Pelican is a four-piece
instrumentalRock Instrumentals have a separate page.An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. This term is used when referring to popular music rather than to other musical genres such as European...
band from Chicago, Illinois who have since relocated to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. The band is known for its dense combinations of different melodies and extended track lengths. Their distinctive sound draws from
stoner rockStoner rock and stoner metal are interchangeable terms describing sub-genres of rock and heavy metal music. It combines elements of psychedelic rock, blues-rock and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features low-tuned guitars, a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro'...
,
doom metalDoom metal is a form of heavy metal music that typically uses very slow tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much 'thicker' or 'heavier' sound than other metal genres...
as well as
post-rockPost-rock is a genre of rock music characterized by the use of musical instruments commonly associated with rock music, but using rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbre, and chord progressions that are not usually found in rock tradition. It is the use of "rock instrumentation" for non-rock purposes...
and many other influences. Larry Herweg, Trevor de Brauw, and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec also make up three-quarters of the band Tusk.
Previously signed to
Hydra Head RecordsHydra Head Records is an independent record label which specializes in heavy metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner in 1993...
(which is owned and operated by
Aaron TurnerAaron Turner is a musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal band Isis, while also participating in several other bands and projects such as Old Man Gloom and Lotus Eaters.Though raised...
of
IsisIsis is a Los Angeles, California-based band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997. They have borrowed from and helped to evolve a sound pioneered by the likes of Neurosis and Godflesh, creating heavy music consisting of lengthy songs that focus on repetition and evolution of structure...
), Pelican is now part of the
Southern Lord RecordsSouthern Lord is an American record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson, specializing in doom metal, stoner rock, and drone. Some of the more notable artists on the label include Earth, Goatsnake, Khanate, Pelican and Sunn O))), among others...
roster.
Pelican is a four-piece
instrumentalRock Instrumentals have a separate page.An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. This term is used when referring to popular music rather than to other musical genres such as European...
band from Chicago, Illinois who have since relocated to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. The band is known for its dense combinations of different melodies and extended track lengths. Their distinctive sound draws from
stoner rockStoner rock and stoner metal are interchangeable terms describing sub-genres of rock and heavy metal music. It combines elements of psychedelic rock, blues-rock and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features low-tuned guitars, a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro'...
,
doom metalDoom metal is a form of heavy metal music that typically uses very slow tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much 'thicker' or 'heavier' sound than other metal genres...
as well as
post-rockPost-rock is a genre of rock music characterized by the use of musical instruments commonly associated with rock music, but using rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbre, and chord progressions that are not usually found in rock tradition. It is the use of "rock instrumentation" for non-rock purposes...
and many other influences. Larry Herweg, Trevor de Brauw, and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec also make up three-quarters of the band Tusk.
Previously signed to
Hydra Head RecordsHydra Head Records is an independent record label which specializes in heavy metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner in 1993...
(which is owned and operated by
Aaron TurnerAaron Turner is a musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal band Isis, while also participating in several other bands and projects such as Old Man Gloom and Lotus Eaters.Though raised...
of
IsisIsis is a Los Angeles, California-based band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997. They have borrowed from and helped to evolve a sound pioneered by the likes of Neurosis and Godflesh, creating heavy music consisting of lengthy songs that focus on repetition and evolution of structure...
), Pelican is now part of the
Southern Lord RecordsSouthern Lord is an American record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson, specializing in doom metal, stoner rock, and drone. Some of the more notable artists on the label include Earth, Goatsnake, Khanate, Pelican and Sunn O))), among others...
roster. The label has also announced that Pelican will embark on a tour with new labelmates
Wolves in the Throne RoomWolves in the Throne Room is an American ambient black metal band based in Olympia, Washington. Their sound is influenced by Scandinavian black metal, doom metal, dark ambient, crust punk, and folk music...
and that their first release for their new label is an EP entitled "Ephemeral", which was released June 6, 2009. Trevor de Brauw has stated that the new material will be darker, heavier and more "riff oriented", than on more recent recordings, and Southern Lord has also stated that an undisclosed guest guitarist who "is very influential to the band" will be making an appearance on the new recording as well. Pictures of the recent studio sessions on the Pelican website show the band playing with
EarthEarth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1990 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's early work is recognized as pioneering the genre of drone doom — an experimental offshoot of doom metal, characterized by droning, minimalist, lengthy, and repetitive...
guitarist
Dylan CarlsonDylan Carlson is the lead guitarist, lead singer, and only constant member of the Drone doom group Earth. He was a friend of Nirvana vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain.Carlson was born in Seattle, Washington, United States...
.
On October 9, 2009, Pelican announced via press release that the "Pelican Burger" was now being served at Kuma's Corner, a Chicago restaurant known for its menu of burgers named after heavy metal bands. The "Pelican Burger" is a ten ounce Kobe Beef patty with pan seared scallops and lardons, in a garlic white wine sauce on top of a parmesan crisp, and served with white wine-garlic aioli.
Genre
Regarding the band's genre, de Brauw said, "I don’t think of Pelican as a metal band... I feel like we're part of a trajectory of Midwest bands that kind of blend aggression with a pop sensibility, so while it's easy to classify us with instrumental bands, we're not instrumental by design. We just didn't know how to put vocals in our music and for it to sound right."
Speaking on the plethora of labels used to describe Pelican's genre, bassist Bryan Herweg states that "it's flattering, really", and that "I take that as nobody being able to classify what we're doing. I really don't want to be fixed in one genre."
As for the instrumental nature of the band, Herweg states that "I think there are limitations that come with having a vocalist. If we had some big burly man in front screaming, we'd be classified as metal. If we had some scrawny guy we'd be emo. As it is, no one can pin us down."
Touring has evolved the band's style from "drawn-out... slow-building" to "more direct and faster, and straight to the point" material to provide more energy on stage.
Current members
- Trevor de Brauw - guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
- Bryan Herweg - bass
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Larry Herweg - drums
A drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
- Laurent Schroeder-Lebec - guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
Full lengths
- Australasia
Australasia is the full-length debut album by Chicago post-metal band Pelican. It was released November 4, 2003 on Hydra Head Records.Guitarist Trevor de Brauw has noted that because of budget restrictions, the Australasia sessions had to be rushed. The studio was also under construction during...
(2003)
- The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw
The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw is the second full-length studio album by Chicago post-metal band Pelican. It was released May 22, 2005 on Hydra Head Records. Regarding the lengthy and unusual name of the album, guitarist Trevor de Brauw said, "The title is meant to confuse people...
(2005)
- City of Echoes
City of Echoes is the third full-length album by Chicago-based post-metal band Pelican, released in June 2007 on Hydra Head Records. The album's thematic center is one of globalization; critics received this intention with varying degrees of enthusiasm....
(2007)
- What We All Come to Need
What We All Come to Need is the fourth studio album by American post-metal band Pelican. The album will be released on October 27, 2009 through Southern Lord Records.-Track listing:# "Glimmer" - 7:31# "The Creeper" - 7:20# "Ephemeral" - 5:09...
(2009)
EPs
- Pelican
Pelican is the debut EP by American post-metal band Pelican. It was originally released as a demo in 2001, before the band signed to Hydra Head Records, who re-released it in 2003....
(2001)
- March into the Sea
March into the Sea is the second EP by Chicago-based instrumental metal band Pelican, released in 2005 by Hydra Head Records. The title track is the original version of the shortened song "March to the Sea" from their 2005 album The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw, which was released just...
(2005)
- Pink Mammoth
Pink Mammoth is the third EP by Chicago-based instrumental metal band Pelican, released in 2007 by Hydra Head Records.The title track is a major key version of "Mammoth" from Pelican's debut EP, and the b-side "End of Seasons" is a remix/mashup from Prefuse 73 of "Aurora Borealis" and the untitled...
(2007)
- Ephemeral (2009)
Splits
- Pelican / Scissorfight / The Austerity Program (2003)
- Pelican / Playing Enemy (2005)
- Pelican / Mono (2005)
- These Arms Are Snakes / Pelican (2008)
- Young Widows / Pelican (2009)
DVDs
- Live in Chicago 06/11/03 (2005)
- After the Ceiling Cracked (Live in London) (2008)
Additional reading
External links