American Music Club

702,240 plays (57,094 listeners)
In your library (0 plays)

71 shouts

Add to my Library Share

Get Ringtones

San Francisco, United States (1983 – present)

American Music Club (often abbreviated AMC) is a San Francisco-based band led by singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel. They’ve been recording and playing in SF clubs since the mid 1980’s, showing a remarkable longevity for a band that has been far more critically acclaimed than financially successful.

Although commonly lumped with other bands from the “slowcore” and “sadcore” movements, like the Red House Painters, AMC is better known for mastering the disparate strands of American music into a wholly unique synthesis all their own.

Although born in California, frontman Mark Eitzel spent his formative years in Great Britain and Ohio before returning to the Bay Area in 1980. After a brief stint with the punk band The Naked Skinnies he founded American Music Club in 1983 with guitarist Vudi, bassist Dan Pearson, keyboardist Brad Johnson, and drummer Matt Norelli. This lineup would change over the next several years but Eitzel always remained the core of the band in terms of its vocals, lyrics and thematic focus.

Their 1985 debut, The Restless Stranger, offers a rough outline of their increasingly eclectic sound and firmly established Eitzel’s worldview, a harrowing vision of life as seen through the bottom of a shot glass. 1987’s Engine honed the formula: the addition of producer Tom Mallon as a full-time member expanded the group’s sonic palette.

American Music Club earned a solid cult following on the strength of 1988’s California. Their next LP, 1989’s United Kingdom, appeared only in the nation which lent the record its name and consisted of leftover material and live tracks.

Tagged as:

indie, alt-country, sadcore, indie rock, rock
See more…

Similar Artists

Top Albums

Everclear
American Music Club
Buy at Insound
Love Songs for Patriots
American Music Club
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.99
- 7digital Search
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $16.47
- eBay Search
Mercury
American Music Club
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.99
- 7digital Search
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $9.00
- eBay Search
United Kingdom+California
American Music Club
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search

Top Tracks

1	Why Won't You Stay full track	118
2	Rise full track	75
3	Goodbye to Love full track	71
4	Sick of Food full track	70
5	Ex-Girlfriend full track	68
6	The Confidential Agent full track	65
7	Miracle On 8Th Street full track	63
8	Johnny Mathis' Feet	56
9	Crabwalk full track	55
10	The Dead Part of You full track	53
11	All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco	52
12	Royal Cafe full track	51
13	All My Love	50
14	Another Morning	49
15	Jesus' Hands full track	46

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

poor-de-chirico wrote:
last week

I really don't hear the resemblance between this Mark and the other one (Kozelek). They're both lyrically honest, sure, and maybe it's the appreciation/presentation of the American landscape and culture through their music, but not really stylistically as far as I can tell.

View Profile | Leave poor-de-chirico a shout
earthmp wrote:
last month

I Just Took My Two Sleeping Pills And Now I'm Like A Bridegroom Standing At The Altar :-)

View Profile | Leave earthmp a shout
Uniontrade wrote:
last month

The Revolving Door - is so underrated but the people can discovery it and enjoy so much

View Profile | Leave Uniontrade a shout
lady_godivas wrote:
last month

Western sky :)

View Profile | Leave lady_godivas a shout
eyesaresmiles wrote:
September 2009

Weird. Not one of their best 10 songs in their top 20 tracks. That's gotta be a first..

View Profile | Leave eyesaresmiles a shout
Uniontrade wrote:
September 2009

Amazing band....

View Profile | Leave Uniontrade a shout
an_outlaw wrote:
August 2009

these guys really do have some beautiful music : )

View Profile | Leave an_outlaw a shout
riigo wrote:
July 2009

no, he's right. crabwalk is shit

View Profile | Leave riigo a shout
Cary- wrote:
June 2009

Another Morning makes me think of Nick Drake...

View Profile | Leave Cary- a shout
roomx wrote:
June 2009

+ trivia?

View Profile | Leave roomx a shout
HesterCurtis wrote:
June 2009

and i handed him a book, with sorrow in my eyes. And the title seemed all good; it was the insiders guide to life.

View Profile | Leave HesterCurtis a shout
ThatGuyWho wrote:
May 2009

I have it now, some real cool dude sent it to me, whoever it was. Listened to Mercury again recently. Brilliant.

View Profile | Leave ThatGuyWho a shout
intopines wrote:
May 2009

ThatGuyWho - Maybe you could find it in a shop? Or check Itunes? Pay! nickvb - It's all fun. Not shit. indie_asleep - http://www.americanmusicclub.com/

View Profile | Leave intopines a shout
Touchmetallic wrote:
March 2009

firefly is great man..."all my love" is my personal favorite...

View Profile | Leave Touchmetallic a shout
rossdouglas wrote:
January 2009

Where the hang is Firefly?

View Profile | Leave rossdouglas a shout
Spumco wrote:
January 2009

I lament that they have been labeled sadcore but can't argue the fact that their music make me want to crawl into fetal position and cry.

View Profile | Leave Spumco a shout
nickvb wrote:
December 2008

crabwalk is such a shit song

View Profile | Leave nickvb a shout
ThatGuyWho wrote:
December 2008

If anybody could find me a torrent for Engine, or send me the album, I will forever be in your debt.

View Profile | Leave ThatGuyWho a shout
nickvb wrote:
November 2008

uhh yeah it was while ago when i downloaded their stuff. can probably find with a bit of digging. this band is really good. like red house painters except i can listen to all of their songs rather than just one or two per album

View Profile | Leave nickvb a shout
Lachlan_Willis wrote:
October 2008

Last Harbor really should be in the top 15. Amazing song, in fact more people need to hear California, great album.

View Profile | Leave Lachlan_Willis a shout