Branson - Music

The Metroschifter Began In 1994 As A Solo Project For Louisville Kentucky Designer Scott Ritcher. The Band Released Five Full-Length Albums And Several EPs Between 1994 And 2000 Adding A Sixth Album In 2009. Originally Ritcher With Pat McClimans And Mario Rubalcaba In Its Early Years The Band Included A Succession Of Members From Hardcore And Indie Rock Heavyweights Such As Rodan Endpoint 411 Sunspring The Rachel's Falling Forward Shipping News Transcend Eleven Eleven And Chamberlain. The Metroschifter Has Operated In Innovative Ways Starting With Their Very First Record. The Band Is From Louisville Kentucky But Their Members Originally Lived In Different Cities Across The United States. Because Of This They Learned Their First Set Of Songs From Demo Tapes That Singer/songwriter Scott Ritcher Mailed Out To The Other Members. As A Result Their First Tour In 1994 Was Booked Before They Had Even Played Together. Regardless A Few Intensive Practice Sessions Before The Trip Solidified Their Sound And Their Debut Album Was Recorded The Following Week. In A Similar Fashion That Album "The Metroschifter Capsule " Went On Sale Before It Was Even Finished. The Band Members And Ritcher's Label Slamdek Ran Advertisements Announcing The New Group Was Releasing A Record That Could Be Ordered In Advance. Fans Purchased The Album Before It Was Completed Then Each Copy Was Personalized With The Buyer's Name On The Cover And Home-Delivered. The Metroschifter's Sound Is Loud Distorted Thunderous And Blazing Yet Sometimes Stops On Impossible Points To Become Complete Silence Before Diving Headlong Back Into A Mathematical Emotional Storm. Reviewing The "Fort Saint Metroschifter" Album Toledo Entertainment Magazine Said The Metroschifter Put "more Curveball Dynamics In 1/3 Of An Hour Than Most Of Their Contemporaries Would Put In A Friggin’ Box Set." Impact Press Describes A Sound That Can "fly From Rage To Softness To Downright Discordant... Both Spacious And Gracious." Mega Music Said "they Almost Never Look Or Sound The Same Way Twice" And Over The Shoulder Called Them "so Damn Inventive." A Reviewer At Ignition Chimed "like Nothing I’ve Heard Before " And Outback Magazine Echoed "One Of The Most Unique And Interesting Bands." Maybe Punk Planet Made Metroschifter Proudest "There Are Very Few Bands That Are Putting Out Such Challenging Albums. It's Incredible. Three Cheers For The Metroschifter!" Early On The Band Decided To Stretch Their Sound To Never Make The Same Record Twice And To Make A Conscious Effort To Test Their Audience. In 1996 They Briefly Departed From Their Ultra-Distorted Full-Throttle Sound And Released An Even More Demanding Record The All-Acoustic Country Album "Generation Rx." Teleport City Observed "I've Always Admired Metroschifter's Willingness To Fuck With People " But Second Nature Wasn't As Smitten And Barked "After This Record Metroschifter Should Rename Their Band To Something More Suiting Like For Instance Crap!" Metroschifter Released "Encapsulated" In 2000 Which Pushed The Band Deeper Into Uncharted Territory. On This Unique Record They Assembled A Cast Of Some Of Their Favorite Bands Who Each Learned And Recorded A New Unreleased Metroschifter Song. The Result Was An Album Of New Metroschifter Songs On Which Each Song Was Performed By A Different Artist. Participants Included Elliott The Get Up Kids Ink & Dagger The Promise Ring Refused Burning Airlines And Rye Coalition. Manatee Bound Announced "this Has Never Been Done Before " While Pitchfork Comically Wondered If The Aging Members Of Metroschifter Were Too Lazy To Play Their Own Songs. All Three Members Of Metroschifter Have Collaborated With Each Other On A Variety Of Other Projects In The Time Since The Band Was Regularly Active. And All Members Are Also Currently In Other Groups Chris Reinstatler Performs In Brett Ralph's Kentucky Chrome Revue Scott Ritcher Is In The Group Best Actress Pat McClimans Leads Lafayette Indiana's Root Hog. Ritcher Also Ran In The 1998 Election For Louisville Mayor And Was A 2008 Candidate For Kentucky's State Senate. After Taking About Six Years Off Between 1999 And 2005 They Returned To The Stage For A Series Of Exciting Sold-Out Shows In Louisville. Always Trying To Keep It Interesting The Opening Act For The First Return Performance Was A Spelling Bee In Which Audience Members Competed Against Bassist Pat McClimans. He Lost. Upon Their Return They Picked Tiny Ridiculous Ticket Prices Ranging From $1.79 To $2.44 In Their Hometown To Dispel Rumors They Were Reuniting To Make Money. The Metroschifter Has Played Over 200 Shows Across 14 Countries Including Five Tours Of Europe And Five Tours In The United States. Scott Ritcher Also Recorded And Toured As A Solo Artist In The US And Europe. The Bulk Of Metroschifter's And Scott Ritcher's Music Was Issued On Doghouse Records And Is Available From That Label Or From The Apple ITunes Music Store. Many Tracks Are Available Directly From Www.Metroschifter.Com. The Band's Sixth Full-Length Recording Was Released In July 2009 On The Louisville Label Noise Pollution. read less