This Sad Movie

Con Dolore, a Latin musical term for "with grief", began in 1998 as a studio project between Kristy Moss and Ed Ballinger. Formerly in the band POLAR, they released two full-length albums on Clairecords. Like POLAR, Con Dolore mixes heavily effected guitars with melancholy lyrics and slow tempos. The period of growth between the two projects, though, eventually melded Con Dolore into an entity with a more personal and reflective angle than Ed and Kristy had previously used. Using movie music as an underlying concept in the production process, Con Dolore attempts on "This Sad Movie" to capture the moments in one’s life, both joyful and sad, to create the soundtrack we all live by. With subject matter such as a detailed series of dreams, "This Sad Movie" is an experiment with sounds both analog and digital. The album uses sampled drums, layered synths and guitars to create a warm, yet sometimes abrasive sound. The material on the album spans a period of two years, beginning with a trilogy, written as a way of coming to terms with a love lost.... starting with bliss and ending with confusion and hopelessness. As the recording wrapped up, Kristy and Ed began working out their live sound with added member Wes Snowden, a veteran of the Orlando Punk Rock scene. The live side of Con Dolore is a well-oiled machine. Most of the material on the album is tightly sequenced behind neatly organized bass and guitars. The vocals are mature in confidence and detail, and are easily heard on the CD as well as in live performances. Much of the drum work on the album features Pat Wood, who created the samples and rhythms that were sliced and diced for the final songs. Con Dolore is planning an eastern/Midwestern-USA tour for mid to late November, followed by an EP in late 2001/early 2002, also to be released by Clairecords.