Grails (band)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grails
Origin	Portland, Oregon
Country	United States of America
Years active	1999–present
Genres	Instrumental Rock
Labels	Neurot Recordings Robotic Empire Aurora Borealis Southern Records
Members	Alex John Hall William Zakary Riles Wiliam Slater Emil Amos Ben Nugent
Past members	Paul Spitz Timothy Horner
Website(s)	Official Website

Grails are an American instrumental rock band from Portland, Oregon. Their sound brings to mind bands like Dirty Three, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Faust, Gong and Pink Floyd.

[edit] Biography

Initially the band 'Laurel Canyon' (guitarist Alex Hall, drummer Emil Amos (also of 'Holy Sons') and second guitarist Paul Spitz) formed to play one show on a whim. Following a positive reaction to the band, local musicians Timothy Horner (violin) and Bill Slater (piano/bass) were asked to join the group to record their first EP. The band then released two self-financed EPs in 2000 and 2001. Paul Spitz left the US to travel in Turkey and Zak Riles joined as guitarist, often playing more of an acoustic role. In 2002 Hall sent a promotion CD to Neurot Recordings who were quickly convinced of the band's potential. In 2003 the band changed its name to Grails, just before the release of their first full-length album. They adopted a louder, more aggressive style, often switching instruments with each member writing songs that saw them branching out to increasingly disparate styles. By the time the 'Black Tar Prophecies' series was released Timothy Horner had literally disappeared and the band carried on with only 4 players. In 2006 the group took on drummer/percussionist Ben Nugent (of Portland band Dolorean), allowing Amos to switch between guitar and drums. Grails tour Europe on a somewhat regular basis. The first tour of the US east coast kicked off October 30th of 2006 with a show in Richmond, VA and lasted a little over a week. They live in Portland but rarely play live in their hometown.

[edit] Discography

The Burden of Hope (CD/LP, Neurot Recordings/Robotic Empire, 2003/2006)
Red Light (CD/LP, Neurot Recordings/Robotic Empire, 2004/2006)
Interpretations of Three Psychedelic Rock Songs from Around the World (CD-EP, Southern Records, 2005)
Black Tar Prophecies Vol. I (Split 12" with Red Sparowes, Robotic Empire, 2006)
Black Tar Prophecies Vol. II (12", Aurora Borealis, 2006)
Black Tar Prophecies Vols. 1, 2 and 3 (CD, Important Records, 08/2006)
Burning Off Impurities (CD/LP, Temporary Residence, 2007)