Submarine Fleet is a 5 piece band consisting of electric guitars (6 string, baritone, and bass), drums, and vocals. The 5 members combine dreamy high frequency shimmer, deep range melodiousness, and hypnotic rhythms to set the stage for passionate male vocal works with surrealist leanings.

Submarine Fleet has often been compared to the likes of 1980's 4AD label artists such as Cocteau Twins (primarily with respect to their heavily layered guitar work). However, upon closer observation, hints of things more reminiscent of Blonde Redhead, And Also The Trees, and Ummagumma era Pink Floyd become recognizable. Add to that their generous song lengths, which build and maintain their resonance through a well crafted intensity, and one comes up with a sound that is at once psychedelic, intriguing and mysterious.

“In a Case of Fire”, Submarine Fleet’s debut E.P., was officially released on July 26, 2005.

This entirely self-produced and self-released CD includes 5 songs from their all-original live repertoire; a catalogue of songs which has begun to engage and endear a respectable following amongst the concert-going crowds of Portland, Oregon.

On July 22nd the band, in ship-shape from the studio, performed a very well attended CD release party at Portland’s Ash Street Saloon. This event marked a definite high point in the band’s first nine months of playing live, months which have included appearances with other Portland artists such as Dorien, The Divided, The Gentry, The Prids, and nationally touring acts such as Collide and Girl in a Coma.

Submarine Fleet has its roots in its members’ previous (and in certain cases ongoing) projects.

These include :::

Dan Canty: drums (Nimbus {Eugene, OR})

Mark Linder: vocals (Blade Fetish {Santa Barbara, CA})

Lauren McKenzie: guitar (Saturnalia Trio {Portland, OR})

Ashe Ruppe: bass (disekt; The Elysium Facade; Nocturne pdx {Portland, OR})

Ash Sain: baritone guitar & synth (Blade Fetish; Trance to the Sun {Santa Barbara, CA})

Submarine Fleet was first conceptualized in the fall of 2001 by Ash Sain, following the conclusion of his critically acclaimed, though largely overlooked group Trance to the Sun (which had had a seven album run with the Tess, Ambulancia, and Precipice record labels). Sain began the new Submarine Fleet project by exquisitely recording nine CDs worth of solo ambient improvisational music concerts, several of which were made available to fans. In the spring of 2002, he relocated to Portland, Oregon for the express purpose of launching a full scale version of the group to be known as Submarine Fleet. An experimental period followed where, performing under the preliminary name of Electromagnet, the exquisite talents of bassist Ashe Ruppe and Guitarist Lauren McKenzie were integrated (Ruppe had toured with Trance to the Sun in ‘97). And after much deliberation over who might be able to fill the shoes for this group vocally, it was decided to import Sain’s former band mate Mark Linder from his seclusion in Arkansas (Sain and Linder had recorded and toured together previously under the name Blade Fetish). When Linder arrived in the summer of 2004, a new phase of song writing and demo-ing began in earnest. Then, in the fall of 2004, just at the point when it was most critically needed, drummer Dan Canty appeared through a chance meeting during a pre-dawn taxi trip to Portland International Airport. In the space of a single rehearsal, Canty left no doubt amongst the others that he was the ideal drummer for the job. The new members became quickly acclimated to each-other’s tastes and quirks, and finally the ideal incarnation of Submarine Fleet was up and running.

Submarine Fleet is presently refining new material for a follow-up release, whilst performing shows in and about their home city. They respond to email, and would be happy to hear from any interested parties. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.