The American Workplace began playing together in autumn 1999.  Initially a foursome, the group conceived, wrote and arranged their material with the studio in mind.  Excessive production and logistically impossible collaborations were set as the immediate goal.

The four recurring roles are filled by Eric Bruns (who also plays in Laconic Chamber and Elegy), Jonathan Carson (who played in Free Range Pilgrim), Daniel Dresser (also FR Pilgrim), and Patrick Mucklaw (Manual, Qui Vicino, and Sarah Shannon).

The following characters play walk-on roles with varying frequency:
Jean Cook, violin, has played with Pulp, Ida, and other groups too numerous to count.
Lary Hoffman, vibraphones, played with Five State Drive and  Aerialist.
Finn McCool, french horn, plays with Alzo Boszormeinyi & the Acid Achievers, and has recorded with Pitchblende and others.
Amber Dunleavy, theremin, played with Alzo Boszormeinyi & the Acid Achievers.
Doug Wolf, keyboards and constructs, played as La Reproduction Interdite

The group shacked up with J. Christian Quick in Stillness Studio in early 2000 to record their full-length piece.  Mr. Quick has previously recorded Royal Trux, Edith Frost, Flin Flon, The Make*Up, and many others from the Civil War-era complex that was Stillness.

The American Workplace self-released their debut recording in summer 2000. 



The style known as "chamber-rock" goes back to the Beatles' experiments in the recording studio - - supplementing their sound with wind-instrument solos and string quartets. Those arrangements are an important precedent for the Washington band called the American Workplace. But, as critic Mark Jenkins explains, on their new self-titled album, the band also draws on an edgier tradition. 

NPR's "All Things Considered" described The American Workplace pretty well:

"The members of The American Workplace use the traditional rock instruments: guitar, bass, and drums (although singer/bassist Eric Bruns also plays clarinet). But the songs on the band’s self-titled debut are designed to be augmented by a half dozen musicians who add keyboards, french horn, electronics, and violin. 

The minimalism of "Wanted: Cook and Dishwasher", the quiet instrumental that closes the album, is typical of The American Workplace, but in other ways the track is uncharacteristic. Most of the band’s music recalls the jumpy and self-conscious style known as “post-punk.” The opening song, “Your Math is Killing Me,” sounds like Talking Heads before they got funky, and especially like the first album by Australian cult favorites The Go-Betweens.

Two of the members, singer/guitarists Jonathan Carson and Daniel Dresser, used to play in the D.C. band called Free Range Pilgrim that showed many of the same influences. But unlike that predecessor, The American Workplace has a bare bones, almost haunted sound that suggests an art school update of the Delta Blues.

Even at its most lyrical, The American Workplace’s music is tightly wound. Songs like “From the Perspective of the Agent’s Lover” feature long instrumental passages. But there’s always an underlying tension. The staccato notes of the electric guitar may yield to the sustaining tones of the violin, but the uneasiness lingers. This is chamber music for a very uptight garden party.


The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 10 - Wanted Cook And Dishwasher

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 09 - Whitewash

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 08 - Prose Of Impossible Beauty II

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 07 - Due South

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 06 - Endpiece

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 05 - I Have Got A Musket

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 04 - I Pull My Hands Apart

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 03 - Prose Of Impossible Beauty I

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 02 - From The Perspective Of The Agents Lover

The American Workplace - The American Workplace - 01 - Your Math Is Killing Me

TheAmericanWorkplace