The Psychic Paramount is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 experimental rock

Experimental rock

Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....

 group from New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

History

The band was formed by guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

ist Drew St. Ivany and bass

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

ist Ben Armstrong after the dissolution of Laddio Bolocko

Laddio Bolocko

Laddio Bolocko was a noise rock band from New York City, formed in 1996 by members of Panicsville and the Dazzling Killmen. Their sound has drawn comparisons to experimental rock groups such as This Heat and Can and free jazz musicians like Albert Ayler. The band favored limited releases, offering...

. Beginning with solo acoustic recordings by St. Ivany, they soon booked a European tour with a very short time to find a drummer. Finding Tatsuya Nakatani, the band had less than a week to practice before setting out for multiple shows in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. From this tour came the CD Live 2002: The Franco-Italian Tour, featuring recordings at locations throughout the tour, as well as a Super 8 video shot by New York filmmaker Aran Tharp

Aran Tharp

New York filmmaker Aran Tharp was born in 1977, and raised in Edwardsville, IL. He is best known as a "fourth member" of the avant-garde music group The Psychic Paramount...

. Nakatani left the band soon thereafter, but a new drummer was found in Sabers drummer Jeff Conaway. The band went into the studio this time to record 2005's Gamelan Into the Mink Supernatural, released by No Quarter Records

No Quarter Records

No Quarter Records is an independent record label located in Philadelphia in the United States. It was founded in 2001 by Mike Quinn.-Artists:* EarthHeaddress* Laddio Bolocko* Electric Turn to Me*Circle* Pharaoh Overlord* The Psychic Paramount...

. In the spring of 2007, they toured the USA with Trans Am

Trans Am (band)

Trans Am is a three-piece band which originated in Bethesda, Maryland that was one of the originators of "post-rock" in the mid 90s. Their work centers on a cerebrally robotic, usually instrumental, semi-danceable, minimalistic format, with influences including Krautrock, heavy metal, hardcore...

 and Zombi

Zombi (band)

Zombi is a space rock duo from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, consisting of Steve Moore on bass and synthesizers and Anthony Paterra on drums. The group makes use of looping to create multi-layered compositions...

.

In February of 2011, the band released their long awaited second album, simply entitled "II" on No Quarter Records, to generally positive reviews.

The Psychic Paramount have a raw, loud and harshly distorted sound to their music, often compared to the likes of Acid Mothers Temple

Acid Mothers Temple

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest...

, 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...

, Boredoms and High Rise. The band have been chosen by Battles

Battles (band)

Battles is an American experimental rock group, founded in 2002 in New York City, comprising guitarists Ian Williams and Dave Konopka , and drummer John Stanier .-Biography:...

 to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas

All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)

All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....

festival that they co-curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.

Discography

• Origins and Primitives Vol. 1 CD, Bewilderment and Illumination Records
• Live 2002: The Franco-Italian Tour CD, Bewilderment and Illumination Records/Public Guilt Records
• Gamelan Into the Mink Supernatural CD, No Quarter Records (2005)
• Origins and Primitives Vol. 1 & 2 2XCD/LP, No Quarter Records (2006)
• II (February 22, 2011)

External links

• The Psychic Paramount Homepage
• Review of Gamelan Into the Mink Supernatural