TRACKS: 1. rocky the mouse 2. sunday 3. butterfly 4. the calculator 5. sleeping sheep 6. train 7. whatever makes you happy 8. rainbow ride 9. universe sailor 10. to kill is right 11. the monster 12. pocket money 13. crackpot BIOGRAPHY: "Front man of Serpentine, Jan Zimmerly, explains that Serpentine is mainly a solo act, but is supported by a four-piece live crew and by a competent team pulling the strings in the background. Jan Zimmerly (born 1978) wrote his first song at the tender age of twelve and played his first performance on stage at only fourteen. He then went on to form his first band. With a guitar under his arm, he travelled the world, eventually returning to Switzerland only to leave again to work overseas. In 2001, Jan arrived in Cuba and visited a guitar school in Santiago. As versatile as Jan himself, is his multifaceted music: an atmospheric and dream-spinning soundscape blended with experimental electronic passages. The undertones of his songs remain calm, layered by returning melancholic, beautiful and dramatic, but also unusual, song fragments. Jan Zimmerly (alias Serpentine) is a weird and eccentric all-rounder, who mostly self-produced his album, "a tragedy of being honest." Zimmerly was inspired by the Velvet Underground to cover their song, "Sunday" (track two). For this project, Zimmerly takes the responsibility for not only being the singer, but the guitarist, button pusher and hacker. He calls his instruments his musical toys." PRESS: "The album is throughout a success. Serpentine is producing ambitious, sensitive music (which is in it's kind extremely rare in Switzerland). The arrangement und compositions are placed on a very high level. The whole piece sounds unique, or in another word, truly honest, a fact which deserves to be rated highly..." Yuri Amstutz, head of music & owner of radio channel "k" Switzerland "Weird, weirder, fallen down. Serpentine's Anarchy-Pop pushes you into the furthest corner of your head. Convinces you of opinions that you hadn't dared think of their existence. A tragedy of an honest kind..." Swiss Music Scene (July 2004) Life/Career Chronology in Jan Zimmerly/Serpentine's words: 1978... and there was me 1990... first song composed 1992... first stage experience 1994-1997... band Breed performing several times regionally 1998-2001... travel to the Middle East, Europe and South America 2001... attend guitar school in Cuba, Santiago 2002... first album (own distribution): Jan's Kitchen recordings (a solo project) 2003... grant awarded by regional government in the „kuratorium" 2004... formation of Serpentine in February 2004... recording of current album Serpentine - "a tragedy of being honest" "A short word about the album "a tragedy of being honest" - I recorded the entire album within my own home studio. The local Somarecord Studio took care of the mixing and mastering of the album." -Jan Zimmerly/Serpentine |
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