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99 Names Of God: live at Trees
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99 Names Of God is an experimental group based out of North Texas. 99 Names began as a five piece, and has morphed through many compositional styles and has experimented with many musical structures over the past five years.
Currently the group is a trio, and the music infuses organic and electronic elements blended into various musical genres to produce atmospheric sound collages and sonic mood sculptures.
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A few months ago, 99 Names released their first album on Red Moon Records, entitled "eXcursions." The members of 99 Names are currently in the process of rehearsing, writing, and booking gigs for the summer of 2000 and beyond. They plan to fill up the calendar with tourdates, record a new album, and become a well-known experimental band in the DFW area and elsewhere.
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eXcursions |
Kris Swenson
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Kris Swenson has been singing for 99 Names throughout its entirety. Her musical influences include Bjork, PJ Harvey, and Diamanda Galas, among other legendary female vocalists. Kris is not only the singer, but also the lyricist and visual art director for 99 Names.
Her unique, sultry voice is inviting and seductive, forcing you to listen. Her improvisational and innovative skills seem to perpetually peak and prosper. Kris also plays keyboards and bass, adding further to the musical endeavor of 99 Names Of God.
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Mark Cook and his custom Warr touch-guitars are often the focal point of 99 Names. The audio-visual treat of seeing and hearing Mark play such an instrument is appealing enough.
But his marriage of songwriting and musical skill within 99 Names is mind blowing within in itself.
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Mark Cook
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Mark's keen grasp for musical craftsmanship, mixed with the unique sounds of his touch-guitars would leave any helpless listener in a state of musical euphoria. Not only does Mark play touch-guitar, he also puts himself through the tedious chore of programming the band's virtual drummer and keyboard player, the "Groovebox." A tool that is most often used by the most serious of electronica artists.
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Les Heifner
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Les Heifner is the newest member of the band, contributing sonic guitar riffs, dreamy soundscapes, and trippy samples to the substantial music of 99 Names Of God.
Les's most unusual system of playing the guitar through a personal computer turns heads and amazes the most technical of musical gurus.
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Using the innovative technology of "Environmental Sound," a high-fidelity software package, Les creates effects and atmospheres that turn the average guitar into an variety of lovely and psychotic sounds, flavoring the music of 99 Names to a point of fullness.
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Good Or Bad?
Review: 99 Names Of God at Club Clearview: July 26, 2000
by: David Gaston of DallasMusic.com
When we entered Clearview another group was already playing, and once we started listening, a number of us started shaking our heads in amazed disbelief. This group was also a trio, a girl singer backed by a guitar player and a stick player and preprogrammed electronics. They sounded like a mixture of King Crimson, the French band Heldon, and Bjork with a cutesy Cardigans-sounding voice.
99 Names Of God: Live at Club Clearview |
The guitarist and stick player did an amazing interplay that would just breathe life into the songs. The vocalist was as adorable and innocent as her voice. She looked about 16 and wore a black baby-doll shirt and a plaid miniskirt that seemed to have "schoolgirl" written all over it.
She would say "Thank yew!" in genuine appreciation after the warm audience response, almost as if she were batting her eyes. From time to time she would play along on this feminine-looking bass that fit her just perfectly.
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I could tell she was way behind the other musicians in experience; it would have added an extra dimension to the music if she was proficient enough to keep up with the guys.
"Who was this band?" I kept wondering. Turned out they were a group called 99 Names of God. They are based out of Arlington and have one CD out so far. There were some mixing problems and the band would have benefited from having either better electronics behind them and maybe a live rhythm section, but nonetheless they were amazing to watch and hear. I can imagine their music appealing to both prog rockers and intelligent dance enthusiasts, maybe even earning them the title "the smartest dance band in the world" because of their already promising ability to create somewhat complex compositions that are surprisingly compatible with the dance floor.
The Official 99 Names Of God Website
99 Names Of God on Mp3.com |
