An Albatross
Encyclopedia
An Albatross is a noise rock
band based in Wilkes-Barre, PA, known for their chaotic live shows and psychedelic
/circus-like presentation.
, bassist Jason Hudak, and organist Phillip Price
, the band quickly amassed material and recorded their cassette demo "1.)Sex 2.)Bird 3.)Cake." The following summer marked the first of many expansive tours that An Albatross has become renowned for.
In 2001, Philadelphian upstart label When Humans Attack! Records produced and released the Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder
12" EP. Following the release of the 12", the CD version was pressed with permission by Bloodlink Records. The record was completed in two sessions during the winter months of 2000-2001 at Dungeon Studios in Upper Darby, PA. Despite the record only consisting of 11 minutes of music, nearly 20 hours were spent recording and mixing the record. Creatively Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder was a departure from the grindcore
-based, deep/growled-vocal laiden 1999 demo and resembled a hybrid of early 1990s grindcore
, speed metal
, and hints of progressive rock
. The 12" EP debut spawned an exhaustive tour that bled into the writing and recording process of their second album, We Are The Lazer Viking CD-EP.
During the writing process of We Are The Lazer Viking, percussionist Jeremy Gewertz replaced Christopher Abbott, and synth player, Kat Paffett was added. The six person line-up heightened the creative potential of the group and eventually culminated in the Ace Fu Records
2003 release, We Are The Lazer Viking. The eleven-song/eight-minute "fetid noise rock blither" was recorded at the defunct Fun City Studio in Manhattan
and produced by Wharton Tiers
, who had previously worked with Sonic Youth
, Dinosaur Jr. and Helmet
. The composition and recording of We Are The Lazer Viking is markedly more complex and progressive, making heavy usage of synthesizers and erratic time signatures.
The EP fueled nearly three years of extensive national touring (which landed the group a spot at France's 2004 Eurockéennes
festival) and created a hugely devoted cult-like following throughout North America & Europe. The buzz also caught ear of English DJ/journalist John Peel
, which precipitated into an invite to record a session for BBC Radio 1
, which the band recorded in March 2005.
Prior to the band's second trip to Europe, Jeremy Gewertz was replaced by drummer Ed Klinger. An Albatross toured nearly 130-odd dates with Klinger throughout the US and Europe (including the BBC session). In the summer of 2005, the group labored in Park Slope, Brooklyn
, composing the impossible Blessphemy...of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite
, which would be recorded months later at the unlikely Don One Studios in Brooklyn by Carl Golembeski and Mike Peccio.
Drummer Steven Vaiani took the percussion reigns for the subsequent Blessphemy tours (2006–08), which have amounted in more than 200 shows since January 2006 in supporting the likes of Blue Cheer
, Melt Banana, DMBQ
, and Lightning Bolt
throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
In October 2007, former leader of New Jersey's The Post Office Gals, Daniel Schlett, joined on guitars and the group quickly amassed material for a future album. In a quick succession of events, the band announced a spring 2008/SXSW tour sans guitarist Lisowski, a signing with New Jersey's Eyeball Records
in April 2008, an unveiling of a new song from their February '08 sessions: "And Now Emerges The Silver Pilgrim", and an announcement of an October 21, 2008 release of the group's third full length album "The An Albatross Family Album".
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
band based in Wilkes-Barre, PA, known for their chaotic live shows and psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
/circus-like presentation.
History
Formed in the fall of 1999 by guitarist Jake Lisowski, vocalist Edward B. Gieda III, drummer Chris AbbottChris Abbott
Chris Abbott is an American television producer, writer and author. She is a graduate of University of Oregon, with an MFA from Bennington College in Vermont. She started her career writing for Little House on the Prairie. She also wrote for other primetime series such as B.L...
, bassist Jason Hudak, and organist Phillip Price
Phillip Price
John Phillip Price is a Welsh professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.-Professional golfer:Price turned professional in 1989 and qualified for membership of the European Tour for the 1991 season via the 1990 Qualifying School. His best year on the tour came in 2000, when he finished...
, the band quickly amassed material and recorded their cassette demo "1.)Sex 2.)Bird 3.)Cake." The following summer marked the first of many expansive tours that An Albatross has become renowned for.
In 2001, Philadelphian upstart label When Humans Attack! Records produced and released the Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder
Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder
Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder is the debut album by post-hardcore band An Albatross. It was released in 2001 on Enhanced CD and 12-inch vinyl . The album's sound is an odd mix of death metal, grindcore, circus music, jazz, 8-bit, Dance music, hardcore punk, and countless others into its extremely...
12" EP. Following the release of the 12", the CD version was pressed with permission by Bloodlink Records. The record was completed in two sessions during the winter months of 2000-2001 at Dungeon Studios in Upper Darby, PA. Despite the record only consisting of 11 minutes of music, nearly 20 hours were spent recording and mixing the record. Creatively Eat Lightning, Shit Thunder was a departure from the grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
-based, deep/growled-vocal laiden 1999 demo and resembled a hybrid of early 1990s grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
, speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
, and hints of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
. The 12" EP debut spawned an exhaustive tour that bled into the writing and recording process of their second album, We Are The Lazer Viking CD-EP.
During the writing process of We Are The Lazer Viking, percussionist Jeremy Gewertz replaced Christopher Abbott, and synth player, Kat Paffett was added. The six person line-up heightened the creative potential of the group and eventually culminated in the Ace Fu Records
Ace Fu Records
Ace Fu Records is an independent record label founded in 1998 by Eric Speck and is currently located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.-Roster:*Acid Mothers Temple*Annuals*An Albatross*Aqui*The Dears*Devotchka*Ex Models*Illinois*Kaiser Chiefs*Man Man...
2003 release, We Are The Lazer Viking. The eleven-song/eight-minute "fetid noise rock blither" was recorded at the defunct Fun City Studio in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and produced by Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.- Biography :Diplomed from Villanova University , he moved to New York City in 1976 and was part of the No Wave scene.As an audio engineer and record producer, he has worked on projects such as Sonic Youth,...
, who had previously worked with Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Dinosaur Jr. and Helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
. The composition and recording of We Are The Lazer Viking is markedly more complex and progressive, making heavy usage of synthesizers and erratic time signatures.
The EP fueled nearly three years of extensive national touring (which landed the group a spot at France's 2004 Eurockéennes
Eurockéennes
The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving the words rock and européennes , is a festival based in a nature reserve in Malsaucy near Belfort...
festival) and created a hugely devoted cult-like following throughout North America & Europe. The buzz also caught ear of English DJ/journalist John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, which precipitated into an invite to record a session for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, which the band recorded in March 2005.
Prior to the band's second trip to Europe, Jeremy Gewertz was replaced by drummer Ed Klinger. An Albatross toured nearly 130-odd dates with Klinger throughout the US and Europe (including the BBC session). In the summer of 2005, the group labored in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Park Slope is a neighborhood in western Brooklyn, New York City's most populous borough. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush Avenue to the north, and 15th Street to the south, though other definitions are sometimes offered. Generally...
, composing the impossible Blessphemy...of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite
Blessphemy...of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite
Blessphemy...of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite is the second album by the post-hardcore band An Albatross. It was released in 2006 on CD and LP...
, which would be recorded months later at the unlikely Don One Studios in Brooklyn by Carl Golembeski and Mike Peccio.
Drummer Steven Vaiani took the percussion reigns for the subsequent Blessphemy tours (2006–08), which have amounted in more than 200 shows since January 2006 in supporting the likes of Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009...
, Melt Banana, DMBQ
DMBQ
DMBQ is a Japanese rock band from Tokyo, whose name stands for Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet. They are heavily influenced by British and American rock music of the early 1970s, especially bands such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin.Shinji Masuko is a well-known...
, and Lightning Bolt
Lightning Bolt
Lightning Bolt is a noise rock duo from Providence, Rhode Island, composed of Brian Chippendale on drums and vocals and Brian Gibson on bass guitar. The band met and formed in 1994, when the members of the then-trio attended the Rhode Island School of Design. The band signed to Load Records in...
throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
In October 2007, former leader of New Jersey's The Post Office Gals, Daniel Schlett, joined on guitars and the group quickly amassed material for a future album. In a quick succession of events, the band announced a spring 2008/SXSW tour sans guitarist Lisowski, a signing with New Jersey's Eyeball Records
Eyeball Records
Eyeball Records is an independent record label based in Northern New Jersey, formed in 1995 by Alex Saavedra. They have released albums by artists such as Thursday, My Chemical Romance and Murder by Death....
in April 2008, an unveiling of a new song from their February '08 sessions: "And Now Emerges The Silver Pilgrim", and an announcement of an October 21, 2008 release of the group's third full length album "The An Albatross Family Album".
Demos
- 1.)Sex 2.)Bird 3.)Cake (Cassette tape - 1999)
- An Albatross & Carl G. (3" CD's - tour only 2000)
Albums
- Eat Lightning, Shit ThunderEat Lightning, Shit ThunderEat Lightning, Shit Thunder is the debut album by post-hardcore band An Albatross. It was released in 2001 on Enhanced CD and 12-inch vinyl . The album's sound is an odd mix of death metal, grindcore, circus music, jazz, 8-bit, Dance music, hardcore punk, and countless others into its extremely...
(2001, When Humans Attack! Records and Bloodlink Records) - We Are the Lazer Viking (2003, Ace Fu RecordsAce Fu RecordsAce Fu Records is an independent record label founded in 1998 by Eric Speck and is currently located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.-Roster:*Acid Mothers Temple*Annuals*An Albatross*Aqui*The Dears*Devotchka*Ex Models*Illinois*Kaiser Chiefs*Man Man...
). - Freedom Summer Live (2005 , Kitty Play RecordsKitty Play RecordsKitty Play is a New Jersey based record label formed in late 2003. The label's acts covers a wide variety of genres from straight forward rock music to abrasive noise...
). - Blessphemy...of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp KumiteBlessphemy...of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp KumiteBlessphemy...of the Peace Beast Feastgiver and the Bear Warp Kumite is the second album by the post-hardcore band An Albatross. It was released in 2006 on CD and LP...
(2006, Ace Fu Records/ vinyl- GSL) - The An Albatross Family Album (2008, Eyeball RecordsEyeball RecordsEyeball Records is an independent record label based in Northern New Jersey, formed in 1995 by Alex Saavedra. They have released albums by artists such as Thursday, My Chemical Romance and Murder by Death....
) - London:Live (2009, Kitty Play RecordsKitty Play RecordsKitty Play is a New Jersey based record label formed in late 2003. The label's acts covers a wide variety of genres from straight forward rock music to abrasive noise...
)
Singles and EPs
- An Albatross / XBXRXXBXRXXBXRX is an American punk band formed in 1998 in Mobile, Alabama.Their early sound very new wave-influenced, but is now more improvised and deconstructed, moving away from using the synthesizers that typify new wave. They are a collective with a revolving cast of musicians, including Steve...
split 7-inch (2004. GSL Records)
Videography
- Godass Soundtrack (2000) Directed by Esther BellEsther BellEsther Bell is an American film director. Her two feature films, Godass and Exist, have received critical acclaim in The New York Times and Variety for their tones of social and political relevance....
- Presto Majesto (2003) - Included as part of the bonus material on the We Are the Lazer Viking CD, along with several videos of live performances.
- Lab Results Volume One (2006) - A collection of videos and live performances from Gold Standard Labs Records artists.
- Kevin Dougherty Presents (2006) - A collection of animations & edited/raw live footage from local shows & rehearsals. Available on tour-only.
- Viva La BamViva La BamViva La Bam is an American reality television series that stars Bam Margera and his friends and family. The show was a spin-off from MTV's Jackass, in which Margera and most of the main cast had appeared...
(2006) Episode 204: Mardi Gras Part 1