photo by Keith Klenowski
Ampline is:
Kevin Schmidt bass
Mike Montgomery guitar
Rick McCarty drums
Downloadable Press Materials
Releases:
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Your Tongue or Your Life
4-song CD/EP
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Organelle
Various Artists
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The Choir
8-song CD/LP
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Listen to The Choir
Press:
"The eight instrumentals that make up Ampline's debut disc The Choir have more in
common with Mission Of Burma than the standard amorphous post-rock. The Cincinnati group plays
passages of complex, chiming beauty, but most of its songs begin and end in a compressed rush
so intense that it's easy to forget the lack of vocals..."
- The Onion
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The instrumental band occupies a reserved space in the pantheon of rock music. They have by
design foregone the traditional in order to reach some new, untouched area of expression.
The objective a ‘finding a singer’ never even entered into the picture for Kevin Schmidt,
bassist and founding member of Ampline. After years of playing in bands, he came to appreciate
the beauty of simply writing and playing music, regardless of whether or not some jerk wanted
to stand out front holding a microphone.
Five years, a few lineup changes and a handful of records later, ‘finding a singer’ is even
less of an issue. The solidified lineup of Schmidt, Rick McCarty (drums) and Mike Montgomery
(guitar) is committed to carrying the Ampline torch for as long as the fucker will burn.
In a genre of music littered with music students churning out buttery fluff, Ampline has
carved quite a niche for itself by playing music that is decidedly very rock. That’s not to say
they’re not without their pretty moments however. Even a cursory listen to 2002’s full-length
The Choir, or the recently completed Rosary illustrates the expansive scope of the songs’
reach. Full-throttle jams stop and turn on a dime, easing into quieter, more melodic reprieves.
Montgomery’s guitar is fluid, forever searching and investigative, while Schmidt and McCarty
seem to know instinctually when to pummel and when to caress. Although one does hear ‘voices’
now and again, the absence of a singer puts the focus squarely on the music.
The release of The Choir laid down a declaration of intent; Rosary offers total and pure
execution. Ampline may not have a singer, but they surely have a voice.
Tour Dates:
4/12/08
Newport, KY @
The Southgate House
w/ Tons of amazing bands...
4/13/08
Oshkosh, WI @
The Reptile Palace
w/ TBA
4/14/08
Madison, WI @
In The Annex
w/ TBA
4/15/08
Milwaukee, WI @
The Echo Place Collective
w/ TBA
**ALL AGES, show starts @ 9pm**
4/16/08
Lansing, MI @
Mac's
w/ TBA
4/17/08
Southgate, MI @
The Modern Exchange
w/ TBA
4/18/08
Norwalk, OH @
ST67 House
w/ TBA
4/19/08
Lexington, KY @
503 Oldham Ct.
w/ TBA
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