THEE SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA MELTS FACES IN PHILADELPHIA
TSMZ played the First Unitarian Church Sanctuary on May 17th
“It’s kind of like eating at a friends parent’s house. You don’t want to touch anything.”
- lead singer Efrim Menuck, on playing The Church
It turned out to be the perfect night for Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra to play an old drafty church. As the doors opened, a light but steady rain had begun to dab at the sidewalks and faces of the many concert-goers standing outside the First Unitarian on 21st and Chestnut. As I stepped into line, I heard someone queuing behind me say, “this line is the mother-fucking first act right here.”
As disconnected as that thought sounded, it was true. TSMZ has spent this tour completely unassisted. As anyone familiar with the band or the genre of post-rock can attest, they would prefer it if bands like TSMZ did this more often. Post-rock songs are known to top the eight minute mark frequently, and the Montreal scene – home of TSMZ, Set Fire to Flames, and the granddaddy of all post-rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor – is known for songs spanning 15 to 20 minute segments.
What the crowd of us gathered on the floor and pews of the First Unitarian Church that night received was a two hour set of the bands most recent material, as well as a few crowd favorites. After cursory introductions, soft-spoken lead singer Efrim Menuck picked at his guitar and proceeded to smash through “I Built Myself A Metal Bird. I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings of Other Metal Birds,” backed by Jessica Moss and Sophie Trudeau on violins. Upright bassist Thierry Amar and drummer David Payant also blew away the audience on the bass staff, sending a deep rumble through the floorboards of The Church.
Full disclosure: I’ve been waiting ages for TSMZ to tour again. It happens rarely, and it is one of those shows that as a fan, you feel that you must see it. Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the same venue that I’ve come to for going on three full years now, I was mesmerized by the way that this band does their work live. Being near the front, while definitely taxing on your ear drums, allows the observe to see the connection between the instrument and the sound it produces. I watched as each member of the band plucked, strummed, and bowed their way to a very successful rendering of the latest TSMZ album, Kollaps Tradixionales.
After playing album opener “There Is Light” and the titular track, the band reached back into its older material to play fan favorite “God Bless Our Dead Marines.” The wall of sound devolving into driven orchestral music fit for an action movie, ending in echoing vocals trailing off into an open coda gives one full understanding of what this band is about. After playing “1 Million Died to Make This Sound,” the band walked off to a standing ovation, only to return a few minutes later to play “Microphones In The Trees” described by Menuck as being about “throwing bricks through windows.”
For those of you out there who’ve never heard of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, I direct you to the two videos below, comprising the entirety of “God Bless Our Dead Marines” from the last show the band played at The Church in 2008.
