Robert G. Menard- guitars, samples, loops, electronics, keyboards, vocals.
David M. Fort- guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals.
Kelly Castle- drums, percussion, guitars, vocals
----
Past Guests or Members-
Jordan Brown- sound and recording engineer
Mike Germaine- bass and keys
Joshua Butcher- organs, bugle, chanting vocals, percussion, film projections, performance painting
Doreen Girard- cello, chanting vocals
Natalia Zielinski- violin
Mike Ozero- keyboards,
Scott Ellenberger- trumpet, 4track, bass,
Seth Goetzke- violin,
Brian Longfield- stiltwalking pantomime performance, video,
Sebastian Podsiadlo- drums, web designer, artistic design
Freya Olafson- dance,
Greg Hanec- projected film/video loops,
Jim Demos- drums, guitar, keyboards, chants
Fubuki Daiko- Taiko drumming
Damo Suzuki- voclas and chants
Influences
Dreams, Wilderness, Childhood, State of the World, Eastern Music...
Music/Bands- Huun Huur-Tu, Angelite, Don Caballero, Can, My Bloody Valentine, Heavy Vegetable, Kittens, Animal Collective, Battles, Hank Williams, The Byrds, Ham, The Summerlad, HELLinaCOPTER, National Monument, Mahogany Frog.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four Elements Medicine Wheel Prayer
O Great Spirit of the East,
radiance of the rising Sun,
spirit of new beginnings
O Grandfather Fire,
great nuclear fire of the Sun.
From you comes life-energy,
vital spark, power to see far,
and to envision with boldness;
with you we can purify the senses,
our hearts and our minds.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your energies may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the South,
protector of the fruitful land,
and of all green and growing things,
the noble trees and grasses.
Grandmother Earth, Soul of Nature,
great power of the receptive,
of nurturance and endurance,
of bringing forth and growing,
flowers of the field,
fruits of the garden.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the West,
spirit of the great waters,
of rain and rivers, lakes and springs;
O Grandmother Ocean,
deepest matrix, womb of all life.
With you comes the dissolving
of boundaries and holdings,
the power to taste and to feel,
to cleanse and to heal.
Great blissful darkness of peace.
WE pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the North,
invisible spirits of the air,
and of the fresh, cool winds;
O vast and boundless Grandfather Sky,
your living breath animates all life.
From you comes clarity and strength,
and the power to hear inner sounds,
to seep out old patterns,
and bring challenge and change.
The ecstasy of movement and the dance.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
Sounds Like
http://www. radio3.cbc.ca/bands/The-Absent-Sound
..
Live at ElementSircus 09 at Northern Sun Farm
Occupying Home
Jack-in-the-box-Lullaby live @ Ellice Theatre Apr/07
----Absent Sound are powerfully eclectic and engaging musicians, spanning from record skip world dub to heavy electronic post rock with eerie yet festive four part harmonies. These puppet masters wield a musical arsenal creating huge dramatic worlds of sound with organic chants, colossal guitars, hypnotic off-time record scratches, beats, loops, and Lesley speaker organ drones: ears open and eyes closed is all the flight attendant requests.
----Absent Sound began as a solo project of Robert G. Menard around 1995 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with friends helping him produce the home recordings in a live setting. In 2002, David Fort joined as a permanent member to take the band into a much more serious mode. Menard (guitars, samples/loops, electronics, vocals and keys) and Fort (guitars, bass, vocals and keys) secluded themselves in the wilds of north-central Manitoba. Over the next year the pair hid from all distractions, meditating solely on the rise and fall of the earth's respirating chest. What emerged a year later was a treasure chest full of ideas and music that are still being explored six years later. Their innate community building skills have allowed them to become the hub of one of the more vibrant progressive art and music scenes in Canada.
----The Absent Sound have now evolved into a full production joining forces with Kelly Castle (Little Buddies, former National Monument, Room 237) on drums, percussion and vocals.
----They have also recorded, and performed live with Josh Butcher on organs, vocals, bugle, film projections, and performance painting, Doreen Girard playing cello and vocals and Natalia Zielinski on violin.
----The Absent Sound's live show puts them in the realm of an art installation and dream-scape: employing at times thematics, film/ video projections, performance painting, multiple tv sets, contemporary dancers, and stilt-walking pantomime. Their music has also perfectly complimented some of Winnipeg's creatively fertile film making community.
----The group has toured extensively throughout North America and are best experienced live, bringing their unique style of sensory art and music to life. They have shared the stage with DAMO SUZUKI, DO MAKE SAY THINK, FEIST, SEA WOLF, JEALOUS GIRLFRIENDS, FLY PAN AM, MONO, GROWING, CLAN ZU, FABUKI DAIKO, TAGAQ, THE SUMMERLAD, DD//MM/YYYY, FUCKED UP, and MAHOGANY FROG.
Since returning to Winnipeg from their 3 month musical endeavors in New York City and abroad, the band continues to enchant and inspire audiences.
----The Absent Sound have recorded and released four albums to date and recorded a brand new EP worth of music with Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, New Pornographers, The Sadies...) in Orangeville, Ontario in the spring of 08.
"www.darrylneudorf.com" Mastering was done at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton (Thrill Jockey, Sub Pop, Rykodisc, Battles, Wilco, Burning Spear...)
"www.peerlessmastering.com"
They are searching for the right record labels to release these tracks on vinyl and digital forms for later this year.
----"Gathering Of The Clan Mothers" (2007/08), their second studio album inspired by the tribal law teachings of their friend and teacher Lester House. The music was recorded by their dear friend and sound guru Jordan 'Sound' Brown at Winnipeg's Video Pool. They went to Harris Newman (Constellation, Alien8 Records, Arcade Fire, The Dears and much more)
"www.greymarketmastering.com"
in Montreal for the mastering of the album and Winnipeg's 2-Ply Collective have released it here in Canada.
and their first studio album, "It's All True" (2005/06), No List Records. The rich and full sound of 'It's All True' was captured beautifully by recording engineer Craig Boychuk (Propaghandi, Greg MacPherson, KENMODE, Hide Your Daughters...)
"www.cbaudio.com " and mastered by Harris Newman.
----"Music To Live And Die To" (2004),2-Ply & Teargas Recording Tree, home recordings.
----"Another Chapter" (2003),2-Ply, home recordings. The Absent Sound are receiving nothing but positive feedback and reviews from all over the world for their attempts at changing the music world.
----Absent Sound have showcased at such diverse festivals as 10KLF, Dogstock, Ness Creek, Graffiti Gallery Mural Fest, Winnipeg Jazz, JunoFest, and Send & Receive. They have also created two of their own festivals, the ElementSircus-
"www.myspace.com/elementsircus" , a sonic multi-media and costumed event, and The 20 Guitar Circular Wall Of Angelic Sound-
"www.myspace.com/20guitarcircularwallofangelicsound"
And the summer of 08 the band was showcased at Calgary, Alberta's Sled Island Festival and The Winnipeg Folk Festival.
WE ALL NEED TO CHANGE AND HEAL OUR HOMES AND COMMUNITIES BEFORE THE WORLD CAN CHANGE AND HEAL!!!! WE HAVE THE MOST POWER OF ALL- TOGETHER!!!!
THE TIME IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!
GATHERING OF THE CLAN MOTHERS was inspired by this man's teachings, kisikawpimootewin White Thunderbird(in English -Lester House)
"www.signatoryindian.com"
A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have
taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too
much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever,
but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, "I love you" to your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss
and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not
measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
If you don't send this to at least 8 people....Who cares?
George Carlin
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For more Absent Sound songs and goodies, check the 4 Elements below-
Please leave all comments and messages on our main page here, thank you.
I'm thinking about coming up to Winnipeg with my beautiful girlfriend in July. Are you playing the Winnipeg Folk Festival? Or will you be able to put us up for a day or two? We might have an RV too if you got a place to park
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