3,192
edits
American Music Club: Difference between revisions
→History
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 29: | Line 29: | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
Although born in California, Eitzel spent his formative years in Okinawa, Taiwan, Great Britain and Ohio before returning to the Bay Area in 1981. After a brief stint with the bands [[The Cowboys]] (one single: "[[Supermarket | Although born in California, Eitzel spent his formative years in Okinawa, Taiwan, Great Britain and Ohio before returning to the Bay Area in 1981. After a brief stint with the bands [[The Cowboys]] (one single: "[[Supermarket"/"Teenage Life]]") and [[The Naked Skinnies]] (one single) he founded American Music Club in San Francisco in 1983 with guitarist [[Scott Alexander]], drummer [[Greg Bonnell]] and bass player [[Brad Johnson]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> The band went through many personnel changes before arriving at a stable line up of guitarist [[Vudi]], bassist [[Danny Pearson]], keyboardist [[Brad Johnson]] and drummer [[Matt Norelli]]. This lineup would change over the next several years, but Eitzel always remained the core of the band in terms of its vocals, lyrics and thematic focus, with [[Vudi]] and [[Danny Pearson]] accompanying him on guitar and bass. | ||
Their 1985 debut, ''[[The Restless Stranger]]'', is widely considered as the first slowcore release, establishing the band as major pioneers of slowcore and an early influence on post-rock.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/american_music_club/the_restless_stranger/ |title=The Restless Stranger by American Music Club (Album, Slowcore): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list |publisher=Rateyourmusic.com |date= |accessdate=2015-05-18 }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> It was later followed by 1987's ''[[Engine]]'' which saw record producer [[Tom Mallon]] as a full-time member.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> | Their 1985 debut, ''[[The Restless Stranger]]'', is widely considered as the first slowcore release, establishing the band as major pioneers of slowcore and an early influence on post-rock.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/american_music_club/the_restless_stranger/ |title=The Restless Stranger by American Music Club (Album, Slowcore): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list |publisher=Rateyourmusic.com |date= |accessdate=2015-05-18 }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> It was later followed by 1987's ''[[Engine]]'' which saw record producer [[Tom Mallon]] as a full-time member.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> | ||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
In 1991 American Music Club emerged with the record that is widely considered their masterpiece, ''[[Everclear]]''. Critical acclaim attracted the attention of several major labels. ''Rolling Stone'' called it the Album of the Year and named Eitzel Songwriter of the Year for 1991.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Eventually, AMC—now consisting of Eitzel, [[Vudi]], Pearson, multi-instrumentalist [[Bruce Kaphan]] and drummer [[Tim Mooney]]—signed with [[Reprise Records]] in the US and [[Virgin Records]] throughout the rest of the world. | In 1991 American Music Club emerged with the record that is widely considered their masterpiece, ''[[Everclear]]''. Critical acclaim attracted the attention of several major labels. ''Rolling Stone'' called it the Album of the Year and named Eitzel Songwriter of the Year for 1991.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Eventually, AMC—now consisting of Eitzel, [[Vudi]], Pearson, multi-instrumentalist [[Bruce Kaphan]] and drummer [[Tim Mooney]]—signed with [[Reprise Records]] in the US and [[Virgin Records]] throughout the rest of the world. | ||
The band contributed the track "[[All Your Jeans Were Too Tight]]" to the 1993 AIDS-Benefit Album ''No Alternative'' produced by the Red Hot Organization. ''[[Mercury]]'' followed in 1993 and, despite positive reviews, the album fared poorly on the charts and earned virtually no recognition from radio or MTV. In 1994, AMC issued ''[[San Francisco]]'', which balanced confessional tunes like "[[Fearless]]" and "[[The Thorn | The band contributed the track "[[All Your Jeans Were Too Tight]]" to the 1993 AIDS-Benefit Album ''No Alternative'' produced by the Red Hot Organization. ''[[Mercury]]'' followed in 1993 and, despite positive reviews, the album fared poorly on the charts and earned virtually no recognition from radio or MTV. In 1994, AMC issued ''[[San Francisco]]'', which balanced confessional tunes like "[[Fearless]]" and "[[The Thorn In My Side Is Gone]]" alongside more accessible offerings such as "[[Wish The World Away]]," one of the band's biggest hits. | ||
The band disbanded soon after ''[[San Francisco]]'' was released and reunited in 2003 to record a new album, ''[[Love Songs For Patriots]]'', which is described by reviewer Mark Deming as "a stronger and more coherent effort than the group's last set, 1994's ''[[San Francisco]]'', and while it's too early to tell if this is a new start or a last hurrah for AMC, it at least shows that their formula still yields potent results. Here's hoping Eitzel and Vudi have more where this came from."<ref>{{cite web|author=Mark Deming |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-songs-for-patriots-mw0000170265 |title=Love Songs for Patriots - American Music Club | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |date=2004-10-12 |accessdate=2015-05-18}}</ref> | The band disbanded soon after ''[[San Francisco]]'' was released and reunited in 2003 to record a new album, ''[[Love Songs For Patriots]]'', which is described by reviewer Mark Deming as "a stronger and more coherent effort than the group's last set, 1994's ''[[San Francisco]]'', and while it's too early to tell if this is a new start or a last hurrah for AMC, it at least shows that their formula still yields potent results. Here's hoping Eitzel and Vudi have more where this came from."<ref>{{cite web|author=Mark Deming |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-songs-for-patriots-mw0000170265 |title=Love Songs for Patriots - American Music Club | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |date=2004-10-12 |accessdate=2015-05-18}}</ref> | ||