Biography:
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band (just one of its many names) came to life in 1999 as a project for Godspeed You Black Emperor! member Efrim Menuck in his attempt to learn to score music. The original idea was pushed aside, and the project would go on to become a group setting, and was more in touch with the idea of organic growth exploration of music, rather than heavily composed and arranged theoretical work. Moved to record an album of the music that had been made, Menuck built up the first version of the Mt. Zion Orchestra, taking on violinist Sophie Trudeau, bassist Thierry Amar, both known as collaborators in the Black Emperor! family. The band made its live debut in 1999, and released its first album, He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms..., in 2000. Still known as Silver Mt. Zion, the band expanded its membership in 2000 -- cellist Beckie Foon, guitarist Ian Ilavsky, and violinist Jessica Moss -- which led to the first of many name changes. Now The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, the sextet released album number two, Born Into Trouble As the Sparks Fly Upward, in 2001. 2003 saw the release of another new album, "This Is Our Punk Rock" Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, as well as another name change, adding "with Choir" (the result of adding a twenty member choir to the proceedings) to the end of the already verbose moniker. With Godspeed on hiatus in 2004, Silver Mt. Zion toured extensively in Canada and Europe, as well as performing at that year`s All Tomorrow`s Parties Festival. With new member -- number seven -- Scott Levine Gilmore (mandolin and guitars) joining shortly thereafter, a(nother) name change was due, and the group dropped "with Choir," and changed the "The" to "Thee." In addition to all of the administrative work, the band included an album release in 2005, Horses In the Sky. In 2008, the band -- which managed to keep the same name over the course of two albums, even though a roster change involving mandolin players and drummers (Eric Craven taking the seventh spot for the departed Gilmore) had taken place -- released 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons. The album featured material written and arranged on the group`s 2007 European tour, and was released (as was the entirety of their work) on Constellation.
