Spahn Ranch (band)

Spahn Ranch
Origin Los Angeles, United States
Genres Electro-Industrial
Years active 1992–2001
Labels Cleopatra
Zoth Ommog
Out of Line
Cryonica Music
Members Matt Green
Athan Maroulis
Harry Lewis
Spahn Ranch promo photo, 1998

Spahn Ranch was an electro-industrial group from Los Angeles. Active from 1992 to 2000, the band was well known in a subgenre of industrial music for its fusion of electronic dance, industrial and gothic music.

History

The band was formed in 1992 by Matt Green and his New York–based collaborator, Rob Morton. That same year, they signed to Cleopatra Records and released a self-titled, four-song EP, with vocals supplied by Scott "Chopper" Franklin (later to become bass player for The Cramps).

In 1993, they added vocalist Athan Maroulis and recorded their debut album, Collateral Damage. Their second album, The Coiled One, appeared two years later in the midst of Morton leaving the band due to creative and logistical differences. After his departure, the line-up was expanded to include Christian Death drummer David Glass, Screams for Tina guitarist Kent Bancroft, and Tubalcain drummer Harry Lewis. This offered a beginning of the fuller, more diverse, dark electro-industrial sound that Spahn Ranch would continue to pursue. By 1997, Spahn Ranch had pared themselves down to the three-piece unit of Green, Maroulis and Lewis.

Spahn Ranch continued to release albums throughout the late 1990s. Architecture, released in 1997, featured contributions from Killing Joke/Prong bassist Paul Raven and Rockats/Nancy Sinatra guitarist Danny B. Harvey. This album took an even more experimental approach to the Spahn Ranch sound, incorporating elements of drum and bass, dub and for the first time, live guitar parts. Beat Noir, in 1998, followed a similar path even further and included work with Bauhaus/Love & Rockets bassist David J.

The band regularly toured throughout North America during their existence with the likes of Front Line Assembly, Front 242, Switchblade Symphony and Apoptygma Berzerk. Spahn Ranch also made a couple of European treks prior to their demise as a group in 2000.

Closure, their final album, was recorded in 2000 and released in 2001.

Discography

Albums/EP's

Compilation appearances

(non-LP tracks)

Music videos

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