Take one chilled out hippie guitarist
with a love of psychadelic ambience, add in one classically trained
singer with a penchant for German heavy metal and lock them in the local
Catholic chaplaincy with nothing but a laptop and a bottle of cheap
whiskey, and what do you get?
One might look at the members of this
unlikely duo and see a disaster waiting to happen. And to be fair, there
is a certain apocalyptic brilliance to Bergen St's unique sound. Stewart
Griffin and Jen Graham had previously worked together in the now-defunct
prog metal band "White Claudia", as well as a brief stint
gigging and busking together under the name "The Red Crayon
Aristocrats",
before Bergen St was finally born.
"Please, God.
Let me dance again."
~ Prayer for the Crippled Ballerina
Their debut EP, "The Hallowed Has
Always Occupied The Hollow" takes its title from Mark Z Danielewsky's
"House Of Leaves" and draws on a rich and complex patchwork
of inspiration. There are no love songs to be found on this record,
which spans its influence from 19th century feminist literature right
the way through to modern webcomics. The record interweaves beautiful
and catchy prog melodies, an impeccable sense of dramatic flair and
the duo's bleak, sinister sense of irony.
"And even in those moments where everything is calm
And the world is shimmering through a veil of exhaustion
and salt water,
It would still take them whole."
~ Scream Inside A Vacuum
Their second EP, "Heartlands,"
was recorded in the space of six sleep-deprived days up in the Shetland
Islands and can almost be interpreted as a concept album. An ambitious
project given the short time scale in which it was completed, Griffin's
passionate and complex melodical compositions, clever use of samples
and occasional forray into experimental time signatures play off against
the stark unhappiness of Graham's lyrics and her increasingly desperate
and unapologetic vocal performances. The result is a raw and
unrepentant,commentary
on death, loss, frustration, madness and hope. Oh, and spies. Because
no Bergen St record would be complete without a healthy dose of black
humour.
Bergen St are currently working on their
third EP, which is untitled as of yet, and is tentatively planned for
release in mid-late 2010.
Name: Stewart Denis Griffin
AKA: "Chewy"
Age: 23
Influences: Phillip Glass, Roger Waters, Simon Posford
Favourite Movies: The Shining, The Blair Witch Project, The Breakfast Club
Favourite Book: House Of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewsky
Favourite Kind of Pizza: Meat Feast
Role Models in Life: Alan Moore, Hunter Thompson, Timothy Leary
Favourite Quote:
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly." ~ Winston Churchill
If I Could Be A Superhero, I Would Be:
Hippie Man. Stop or I'll....ahhh fuck it.
Name: Jennifer-Louise Graham
AKA: "Jinx"
Age: 24
Influences: Akira Yamaoka, Thoushaltnot, Rammstein.
Favourite Movies: Jacob's Ladder, Silent Hill, Mulan
Favourite Book: Le Petit Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Favourite Kind Of Pizza: Cheese and Tomato
Role Models In Life: Sherlock Holmes, Joan of Arc, George Orwell
Favourite Quote:
"The Winter Woman is as wild as a blizzard, as fresh as new snow. While some see her as cold, she has a fiery heart under that ice-queen exterior. She likes the stark simplicity of Japanese art and the daring complexity of Russian literature. She prefers sharp to flowing lines, brooding to pouting, and rock and roll to country and western. Her drink is vodka, her car is German, her analgesic is Advil. The Winter Woman likes her men weak and her coffee strong. She is prone to anaemia, hysteria, and suicide." - Christopher Moore
If I could be a superhero, I would be: Opera Girl. My special powers would be shattering glass and giving people a headache.
