Girth (band)
Encyclopedia
Girth were a avant-garde metal band from Seattle, Washington. Dave Webb (guitar
) and Peijman Kouretchian (drums
) began the band in 2003.
, 7/25/05)
In 2004 they released their first album, "Living in Truth," on local Hector Stentor records. Many of the album's song titles were references to Milan Kundera
's novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
. The album was recorded by Randall Dunn (has also worked with Critters Buggin
, Earth (band)
, Sunn 0))) & Boris' Altar (album)
, Eyvind Kang
, Lesbian (band)). The artwork was done by Stephen O'Malley
. The record received positive reviews and comparisons to bands such as Slayer
, The Fucking Champs
, Don Caballero
, and Black Flag
.
In the Spring of 2005 the duo successfully toured the West Coast.
In November 2005, the band performed a concert with Sean and The Abodox at Seattle's ReBar. The three bands were set-up simultaneously and would play songs in turn. Eventually all three bands began performing together.
Performances were centered around the piece, "Free Jazz," which Kouretchian wrote on drums and then Webb added guitar parts. The band recorded the piece with Dunn at Aleph. It also featured B.R.A.D. (Crack Sabbath, Master Musicians of Bukkake, ASVA
) on vocals. Webb was quoted in The Stranger as saying, "The playing is much more emotional and on the edge than the last record. This should be a killer headphone record, but it'll still bite your head off." Sleeper Awaken! was released on Web of Mimcry in 2008. In Crucial Blast's review, the album was described as "insane, disorientating speedskronk composed in intricate structures of fast thrash riffing, chaotic jazz seizures, stretched out slabs of ambient threat, skittering free improv percussion and whiteouts of blazingly fast blastbeats, deformed, dissonant guitars echoing through space, and hyperactive Moog solos."
In April 2006, The Seattle Weekly nomiated Girth for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Band" in the 2006 Seattle Weekly Music Awards, though the honor went to Kinski
. The magazine said, "In early April, Girth added to their considerable two-man breadth by taking on two members of Swarming Hordes. Pulverizing progressions times breakneck speed plus ultraheavy layers of thick, dark sludge—with some acoustic guitars, perhaps, thrown in here and there for good measure? Whoa. These purveyors of new-math metal-core splunge (that’s like grunge, but with more spleening) have built a name on making plenty out of not too much. Just imagine what they’ll do as a four-piece."
The final Girth album featuring the triple guitar line-up was released on Trademark Recordings in late 2009. The record features guest spots from keyboardist Luke LaPlante (Sean) and guitarist Joe Moore.
group Wah Wah Exit Wound, drums in bar rock band Beer Sandwich, and as a member of the noise/experimental collective Wolf-Horse/R.I.G.E.L.. Webb released a black metal single under the moniker, Nam-Shub of Enki, in 2006. He is currently recording on a self-produced solo record in which he also performs all the instruments.
In Spring 2007, Kouretchian joined Secret Chiefs 3
as their touring drummer for North American dates. He also performed in Lemons & Stallions, a guitar/drums avant-garde
jazz duo, with McGinnis.
A third Girth album, to be recorded with the three guitar line-up, is rumored to be forthcoming.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) and Peijman Kouretchian (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) began the band in 2003.
Girth duo
Initially the band was simply the duo of Webb and Kouretchian. The played frequently in Seattle throughout 2004 and 2005. They would often perform on the floor of the venue, directly in front of the bar, as opposed to the stage. Their performances garnered them descriptions such as "mercurial, unpredictable dynamics and time signatures; caustic guitar tones that sting like lye." (Segal, Dave, The StrangerThe Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
, 7/25/05)
In 2004 they released their first album, "Living in Truth," on local Hector Stentor records. Many of the album's song titles were references to Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera , born 1 April 1929, is a writer of Czech origin who has lived in exile in France since 1975, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1981. He is best known as the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, and The Joke. Kundera has written in...
's novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being , written by Milan Kundera, is a philosophical novel about two men, two women, a dog and their lives in the Prague Spring of the Czechoslovak Communist period in 1968. Although written in 1982, the novel was not published until two years later, in France...
. The album was recorded by Randall Dunn (has also worked with Critters Buggin
Critters Buggin
Critters Buggin is a Seattle, Washington-based instrumental group which performs in a jazz, rock and African-influenced, eclectic style. The band is composed of Matt Chamberlain , Skerik , Brad Houser Critters Buggin is a Seattle, Washington-based instrumental group which performs in a jazz, rock...
, Earth (band)
Earth (band)
Earth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's music is nearly all instrumental, and can be divided into two distinct stages...
, Sunn 0))) & Boris' Altar (album)
Altar (album)
Altar is a collaboration album between Japanese doom band Boris and American drone doom duo Sunn O))), released on October 31, 2006 through Southern Lord Records. A limited two-CD edition was released on October 23 via Southern Lord with a 28 minute bonus track with Sunn O))), Boris, and Dylan...
, Eyvind Kang
Eyvind Kang
Eyvindur Kang , only child of Charles Shin-Chul Kang and Kristjana Gunnars, is an American composer, violinist, tuba, and erhu player...
, Lesbian (band)). The artwork was done by Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley is a musician, predominantly a guitarist, producer and composer from Seattle, Washington who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone doom, death/doom, and experimental music groups....
. The record received positive reviews and comparisons to bands such as Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, The Fucking Champs
The Fucking Champs
The Fucking Champs are a three-piece progressive rock band from San Francisco, California. They are known for their heavy metal appeal, based largely around shifting time signatures, guitar harmonies, and lots of rhythm. Most songs are instrumental. They are currently signed to Drag City...
, Don Caballero
Don Caballero
Don Caballero are an American rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group took their name from the character Guy Caballero, portrayed by Joe Flaherty, on the sketch comedy show Second City Television...
, and Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
.
In the Spring of 2005 the duo successfully toured the West Coast.
Blackened Psychedelic Trio
In 2005, the band added Andrew McInnis (formerly of Golgothan Sunrise) on keyboards. They began to pursue a new direction, often improvising the entirety of their live sets. Kouretchian also took the chance to fill sets with political speeches.In November 2005, the band performed a concert with Sean and The Abodox at Seattle's ReBar. The three bands were set-up simultaneously and would play songs in turn. Eventually all three bands began performing together.
Performances were centered around the piece, "Free Jazz," which Kouretchian wrote on drums and then Webb added guitar parts. The band recorded the piece with Dunn at Aleph. It also featured B.R.A.D. (Crack Sabbath, Master Musicians of Bukkake, ASVA
Asva
Asva is a village in Laimjala Parish, Saare County, on the eastern part of Saaremaa Island, Estonia....
) on vocals. Webb was quoted in The Stranger as saying, "The playing is much more emotional and on the edge than the last record. This should be a killer headphone record, but it'll still bite your head off." Sleeper Awaken! was released on Web of Mimcry in 2008. In Crucial Blast's review, the album was described as "insane, disorientating speedskronk composed in intricate structures of fast thrash riffing, chaotic jazz seizures, stretched out slabs of ambient threat, skittering free improv percussion and whiteouts of blazingly fast blastbeats, deformed, dissonant guitars echoing through space, and hyperactive Moog solos."
Girth-Hordes
Webb and Kouretchian parted ways with McInnis in 2006. They added Mark and Blane from legendary Seattle metal group, The Swarming Hordes on guitar. The lineup now featured three guitars and drums. Turning from the experimental phase of the previous lineup, the group now played relatively straight-ahead metal.In April 2006, The Seattle Weekly nomiated Girth for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Band" in the 2006 Seattle Weekly Music Awards, though the honor went to Kinski
Kinski (band)
Kinski is a rock band from Seattle, Washington, in the United States. They formed in 1998 in a pub, when bartender and drummer Dave Weeks overheard a conversation between two customers, Chris Martin and Lucy Atkinson about analog recording. Weeks joined the discussion, and they found they also...
. The magazine said, "In early April, Girth added to their considerable two-man breadth by taking on two members of Swarming Hordes. Pulverizing progressions times breakneck speed plus ultraheavy layers of thick, dark sludge—with some acoustic guitars, perhaps, thrown in here and there for good measure? Whoa. These purveyors of new-math metal-core splunge (that’s like grunge, but with more spleening) have built a name on making plenty out of not too much. Just imagine what they’ll do as a four-piece."
The final Girth album featuring the triple guitar line-up was released on Trademark Recordings in late 2009. The record features guest spots from keyboardist Luke LaPlante (Sean) and guitarist Joe Moore.
Other activities
Webb also records and releases music on his personal label, 1/2 Ass Universe. He performs and plays throughout the West Coast, playing guitar with the progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group Wah Wah Exit Wound, drums in bar rock band Beer Sandwich, and as a member of the noise/experimental collective Wolf-Horse/R.I.G.E.L.. Webb released a black metal single under the moniker, Nam-Shub of Enki, in 2006. He is currently recording on a self-produced solo record in which he also performs all the instruments.
In Spring 2007, Kouretchian joined Secret Chiefs 3
Secret Chiefs 3
Secret Chiefs 3 is an instrumental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance . Their studio recordings and tours have featured different line-ups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles including surf rock, Persian, Arab, Indian, death metal, film music, electronic music,...
as their touring drummer for North American dates. He also performed in Lemons & Stallions, a guitar/drums avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
jazz duo, with McGinnis.
A third Girth album, to be recorded with the three guitar line-up, is rumored to be forthcoming.