Amo Joy is a three piece, sometimes four or five piece live, Psych-Pop band from Indianapolis Indiana that has a strange infatuation with Slide Whistles, Kazoos, and other such toy-like instruments. Half of their instruments were bought in dollar store party aisles, while the other half consists of distorted guitars, monosynths and a hand painted drumset. Amo Joy live shows are replete with euphoric energy and tiny sounds coming from every which direction, made by the crowd shaking little plastic noise-makers that are supplied by the band. So, how did these midwesterners manage to not grow up enough to still get excited when a new shipment of plastic hand clappers comes in, yet still have enough sensibility to go on several national tours over the past four years and release three albums? The short answer is "cartoons and determination". But for the interesting answer, let's start with the band's name, "Amo Joy".
Amo is frontman Adam Gross' childhood nickname which comes from an early misunderstanding that, much to the dismay of his parents, not everyone refers to themselves in the third person like Elmo does. Fast forward about 22 years to a band name brainstorming session with four people who play kazoos and write songs imbued with social and political commentary, add a few candy bars, and there you have it. From that moment on, Amo Joy started writing and recording their first, now out of print album, "The Dictatorial Soiree". After playing a few months of local shows, they went on their first southern/east coast tour during which they realized that touring was the best thing to happen to music since electricity. A few months later, their new found love for touring encouraged them to make a three week tour out to the west coast, hitting the southern US on the way back.
That summer also saw the release of an EP "Theophrastus Bombastus", released on West Virginia's small-run label Royal Rhino Flying Records, and a midwestern/southern/east coast tour with a stop at the amazing Athens Popfest in Georgia. After a fall of regional tours they began recording their vinyl full length "The Sane Design" which has recently been released by the Indianapolis-based Standard Recording Co. This year has so far seen one midwestern tour, two southern US tours (along with a stop at Austin Texas' South by Southwest, where they played a show for Standard Recording and Olympia Washington's People in a Position to Know label with bands such as Mirah and Maps and Atlases), and a four week tour of the entire eastern half of the U.S., as well as the MIdpoint Music Festival.
Even more recently, the band recorded and released another new album, entitled "Across Nycthemeron". It is available on cassette and digital download at standardrecording.com. The new album takes a step into a more contemplative direction, with warm sounds and thoughtful songs, but still carries peaks of jubilation and high energy. "Across Nycthemeron" will also soon be released through People in a Position to Know as a limited-edition 7-inch record. Look for it soon at PIAPTK.com!
