Biography
Ancient Sky formed in Brooklyn as a hard-edged neo-psychedelic space rock unit whose sound fuses early Pink Floyd and Hawkwind with Black Sabbath, droning electric Delta blues, Krautrock, and the shadowy ambient electronics of Demdike Stare. Guitarist and vocalist Brian Markham and drummer Pat Broderick, both Virginia natives, launched the project in 2007 after meeting in New York; the pair quickly bonded over shared contacts and tastes and began performing together at once. Remaining the sole constant members and chief songwriters, they cycled through numerous supporting players while staging local rehearsals and gigs, eventually issuing their self-titled debut on Sons of Vesta in 2009.
Additional lineup turnover accompanied extensive road work. In the ensuing three years the group honed a darker, more atmospheric style captured on the 2012 release T.R.I.P.S. Continued touring and rehearsal encouraged fresh ideas, and the recordings began attracting positive coverage from independent outlets abroad. The band then joined Wharf Cat, which issued All Get Out in 2013; saxophonist Danny Fisher-Lochhead guested on the album, which also introduced synthesizer player Brandon Evans in a supporting capacity.
Markham and Broderick next concentrated on translating the quintet’s onstage intensity to tape. Virginia-born multi-instrumentalist Brandon Evans and bassist Keith Lamiell entered the fold, while Adam Bugalsem—already a colleague of Markham’s in both Holy Sons and Dommengang—joined on second drums. The resulting five-piece unit spent a year refining material through intensive rehearsals and a handful of carefully chosen performances before cutting Mosaic for Wharf Cat; the album surfaced in early summer 2015 and was supported by a tour.
Additional lineup turnover accompanied extensive road work. In the ensuing three years the group honed a darker, more atmospheric style captured on the 2012 release T.R.I.P.S. Continued touring and rehearsal encouraged fresh ideas, and the recordings began attracting positive coverage from independent outlets abroad. The band then joined Wharf Cat, which issued All Get Out in 2013; saxophonist Danny Fisher-Lochhead guested on the album, which also introduced synthesizer player Brandon Evans in a supporting capacity.
Markham and Broderick next concentrated on translating the quintet’s onstage intensity to tape. Virginia-born multi-instrumentalist Brandon Evans and bassist Keith Lamiell entered the fold, while Adam Bugalsem—already a colleague of Markham’s in both Holy Sons and Dommengang—joined on second drums. The resulting five-piece unit spent a year refining material through intensive rehearsals and a handful of carefully chosen performances before cutting Mosaic for Wharf Cat; the album surfaced in early summer 2015 and was supported by a tour.
Albums
Singles
