A Silver Mt. Zion
| Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra | |
|---|---|
 Silver Mt. Zion, live 2007 |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Post rock |
| founding | 1999 |
| Website | tra-la-la-band.com |
| Current occupation | |
| Efrim Menuck | |
Violin , vocals |
Sophie Trudeau |
Violin, vocals |
Jessica Moss |
Drums , vocals |
David Payant |
| Thierry Amar | |
| former members | |
Drums, tape loops |
Aidan Girt |
Mandolin , guitar |
Scott Levine Gilmore |
guitar |
Ian Illavsky |
| Beckie Foon | |
Drums |
Eric Craven |
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (formerly: A Silver Mt. Zion , The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band and Tra-La-La Band with Choir and Thee Silver Mountain Reveries ) is a band from Montreal , Canada . Because of its frequent name changes, it is often simply referred to as Silver Mt. Zion (abbreviated to SMZ ).
Silver Mt. Zion was founded in 1999 by Efrim Menuck and has since released 6 albums and one EP . The band's style is often referred to as post-rock , although Menuck himself sees it more closely related to punk rock . In contrast to the pieces from his other band project Godspeed You! Black Emperor , many songs by Silver Mt. Zion are not purely instrumental music .
Band name
According to Menuck, the band's first name, A Silver Mt. Zion , is a misunderstood song text. It is often mistakenly assumed that the band name refers to Mount Zion in Jerusalem , especially since Menuck is of Jewish origin and occasionally incorporates religious allegories into the song lyrics.
The frequent changes in the band name can be explained by changes in the line-up: with each member who left or joined the band, the official name changed. As a result, records have already been released under five different names.
history
Silver Mt. Zion was founded in 1999 by Efrim Menuck, Sophie Troudeau and Thierry Amar, three members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, founded. Menuck wanted to learn how to write scores through this project, but soon abandoned this plan. Even so, the group stayed on to experiment with ideas that did not match the musical concept of Godspeed You! Black Emperor suit.
Menuck made the decision to record the first album ( He Has Left Us Alone, but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms ... ) when his dog Wanda died while he was working with Godspeed You! Black Emperor was on tour. He wanted to dedicate an album to her, but didn't believe that all members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. So he worked on it with Silver Mt. Zion.
In a short time the group expanded to include the three musicians Beckie Foon, Ian Ilavsky and Jessica Moss. In 2001 the second album Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward was released . In contrast to its predecessor, there are several vocal pieces on this album.
In the following years Silver Mt. Zion went on several tours through Europe and North America, released other albums and thus changed from a side project of GY! BE to an independent band. On March 10th, 2008, outside Europe on March 28th, the album 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons was released . Critics saw in him a turn to rougher melodies, somewhere between punk and blues . In September 2008 A Silver Mt. Zion could also be seen live in the USA.
A live album called Fuck You Drakulas , which was originally due to be released in 2007, is still in the planning stage . According to their own statements, the band dedicates itself to this project whenever the time comes up.
Political content
There are strong political motives in the band's music. For example, the instrumental title 13 Angels Standing Guard 'round the Side of Your Bed is aimed directly at anarchists of the black bloc . The song Triumph of Our Tired Eyes laments the current state of the world, while at the same time high hopes are set for the future. It refers to the old anarchist song Auf die Barricaden . The Horses in the Sky album also features some overtly politically motivated songs such as God Bless Our Dead Marines and Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come and Gone) . In general, the political motives of A Silver Mt. Zion are anarchistic and individualistic , paired with the recurring motifs "hope" and "joy". A Silver Mt. Zion distances itself from Zionism and condemns the policies of the Israeli parliament, but affirms a special inclination towards certain groups in the Montreal Jewish community.
Discography
- He Has Left Us Alone, but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms… (Album, 2000)
- Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward (album, 2001)
- “This Is Our Punk-Rock,” Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, (Album, 2003)
- The Pretty Little Lightning Paw (EP, 2004)
- Horses in the Sky (album, 2005)
- 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons (album, 2008)
- Kollaps Tradixionales (album, 2010)
- The West Will Rise Again (EP, 2012)
- Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything (Album, 2014)
All albums are out on Constellation Records .
Web links
- Thee Silver Mt. Zion on Constellation Records
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Origins of Band Names. Retrieved October 23, 2012 .
- ↑ A Silver Mt. Zion and David Garland: Spinning on Air: The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band. WNYC Radio November 6, 2005, archived from the original on April 23, 2009 ; Retrieved October 23, 2012 .
- ↑ Interview: Efrim Menuck of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. (No longer available online.) March 3, 2010, archived from the original on November 1, 2012 ; Retrieved October 23, 2012 .
- ↑ a b c A Silver Mt. Zion at VPRO Studio. Live Music Archive, January 26, 2001, accessed October 23, 2012 .
- ↑ Constellation Records: A SILVER MT ZION - He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corner Of Our Rooms ... In: Bands index. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007 ; Retrieved January 1, 2008 .
- Jump up ↑ Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons. In: www.cstrecords.com. Constellation Records, archived from the original on August 28, 2008 ; accessed on July 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Review on the Babyblauen Seiten
- ↑ Tour Dates. In: www.cstrecords.com. Constellation Records, archived from the original on August 28, 2008 ; accessed on July 6, 2013 .
- ↑ Silver Mt. Zion tour, plan Fuck You Drakulas. May 14, 2006, accessed February 7, 2013 .
- ↑ 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons. Retrieved February 7, 2013 .