American Catastrophe

Goth rock band American Catastrophe was formed by lead vocalist Shaun Hamontree and Terrence Moore in Kansas City, MO, in 2003, following the dissolution of their previous band, the Black Water. (Hamontree is also the creative director of a design collective called MK12 and has directed and animated videos for such artists as Hot Hot Heat and Guided by Voices, as well as doing the animation and titles for the feature film Stranger Than Fiction.) The group began as an acoustic duo before adding Amy Farrand and Eric Bessenbacher. Signing to newly formed OxBlood Records, American Catastrophe released its debut album, Excerpts from the Broken Bone Choir, on July 3, 2007. ~ William Ruhlmann