BY ALEXANDRA JONES
Daily Arts Editor
Published January 26, 2006
Next in the East Quad Music Co-op's concert series is a lineup that includes three of Ann Arbor's most innovative - and innovatively named - indie groups. Gentle popsters Canada, free-form songsters Descent of the Holy Ghost Church and up-and-coming rockers Great Lakes Myth Society will pack the basement of East Quadrangle Residence Hall at the Halfass Friday night.
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The Descent of the Holy Ghost Church might not boast a large roster, but this combination of musicians - whose sonic palette includes guitar, drums, trumpet and accordion - has fused diverse influences into a musical product that reflects the best the Ann Arbor scene has to offer.
They've only existed since last summer, but the band's career was kick-started with an auspicious performance opening for the alt-country Magnolia Electric Co.
Art & Design student/Descent songwriter Chris Bathgate explained how it happened. "While (Residential College student Jansen Swy and I) were at (New England Literature Project), we heard that Magnolia Electric Co. didn't have an opener yet," he said.
Despite the fact that students aren't permitted to make or receive phone calls at NELP, Bathgate and Swy managed to secure the booking.
Regarding the band's songwriting process, "It just sort of happens," Bathgate said. "Someone will bring A to the table, and then, when (trumpet player) Ross is on it, it becomes B; and when (drummer) Matt's on it, it becomes C, and it sort of gets further and further away from what it originally was."
Descent's original incarnation was formed when a group of musicians recorded an accompaniment to Swy's poetry for three solid days. Tracks from this seminal session can be found at www.myspace.com/thedescentoftheholyghostchurch.
Bathgate is happy to perform as part of this trio of acts. "I'm excited to see (Canada) live," Bathgate said. "And Great Lakes Myth Society are probably the tightest local group that I've seen in the past year."
"If you waltz in there, there'll be at least one group that you'll likely enjoy, even though we're very different bands," Bathgate said.
