“Unfiltered musical freedom” is what Brad Laner was looking for when he formed his latest ensemble of noisy pop, Amnesia. If you don’t recognize the name, Laner used to bend guitar sounds for Medicine, but after a year of indolence and introspection, he’s back at the helm, squeezing squealy sounds out of his guitar.
He cites boredom and “an inability to make ‘normal’ type sounds in the first place” as the impetus for playing guitar, and Amnesia’s new record, Cherry Flavor Night Time (Supreme/Island, 1997)
is exhibit D in the case that finds him guilty as charged. The undeniable pop core in these songs wears a dark veil of distorted guitar waves created entirely by Laner and his guitar.
“In the studio,” Laner explains, “I definitely prefer to work alone. Though I love playing with the live band…” The band is rounded out by Jeremy Wood and Jason 71, but count on Laner’s guitarwork to be the center of any Amnesia show.
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This piece originally appeared in Front Wheel Drive zine #47.