About Me
SKYSCRAPER SOUL: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ETHER NET
Ether Net created shape-shifting rock music--dubbed skyscraper soul by the band--between the years 1993 and 2003. Over the course of three full-length releases and several EPs and singles, the trio explored the distinct character of every song while imprinting each with Ether Net's unique DNA. That sound was typified by Robert Cherry's rich vocals and rainy-day lyrics, David Mooser's weird-ass, classically-informed bass lines, and the bands collective ear for a good hook and dynamic, widescreen arrangements. "A group on the cusp of greatness," wrote "Columbus Alive. While Cherry and Mooser formed the nucleus of the band, they were joined by a new drummer for each full-length release, with the sound evolving according to the drummers individual style and personality. Dexterous Chris Welch performed with the band circa 1996s Severance, Bonham-inspired Mark Klein circa 2000s The Requisite Chemicals, and inventive Brent Gemmill circa 2002s More Strange Bruises. Kenneth Leonard (a.k.a. KenGuru) contributed piano, keyboard and string arrangements to each of those albums, and toured with the band when called upon. Producer Don Depew also served as an unofficial fourth member, helping Ether Net realize its ambitious vision on a shoestring budget. As Cherry once told PlugInMusic.com, A lot of independent bands seem to think it's uncool to look and sound like they're actually trying. We're fairly ambitious. If a song sounds like it needs to be played by a 70-piece orchestra in a recreation of the Taj Mahal on Venus, we'll start building the launch pad today and have something interesting for you in ten years, even if we ultimately fail trying. Based in Cleveland, Ether Net toured outside of that largely blue-collar city, sharing stages with acts such as Placebo, Leviride, Prick, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Idlewild, Poem Rocket and The Volta Sound. Under the influence of David Bowie, boredom, and the belief that androgyny is the highest form of beauty, the band experimented with sometimes dubious stage clothing and the occasional daub of eyeliner. (Lipstick? No.) When not making music, they variously enjoyed meeting new people, eating fresh and flavorful meals at mom-and-pop restaurants, kicking up small dust clouds in desert vistas, drinking quality beer when available and domestic beer when not, vomiting in the streets of foreign cities, and searching for hotel swimming pools where none existed in the pre-dawn hours. Oh, and reading. (Catch glimpses of such activities in the Mooser-directed video for the heart-rending Medical Waste.) A passion should dictate your life, Cherry sings on Whip Chain, the groups final, and as-yet-unreleased, self-recording. When that collective passion dissipated--replaced by disillusionment, an unquenchable thirst and internal friction--so did the band. Today, Cherry records and performs as a solo act. He released his debut, The New Forever, in 2005. Mooser was a founding member of Lost State Of Franklin, a country/rockabilly band and now performs with rockabilly-swing band Eddie Brunswick and the Hot Rod Lincolns. Gemmill hits drums and assorted found objects in Terminal Lovers. Klein plays drums for Cobra Verde, produces groups at his Noisefloor Studio, and contributed drums to Cherry's debut. Leonard and Depew continue to work with Cherry, among other fine artists. Welch remains M.I.A. (A cult? Corporate life? A Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute act? A watery grave? No one knows.) Most of Ether Nets releases are still available via iTunes, eBay or a friendly request emailed to this site. Oh, and the name? Ether Net has nothing to do with the computer network ethernet, and everything to do snaring divine inspiration in the aether... width="425" height="350" .... width="425" height="350" .... width="425" height="350" .... width="425" height="350" .... width="425" height="350" .... width="425" height="350" ..
