Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American experimental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle and formerly, Faith No More). Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles, mostly instrumental, including surf rock, Persian, neo-Pythagorean, Indian, death metal, film music, and electronic music.

The band's name is derived from the "Secret Chiefs" said to inspire and guide various esoteric and mystical groups of the previous two centuries. Spruance has expressed interest in, and drawn inspiration from, various mystical or occult systems such as Sufism, Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and alchemy.

Satellite bands

In 2007, it was announced that Secret Chiefs 3 has always been a general name for seven different bands, each representing a different aspect of Spruance's musical and philosophical interests. The seven bands are Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, FORMS, and NT Fan. Spruance has stated that the sound collages of Electromagnetic Azoth serve as the center of Secret Chiefs 3.

The albums Book of Horizons (2004) and Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 (2010) were conceived as compilation albums featuring the satellite bands under their own names. All bands have appeared on at least one of these albums. Some satellite bands have also released records of their own. So far, five of the satellite bands have had tracks featured across a series of six 7" singles and Traditionalists and Ishraqiyun have delivered full-length albums.

Band members

Spruance formed Secret Chiefs 3 in the mid-1990s with fellow Mr. Bungle members Trevor Dunn on bass and Danny Heifetz on drums. Some of the many musicians who have since recorded or toured with SC3 include violinist Eyvind Kang, percussionist William Winant, drummer Ches Smith, bassist Shahzad Ismaily, former Mr. Bungle members Clinton "Bär" McKinnon, oud, gimbre, and bass player Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, and drummer Kenny Grohowski. Musicians tend to float in and out of SC3, so the concept of "current" and "former" members is not entirely applicable. Below is a list of past and present members, guests, and collaborators:

• Trey Spruance– guitars (electric guitar, bass guitar, baritone guitar, microtonal guitar, 12-string guitar, sympitar, Pythagorean guitar), keyboards (keyboard, electric piano, acoustic piano, tack piano, clavinet, organ, celesta), percussion (dumbek, shaker, tambourine, glockenspiel, daf, etc.), santur, rabab, banjo, mandolin, zither, tar, cümbüş, saz, carillon, dulcimer, autoharp, trumpet, sheng, synthesizer, sampler, programming, Foley sound effects, electroacoustic treatment, vocals

• Lucas Abela – power drill

• Dave Abramson — drums

• Laura Allen — vocals

• Anonymous 13 — viola, vocals

• Jennifer Cass — harp

• April Centrone – drums, percussion

• Matt Chamberlain — drums

• Paul Dal Porto — sitar

• Mike Dillon — vibraphone, tabla

• Rich Doucette – sarangi

• Toby Driver – bass guitar

• Trevor Dunn — bass guitar, vocals

• Phil Franklin – drums, percussion

• Lori Goldston — cello

• Kenny Grohowski – drums

• Timba Harris — violin, viola, trumpet

• Danny Heifetz — drums, percussion (riq, zill, tambourine, shaker, dumbek), trombone

• Kris Hendrickson — autoharp, vocals

• Bill Horist — prepared guitar

• Shahzad Ismaily — bass guitar, percussion (dhol, mridangam, ghatam, zil, etc.)

• Eyvind Kang – violin, viola, cello, erhu

• Fatima Khanoam – santur

• Jai Young Kim – keyboards, B3 organ

• Jessika Kenney – vocals

• Kevin Kmetz – shamisen

• Ursula Knudson – bowed saw

• Peژ Mon – drums

• John Wayne Law – bass guitar

• Matt Lebofsky – keyboards

• Joe Lester – bass guitar

• Clinton "Bär" McKinnon – saxophone, flute, keyboards, percussion

• John Merryman – drums

• Mike Patton – vocals

• KT Pierce – vocals

• Jesse Quattro – vocals

• Ryan Parrish – kaval, saxophones, concert flute

• Jason Schimmel — acoustic guitar, fuzz guitar, cümbüş mandolin, vocals

• Monica Schley – harp

• Shamou — percussion (darbuka, riq)

• Ches Smith – drums, congas

• Tim Smolens — bass guitar, upright bass, cello, contrabass, cello

• Adam Stacey – clavinet

• Hans Teuber — flute

• Gregg Turkington – vocals

• Unhuman – vocals

• William Winant — drums, percussion (frame drum, tabla, marimba, vibraphone, shaker, glockenspiel, gong, tubular bell, kanjira, timpani, cymbal, bell, zil, hammered dulcimer, etc.)

Discography

This is a list of all releases by SC3 and its satellite bands. The column "artist" states under what name the recording is released, not who is credited with the individual songs. Some releases, like the album Book of Horizons, are noteworthy in this regard, because they are released under the name Secret Chiefs 3, but the tracks they contain are each credited to a satellite band, giving the release the appearance of a compilation album.

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

DVDs

Singles and EPs

References

External links

• Secret Chiefs 3 at Web of Mimicry

• Secret Chiefs 3 at the Live Music Archive