- Amoeba (band)
Amoeba is an experimental music group that fuses the pop and ambient music genres. They formed in
California ,USA in1992 . The core members of the group are ambient musician Robert Rich and guitarist/bassistRick Davies .Rich and Davies have worked together since
1979 . Davies had just returned to the United States after working with several experimental rock groups in theUnited Kingdom andSpain . During the next five years, Rich and Davies worked on several collaborative projects. The style of these projects was an aggressive blend ofart rock and pureavant-garde composition.In
1983 Rich and Davies formed a trio with bassist Andrew McGowan called Urdu. Urdu performed several concerts in theSan Francisco Bay Area . One of their last performances was a live radio broadcast in1984 . Some of their recorded material was released as a self-titled album on cassette in1985 .In
1992 the first version of Amoeba formed. It was a quartet featuring Robert Rich, Andrew McGowan, guitarist David Hahn and drummer Matt Isaacson. They released a five song EP-CD in1993 titled "Eye Catching ". This lineup dissolved soon after the release of "Eye Catching".In
1994 Rick Davies came to Rich with some of his new musical ideas. They were slow folk inspired pop compositions with strong ambient sensibilities. They decided to incorporate these ideas into a new version of Amoeba. This lineup featured Rich on vocals,synthesizer s, percussion,lap steel guitar and flutes and Davies on guitars and bass. They developed a style consisting of slow, hypnotic and largely acoustic pop compositions and Rich’s classic ambient textures and acoustic recordings. Their lyrics range from abstract to darkly emotional. This form of Amoeba has released two albums, "Watchful " (1997 ) and "Pivot" (2000 ). Each of these albums features a number of guest performers including cellist Hans Christian.After the release of "Pivot" Davies went on to pursue his solo career in
Tucson, Arizona . Rich continues to release ambient solo albums and tour at a prolific rate. Both musicians continue to hold a future Amoeba project as a possibility, though there are difficulties due to the geographic distance between them.Discography
*
1993 "Eye Catching "
*1997 "Watchful "
*2000 "Pivot"
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