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Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 17th century, commentators and others began to refer to those groups favouring the theology, worship and hierarchical structure of Anglicanism (such as the episcopate) as the truest form of Christianity as 'high church'. In contrast, by the early 18th century those theologians and politicians who sought more reform in the English church and a greater liberalisation of church structure were called "low church".

Historical use[link]

The term low church was used in the early part of the 18th century as the equivalent of the term Latitudinarian in that it was used to refer to values that provided much latitude in matters of discipline and faith. The term was in contradistinction to the term high church, or high churchmen, which applied to those who valued the exclusive authority of the Established Church, the episcopacy and the sacramental system. Low church beliefs coincided with those of the non-conformist Puritans and Independents in the Church of England. The terms subsequently fell into disuse.

These terms were revived in the 19th century when the Tractarian movement again brought the term high churchman into vogue. The terms were again used in a modified sense, now used to refer to those who exalted the idea of the Church as a catholic entity as the body of Christ, and the sacramental system as the divinely given means of grace. A low churchman now became the equivalent of an Evangelical, the designation of the movement associated with the name of Charles Simeon, which held the necessity of personal conversion to be of primary importance. At the same time, Latitudinarian changed to broad church, or broad churchmen, designating those who most valued the ethical teachings of the Church and minimized the value of orthodoxy. The revival of pre-Reformation ritual by many of the high church clergy led to the designation ritualist being applied to them in a somewhat contemptuous sense. However, the terms high churchman and ritualist have often been wrongly treated as interchangeable. The high churchman of the Catholic type is further differentiated from the earlier use of what is sometimes described as the "high and dry type" of the period before the Oxford Movement.

Modern use[link]

Low Church Anglicans[link]

In contemporary usage, "low churches" place more emphasis on the Protestant nature of Anglicanism than broad or high churches and are usually Evangelical in their belief and practice. They may tend to favour the Prayer Book services of Morning and Evening Prayer over the Eucharist, though the Diocese of Sydney has largely abandoned the Prayer Book and uses free-form evangelical services. Some contemporary low churches also incorporate elements of charismatic Christianity.

More traditional low church Anglicans, under the influence of Calvinist or Reformed thought inherited from the Reformation era, reject the doctrine that the sacraments confer grace ex opere operato (e.g. baptismal regeneration) and lay stress on the Bible as the ultimate source of authority in matters of faith necessary for salvation. They thus are, in general, prepared to co-operate with other Protestants on nearly equal terms^{[citation needed]}. Some^{[citation needed]} Low church Anglicans of the Reformed party consider themselves the only faithful adherents of historic Anglicanism and emphasize the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England as an official doctrinal statement of the Anglican tradition.

United churches in India[link]

Several provinces of the Anglican Communion had merged or tried to merge with Protestant churches. The Church of South India arose out of the merge of the southern province of the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (Anglican), the Methodist Church of South India and the South India United Church (a Congregationalist, Reformed and Presbyterian united church) in 1947. In the 1990s a small number of Baptist and Pentecostal churches joined also the union. In 1970 the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, the United Church of North India, the Baptist Churches of Northern India, the Church of the Brethren in India, the Methodist Church (British and Australia Conferences) and the Disciples of Christ denominations merged to form the Church of North India.

In 2002 the Church of Ireland, which is generally on the Low Church end of the spectrum of world Anglicanism, signed a covenant for greater cooperation and potential ultimate unity with the Methodist Church in Ireland.^[1]

In the 1960s the Methodist Church made ecumenical overtures to the Church of England, aimed at church unity. These formally failed when they were rejected by the Church of England's General Synod in 1972, however conversations and co-operation continued leading in 2003 to the signing of a covenant between the two churches.^[2] From the 1970s onward, the Methodist Church was involved in several "Local Ecumenical Projects" (LEPs) with neighbouring denominations usually with the Church of England, the Baptists or with the United Reformed Church, which involved sharing churches, schools and in some cases ministers.

Low Church and Evangelical Anglican churches[link]

• Anglican Episcopal Church
• Anglican Orthodox Church
• Anglican Diocese of Sydney
• Free Church of England
• Evangelical Connexion of the Free Church of England
• Church of Ireland
• Church of England (Continuing)
• Extra-provincial Anglican churches
• Church of England in South Africa
• Church of South India
• Church of North India
• Diocese of the Great Lakes
• Reformed Episcopal Church
• Traditional Protestant Episcopal Church

See also[link]

• Anglicanism
• Anglo-Catholicism
• Broad church
• Church of England
• High Church
• Methodism
• Ritualism

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Cross, F. L. (ed.) (1957) The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. London: Oxford U. P.; Low Churchmen, p. 824

External links[link]

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Low Church

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in July 2011
Born	Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (1946-02-21) 21 February 1946 (age 66) Hammersmith, London, England
Occupation	Actor (stage, screen)
Years active	1978–present
Partner	Rima Horton (1965–present)

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born 21 February 1946) is an English actor of stage and screen. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His breakout performance was as the Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Rickman is known for his film performances as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series, Éamon de Valera in Michael Collins, and Metatron in Dogma.

Rickman has also had a number of other notable film roles such as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply, P.L. O'Hara in An Awfully Big Adventure and Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. More recently, he played Judge Turpin in the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Early life[link]

Rickman was born in South Hammersmith, London, to a working class family, the son of Margaret Doreen Rose (née Bartlett), a housewife, and Bernard Rickman, a factory worker.^[1] Rickman's mother was from Wales and a Methodist, and his father was of Irish Catholic background.^[2] He has one elder brother, David (b. 1944), a graphic designer, a younger brother, Michael (b. 1947), a tennis coach, and a younger sister, Sheila (b. 1949).^[2][3] Rickman attended Derwentwater Primary School, in Acton, a school that followed the Montessori method of education.^[4]

When he was eight, his father died, leaving his mother to bring up four children mostly alone. She married again, but divorced his stepfather after three years. "There was one love in her life," Rickman later said.^[2] Rickman excelled at calligraphy and watercolour painting, and from Derwentwater Junior School he won a scholarship to Latymer Upper School in London, where he started getting involved in drama. After leaving Latymer, Rickman attended Chelsea College of Art and Design and then the Royal College of Art. This education allowed him to work as a graphic designer for the radical newspaper the Notting Hill Herald,^[5] which he considered a more stable occupation than acting. "Drama school wasn't considered the sensible thing to do at 18," he said.

After graduation, Rickman and several friends opened a graphic design studio called Graphiti, but after three years of successful business, he decided that if he were to ever explore acting professionally, it was now or never. This led him to write a letter to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) requesting an audition^[6] and was awarded a place in RADA which he attended from 1972–74. While there, he studied Shakespeare's works and supported himself by working as a dresser for Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Ralph Richardson,^[7] and left after winning several prizes, including the Emile Littler Prize, the Forbes Robertson Prize, and the Bancroft Gold Medal.

Rickman in December 2009

Career[link]

After graduating from RADA, Rickman worked extensively with various British repertory and experimental theatre groups on productions including The Seagull and Snoo Wilson's The Grass Widow at the Royal Court Theatre, and has appeared three times at the Edinburgh International Festival. In 1978, he played with the Court Drama Group, performing in several plays, most notably Romeo And Juliet and A View from the Bridge. While working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) he starred in, among other things, As You Like It.

In 1982, British television audiences came to know Alan Rickman as the Reverend Obadiah Slope in the BBC's adaptation of Barchester Towers known as The Barchester Chronicles. In 1985, Rickman was given the male lead, the Vicomte de Valmont, in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses, directed by Howard Davies.^[8] When the show went to Broadway in 1987, Rickman earned both a Tony Award nomination^[9] and a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance.^[10] In 1992, he was the "master of ceremonies" on Mike Oldfield's album Tubular Bells II where he read off a list of instruments on the album.

Rickman's career has been filled with a wide variety of roles. He has played romantic leads like Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, and Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply, as well as numerous villains in Hollywood big budget films: German terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988), the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and most recently Severus Snape, the potions master in the Harry Potter series (2001–2011). In 1995, Rickman turned down the role of Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye.

His role in Die Hard earned him a spot on the AFI's 100 years...100 Heroes & Villains as the 46th best villain in film history. His performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves also made him known as one of the best actors to portray a villain in films.^[11][12] He has taken issue with being typecast as a "villain actor", citing the fact that he has not portrayed a stock villain character since the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991.

During his long career Rickman has also played a number of comedic roles, sending up classically trained British actors who take on "lesser roles" as the character Sir Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus in the science fiction spoof Galaxy Quest, portraying the angel Metatron, the voice of God, in Dogma, appearing as Emma Thompson's foolish husband Harry in Love Actually, providing the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the egotistical, Nobel Prize-winning father in Nobel Son.

Rickman at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival

Rickman has also received acclaim for two biographical pieces he did for HBO. He won a Golden Globe and an Emmy^[13] for his performance as Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny in 1996, and was also nominated for an Emmy for his work as Dr. Alfred Blalock in 2004's Something the Lord Made. He also starred in the independent film Snow Cake (with Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss) which had its debut at the Berlinale, and also Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (with Dustin Hoffman), directed by Tom Tykwer.

In 2007, Rickman appeared in the critically acclaimed Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street directed by Tim Burton, alongside Harry Potter co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall; he played antagonist Judge Turpin. Rickman also appeared as Absolem the Caterpillar in Burton's 2010 film Alice in Wonderland.

Rickman has performed on stage in Noël Coward's romantic comedy Private Lives, which transferred to Broadway after its successful run in London at the Albery Theatre and ended in September 2002. Rickman had reunited with his Les Liaisons Dangereuses co-star Lindsay Duncan and director Howard Davies for this Tony Award-winning production.

His previous stage performance was as Mark Antony, opposite Helen Mirren as Cleopatra, in the Royal National Theatre's production of Antony and Cleopatra at the Olivier Theatre in London, which ran from 20 October to 3 December 1998. Before that, he performed in Yukio Ninagawa's Tango at the End of Winter in London's West End and the Riverside Studio production of Hamlet in 1991, directed by Robert Sturua.

Rickman had also directed The Winter Guest at London's Almeida Theatre in 1995 and the film version of the same play in 1996 starring Emma Thompson and her real life mother Phyllida Law. He also compiled (with Katharine Viner) and directed the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, and won the Theatre Goers' Choice Awards for Best Director. In May 2010, he finished directing Strindberg's play Creditors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Harvey Theatre after its previous run at London's Donmar Warehouse in 2008.

In 2009 Rickman was given the James Joyce Award by University College Dublin’s Literary and Historical Society.^[14]

In October and November 2010, Rickman starred in the eponymous role in Henrik Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin alongside Lindsay Duncan and Fiona Shaw.^[15] The Irish Independent called Rickman's performance breathtaking.^[16] This production subsequently travelled to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for performances in January and February 2011.^[17]

In 2011, Rickman again appeared as Severus Snape in the final instalment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times said Rickman "as always, makes the most lasting impression,"^[18] while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called Rickman "sublime at giving us a glimpse at last into the secret nurturing heart that [...] Snape masks with a sneer."^[19] Media coverage characterized Rickman's performance as worthy of an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.^{[20][21][22][23][24][25]} He earned his first award nominations for his role as Snape at the 2011 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards, 2011 Saturn Awards, 2011 Scream Awards and 2011 St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards in the Best Supporting Actor category.^{[26][27][28][29]}

On 21 November 2011, Rickman opened in Seminar, a new play by Theresa Rebeck, at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway.^[30] Rickman, who left the production on April 1, won the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Play^[31] and was nominated for a Drama League Award.^[32]

Rickman is to star with Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz in a remake of 1966's Gambit by the Coen brothers.^[33]

In the media[link]

Alan Rickman posing for a fan after a performance of John Gabriel Borkman in 2011

Rickman was chosen by Empire as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (No 34) in 1995 and ranked No 59 in Empire's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in October 1997. In 2009 and 2010 Rickman ranked once again as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars by Empire, both times Rickman was placed 8th out of the 50 actors chosen. Rickman became Vice-Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2003. He was voted No 19 in Empire magazine's Greatest Living Movie Stars over the age of 50 and was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Play): in 1987 for Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and in 2002 for a revival of Noel Coward's Private Lives. The Guardian named Rickman as an "honourable mention" in a list of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.^[34]

Two researchers, a linguist and a sound engineer, found "the perfect [male] voice" to be a combination of Rickman's and Jeremy Irons's voices based on a sample of 50 voices.^[35] Coincidentally, the two actors played brothers in the Die Hard series of films.

Rickman has also been featured in several musical works – most notably in a song composed by the English songwriter Adam Leonard entitled "Not Alan Rickman".^[36] Moreover, the actor played a "Master of Ceremonies" part in announcing the various instruments in Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells II on the track The Bell.^[37] Rickman was one of the many artists who recited Shakespearian sonnets on the 2002 album When Love Speaks,^[38] and is also featured prominently in a music video by the band Texas entitled "In Demand",^[39] which premiered on Europe MTV in August 2000. In the video, lead singer Sharleen Spiteri danced the tango with Rickman: the clip was nominated for Best British Video at the Brit Awards.

Personal life[link]

In 1965, at the age of 19, Rickman met his partner Rima Horton, a Labour party councillor on Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council 1986-2006.^{[40][41][42][43]} They began living together in 1977.^[41]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Alan Rickman

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alan Rickman

• Alan Rickman at the Internet Movie Database
• Alan Rickman at the Internet Broadway Database
• Alan Rickman at AllRovi
• Alan Rickman at Emmys.com

Metal Church
Metal Church guitarists Jay Reynolds (left) and Kurdt Vanderhoof (right).
Background information
Also known as	Shrapnel
Origin	San Francisco, California, United States
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, speed metal, power metal
Years active	1980–1994, 1998–2009
Labels	Ground Zero, Elektra, I.R.S., Epic, SPV, Nuclear Blast, Mercury
Associated acts	Hall Aflame, Presto Ballet, Vanderhoof, Reverend, Wayne, Heretic
Website	www.metalchurchmusic.com
Past members
Members

Metal Church was an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 before relocating to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Their eponymous first album was released in 1984, and their final, This Present Wasteland, in 2008.^[1]

The band is credited as a formative influence on the thrash metal sub-genre,^[1] melding the aesthetics of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and American heavy metal behind "incredibly tight musicianship" and "piercingly screeched" vocals.^[2][3] Early lyrical topics such as conflict and paranoia later expanded into philosophical and social commentary.

Founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof remained the group's sole consistent creative force throughout its career, despite reducing his role strictly to composition in 1986 after tiring of touring. Vanderhoof, vocalist David Wayne, guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington composed the group's classic lineup featured on its first two records, while vocalist Mike Howe and guitarist John Marshall later contributed to the group's sound. After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Metal Church disbanded in 1994. They reformed four years later with their classic lineup, including Vanderhoof's return to performance, yielding the Masterpeace album. They endured numerous lineup changes thereafter, releasing three further studio albums while fronted by Ronny Munroe before again disbanding in July 2009.

Biography[link]

Formative years (1980–1984)[link]

Then based in San Francisco, Kurdt Vanderhoof formed the band in 1980 with various musicians, including a brief audition with future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.^[4] The three-song, instrumental Red Skies demo appeared in 1981, featuring Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Condrin, bassist Steve Hott, and drummer Aaron Zimpel.

Vanderhoof returned to his hometown of Aberdeen in 1981 and began the new group Shrapnel with Craig Wells, Duke Erickson, drummer Tom Weber, and vocalist Mike Murphy. Murphy departed before their next demo, which was recorded without vocals, and Weber departed shortly thereafter. The enlistment of Kirk Arrington and David Wayne completed the group's classic lineup. They released the demo Four Hymns and spent following years touring and accruing material, readopting the Metal Church moniker in 1983.

First two records; commercial success (1984–1988)[link]

In 1984, they released their self-titled debut album, which included three songs from the Four Hymns demo and a cover of Deep Purple's "Highway Star". They sold 70,000 copies of the album independently before signing to Elektra.^{[citation needed]} According to Wayne, Ulrich and Metallica band mate James Hetfield urged Elektra to sign the band before another label did.^[5]

By the time Metal Church released their second studio album, The Dark, in 1986, they were touring with high-profile acts like Metallica. The Dark was a commercial success, helped by the fact that the band's first music video, "Watch the Children Pray", received frequent airplay on MTV. Shortly after the album's release, however, they were plagued by lineup changes: Vanderhoof ceased performing with the group in 1986, to be replaced briefly by Mark Baker and more extensively by John Marshall. Vanderhoof nonetheless continued to work with the group in composing thereafter, co-writing their subsequent material.

Further albums; first breakup (1988–1994)[link]

In 1988, the band replaced Wayne with former Heretic singer Mike Howe and released their third studio album, Blessing In Disguise, the following year. Critics responded favorably, including some assertions that the record was the group's strongest effort.^[6] Ironically, after being replaced by Heretic's former singer, Wayne recruited the remaining members of Heretic to form Reverend.

After further touring, Metal Church released its fourth studio album, The Human Factor, via Epic Records in 1991. Critics applauded the group for transitioning to a major label and successfully retaining the vitality of their sound,^[7] while also releasing a record with conceptual accessibility beyond the heavy metal genre.^[3] Vanderhoof formed the short-lived group Hall Aflame, who released Guaranteed Forever through I.R.S. Records later that year.

Metal Church followed with their fifth studio album, 1993's Hanging in the Balance on Mercury Records, but disbanded the following year, later citing management problems and poor record sales as factors.^[8] Vanderhoof formed an eponymous new group, Vanderhoof, along with Arrington. They released their self-titled debut album in 1997.

[edit] Reunion of classic lineup; Masterpeace (1998–2001)

Founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof began performing with the group for the first time in 12 years for their 1998 reformation.

The members of Metal Church began compiling their first live album in 1998, Live, which featured songs from their first two records performed by their classic lineup. During the production of Live, Wayne, Vanderhoof, Wells, Arrington, and Erickson decided to reform the band and began work on a new studio album. Wells was forced to depart the band due to familial obligations,^[5] however, and was replaced by the returning Marshall.

The resulting Masterpeace album was released in 1999 on Nuclear Blast Records. Critics responded positively, hailing it as a focused product that increased the energy over previous releases, despite its ultimately failing to break new ground.^[9] Arrington and Erickson were unable to tour behind the record, so the band enlisted Vanderhoof bassist Brian Lake and drummer Jeff Wade for live performances later that year.

Wayne expressed regret regarding the record, which influenced his musical output that followed.^[5] He again departed in 2001 due to personal and creative differences, forming the group Wayne with Wells and releasing the curiously-titled debut album Metal Church thereafter. Vanderhoof objected to the album's name and cover art; according to Wayne, the purpose of the album's name was to alert the audience of his involvement.^[5] Erickson and Marshall also ceased involvement with Metal Church after Wayne's departure.

Later activity (2004–2009)[link]

Vanderhoof's eponymous band released A Blur in Time in 2002, and he began working on new material for Metal Church's next album thereafter. In 2004, he and Arrington recruited singer Ronny Munroe, ex-Malice guitarist Jay Reynolds, and bassist Steve Unger to form a new lineup of Metal Church. They released the band's seventh studio album later that year, The Weight of the World. Critics generally received the record with a lukewarm response, recognizing its accomplishments while noting its lack of consistency and innovation.^[10]

On May 10, 2005, David Wayne died of complications from injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred months before. He was 47 years old.

In 2006, Arrington left the band due to health complications with diabetes. His replacement was Jeff Plate, who previously worked with Savatage, Chris Caffery and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.^[11] Later that year, the band released their eighth studio album, A Light in the Dark, which featured a re-recording of "Watch the Children Pray" as a tribute to Wayne. Vanderhoof said that the tribute was a way of showing fans that he harbored no ill will towards Wayne despite the contentious situation that existed between them before Wayne's death.^[12]

Reynolds left the group in 2008 and was replaced by Rick Van Zandt.^[13] The band's ninth and final studio album, This Present Wasteland, followed in 2008, which was hailed generally as an effective release consistent with their previous accomplishments.^[4] After subsequent touring, the band took a hiatus from performing due to Vanderhoof's back problems. They nonetheless continued studio work, while Munroe and Vanderhoof also completed the former's solo album.^[14]

After Vanderhoof's health improved, they returned to performing and composing new material. On July 7, 2009, however, the group announced unexpectedly that they were disbanding following a final performance at Rocklahoma two days later, cancelling numerous further live dates. They cited industry frustrations as a major factor influencing the decision. Several former members remained musically active, including Munroe and Vanderhoof in Presto Ballet^[15] and Plate in Machines of Grace.

Members[link]

Timeline

 id:Vocals              value:blue       legend:Vocals
 id:Guitars             value:orange     legend:Guitars 
 id:Bass                value:red        legend:Bass
 id:Drums               value:gray(0.45) legend:Drums
 id:Composition         value:yellow     legend:Composition
 id:Lines               value:black      legend:Releases
id:bars   value:gray(0.92)

 at:01/01/1984 color:black layer:back
 at:04/06/1986 color:black layer:back
 at:10/08/1989 color:black layer:back
 at:11/02/1991 color:black layer:back
 at:10/07/1993 color:black layer:back
 at:03/30/1999 color:black layer:back 
 at:06/26/2004 color:black layer:back
 at:07/27/2006 color:black layer:back
 at:09/26/2008 color:black layer:back

 bar:McKay text:"William McKay"
 bar:Bull text:"Ed Bull"
 bar:Murphy text:"Mike Murphy"
 bar:Wayne text:"David Wayne"
 bar:Howe text:"Mike Howe"
 bar:Munroe text:"Ronny Munroe"
 bar:Vanderhoof text:"Kurdt Vanderhoof"
 bar:Condrin text:"Rick Condrin"
 bar:Wells text:"Craig Wells"
 bar:Baker text:"Mark Baker"
 bar:Marshall text:"John Marshall"
 bar:Reynolds text:"Jay Reynolds"
 bar:VanZandt text: "Rick Van Zandt"
 bar:Hott text:"Steve Hott"
 bar:Erickson text:"Duke Erickson"
 bar:Lake text:"Brian Lake"
 bar:Unger text:"Steve Unger"
 bar:Wagner text:"Rick Wagner"
 bar:Zimpel text:"Aaron Zimpel"
 bar:Sacco text:"Carl Sacco"
 bar:Weber text:"Tom Weber"
 bar:Arrington text:"Kirk Arrington"
 bar:Wade text:"Jeff Wade"
 bar:Plate text:"Jeff Plate"

 width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:McKay from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1980 color:Vocals
 bar:Bull from:06/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Vocals
 bar:Murphy from:06/01/1981 till:09/30/1981 color:Vocals
 bar:Wayne from:12/01/1981 till:06/01/1988 color:Vocals
 bar:Howe from:06/01/1988 till:06/01/1994 color:Vocals
 bar:Wayne from:01/01/1998 till:03/01/2001 color:Vocals
 bar:Munroe from:01/01/2004 till:end color:Vocals
 bar:Vanderhoof from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1986 color:Guitars
 bar:Vanderhoof from:06/01/1986 till:06/01/1994 color:Composition
 bar:Condrin from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Guitars
 bar:Wells from:06/01/1981 till:06/01/1994 color:Guitars
 bar:Wells from:01/01/1998 till:06/01/1998 color:Guitars
 bar:Baker from:06/01/1986 till:08/01/1986 color:Guitars
 bar:Marshall from:08/01/1986 till:06/01/1994 color:Guitars
 bar:Vanderhoof from:01/01/1998 till:end color:Guitars
 bar:Marshall from:06/01/1998 till:03/01/2001 color:Guitars
 bar:Reynolds from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2008 color:Guitars
 bar:VanZandt from:01/01/2008 till:end color:Guitars
 bar:Hott from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Bass
 bar:Erickson from:06/01/1981 till:06/01/1994 color:Bass
 bar:Erickson from:01/01/1998 till:10/01/1999 color:Bass
 bar:Lake from:10/01/1999 till:12/31/1999 color:Bass
 bar:Erickson from:01/01/2000 till:03/01/2001 color:Bass
 bar:Unger from:01/01/2004 till:end color:Bass
 bar:Wagner from:01/01/1980 till:03/01/1980 color:Drums
 bar:Zimpel from:03/01/1980 till:10/31/1980 color:Drums
 bar:Sacco from:10/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Drums
 bar:Weber from:06/01/1981 till:09/01/1981 color:Drums
 bar:Arrington from:09/01/1981 till:06/01/1994 color:Drums
 bar:Arrington from:01/01/1998 till:10/01/1999 color:Drums
 bar:Wade from:10/01/1999 till:12/31/1999 color:Drums
 bar:Arrington from:01/01/2000 till:03/01/2006 color:Drums
 bar:Plate from:03/01/2006 till:end color:Drums

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Metal Church (1984)
• The Dark (1986)
• Blessing in Disguise (1989)
• The Human Factor (1991)
• Hanging in the Balance (1993)
• Masterpeace (1999)
• The Weight of the World (2004)
• A Light in the Dark (2006)
• This Present Wasteland (2008)

Live albums

• Live (1998)

Demos

• Four Hymns (1982)
• Hitman (1982)
• Red Skies (1981)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Interview with Kurdt Vanderhoof

v t e Metal Church Kurdt Vanderhoof Rick Condrin Ed Bull Rick Wagner Aaron Zimpel Mike Murphy Steve Holt Carl Sacco Craig Wells David Wayne Duke Erickson Kirk Arrington Mark Baker John Marshall Mike Howe Jay Reynolds William McKay Ronny Munroe Steve Unger Jeff Plate Rick Van Zandt Studio albums Metal Church The Dark Blessing in Disguise The Human Factor Hanging in the Balance Masterpeace The Weight of the World A Light in the Dark This Present Wasteland Live albums Live Demo albums Red Skies (1981 as Shrapnel) Four Hymns Hitman Related articles Heretic Megadeth Metallica Presto Ballet Reverend Wayne Metal Church (Wayne album) Portal:Heavy metal

Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir (born September 10, 1982 in London, England), better known by her stage name, Lay Low, is an Icelandic artist and singer.

Biography[link]

Lovísa was born to a Sri Lankan father and an Icelandic mother. She moved to Iceland at a young age where she has lived since. As a child she began taking piano lessons but started playing electric bass and guitar in her teens, and has since then played with numerous local bands. She joined the band Benny Crespo's Gang playing keyboards/synthesizers and guitar. It was then when she first started to use her voice.

Lay Low, the alter ego of Lovísa, started to evolve early in 2006. She was spotted by a local label, Cod Music, which contacted her and showed an interest in a raw demo song she had published on MySpace.^[1] Her music combines elements of blues, folk and country.

It was a rapid rise in the music scene for Lovísa. Just a few months after her discovery she released her debut album, Please Don't Hate Me, which went gold only two months after its release.^[2] The following year she was nominated for four of the 2006 Icelandic Music Awards, winning two; Best female singer and best album cover. She was also voted by the nation through phone election as the most popular artist of 2006.^[3]

In 2007 she was offered a role in the play Ökutímar by Leikfélag Akureyrar, writing both original songs for the play and performing covers of Dolly Parton songs. The play was a huge success and the following year saw the release of the soundtrack from the play, as well as winning the Gríman award for best music in a play. She also worked with Icelandic musician KK, performing songs for the Baltasar Kormákur film Brúðguminn, as well as releasing an album with Benny Crespo's Gang.

In mid-2008, Lovísa spent some time in London recording her third solo album, Farewell Good Night's Sleep, released October 16 the same year. The album was recorded at Toerag Studios and produced by Liam Watson.

Lovísa toured extensively in 2009, mostly supporting Emiliana Torrini in Europe and USA along with headlining shows all over the world. She also performed at festivals such as Glastonbury, End of the Road Festival and Into The Great Wide Open. The same year, Lay Low and a film crew recorded Flatey, a live cd/dvd performance on the tiny island of Flatey, which was released in September.

On the 4th of November 2009 December, a film by Hilmar Oddsson was premiered. Lovísa played one of the leading roles in the film among renowned Icelandic actors Tómas Lemarquis, Laufey Elíasdóttir and Stefán Hallur Stefánsson. This was her first time acting for a film.

The year 2010 for Lovísa started of with touring far from her home, traveling to Australia and Tokyo with Emiliana Torrini. And in the spring again she got the opportunity to work in the film industry by lending and writing a few of her songs for the film King's Road (Kóngavegur).

In 2012, Lovísa supported Of Monsters and Men on their United States tour.

Discography[link]

Solo[link]

• Please Don't Hate Me (2006)
• Ökutímar soundtrack (2008)
• Farewell Good Night's Sleep (2008)
• Flatey (CD + DVD) (2009)
• Brostinn strengur (2011)

With Benny Crespo's Gang[link]

• Benny Crespo's Gang (2007)

External links[link]

• Lay Low – Official Website
• Lay Low – Facebook
• Lay Low – Myspace
• Lay Low – Twitter
• Desember Movie Trailer
• "The Moment" – Lay Low video interview in NY February 2010

Notes[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

Heavy Heavy Low Low was a four piece Mathcore band from San Jose, California.

Biography[link]

Formed in early 2004 in San Jose, California, Heavy Heavy Low Low began playing what may be called thrash (-core), then metalcore, before evolving into a decidedly more style, and now, with the release of their latest work, becoming much more indistinguishable as a genre, thus becoming experimental metal.

Their first release entitled Courtside Seats to the Greatest of All Time, was released by Twelve Gauge Records and featured their first single, "Inhalant Abuse Is Illegal And Can Be Fatal". They signed with New Weathermen Records, a division of Ferret Music, in mid-2006 and began work on their second full length. In September 2006, Everything's Watched, Everyone's Watching was released, which featured a few old songs re-done and remastered, along with numerous brand new tracks. Extensive and constant touring in support of the record ensued.

In early 2007, their out of print EP ... It?! was re-released via Ferret Music and was limited to 1,000 copies. This EP features numerous early recordings all from producer Sam Pura, including their single, "Tell Shannon Her Crafts Are Ready". It also includes current singer Robert Smith as well as previous singer Matthew Caudle. The release also features an exclusive B-Side track titled "Short Term Exposure, Long Term Damage".

They released their third full length album Turtle Nipple & The Toxic Shock August 19, 2008. In early 2009, the band left Ferret/New Weatherman Records and announced that they would resign with Twelve Gauge Records. They finally released the Hospital Bomber EP in August 2010.^[1]

Their newest EP, Hospital Bomber, has been compared to their last album regarding the coarser vocals of Robert Smith and a decidedly different musical style. In a 2010 interview discussing Hospital Bomber, Robert Smith said the track "We Incompetent Sperm" was his favorite off the EP. " I was sick at the time so my voice sounds different than the other songs and it’s a song about an old, dirty woman who worries about everything." Praise was held for their experimenting with this newer sound, incorporating aspects of jazz, punk, metal, and dissonance while prizing technical work and complete originality. Their EP is available to buy online through direct download. In 2012, they broke up.

Touring[link]

The band has toured nationally in the US five times since 2004, including two headlining tours. The band has toured extensively with Fear Before and The Fall of Troy. Other tourmates include: The Number Twelve Looks Like You, The Jonbenet, Ed Gein, Nights Like These, Ligeia, Murder By Death, Thursday, HORSE the band, So Many Dynamos, The End, Haste the Day and Poison The Well. They also took part in the 2007 Sounds of the Underground Tour alongside the likes of GWAR, Shadows Fall, Goatwhore and Every Time I Die. They last toured with Foxy Shazam and Tera Melos in Fall of 2007.

Their most recent tour was the Stay Weird tour with Fear Before and Dr. Manhattan. They have announced a tour of Australia at the start of December 2010 with Australian band Totally Unicorn. A recent post from the band profile stated "hey, we're back from Australia and it was very fun. UK tour in the mix. Get stupid." As of April 2011 a recent post from the band stated "We are in going to be booking a last US tour for the summer with Duck Duck Goose.. Mostly major cities, more news soon." The band is no longer an active touring band.

Members[link]

Final[link]

• Chris Fritter- Drums
• Robert "Robbie" Smith – Vocals
• Andrew Fritter – Bass
• Samuel Pura- Guitar/Vocals (Australian Touring Guitarist)

Past[link]

• Riley McTeague – Vocals (Appears on 'Kids Kids Kids EP)
• Danny Rankin - Guitar
• Robbie Dalla – Guitar
• Ryan "Chip" Madden – Guitar
• Matthew Caudle – Vocals
• Frankie Lawler - Guitar

Discography[link]

Full lengths[link]

• Courtside Seats to the Greatest Fuck of All Time (2005)
• Everything's Watched, Everyone's Watching - (2006)
• Turtle Nipple and the Toxic Shock - (2008)

EPs[link]

• Kids Kids Kids - (2004)
• ...F**k It?! - (2007)
• Heavy Heavy Low Low EP - (2008)
• Hospital Bomber - (2010)

Collaborations[link]

• Band member Danny Rankin appears on the mixtape "The Adventures Of Finglonger" by hip-hop artist African-American Zombie Lawyer rapping original lyrics on the song entitled, "Heavy Set Rhymes". The chorus mentions and pays homage to the band's name, Heavy Heavy Low Low.
• Robert Smith also appears as a guest vocalist for various tracks with various artists. Including "Pollution People" off of Duck Duck Goose's 2010 release, "Off Yourself," "Get Your Life Together" off of Fear Before's 2008 release "Fear Before," and "Falling In Perpetuum" off NORTH's 2008 release, "What You Were."

References[link]

1. ^ http://blogs. . /index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=1360487&blogId=526782508

External links[link]

• Heavy Heavy Low Low at PureVolume
• Allmusic profile
• The Heavy Heavy Low Low at punk news