When SAVAGE REPUBLIC founding member Bruce Licher relocated from his native Los Angeles to Arizona in late 1992 he decided it was time to form a new band. He also had the perfect name for the all-instrumental musical ideas he'd been conceptualizing since the dissolution of his previous group in 1989. SCENIC's first rehearsal in November of 1992 consisted of Licher on guitar, former SHIVA BURLESQUE bassist James Brenner,
and drummer Brock Wirtz, the three of whom carved out minimalist soundscapes which formed the basis for what would become SCENIC's debut album, Incident At Cima. Conceived as an evocative soundtrack for the East Mojave Desert, the group explored various instrumental themes using a sound pallette consisting of traditional and non-traditional instruments including Licher's unison-tuned guitar, producing a unique sound which he had been developing during his years in SAVAGE REPUBLIC. Joined in the studio by former SAVAGE REPUBLIC and 17 PYGMIES member Robert Loveless on keyboards, along with several friends as guest musicians, SCENIC captured the stark beauty of the East Mojave in a sound described by Rolling Stone scribe David Fricke as Ennio Morricone dune-surfing in Death Valley. Packaged in an elaborate
letterpress-printed cardboard CD package, the artwork for Incident At Cima featured panoramic photos Licher had taken of the landscapes described musically by the songs. This first album was released on CD by Licher's Independent Project Records (IPR) in early 1995, and was later licensed for release in Germany and the U.K., along with a vinyl edition created and co-released by IPR and the Greek label Hitch-Hyke Records.
With the release of Incident At Cima, the group expanded to a five-piece for live performances, with Loveless becoming a permanent member, and guitarist Brandon Capps from the Arizona-based group HALF STRING joining on rhythm guitar (http://profile.myspace.com/halfstring). SCENIC began to perform in California and Arizona, securing support slots with groups such as STEREOLAB and PELL MELL, as well as contributing to several Beautiful Noise music festivals organized by Capps in Phoenix and Tucson. A single with two non-album tracks called Sage was released by IPR at the beginning of 1996 on both CD and vinyl, and showed a nice progression of SCENIC's sound, with a more layered, melodic feel. At this time SCENIC signed a two-album contract with World Domination Recordings and began working on the material for what would become their second album. Due to increased
activity with his own band, Capps left the group and was replaced by guitarist Doug Smith, though both contributed to the recording of Acquatica, SCENIC's second album. Released by World Domination Recordings in late 1996, this album showed SCENIC taking on a denser, more progressive sound, with more group input into the writing of the material. Additional musicians were again invited to contribute, with horns and the
mellotron-like chamberlin joining the usual (and unusual) sounds, and more new guitar sounds and effects were incorporated into the blend. Acquatica took on the feel of a travelogue to some strange, exotic land, and included several 8-9 minute epics. Critical reaction was generally good, though one punk rock Ezine who didn't much care for the album managed to coin an interesting new genre of music for SCENIC: aggro new
age. By the time the album was complete, Doug Smith had left the group, and guitarist Mark Mastopietro had joined, and SCENIC began an increase in the number of performances to promote the new album. Upon the release of Acquatica, SCENIC undertook a short West Coast tour with LANTERNA, an instrumental group led by llinois-based musician Henry Frayne. A live EP was co-released by IPR and Parasol Records on CD and vinyl documenting this tour, with two tracks from each group, again in hand-letterpress printed packaging. With the support of World Domination, SCENIC was able to perform at festivals in New York and Portland, as well as a successful and packed showcase at SXSW in Austin, Texas in the Spring of 1997.
During 1997 much new material was being developed, with the group branching out in several different directions. Upon the suggestion of a small label who was preparing a series of bliss-out music, SCENIC decided to try their hand at creating ambient space rock as a side project and as a way to stretch out and expand their improvisational skills. Expecting to be able to start work on a follow-up to Acquatica in late 1997, a series of demos of more melodic material were recorded during the Summer while simultaneously
working up the space rock material. As time went on it became clear that World Domination was in financial trouble and the group realized that it might need to finance the recording of their third album themselves. With the dissolution of World Domination at the end of 1998, it was decided to focus on the space rock material for the next project, and recording began in early 1999 on what would become The Acid Gospel Experience. SCENIC had always been a long-distance group, with Licher (and Capps) living in Arizona and the others in Los Angeles, and so work continued on the new recordings as the members' schedules would permit. An EP of demo recordings of the new material was co-released in late 2000 by IPR and Foundry Recordings in the UK, as a preview for the new album. After a benefit performance for an anti-nuclear group in Las Vegas, Nevada in November of 2000, SCENIC decided to take a break from live performances in order to complete the new album and arrange for its release.
The Acid Gospel Experience first saw the light of day in late 2002 as a bonus disc given away with the graphic design magazine Emigre. Released with an alternate tracklisting, with several earlier demo recordings taking the place of two of the final studio versions, this album was sent out to 24,000 subscribers, introducing SCENIC's music to thousands of new listeners. At the beginning of 2003 The Acid Gospel Experience was officially released in the USA on Hidden Agenda Records and in the UK by Tenor Vossa
Records. Spanning almost 73 minutes, and including the 18 1/2-minute improvisation A Journey Through The Outer Reaches of Inner Space, this album saw SCENIC stretching their boundaries in new ways, and incorporating new instruments such as sitar, vibes, congas, and other new guitar effects and sounds. It also included a guest piano appearance on one track by minimalist elder statesman Harold Budd, who had become a fan of SCENIC's music over the years. With the release of SCENIC's third full-length effort, plans began to start performing live again, and it also became necessary to look for a new drummer. Kimber Lanning, former drummer with the Arizona-based HALF STRING and the owner of Stinkweeds Record Exchange and Modified Arts in Phoenix, AZ, joined the group, and in May 2003 SCENIC played an exclusive performance at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. As part of the southwestNET: architecture & design exhibit, SCENIC performed at the opening reception, and the exhibit included among other items a selection of Licher's graphic design work for SCENIC and SAVAGE REPUBLIC. Also added to the live line-up is percussionist Keith Kassner, filling out the sound with vibes, conga and other percussion elements. The band then took on another short West Coast tour with the U.K.-based group BREATHLESS at the end of 2003.October 2004 saw the release of a limited edition vinyl only 10" EP on the Indiana-based St. Ives Records, consisting of music recorded at Licher's home studio The Rain Tree House by Licher, Loveless and Mastopietro. Limited to 600 numbered copies, with a letterpress-printed cover, each individually hand-painted by one of the 3 band members who contributed to the music, The Long Sun EP includes the 13-minute title track which reminds a bit of POPOL VUH with it's droning rhythm guitar. The other 3 pieces feature instrumentation of various acoustic & electric guitars and effects, keyboards and bouzouki.
Future plans include recording a fourth album of the material the band began working on before it switched gears into The Acid Gospel Experience. The intent is to get back to the concept of writing music about a place, and this new material will be paired with Licher's photographic images of the Kaiparowits Plateau area of Southern Utah. Demo recordings of 4 songs (The Nimbus EP), which were made available in a limited edition CDr on the 2003 tour with BREATHLESS, are being prepared for a wider release in 2007. While this is in the works, both Licher and Brenner have been working on solo recordings, and a limited edition CDep of Licher's ambient solo recordings was released in late 2006 under the name EXPLORATORIUM. Please see the MySpace page at http://profile.myspace.com/exploratoriumaudio for a preview of that material. All presently available releases by SCENIC are available at: http://stores.ebay.com/THE-INDEPENDENT-PROJECT-SHOP
