Pagoda

A project fronted by actor, singer, and guitarist Michael Pitt, Pagoda came together in 2001 after Pitt crossed paths with fellow performer and musician Ryan Donowho, who took the drum chair. Supporting players including Christian Zucconi from Aloke rotated through the bass slot as the group coalesced. Their first appearance on record came via the track “Muskrat,” included on the soundtrack to The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, Asia Argento’s screen version of J.T. Leroy’s novel. Cellist Indigo Ruth Davis soon joined, and the ensemble traveled to Milan in 2004 to lay down material for a debut album; producer and engineer Luca Amendolara was sufficiently taken with their sound that he joined as permanent bassist. The following year the band issued a five-song demo that reached director Gus Van Sant, who placed Pitt in the starring role of Last Days and placed two Pagoda numbers on its soundtrack. A clip for “Happy Song,” shot while Zucconi remained in the lineup, later surfaced on the film’s DVD edition. Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth served as music consultant for the project and, impressed by what he heard, brought Pagoda to his Ecstatic Peace imprint. Shortly ahead of the winter 2007 arrival of the self-titled debut album, the band’s site revealed a revised roster of Pitt, bassist Willie Paredes, drummer Reece Carr, and cellist Chris Hoffman. Amendolara and Donowho subsequently resumed work with Italian ensembles and acting careers, respectively.