Xelas

Xelas
Xelas photo taken from Bandcamp page.
Background information
Origin	Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Genres	Post-Metal, Post-Rock, Psychedelic, Experimental, Ambient, Drone, Doom Metal, Black Metal, Avant-Garde, Bluegrass
Years active	2010 - 2015, 2018 - Present
Labels	Concentric Dronecult
Associated acts	Stampede, Sonic Altar, Nest, Arktos, Everyone Lives Everyone Wins, Rotting Kingdom, Blood Carries Disease, BOMBS, DeAnimator, Tombstalker, Kraken Fury, Voidspeak, LAVA, Eolith
Website	Facebook

Xelas are an experimental post-rock/post-metal band from Lexington, Kentucky. Active since at least 2010 up until December 2015, their music is mostly instrumental with elements of post-rock, post-metal, drone, bluegrass and black metal. Their description, according to their Facebook page, is as follows: "All art is but imitation of nature".

History

Xelas started sometime around 2010 as a collaborative project between a multitude of Lexington musicians, experimenting with different drones and sounds. Eventually their first recordings would be released in 2011. Sporadic shows around the Lexington, KY area would follow as would singles from members of the collective. Finally a studio album would see release in 2013.

Eventually in 2015 on May the band would release Remember The Clear Light and perform at Natasha's in Lexington in collaboration with Mongolian throat singer Tamir Hargana. A second album saw release in the summer entitled When I Hear Music I Fear No Danger. The release for the studio collaborations with Hargana would come in December that year as The Kindred Language.

In June of 2015 Garrett Spear would move to Texas, leaving the band's activity at a more sporadic pace. He would return to Lexington to perform with Xelas and Everyone Lives Everyone Wins in a special set (with both bands performing together at one point) in December 2015. Xelas would return to Lexington on 4 November 2018 at Al's Bar in collaboration with Tamir Hargana. A follow up performance happened on 21 December (Winter Solstice) with Everyone Lives Everyone Wins.

Xelas - The Cave

Xelas - Aural Refraction

XELAS - ARTIFACT A

XELAS - ARTIFACT B

Members, Past and Present

• Garrett Spear
• Kyle Keener
• Justin Smoot
• Dakota Smith
• Adrian Dickerson
• Tamir Hargana

Discography

Studio Albums

• Xelas (2013)
• Remember The Clear Light (2015)
• When I Hear Music I Fear No Danger (2015)
• The Kindred Language (2015)

Other Releases

• (The Sky Trembled, Then All Ceased) (Split with Sonic Altar) (2011, Concentric Dronecult)
• Concentric MMXI (Compilation) (2011, Concentric Dronecult)
• Sweet and Honest (Single) (2011)
• The Day Is Past and Gone (Live Single) (2012)

List of Known Performances

NOTE: All sources to date culled from Facebook on August 26, 2016.

• April 20, 2012 - Private Venue, Lexington, KY (With Everyone Lives Everyone Wins)
• June 16, 2012 - Land of Tomorrow, Lexington, KY (With Wretched Worst; Everyone Lives Everyone Wins)
• August 29, 2012 - House Show, Lexington, KY (With Bear Medicine, Smelody, Tina and Her Pony)
• November 19, 2013 - Natasha's, Lexington, KY (With Kraken Fury, Prognosticator)
• December 20, 2013 - Private Venue, Lexington, KY (With Everyone Lives Everyone Wins)
• January 27, 2014 - Natasha's, Lexington, KY (Voidspeak; With LAVA)
• October 27, 2014 - Natasha's, Lexington, KY (With Tatsuya Nakatani)
• December 21, 2014 - Natasha's, Lexington, KY (With Bear Medicine)
• May 4, 2015 - Natasha's, Lexington, KY (Two sets, one with Tamir Hargana; With Kraken Fury)
• June 25, 2015 - House show, Lexington, KY
• December 21, 2015 - The Source on High, Lexington, KY (With Everyone Lives Everyone Wins; Also featured a collaborative set)
• November 4, 2018 - Al's Bar, Lexington, KY (Collaborative set with Tamir Hargana; With Donna Kwon, David Boyd)
• December 21, 2018 - Source on High, Lexington, KY (Winter Solstice Ceremony; With Everyone Lives Everyone Wins, Bear Medicine)

Links

• Bandcamp
• Concentric Dronecult Bandcamp
• Facebook
• Apotheos Productions
• Concentric Drone Cult
• Interview with Minter Sizemore and Garrett Spear
• Review of Remember The Clear Light