Biography
Proving that pop-centric figures from the Elephant 6 collective occasionally favor cranked volumes and high-energy rock, Thee American Revolution operates as a proudly loud rock outfit fronted by Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo alongside Craig Morris of the Ideal Free Distribution and Terrapin Pond. The pair, who are brothers-in-law, bonded over mutual tastes in classic psychedelia and vintage hard rock before launching a creative partnership that involved writing and tracking songs inside the home studio Morris constructed, relying chiefly on equipment of his own design. They soon brought additional musicians into those sessions, elevating percussionist Otto Helmuth of the Blueberries to a central role within the ensemble’s rotating roster, while Bill Doss of the Olivia Tremor Control and John Ferguson of Big Fresh and the Apples in Stereo joined for many of the band’s sporadic concerts. Behind the scenes, the group relies on an undisclosed collaborator named William Shears, presented as the alias of a British expatriate formerly prominent in the U.K. pop-psych scene who now serves as mentor after relocating to the band’s base in Lexington, Kentucky. Schneider and Morris decline to reveal Shears’ true identity yet have confirmed on record that he is not Andy Partridge, leaving open the possibility of Colin Moulding. Material for the project first took shape in 2004, followed by scattered live appearances and a handful of tracks shared online, until physical product finally appeared with the fall 2008 release of the album Buddha Electrostorm on Morris’ Garden Gate Records.
Albums