Gruff Rhys (pronounced [grɪf r̥iːs]; born July 18, 1970 in Haverfordwest (Welsh: Hwlffordd) in south-west Wales) is a member of the Super Furry Animals who were at the forefront of the wave of successful Welsh bands which broke through into the mainstream music scene in the 1990s. July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Haverfordwest (Welsh: Hwlffordd) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, in south-west Wales. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... This article is about the country. ... Super Furry Animals (also known as SFA, the Furries and the Super Furries) are a Welsh rock band, with leanings towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. ...

Musical career

Ffa Coffi Pawb

Main article: Ffa Coffi Pawb

After playing drums for the band Emily, Gruff Rhys found fame in Wales as the front man of Ffa Coffi Pawb. Translated, the name means 'everyone's coffee beans', though if said quickly in Welsh, it can sound like 'Fuck off everyone'.
On signing to Ankstmusik, Ffa Coffi Pawb became one of the leading bands on the Welsh music scene, and released three albums - Clymhalio, Dalec Peilon and Hei Vidal!'. Ffa Coffi Pawb (literally: Everybodys Coffee Beans, phonetically: Fuck Off, Everyone) are commonly acknowledged to be the prototype of the Super Furry Animals and were signed to top Welsh music label, Ankst. ... Ankst is a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at Aberystwyth University by Alun Llwyd and Emyr Williams. ...

Rhys plays the guitar in a unique style. He is right handed and learnt to play on his brothers left handed guitar. Rather than invert the nut and re-string it he taught himself to play a left handed guitar upside down so the bass strings are on the bottom.

Super Furry Animals

Main article: Super Furry Animals

When Ffa Coffi Pawb disbanded in 1993, Rhys and drummer Dafydd Ieuan, of Rhoscefnhir, Anglesey, who had played for Catatonia, Anrhefn, Hanner Pei and many other Welsh language bands, formed the basis of the Super Furry Animals. They soon settled on a line-up consisting of Rhys on vocals and guitar, Ieuan on drums, his brother Cian Ciaran (formerly of WWZZ) on keyboards, Huw Bunford (formerly of U-Thant) on guitar and Guto Pryce on bass. This line-up has remained constant to the present day, although the role of each member has become more flexible, particularly in the studio. Super Furry Animals (also known as SFA, the Furries and the Super Furries) are a Welsh rock band, with leanings towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. ... Dafydd Ieuan (born March 1, 1969) is the drummer with the band Super Furry Animals. ... Anglesey (Welsh: , pronounced (IPA)), is an island and county at the northwestern extremity of Wales. ... Catatonia were a popular music band from Wales that gained a national following in the United Kingdom in the mid-late 1990s. ... Cian Ciaran (born 16th June 1976) was the keyboard player in the band Super Furry Animals. ... Huw Bunford (also known as Bunf) is the guitarist in the band Super Furry Animals. ... Guto Pryce (born September 4, 1972) was a bass guitar player in the band Super Furry Animals. ...

In 1995, following a couple of largely Welsh-language EPs on the Ankst label, they signed to Creation Records. Apparently, when offering them the deal after a gig, Alan McGee, head of Creation, asked that they sing more songs in English. Rhys pointed out that all the songs that night had been in English. The Super Furries went on to release of their critically-acclaimed first album, Fuzzy Logic, in 1996 - the first time Rhys had recorded an album in English. He later observed that his singing sounded like a random collection of accents - but it was nevertheless very successful. Ankst is a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at Aberystwyth University by Alun Llwyd and Emyr Williams. ... At least two different record labels called Creation Records have existed. ... Alan McGee is a British music industry mogul and musician famed for founding the independent Creation Records label which ran from 1983 to 2000. ... Fuzzy Logic is the name of the debut album by the Super Furry Animals. ...

Follow-up albums included Radiator in 1997, Guerrilla in 1999 and Mwng, a Welsh-language affair, in 2000. They also became particularly famous for their 40 foot inflatable bears and the SFA blue tank, which toured summer festivals playing techno music at high volume. The Super Furries made a further mark on history in July 2001, when they released their first album for the Sony label, Rings Around the World, on CD and DVD simultaneously: they repeated this for 2003's Phantom Power. Unfortunately 2005's Love Kraft performed poorly commercially and SFA agreed to leave Sony. They are presently signed to Rough Trade and will release a new album in 2007. Radiator is the second album by the Super Furry Animals. ... Guerrilla is the third studio album by Super Furry Animals, released in June 1999, reaching as high as #10 in the UK album chart. ... Mwng (Welsh: Mane) is an album by Super Furry Animals. ... Rings around the World is the fifth studio album and the major label debut by Super Furry Animals. ... Phantom power (labeled as +48 V on some audio equipment) is a method that sends an electrical current through microphone cables. ... Love Kraft is the seventh album by Welsh band Super Furry Animals. ... Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. ...

Solo

On 24 January 2005, Gruff Rhys released his first solo album, Yr Atal Genhedlaeth on the Placid Casual label. This was a loose, sketchy, all-Welsh-language record, with most of the instruments played by Rhys. A tour of Wales and several festival appearances followed. After SFA signed to Rough Trade, the new label agreed to take on his solo work as well and on 8 January 2007 they released Candylion, a batch of acoustic pop songs in English, Spanish and Welsh, which Rhys wrote whilst touring Love Kraft but which didn't fit with the direction of the new SFA album. (It came out on Team Love in the United States.) Yr Atal Genhedlaeth is the debut solo album by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys. ... Candylion is the second solo album by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys. ... Team Love is a New York City-based independent record label founded by Conor Oberst and Nate Krenkel in 2003. ...

Collaborations with other artists

Rhys has occasionally collaborated with other artists, providing vocals for the track "Dial: Revenge" on the Mogwai album Rock Action as well as guesting on the songs "Fear of Guitars" (from the album Machine Says Yes by FC Kahuna) and "Do's and Don'ts" (by Boom Bip). For the Swiss progressive house producer who releases under the name Moogwai, see Chab. ... Rock Action is the third full-length studio album by the post-rock group Mogwai. ... FC Kahuna (or FC/Kahuna) is the name of a DJ and electronic music production duo consisting of Jon Nowell and Daniel Ormondroyd. ... Bryan Hollon, aka Boom Bip, is a producer and musician who experiments with many different genres and has developed a sound of his own. ...

Trivia

Outside of his music, Gruff supports Bangor City F.C. of the League of Wales Bangor City F.C. is a football team, playing in the League of Wales. ... The Welsh Premiership is the national football league for Wales and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. ...

Discography

Albums

• Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (2005)
• Candylion (2007)UK #50

Yr Atal Genhedlaeth is the debut solo album by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Candylion is the second solo album by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

References

• Link. Biography at bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 9 August 2006.

August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• Super Furry Animals
• Placid Casual
• Gruff's Myspace
• The Bear unofficial MySpace
• SFA interview with the BBC

Reviews

• Short story review of My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go [The Wheel's Still In Spin]