One of the Pacific Northwest’s hidden societies, GEIST & THE SACRED ENSEMBLE forges a doom-inflected folk ritualism; dirges tinged with Eastern psychedelia and meandering meditative trances. For the last several years, the group has shown the Washington state underground a clear vision for their sound and lyrics – creating an otherworldly space for the listener, placing them into a trance, then building up the excitement. The overarching theme of their lyrical work is that of an idealist, a yearning for an end to the modern human condition, for destruction of the constructs and constraints of oppression.
Geist & TSE has shared the stage with acts as diverse as Earth, Oranssi Pazuzu, Insect Ark, Soriah, Six Organs of Admittance, Pedestrian Deposit, Yonatan Gat, Father Murphy, and Jackie-O-Motherfucker, and have appeared at Litha:Cascadian Midsummer, Thirst For Light, Fun Hog, Northwest Psych Fest, Missoula Psych Fest, PNW Folklife, Magma Fest, Dismal Fest and Escalator Fest. Their live shows are hypnotic and emotionally-charged, often taking place at unique locations like a metal forge & foundry, forests and meadows, old schools, churches & more. At their greatest, Geist & the Sacred Ensemble’s tunes exist as an ever-changing pilgrimage; transforming their abstract drifts into apocalyptic folk hymns or private confessionals.
Geist
started in late 2005 after M. Sauder left Geist Road in Lancaster, Pa
and hitched-hiked around the country with a childhood friend. Inspired from that trip and experiences of growing up as a
gravedigger from a Christian household led to the original themes of this project. In 2007 percussionist Samuel
Joseph came in to offer his rhythmic wizardry thus becoming Geist &
Samuel Joseph. By 2008 they self released their self-titled ep 'Geist
& Samuel Joseph'. The following year they started to have a
rotating cast of musicians and Geist & the Sacred Ensemble was
born. The current version of the band is M.Sauder, S. Yoder, C. Segawa and J. McCormick.
