Motorpsycho is a band from Trondheim, Norway. Their music can generally be defined as psychedelic rock, but they also mix in elements from metal, jazz, rock, pop and many other musical styles. The members of the band are Bent Sæther (b. 18.02.1969, bass/vocals), Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan (b. 31.12.1969, guitar/vocals) and Kenneth Kapstad (b. 20.04.79 drums). Until March 2005, Håkon Gebhardt (b. 21.06.1969, drums) was also an integral part of the band. A press release concerning his departure is published at the
unofficial homepage. In December of 2007 it was announced that former Gåte drummer Kenneth Kapstad was the new drummer in the band as well as an official band member.
Formed in the late eighties as an alternative metal band, Motorpsycho soon developed a unique blend of grunge, heavy metal and indierock, as well as incorporating the sonic noise experiments of associated member Deathprod. The hugely ambitious, progressive double album "Demon Box" (1993) followed a series of low-profile EPs and albums, earning the band a nomination for a Norwegian Grammy, and secured a loyal following in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands as well as in Scandinavia.
The nineties was an extremely productive era for the band, releasing new material almost every year, and enjoying critical acclaim for each album - if not the massive sales the music press kept predicting.
With the 2000 album "Let Them Eat Cake", Motorpsycho suddenly took huge steps away from their noisy hard rock roots, opting instead for a smoother, jazz-tinged approach to the songwriting and recording process. They kept this technique for the subsequent releases, Phanerothyme and It's A Love Cult.
The long awaited new double album Black Hole/Blank Canvas was released 17th/20th March 2006 in Europe, but it was leaked on the internet prior to this date. The album has received great reviews, and it is considered one of their best albums ever, proving the skill of the arguably most innovative Norwegian band during the last decade. Today, their cult status and extremely loyal fans remains unmatched by any Norwegian band.
Line up
Current line-up
- Bent Sæther - lead vocals, bass, guitars, keyboard instruments, drums
- Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan - lead guitars, vocals, keyboard instruments, violin
- Kenneth Kapstad - drums
Previous members
- Kjell Runar "Killer" Jenssen - drums (1989-1991)
- Håkon Gebhardt - drums, vocals, banjo, guitar (1991-2005)
- Helge "Deathprod" Sten - theremin, various electronics, audio virus (1992-1994; frequent guest and producer 1994-2002)
- Lars Lien - keyboard instruments, vocals (1993-1994)
- Morten "Lolly" Fagervik - rhythm guitar, keyboards (1995-1996)
Major collaborators
- Ole Henrik "Ohm" Moe - violin, saw, piano (1997-1998)
- Baard Slagsvold - keyboard instruments, vocals (1999-2003)
- Jacco van Rooij - drums (live, 2006)
- Pekka Stokke - visuals (live, 2006-2007)
- Øyvind Brandtsegg - vibraphone, electronics (live, 2006)
Discography
Albums
as Motorpsycho & Friends
as The International Tussler Society
- Satans Favourite Son (Promo-single, 2004)
- Laila Lou (Promo-single, 2004)
Live albums (Roadworks)
- Roadwork Vol. 1 - Heavy metal iz a poze, hardt rock iz a leifschteil: live in Europe 1998 (1999)
- Roadwork Vol. 2 - The MotorSourceMassacre: Motorpsycho, The Source and Deathprod live at Kongsberg Jazzfestival 1995 (2001)
Collaborations
- In the Fishtank 10 (Mini-album with Jaga Jazzist Horns, 2003)
- Go To California (Split-EP with The Soundtrack of Our Lives, 2001)
EPs, Singles
- Maiden Voyage (Demo, 1990)
- 3 Songs for Rut (Single, 1992)
- Soothe (EP, 1992)
- Mountain (EP, 1993)
- Another Ugly EP (1993)
- Wearing Yr Smell EP (1994)
- Nerve Tattoo (EP, 1996)
- Manmower (EP, 1996)
- Sinful, Windborne (Single, 1996)
- Babyscooter (EP, 1997)
- Lovelight (EP, 1997)
- Have Spacesuit, Will Travel (EP, 1997)
- Starmelt (EP, 1997)
- Ozone (EP, 1998)
- Hey Jane (EP, 1998)
- The Other Fool (EP, 2000)
- Walkin'with J (EP, 2000)
- Barracuda EP (EP, 2001)
- The Slow Phaseout (Promo-single, 2001)
- Go To California (Promo-single, 2001)
- Serpentine (EP, 2002)
- Hyena (Promo-single, 2006)
External links
See also
- The International Tussler Society
- Deathprod
- Jaga Jazzist
Norwegian musical groups
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