The Black Angels (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Black Angels


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genre = Psychedelic rock, Alternative rock
Years_active = 2004 - Present
Label = Light In The Attic Records
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://theblackangels.com/ Official Website]
Current_members = Christian Bland
Alex Maas
Stephanie Bailey
Nate Ryan
Kyle Hunt
Past_members = Jennifer Raines
Notable_instruments = "Drone Machine"

The Black Angels are a psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas,Hannah Levin, [http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=31709 Review of "Passover"] , "The Stranger", Apr 13 - Apr 19, 2006. Accessed 7 October 2006.] formed in May 2004. Their name derives from the Velvet Underground song "The Black Angel's Death Song".

Friday, August 5 2007, they played at Lollapalooza in Chicago.Among other venues, they have played at SXSW 2006 & 2008 and All Tomorrow's Parties 2008. Touring partners have included the blues rock band The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and The Warlocks.

The group's debut LP "Passover" was generally well received in the underground independent rock community and was noted for its dark tones and lyrical content. A review "Passover" described them as "Walking in the shadows cast by Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized mastermind Jason Pierce" and compared them to The Warlocks and Black Mountain, also invoking "dirges" reminiscent of both The Velvet Underground and the 13th Floor Elevators. The band's icon is a stylized/high-contrast negative image of Nico.

"Passover" included a quote in the liner notes from Edvard Munch; "Illness, insanity, and death are the black angels that kept watch over my cradle and accompanied me all my life."

In December 2007, the group announced on their blog [cite web|url=http://www.theblackangels.com/2007/12/happy-holidays.html|title=Happy Holidays|date=2007-12-11|publisher=The Black Angels|accessdate=2008-09-12] that their second album will be released in Spring 2008. On May 13 their second album, "Directions to See a Ghost" was released.

The band was featured on the soundtrack of the 2007 Kevin Bacon movie, "Death Sentence".

Band members

Current

*Stephanie Bailey — drums, percussion, bass
*Christian Bland — guitar, bass, drums
*Kyle Hunt — keyboards, percussion, bass, and guitar
*Alex Maas — vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, sitar
*Nate Ryan — bass, guitar, occasional drums

Former

*Jennifer Raines — drone machine, keyboards and percussion

Discography

Albums

* "Passover" (Light in the Attic, 2006)
* "Directions to See a Ghost" (Light in the Attic, 2008)

EPs

* "The Black Angels" (Light in the Attic, 2005 EP)
* "Black Angel Exit" (Light in the Attic, 2008 EP)

ingles

* "The First Vietnamese War" b/w "Nine Years" (released August 21, 2006)
* "Better Off Alone" b/w "Yesterday Always Knows" (released May 28, 2007)
* "Doves" b/w "Drone in G# Major" (released May 20, 2008)

TV Appearances

*Beautiful Noise
*Fuel TV's The Daily Habit
*Fringe

References

External links

* [http://www.theblackangels.com/ Official site] • [http://www.theblackangels.com/store.php/ Official Band Store]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/TheBlackAngels/ The Black Angels collection] at the Internet Archive's live music archive (Download full concert audio recordings)
* [http://www.kexp.org/aspnet_client/KEXPViewMediaGroup.aspx?rID=3115&pID=528&fID=1120&date=1120 7-song February 2006 performance and brief interview] at KEXP (Seattle), in Real Player and Windows Media Player formats.
* [http://music.aol.com/artists/the-interface/the-black-angels?ncid=AOLMUS00050000000042 The Interface with The Black Angels] - interview & performance podcast on Spinner.com
*myspace|theblackangels|The Black Angels
* [http://www.lostateminor.com/2007/04/10/the-black-angels/ Review of their show at Brooklyn's Lunar Lounge, April 2007]
* [http://www.blender.com/guide/gallery_main.aspx?id=2903&src=dx1 Photos of The Black Angels]