San Francisco

American Music Club were formed in 1983 in sunny San Francisco and over their career, have featured a cast of eccentrics, hairy men and geniuses fronted by Mark Eitzel. They released seven remarkable albums of varying intensity and beauty. The band managed to transcend musical sub-genres (although the alt. country tag seems to have stuck the longest,) to create works that could be filled with pathos, regret, anger, loss and humour, both lyrical and black. They pillaged swing, languid playing and experimentalism from jazz, freedom from punk, a certain punch from rock, deconstructionist elements from country and lyricism from folk. They were critically adored but for the most part, commercially ignored. This was their 7th album and their last before they reformed 9 years later.