Godspeed You! Black Emperor [rank: 159] based on users subscribed

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Apr 16 Mon	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Great American Music Hall Great American Music Hall 859 O'Farrell Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 885-0750 map/directions official website 8:00 PM (doors 7:00 PM)	$21.00
Apr 17 Tue	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Great American Music Hall Great American Music Hall 859 O'Farrell Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 885-0750 map/directions official website 8:00 PM (doors 7:00 PM)	$21.00
Apr 18 Wed	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Great American Music Hall Great American Music Hall 859 O'Farrell Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 885-0750 map/directions official website 8:00 PM (doors 7:00 PM)	$21.00
Apr 19 Thu	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Great American Music Hall Great American Music Hall 859 O'Farrell Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 885-0750 map/directions official website 8:00 PM (doors 7:00 PM)	$21.00
Apr 20 Fri	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Great American Music Hall Great American Music Hall 859 O'Farrell Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 885-0750 map/directions official website 8:00 PM (doors 7:00 PM)	$21.00

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"Godspeed You! Black Emperor (formerly punctuated Godspeed You Black Emperor!) is a Canadian post-rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 1994, the ensemble has been quite influential in its respective genre, with bands from as far as Hong Kong and Singapore citing them as influences in their musical work. Working on a near orchestral scale, the nine-piece group has been known to create wide dynamic ranges, unique use of instrumentation and sounds, large songs that are composed almost classically with multiple movements within itself, and engrossing use of art and visuals in both their album packaging and live performances.

They took their name from God Speed You! Black Emperor, a little known 1976 Japanese black-and-white documentary by director Mitsuo Yanagimachi, which follows the exploits of a Japanese biker gang, the Black Emperors. The band is most commonly classified as post-rock, but they exist outside any established scene and take influences from a range of styles including progressive rock, punk, classical music and avant-garde. Each record consists of a few fairly long tracks (mostly between 15 and 25 minutes), divided into 'movements' which are sometimes specified in the record sleeve.

The band formed around 1994 with three members, but its lineup has changed frequently. The band has had as many as fifteen members at one time, but has tended to settle down to a group of nine. The instruments played vary with the lineup, but the music tends to be based around electric and bass guitars, strings and a percussion section. Other instruments such as the Glockenspiel and the French horn make more occasional appearances. The music on some of their records is accompanied by spoken samples recorded by the band across North America, including an apocalyptic street preacher from Providence, Rhode Island, an announcement at a gas station, a group of children talking and singing in French, as well as many recordings taken off shortwave radio."

[reproduced or excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Godspeed You! Black Emperor" and its use is thus licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License]