Future Bible Heroes are a songwriting collaboration between Stephin Merritt (words, melodies & vocals) and Chris Ewen (instruments), with Claudia Gonson (vocals). They met in Boston over a decade ago, forming a bond through their mutual love of chanteuse Yma Sumac, composer John Cage, and the collecting of exotic instruments, vintage synthesizers and Tiki art. Through many years of friendship and musical rapport, the band has released two albums: Memories of Love and Eternal Youth, three EP's: I'm Lonely (and I Love It), Lonely Days and The Lonely Robot, and have appeared on several compilations, including 12 Tales, Reproductions: Songs of The Human League, the Welcome To The Dollhouse soundtrack, Red, Hot & Bothered, and most recently, Neil Gaiman: Where’s Neil When You Need Him?.
Stephin Merritt is also the songwriter of The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths and The Gothic Archies. The Magnetic Fields have released several albums on Merge, including the critically acclaimed 3 disc “69 Love Songs”, and most recently "i" and“Distortion”, both on the Nonesuch label. His recent recordings also include “Showtunes”, released under his own name, and the full-length The Gothic Archies cd "The Tragic Treasury: Music from 'A Series of Unfortunate Events’”.
Chris Ewen is the former keyboardist for the 80's alternative rock band Figures On a Beach, on Sire Records. He has completed and is currently shopping his first solo project, The Hidden Variable, a collaboration with several acclaimed dark fiction authors, including Poppy Z. Brite, Emma Bull, Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Shelley Jackson , Harvey Jacobs, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Gregory Maguire, China Miéville, Lemony Snicket, Martha Soukup, Peter Straub, and Gahan Wilson. He has done sound design for some award-winning websites and also composes incidental music for ads and films, including the title music for Neil Gaiman’s DVD “A Short Film About John Bolton”. Chris has also remixed tracks for Freezepop, The Crüxshadows, Boy In Static and My Favorite. He is a popular DJ in Boston, Massachusetts, and an aficionado of all styles of music from 50's lounge to futuristic synth-pop…plus most things gothly, industrial, new wave and experimental in between.
Claudia Gonson is the pianist/drummer/sometimes vocalist for The Magnetic Fields. Her day job is as Stephin Merritt's manager, handling all his band projects as well as theater and film work. She and Stephin are currently developing the Neil Gaiman story "Coraline" for the stage. As a drummer, she has played with the bands Astrud and Honey Bunch. Besides being on the newest Magnetic Fields cd "Distortion", her drumming and backing vocals also appear on the Tender Trap album, "6 Billion People."
Future Bible Heroes is the fruitful product of Ewen's exotic electro-pop instrumentation overlaid with Merritt's exquisite pop sensibilities and humorous lyrical style, and Gonson’s haunting and unaffected vocals.
HELLO AND GOOD NEWS: PORTASTATIC, BELLINI, STEPHANIE DOSEN, DUCHESS SAYS, THE OCTOPUS PROJECT, HOT HEAD SHOW AND FUTURE BIBLE HEROES ("LOVE IS BLUE") ARE ON MY RADIO SHOW NEXT WEEKEND. THANK YOU.
It is such fantastic news that our friendship is approved. Your music makes us happy. We hope that one day you can come to Australia as Future Bible Heroes. Particularly focus upon a remote city called Adelaide, South Australia. Tom Waites sang about this part of the world, we think on Swordfishtrombone. The great thing about Future Bible Heroes is that if Stephin is too busy to come then you could just leave him behind and skip those songs. Ummm... other reasons to come here... well, it would somehow justify the existence of our band, who are indebted to you, and make us look more worldly, rather than the oddbod no-category bargain bin we fall into in this townish city. Yes, well this comment has set us all a-fizzle, and so we close. Best wishes, J. Pablo Libido & the Wild Robots
Hi Claudia, and Stephin and Chris Thanks for the add, i love your songs, and your voices. your band's name used to be my nickname on the Internet. I met briefly Claudia after a Gretchen Phillips gig in Austin two years ago, hi Claudia! I hope you'll all come to Paris someday, i'd love to see you live Warmest wishes David
