His Name Is Alive

His Name Is Alive is a band from Livonia, Michigan, essentially the personal project of musician Warren Defever.

Related Topics:
Livonia - Michigan - Warren Defever

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Defever began recording as His Name Is Alive in 1986, inspired by experimental artists such as Eddie Cochran, KIng Tubby, Jimi Hendrix, Leadbelly, and 4ad's Cocteau Twins. In the early years of the band the vocalists were first Angie Carozzo and later Karin Oliver, a classmate of Defever in his freshman year at Eastern Michigan University before he dropped out to concentrate on music. Three cassettes were released, which attracted the attention of influential British record label 4AD. Livonia, His Name Is Alive's first album, was released in 1990.

Related Topics:
Cocteau Twins - Eastern Michigan University - 4AD - 1990

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1991 saw the release of Home Is In Your Head. Here Defever moved from the ethereal atmospherics of Livonia to sparser arrangements. The album is noteworthy for its grim yet strangely humorous tone and the conciseness of its 23 tracks (some only a minute long).

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Mouth By Mouth appeared in 1993 and saw Defever give more of a role to outside musicians, including new drummer Trey Many (who played on one entire song and one interlude). Half of the tracks on the album were actually provided by the band The Dirt Eaters, of which Defever was a member. The album features a more rock sound, in contrast to the acoustic sound of earlier efforts.

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In 1996, after three years of recording, Stars On E.S.P. was released. Here the band changed styles yet again, providing an album full of oldies and surf-influenced hi-fi rock. 1998's Ft. Lake was similar, but new vocalist Lovetta Pippen contributed two soul-influenced tracks "No Hiding Place," "Wishing Ring," and "Everything Takes Forever."

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In 2000 Defever, after dismissing longtime vocalist Karin Oliver and moving Lovetta Pippen to the forefront, made the controversial move from rock to blues. Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth, delayed for over a year while the label was sold and restructured (although the delay was cleverly blamed on the design firm's v23 ambitious artwork, saw the light in 2001. Last Night, similarly shelved for many monthes, followed in 2002.

Related Topics:
2000 - Karin Oliver - Lovetta Pippen - V23 - 2001 - 2002

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In late 2002 it was announced that His Name Is Alive were no longer a member of 4AD, with some rumors indicating the band was dropped, and others that it was an amicable parting. The activity of His Name Is Alive continues, however, through self-released and independent albums. By late 2003, a timeSTEREO CD release of a new, primarily instrumental His Name Is Alive album, Brown Rice - so named after one of Don Cherry's greatest LPs from the '70's, was available for sale at select shows and was later made available via the timeSTEREO site in 2004. Detroit River, a collection of remixes and alternate takes of recent material, was sold at shows in 2004.

Related Topics:
2002 - 2003 - 2004

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