
  12. ↑ "Music Review: Dredd Foole and the Din - the Whys of Fire".
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.