Biography
Exploring the Americana, the rural grit, the murderer, and the romantic, American Catastrophe draws upon their diverse experiences in experimental jazz, old school punk, expansive guitar epics and operatically trained baritone vocals to fashion a powerful brand of American Gothic with an original take on the murder ballad tradition. 2008 has been marked with touring dates around the upper Midwest and western United States in support of their debut CD. American Catastrophe is recently back from the NXNE festival in Toronto, Canada where the band showcased at the Dakota Tavern to an enthusiastic international crowd.
American Catastrophe's debut Excerpts from the Broken Bone Choir is the inaugural release on the roster of Oxblood Records, a label co-owned by music industry veterans Robert Moore, formerly of I.R.S. Records and Music Director at KCUR-FM in Kansas City and Megan Hamilton, former drummer for indie success Frogpond.
Outside of American Catastrophe, Shaun Hamontree is co-founder and Creative Director of the MK12 design collective, where for 8 years has directed and animated music videos for the likes of Hot Hot Heat, Guided By Voices, The Faint, and Common, among others. His design expertise and artistic vision are also applied to the distinct look and imagery of American Catastrophe. Fans and the unfamiliar alike covet the band’s poster art, unique album packaging and merchandise. The beautifully haunting visuals, cavernous vocals and torrential orchestration of American Catastrophe have inspired a strong regional following. American Catastrophe is more than a band, it is an icon.
American Catastrophe resides in Kansas City, Missouri and is currently supporting their debut Excerpts from the Broken Bone Choir on Oxblood Records remastered by Doug Henderson (Swans, Akron Family).
Instrumentation
Shaun Hamontree - vocals/guitars
Terrence Moore - guitars/harmonica/banjo/backing vocals
Amy Farrand - bass guitar/backing vocals
Eric Bessenbacher - percussion
Discography
Debut EP: Excerpts from the Broken Bone Choir, OxBlood Records, 2007.
Compilation: "Iron Horse", First Blood, Oxblood Records, 2007.
Links
| http://www.myspace.com/amcat |