Corporal Corporal

Corporal is a band that uses democratic means for the purpose of unleashing greater states of chaos. That chaos is anchored by the songs of Michael Shannon, whose place in public consciousness has been earned with a steady career as an actor of stage and screen (Jesus’ Son, Revolutionary Road, Soho Rep’s Uncle Vanya, Grace on Broadway, Premium Rush, and Nelson Van Alden of “Boardwalk Empire”). Together with drummer/producer Ray Rizzo, guitarist Robert Beitzel and bassist Matt Scobee, Corporal “makes music that calls to mind the Silver Jews, if they’d had a hideout under the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s gloriously strange, a bit grimy, and makes me feel comfortably drunk” (IFC)

Corporal began in 2008 with small 2-man shows where Shannon and Rizzo would switch instruments and play every song they knew, later embarking on a recording that took place in fits and bursts over 18 months, bringing Beitzel and his guitar music into the band. Shannon’s superhuman shooting and performance schedules and Rizzo’s music work with Dawn Landes, Glen Hansard, Doveman, Julia Stone and his band Mesiko have made live shows a rare and special event. In early 2012, Corporal re-released it’s eponymous first recording and followed with a summer 7″ release of the band’s two recordings of “Obama”, B-sided with the band’s slacker r&b gem “Effortless”. The single art features an image of Obama riding a white unicorn over a field of yellow flowers with rainbows coming out of his hands, making it hard to miss that in the hearts and minds of Corporal run great waves of whimsy.


Shannon: “The song Obama was the result of me trying to imagine the incredible pressure that the candidate would have to endure to succeed, the angst of his position, and the knowledge that even if he won the election, he was inheriting one hell of a bleak mess that is hard to fathom how to ever begin fixing any of it. The absurdity of his pursuit…as beautiful and inspiring as it was, it was in equal measure absurd, at least to me. Keep in mind, I wrote it during the first election, now he’s gearing up for round two. I guess it’s prophetic we recorded the song twice in two different ways. I think this election will be a little more nerve-wracking, so maybe the up-tempo version is appropriate.”

www.corporalband.com

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