Zenith Effluveum

ZENITH EFFLUVEUM are an obscure oddity from Rochester, NY. The band members were high school friends: Carl Mack on drums (still musically active today), Michael Ferrera (who wrote the most songs, sadly he passed away a few years ago) and Kim Fabris. (There's a rumour that Greg Prevost of Chesterfield Kings contributed on their only record but the actual truth is he was recording in the same basement, but not appearing on the record.) The band was influenced by Can, Amon Duul, Faust, Floh de Cologne, Magma, Silver Apples, Henry Cow and many more. They performed in CBGB in '77, and in '78 their self-released debut Almost Made It In The USA saw the light of the day. It's clearly a labour of love rather than a high-quality production achievement: it's a low fidelity, one take recording on a 4-track. Apparently there are some Moog Taurus pedals and clarinets there... The second incarnation of the band, Zenith II came about in 1983, but it's unknown whether they have any releases or not.