A Silver Mt. Zion was formed in 1999 by Godspeed You! Black Emperor musicians Efrim Menuck, Sophie Troudeau and Thierry Amar. According to an interview with VPRO Radio in Holland, originally the project was for Efrim to learn how to score music, but the idea was soon abandoned as Efrim decided that he preferred music not to be defined by rules, but just as music that sounded good. In the same interview, Efrim described the recording of their first album as a "Jewish experience" dedicated to his dog Wanda, who had died while Godspeed You! Black Emperor was on tour.

After the release of their first album, the group expanded to six members and was renamed The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band and released the album Born Into Trouble As The Sparks Fly Upward. For the band's third album, which made use of an amateur choir, its name was again changed, this time to The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-la-la Band with Choir. For the release of the Pretty Little Lightning Paw EP, the bands name changed once again to Thee Silver Mountain Reveries. For their latest release, the band has changed their name back to Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band. For simplicity, they are often called by the original name of A Silver Mt. Zion.

There are strong political motifs in the band's music, which is mostly instrumental but has spoken lyrics in some songs, some of which are spoken by Efrim's younger brother Mischa and sister Sara. The instrumental "Thirteen Angels Standing Guard Around Your Bed" is apparently directed towards black bloc anarchists, with other songs written against war and globalization.

The name A Silver Mt. Zion apparently refers to Temple Mount, the highest point in Jerusalem.

The band toured the UK and played in several venues around the country in December 2004, following their performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. A new album entitled Horses in the Sky has been recorded, and will be released on the 7th March in Europe, and 21st March in America (with the vinyl versions coming out 2 weeks prior to each of these dates in their respective countries). The album is 6 tracks long, making about an hour of music.[1] (http://www.cstrecords.com/html/cst033main.html)

Discography

• He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corners Of Our Rooms..., (Album, 2000)
• Born Into Trouble As The Sparks Fly Upward, (Album, 2001)
• "This Is Our Punk-Rock," Thee Rusted Satellites Gather + Sing, (Album, 2003)
• Pretty Little Lightning Paw, (EP, 2004)
• Horses in the Sky, (Album, 2005)

External links

• Constellation Records' A Silver Mt. Zion website (http://www.cstrecords.com/html/asmz.html)