Snowmine don't just want to create music that you hear. They want to make music that you feel, that is in every breath, every corner and settles deep within the heart.
The Brooklyn quintet formed out of a longtime friendship between bassist Jay Goodman, drummer Alex Beckmann, and lead singer/composer Grayson Sanders. They soon met guitarist Austin Mendenhall after his then recent move from the DC jazz scene, and finally invited their old friend, guitarist Calvin Pia, to complete the five-piece.
Sanders, the son of an opera singer and oil painter, discovered a voracious appetite for Classical and IDM music at an early age. A zealous disciple of Stravinsky, Ravel, Bartok, Ligeti and Autechre, he spent the better part of his adolescent life in a bedroom, hunched over manuscript paper or staring at a computer screen. By the time he was 22, he had written five full symphonic premiers, including a recent modern orchestral cover of Bjork's "Cover Me."
These classical influences can be found throughout their music, while also combining elements of classic afrobeat, electro-acoustic soundscapes and early 20th century orchestrations. Snowmine self-released and self-produced their debut LP, Laminate Pet Animal, in May 2011 to much critical acclaim and solidified their presence in the hearts of loyal fans across the country, playing grandiose performances with chamber orchestras, installation art gallery shows and just about anything in between.
The band has spent the summer hard at work recording their new LP to be released in early 2013. Recorded in Germano Studios in Manhattan and Doctor Wu's in Brooklyn, the new record promises to build on the band's distinguished, textual and rich sound.
Right now one thing is certain. Next year is going to be a very, very busy one for the band.
