|
The slap-happy entity known as Tamerlane began initially as a collaboration between Victim Longmont and William L. McComb, composer/guitarist and bassist for Cleveland sound visionaries The Salad Years, and Scotcho Tamerlane, founder of defunct Chicago noise rock pioneers Daisy Train. The frequently incestuous and always seditious three year relationship between The Salad Years and Tamerlane culminated in an official merger between the two bands into a single artistic endeavor: the musical family of Tamerlane, which includes partners in crime in the visual and performing arts as well, such as Brett Spyker and Scott Radke. The current line-up includes Scotcho Tamerlane (vox, guitars), William McComb (bass, vox), Victim Longmont (guitars, vox), and Botchie (drums). "We sell a commodity known as revolution, in every sense of the word," quips Scotcho. " We see music as a sort of spiritual continuum, a struggle for human expression and liberation, that stretches from forms of tribalistic celebration to the blues and jazz all the way to the MC5, Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, etc. For us, there's not a lot of difference between Charles Mingus and Archers of Loaf - they're just different parts of the same story - a story that in our case will end in infamy." Tamerlane's contribution to the tale is creating guitar-driven post punk landscapes which carry lyrical manifestos of dissent from the baby nation. Definitely not alternative-lite, but a hell of a lot more poppy than the Marx-Engels reader. "We hope to create an atmosphere that transcends the superfluous burdens of bipedalism and inspires others to liberate themselves," adds Victim. Tamerlane has five self recorded, produced and released recordings to date including Labor (1996), Bipolar Charity (1998), Fly Below Radar (2000), Live at the Bottom Line (2002), and the most recent release A Stitch In Time (2002), all on Longmont's indie label, Whatta Blast Records. Although the band members currently reside at opposite ends of America (with Longmont having relocated his base of operations to Portland, Oregon, while the remaining three members stick it out in Cleveland), they plan to continue emphasizing and exploring the compositional and recording aspects of their creative relationship long distance (thanks to the wonders of digital technology). A reunion tour is never out of the question, considering that Tamerlane's erratic live performance history has included Northeast Ohio's premier underground music venues including a two week run at a haunted house. |
tamerlane liberation army |
|
|
|
victim |
scotcho |
mccomb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
biography/contact articles/reviews discography/samples
