Sunday, April 6, 2008

Crevice-1,CD,1996+Think of pleasant things,CD,1999,USA





Long before their live debut in 1996, Crevice were obsessively toiling away in their studio, abusing their equipment to its limit in search of that perfect headphone trip. One hundred and fifteen instruments were used on their debut CD, CREVICE, which has everything from giant Moog-monster insect soundtracks to super-chill acoustic panoramas. Two of the group's three members were working on outside soundtrack projects at the time, so it's no suprise that CREVICE sounds more influenced by Apocalypse Now, The Shining, 2001, or Forbidden Planet than by any particular rock band. Yet, that's what they consider themselves. "Acid Rock", suggests the opening dialogue on the Disc. The limited edition CD sold suprisingly well for such an odd recording and the band began getting attention from the underground psychedelic press in England, Germany and the U.S.
After CREVICE was released, the weirdos in town really started coming out of the woodwork. First, the group began receiving bizarre tape loops in the mail from a local guitar-cello-effects nut. Next came the violinist, then the two sax players and a guy who made music by blowing into toilet paper rolls and smashing up Barry Manilow records "to force the records to make better music than they were originally created to make". Naturally, they were all asked to join the group.
The original 3-peice Crevice had intended to make their second album another all-studio project. Instead, now doubled in size, Crevice spent the following year playing live at various clubs, boxing rings, art galleries, warehouses, and experimental music festivals. The shows were taped for use on their second album, CREVICE 2. The weirdness is definately still there. The tripped-out atmospheres, synth-washes, oscillators, theremin, and disembodied voices, now joined by violins, cellos, saxes, flute ( and a little help from Barry Manilow) come on like an orchestra from Mars. CREVICE 2 got coverage in the mainstream U.S. music press and the European underground + airplay on several progressive radio stations. Crevice 2 was followed by THINK OF PLEASANT THINGS, a four part spacerock epic recorded live for the German psychedelic label, Get Happy!! The group also collaborated with the krautrock group S/T for their next Get Happy!! release, AHTOON ESKALOON ( available on vinyl only ).
Crevice members include and have included Bryan Stanchak, Jeff DeCuir, James Sidlo, Phillip Luna, Jessica DeCuir, Robert Jimenez, Greg Nelson, James Cobb, Steven Garcia, Boxcar Sanford, Rena Jones, Terry Stanton, Sunn Thomas, Gavin DeCuir, Mark Semmes and Joe Wallace. The band are currently touring live and performing music from their fourth CD enitled "Lullabies For Little Albert", out now on UNCLE BUZZ RECORDS. Other projects include a cut on the LOST RECORDS Eno tribute CD "The Boy Who Vanished Into the Future", Christian Marclay's MERRY MIXMAS installation at ArtPace gallery in San Antonio, various soundtrack projects, and recording a new LP with fellow Texas spaceheads ST37.
Here's a great offer by another friend of the blog,Uncle Buzz,aka Crevice. Wonderfull space/cosmic , freaked out electronic compositions ,amongst the best of it's kind. The 1st one is a 71 minutes psych/cosmic electronic explorations lost in the depths of outer space. The second one consists of 4 log meditative sonic cosmic compositions,with eastern feeling sometimes, not far from the very early Tangerine Dream/ Kluster attempts.
get crevice 1 here and think of pleasant things here.
THANK YOU UNCLE BUZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!





5 comments:

soundhead said...

this is cool

Anonymous said...

and yet another gem... will it ever end? :) (aka Thanks a million, guys!).
One other request perhaps, is there any chance of albums by EM artist Zanov being posted here in the future? don't think they have ever been rereleased...

Anonymous said...

Oh man, what a sleeve!

Armute

Anonymous said...

Great to see Crevice here, with the band's approval no less!

Joe Wallace said...

Mutant Sounds People--GREAT BLOG! Love this site. Only now discovering both it and the Crevice post. I performed with Crevice from 97 to 2004 including the ultra-violent destructo show in Houston for the Texas Psych Fest that people are still muttering about. Cowboy hats. John Denver. Violence.

My own project, Paisley Babylon, is running again with the release of Midnight Hallucinations. There are some free MP3 tracks from this available for download/distribution/mashup/mixed drinks available here:

http://turntabling.net/2009/01/18/introducing-turntabling-records/

Keep up the great work and I look forward to more Mutant Sounds!

Joe Wallace
Turntabling.net
Freelance-Zone.com