Niagara Falls (band)
Encyclopedia
Niagara Falls is an experimental band from Philadelphia, PA that has ties to the recent psych folk
resurgence as well as the burgeoning noise and neo-ambient or space music
movements. They formed in 2004 as a quartet of Norman Fetter, Jeff Carpineta, Erich Breimhurst, and Jennifer Lee, and became known for their live improvised
performances, and constantly shifting instrumentation. Comparisons are often made to German groups such as Tangerine Dream
and Popol Vuh
. Their music references German krautrock
, and Minimalism
, as well as contemporary artists such as Thuja
, Jackie-O-Motherfucker, and Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice.
Norman Fetter and Jeff Carpineta also co-founded the Honeymoon Music record label in 2004, which releases Niagara Falls albums.
They released their first album, Barrel Vault in 2004 which was a live improvised recording of their fist meeting. They followed in 2006 with Zwei, which saw the band drastically changing instrumentation, and performance approaches. Released in late 2006, Plays Spiral Isles saw the band exploring a more electronic approach to creating their signature drone.
Carpineta and Lee left the band in 2007. In late 2007, Noah Levey and Sam Cusumano joined the group. Breimhurst left the band in spring 2008, and Geoff Bucknam joined on electric guitar.
Psych folk
Psychedelic folk or psych folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s through the fusion of folk music and psychedelic rock...
resurgence as well as the burgeoning noise and neo-ambient or space music
Space music
Space music, also called spacemusic, is an umbrella term, synonymous with a segment of New Age Music and Ambient Music, used to describe music that evokes a feeling of contemplative spaciousness. Space music can be found within a wide range of genres. It is particularly associated with ambient, New...
movements. They formed in 2004 as a quartet of Norman Fetter, Jeff Carpineta, Erich Breimhurst, and Jennifer Lee, and became known for their live improvised
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
performances, and constantly shifting instrumentation. Comparisons are often made to German groups such as Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
and Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh (German band)
Popol Vuh was a German electronic avantgarde band, in the mainstream-media so called Krautrock, founded by pianist and keyboardist Florian Fricke in 1969 together with Holger Trülzsch and Frank Fiedler...
. Their music references German krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
, and Minimalism
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
, as well as contemporary artists such as Thuja
Thuja
Thuja is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia...
, Jackie-O-Motherfucker, and Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice.
Norman Fetter and Jeff Carpineta also co-founded the Honeymoon Music record label in 2004, which releases Niagara Falls albums.
They released their first album, Barrel Vault in 2004 which was a live improvised recording of their fist meeting. They followed in 2006 with Zwei, which saw the band drastically changing instrumentation, and performance approaches. Released in late 2006, Plays Spiral Isles saw the band exploring a more electronic approach to creating their signature drone.
Carpineta and Lee left the band in 2007. In late 2007, Noah Levey and Sam Cusumano joined the group. Breimhurst left the band in spring 2008, and Geoff Bucknam joined on electric guitar.
Albums
- Barrel Vault (2004)
- Zwei (2006)
- Plays Spiral Isles split w/ The Clear Spots (2006)
- Sequence of Prophets (2009)
Compilation appearances
- The Honeymoon Music Compilation, Honeymoon Music (2005) "Fission"
- Up The Stairs and Through The Hall, Sherman Arts (2005) "In The Stream"
- Wailing Bones Volume 7 Digitalis Industries (2007) "Mimics of the Mastadon"
External links
- Niagara Falls at Honeymoon Music
- Niagara Falls on Myspace
- Niagara Falls on Virb
- interview by Foxy Digitalis
- http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_june06.htm#NiagaraReview of "Zwei" on Ptolemaic TerrascopePtolemaic TerrascopePtolemaic Terrascope is a magazine covering old and new music, usually of a psychedelic nature. It has been published irregularly since 1989...
] - Review of "Zwei" on Foxy Digitalis
- Review of "Plays Spiral Isles on Foxy Digitalis