“With EN MINOR, he’s embracing a gravely vocal style of defiance and regret, singing songs from a lifetime of experience and hard lessons learned in the outlaw country tradition of Merle Haggard.” — Revolver
Stream EN MINOR’s “On The Floor” At THIS LOCATION
Revolver Magazine is currently streaming “On The Floor,” the first official taste of Philip H. Anselmo’s EN MINOR.
A project inadvertently in the making since Anselmo’s earliest days as a child in the French Quarter, EN MINOR features Stephen Taylor (Superjoint, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Woven Hand, 16 Horse Power), Kevin Bond (Superjoint, Christ Inversion, Artimus Pyledriver et al), Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod, Down, Superjoint), Calvin and Joiner Dover (The Dover Brothers), and Steve Bernal (former first cellist in the Temple Symphony Orchestra). An experimental and eclectic musical endeavor that finds Anselmo exploring a softer, graver vocal style, EN MINOR is an honest and deliberate change of pace delivering brooding tales of pain, regret, and sorrow.
“On The Floor” comes by way of the band’s self-titled seven-inch, set to drop Friday August 2nd via Housecore Record. Writes Revolver of the hymn, “It’s clearly a departure from the heavy musical styles that Anselmo has always been associated with, but he points to moments in his history where he’s been able to explore dark, internalized feelings at less than full volume: Down’s deeply haunted, understated ballad ‘Jail,’ and Pantera’s ‘Suicide Note Pt. 1,’ among several others. With EN MINOR, he’s embracing a gravely vocal style of defiance and regret, singing songs from a lifetime of experience and hard lessons learned in the outlaw country tradition of Merle Haggard.”
Check out “On The Floor,” alongside an in-depth interview with Anselmo courtesy of Revolver Magazine, at THIS LOCATION.
For physical preorders, visit the newly launched Housecore store at THIS LOCATION. For digital orders, visit the EN MINOR Bandcamp page HERE.
EN MINOR will appear at this year’s edition of Psycho Las Vegas set to take place August 16th-18th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada with additional appearances to be announced in the coming weeks.
EN MINOR Live:
8/16/2019 Psycho Las Vegas @ Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – Las Vegas, NV [tickets]
“The initial strains – in the most primitive sense – came about when I was given my first guitar at nine-years old,” relays Anselmo of the EN MINOR project. “I didn’t have the patience to learn other people’s music, so I wrote my own. And some of those early parts are still prevalent in the songs we’re working with now. Fast-forward to 1988 when I bought my first four-track recorder; those old songs took on a new life and newer songs were written. Heavy metal was at the forefront of my performance-based output, but these little four-track songs were always there. I always had an apprehension about allowing them to be heard though, because they were so different; only a small circle of close friends got to hear them.”
By 1993, Anselmo moved back to his hometown of New Orleans and his home became an instant magnet for local musicians and artists. “At ungodly hours, these old four-track songs took on an even newer life jamming with these cats. We learned a few of the songs and wrote several more, and soon we were recording under the moniker ‘Body & Blood.’ We wrote more songs, all recorded on a newer model four-track. It was fun. We did it for the vibe. And it was pleasing to break away from multi-tracking studios and heavy metal. Metal music consumed most of our time and lives. Those ‘B&B’ sessions were damned-near therapeutic.”
Without a clear plan for the band, the project remained a periodic therapy session. “We kept things simple and just jammed when everyone was home, and played our recordings for friends. Then I eventually moved again, Hurricane Katrina hit, and life sent all of us in different directions.”
In 2012, Anselmo met Stephen “Schteve” Taylor and EN MINOR truly took shape. “He and I began experimenting with some vibey stuff, and soon after began recording the sessions. This led to the current incarnation of EN MINOR. Together, we re-worked a few of the old four-track songs and wrote several new ones in short order. These sessions are hypnotic and pulling. And we continue to write songs suitable for this project to this day. Ugly and beautiful, EN MINOR, isn’t ‘party music.’ This is ‘kill the party music.'”
EN MINOR:
Philip H. Anselmo – vocals, guitars, bass
Kevin Bond – acoustic, electric guitar, bass
Stephen Taylor – guitar
Calvin Dover – keys
Joiner Dover – Bass
Steve Bernal – cello
Jimmy Bower – drums
http://www.thehousecorerecords.com
http://thehousecorestore-com.3dcartstores.com
http://www.facebook.com/housecorerecords