US Maple...
A barrage of
no wave sound - rock taken to its
extreme.
Drum lines emerge out of chaos, hold for 5 seconds or so, then descend into cacophony. Guitars pluck strange, out of tune notes, seemingly at random. The bass noodles out of control, and the vocalist whines and screams like a mortar shell flying out of the sky.
US Maple are a band that many people find hard to enjoy. I was at a concert once in which they were the opening band. After they left the stage, general confusion erupted amongst the audience. Someone shouted "THAT SUCKED!" and receieved general applause. Although opinions do differ wildly (I've heard people fawn over them to no end), it can't be disputed that US Maple play "rock" like few others.
This Chicago based band is made up of vocalist Al Johnson, bassist Todd Rittman, guitarist Mark Shippy, and drummer Pat Samson. They can currently be found on Drag City records.
Discography:
Talker (released 1999 on Drag City)
Sang Phat Editor (released 1997 on Skin Graft Records)
Long Hair in Three Stages (released 1995 on Skin Graft Records) - This album helped launch US Maple, for it was produced by famed producer Jim O'Rourke.
Did you know? Members of US Maple can be found in a cameo role in the John Cusack movie "High Fidelity".