Silver Mt. Zion

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Silver Mt. Zion is a post-rock band formed in 1999 by Godspeed You! Black Emperor musicians Efrim Menuck, Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. According to an interview with VPRO Radio in The Netherlands, originally the project was for Efrim to learn how to score music, but the idea was soon abandoned as Efrim decided that he preferred music not to be defined by rules, preferring simply what sounds best. Despite this, he continued the project out of a desire to experiment with ideas that would not work within the context of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The decision to record an album was partly inspired by the death of his dog Wanda, who had died while Godspeed You! Black Emperor was on tour. He wanted to record an album in her memory, but did not feel that he could effectively do this through Godspeed's collective, consensus format.

Unlike Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Silver Mt. Zion's music often features vocals. The last few albums they have released contain no purely instrumental tracks. Efrim confessed that he was uncomfortable with this at first, feeling "foolish" and uncomfortable with the role of the singer in music generally. That is, he did not want to be the focus of the band's music but rather wished to use vocals as a stylistic tool. Some fans were initially ambivalent about the use of vocals, but Efrim's poetic lyrical style is now well respected among fans. Furthermore, Silver Mt. Zion's fanbase has expanded, and they are no longer seen merely as an offshoot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor but as a unique and separate entity.

After the release of their first album, He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms..., the group expanded to six members and was renamed "The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band" and released the album Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward. For the band's third album, which made use of an amateur choir, its name was again changed, this time to "The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-la-la Band with Choir." For the release of the Pretty Little Lightning Paw EP, the band's name changed once again to "Thee Silver Mountain Reveries." For their 2005 release, Horses in the Sky, the band changed their name back to "Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band." For simplicity's sake, they are often called by the original name of A Silver Mt. Zion.

There are strong political motifs in the band's music. The instrumental "13 Angels Standing Guard 'round the Side of Your Bed" is apparently directed towards black bloc anarchists, according to liner notes. The song "Triumph of Our Tired Eyes" laments the present state of the world while espousing strong hope for the future. It also references the old anarchist song, "To the Barricades", sung by anarchists during the Spanish Revolution. The band's most recent album, Horses in the Sky, contains several overtly political songs, including "God Bless Our Dead Marines" and "Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come and Gone)", two anti-war songs. Generally, Silver Mt. Zion's politics are highly reminiscent of anarchism, with continuing motifs of "hope and joy" – reflecting a tendency toward post-left anarchy.

The name 'Silver Mt. Zion' apparently refers to Temple Mount, the highest point in Jerusalem. However, Efrim later noted in an interview with a New York City radio station that the name hailed from a 'misheard' song lyric. Efrim himself is Jewish, and motifs relating to Judaism are occasionally present in the band's music (he described the band's recording of their first album as a "Jewish experience.") For clarity's sake, it should be noted that he distances himself from Zionism and criticizes the policies of the Israeli government; yet, he claims a special affinity for certain groups within the Jewish community.

1 Tours
2 Discography
3 See also
4 External links

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Tours

Silver Mt. Zion made its live debut at Musique Fragile on March 6, 1999. Their first extensive tour took place in early 2001 throughout Europe.

After a break due to Godspeed You! Black Emperor activities, the band set out on its second tour in 2004. Starting with a brief Canadian tour at end of January, they then headed out for another long string of European dates from mid-February through the end of March. They headed across the Atlantic again in December for a tour of the UK, following their performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

They had their first performance in the United States (in Brooklyn, New York) on August 13 2005 as the culmination of a short tour of eastern Canada. Plans for a longer tour were cut short after Sophie Trudeau, one of two violinists for the band, broke her collarbone.

Plans are underway for a 2006 tour. European dates have already been announced, starting at end of April and continuing through the start of June. North American dates are currently being scheduled. [1]

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