Church choir granny turns heavy metal rocker
-20/10/05
The parental advisory sticker-free world of US Christian rock has lost a possible recruit in 83-year-old Olga Sarantos, after the feisty grandmother from Oak Park, Illinois, decided instead to throw her musical lot in with an ear-burning heavy metal band.
Mrs Sarantos was the local director of her church choir in Chicago for 45 years, and surprised friends and choristers by marking her departure with a starring role on the Fiery Furnacesí third album ëRehearsing My Choirí, which was released in the UK on Monday.
The CD, which has been likened to Slayerís heavy metal classic, ëReign in Bloodí, is out on the Rough Trade label.
Though built around Sarantosí own colourful life story, the album is unlikely to make it into many ëTop Praise Albumí charts, since its creators ñ brother and sister duo Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger ñ describe it as raucous and ìbroken down at timesî.
The siblings are grandchildren of Mrs Sarantos, and have crafted her husky, muscular alto into the mix, as well as the narrative of her sometimes tough life.
ìI recently retired from the church earlier this year, and I knew that this record would be a perfect way to end my legacyî, explained the unlikely lead singer, who laid down her tracks after a stint in hospital.
She says that working on the album cheered her up a good deal, and required her to dust down her glad rags for trips to the studio.
When they were younger, Matthew and Eleanor were gathered round the piano by their grandmother, who therefore also has some claim to being a formative musical influence on them.
The siblings have an English father living in London, which means that in theory they would be eligible to enter the prestigious Mercury Music Prize.
To balance the Chicago slant of ëRehearsing My Choirí, the Fiery Furnaces say they would like to do another album name-checking ìevery county in England, even the dead ones.î
The duo has already recorded a further release, ëBitter Teaí, due for early 2006. That one isnít likely to storm up the Christian music charts either ñ its originators label it, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as ìsissy psychedelic satanismî.
Church choir granny turns heavy metal rocker
-20/10/05
The parental advisory sticker-free world of US Christian rock has lost a possible recruit in 83-year-old Olga Sarantos, after the feisty grandmother from Oak Park, Illinois, decided instead to throw her musical lot in with an ear-burning heavy metal band.
Mrs Sarantos was the local director of her church choir in Chicago for 45 years, and surprised friends and choristers by marking her departure with a starring role on the Fiery Furnaces’ third album ëRehearsing My Choir’, which was released in the UK on Monday.
The CD, which has been likened to Slayer’s heavy metal classic, ëReign in Blood’, is out on the Rough Trade label.
Though built around Sarantos’ own colourful life story, the album is unlikely to make it into many ëTop Praise Album’ charts, since its creators – brother and sister duo Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger – describe it as raucous and ‘broken down at times’.
The siblings are grandchildren of Mrs Sarantos, and have crafted her husky, muscular alto into the mix, as well as the narrative of her sometimes tough life.
‘I recently retired from the church earlier this year, and I knew that this record would be a perfect way to end my legacy’, explained the unlikely lead singer, who laid down her tracks after a stint in hospital.
She says that working on the album cheered her up a good deal, and required her to dust down her glad rags for trips to the studio.
When they were younger, Matthew and Eleanor were gathered round the piano by their grandmother, who therefore also has some claim to being a formative musical influence on them.
The siblings have an English father living in London, which means that in theory they would be eligible to enter the prestigious Mercury Music Prize.
To balance the Chicago slant of ëRehearsing My Choir’, the Fiery Furnaces say they would like to do another album name-checking ‘every county in England, even the dead ones.’
The duo has already recorded a further release, ëBitter Tea’, due for early 2006. That one isn’t likely to storm up the Christian music charts either – its originators label it, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as ‘sissy psychedelic satanism’.