| Trey Spruance | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Preston Lea Spruance III |
| Born | 1969 |
| Genre(s) | Experimental music Experimental rock Avant-progressive rock Avant-garde metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Label(s) | Mimicry Records |
| Associated acts |
Mr. Bungle Faith No More Secret Chiefs 3 Estradasphere |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Saz, Organ, Trumpet, Zither, Cumbus Baglama, Electric Sitar, Dumbek, Bass | |
Preston Lea Spruance III or "Trey Spruance" (born 1969 in Eureka, California) is an American composer, producer, and musician. Originally a guitarist and trumpeter, Spruance later began playing vintage electric organs, saz, santur, electric sitar, tar, pipa, and various other string and percussion instruments. Sampling and foley work also play a large role in his recordings. He is most widely known for his work with Mr. Bungle.
Contents |
History
Spruance, along with Mike Patton and Trevor Dunn, was a founding member of Mr. Bungle. Since Mr. Bungle's dissolution in 2000, Spruance has focused more on his Secret Chiefs 3 projects, expanding the role of the group's seven sub-groups and releasing Book of Horizons, the first album of a planned trilogy. He has performed with John Zorn and Eyvind Kang, as well as recording with Patton's more mainstream group Faith No More on their 1995 album King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime.
As a producer
Spruance has often worked as a producer, beginning with Mr. Bungle's albums Disco Volante and California. In 2004 Spruance produced the album Death After Life for Oakland, CA death metal group Impaled, also contributing guitar solos for their songs "Resurectionists", and "Medical Waste". Other production duties have included I'll Have What's She's Having (2004) by The Tuna Helpers and Faxed Head's Chiropractic (2001).
Record label
Spruance is the founder and webmaster of Mimicry Records, which has released albums from a variety of different bands, including Estradasphere, The Youngs, Danubius, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Brazzaville, Matt Chamberlain, Dengue Fever, and Sir Millard Mulch, amongst other projects.
Playing style
Spruance's playing style as a guitarist is rooted in Death metal and Surf rock; more recently he has combined these with Turkish and Persian styles in Secret Chiefs 3.
In Movies
The first movie score he preformed was for The Anna Cabrini Chronicles (written and Directed by Tawd b. Dorenfeld), which was released in 2005. The music is similar to his work with Secret Chiefs 3 and was produced by Elk 56 and Dorenfeld.
Composition style
Spruance's diverse compositional style has been influenced by Olivier Messiaen, Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone, Bernard Herrmann, R. D. Burman, Ananda Shankar, Pythagoras of Samos[1] [2] [3], Devo, Fear of God, Mercyful Fate, and many others.
Band membership
- Secret Chiefs 3
- Faith No More
- Mr. Bungle
- Weird Little Boy (a one-off studio project)
- ASVA
- Faxed Head (as "Neck Head")
- Noddingturd Fan (also NT Fan)
- Plainfield
- The Bon Larvis Band
- The Three Doctors Band
- Zip Code Rapists
References
External links
- The Trey Spruance Gallery - a comprehensive list of Spruance's live and recorded projects
- Web of Mimicry
- Mimicry Records - Spruance's record label
- Official Site of Secret Chiefs 3 - official website containing member line-up and photos.
