miss bliss

THE SHORT VERSION--------before splitting up in 1999, miss bliss released 3 CDs, all recorded in the mid-late 90s. the style gradually progressed from shoegazed influenced pop songs to less structured atmospherics, all with a indie mindset and an eno-loving attention to sound....................................................... ............................................................ ............................................................ ........................................ THE LONG VERSION-----------------originally the band was called second coming (i know....terrible name), and was formed in 1992 by mike gill, steve knapp, paul trisdale, and jeff guzik. with mike and paul in ann arbor, and steve and jeff 100 miles away in kalamazoo, it took 2 years to record a first record, and the live sets were weak. after calling it quits in early 1995, the band was offered record deal on meltdown later that year and responded along the lines of "of course we're still together......of courseyou can put out or first record.....of course we can record another one". the initial self-titled CD came out in 1996 on the heels of 7" singles on mind expansion and burnt hair records. wtih dave megessi taking over drum duties, the band immediately went back into the studio to begin work on a second, much better record. while the first CD had some good simplistic songs, much more attention was paid to sound and songcrafting on the second record. the band's love of eno, spiritualized, and 60s pop are all apparent, though the record was not heavily derivative. on release, "warm sounds from a cold town" was greeted with much more enthusiasm, charting on several radio stations and getting a nomination for a motown music award for "best album" in 1998. earlier that year, steve and dave moved out of state, leaving only mike and paul as original members. aaron dresner, chris calfin, and ben mullins were all talked into joining up, and for the first time, the band was able to develop a live sound that measured up to it's recordings. 1998 saw miss bliss play a couple of small, ill-fated tours and local shows with band heroes like cornelius, mogwai, the notwist, and the swirlies, then go back into the studio for another batch of recordings. the final record, "loose grooves and lullabies" is where the band branched out, looking for it's own sound. the songs are still there, the structures are looser, and the ambient interludes longer. it is the CD we are most proud of. unfortunately, there were label disputes, and the CD was never properly released. if you would like hear the music, i am happy to swap CDs or sell you a copy..................................................curren tly, aaron plays with the blissed-out country unit- Dabenport, ben fronts the new order-meets-prince outfit- Midwest Product, and mike is working on songs under the name fuselage.