Artist Profile: Grand Banks

Grand Banks (Charlottesville, VA): NanoHz No.9

Grand Banks was started in a fit of pure spite in the fall of 2000, as
the Velvet Facilitator (keyboards, melodica, objects) and the
Extreminator (guitars, tapes, objects) got tired of the pop-jam band
in the next practice space over practicing stage banter. The band
switches back and forth between composed pieces and pure
improvisation, and frequently asks other musicians to play with them.
Grand Banks is motivated by several desires: to see what happens when
normal instruments and objects are used in unconventional and
specifically "forbidden" ways and documenting the results; a desire to
explore sounds as sound, not necessarily merely outside of melody and
harmony, but not viewing these two concepts as ends but rather means;
a desire to provide a visceral experience; and because they sincerely
enjoy it.

myspace.com/grandbanks