Incident at Cima is the debut album from SCENIC, the group formed by SAVAGE REPUBLIC and IPR founder Bruce Licher. Conceived of as an all-instrumental soundtrack for the East Mojave Desert, Licher is joined by former SHIVA BURLESQUE bassist James Brenner and drummer Brock Wirtz, with guest musicians Jeffrey Clark (SHIVA BURLESQUE vocalist), Robert Loveless (former SAVAGE REPUBLIC and 17 PYGMIES member), Chris Manecke (from the ABECEDARIANS), and John Ganem. Together, they have created an aural masterpiece which has received serious critical acclaim. David Fricke in ROLLING STONE magazine writes that SCENIC's music "suggests Ennio Morricone dune-surfing in Death Valley." Robert Levine in huH magazine describes the album as "a sweeping, swirling sound that's full of both darkness and wonder." Grant Alden in RAYGUN says "Incident At Cima plays like futuristic chamber music. It is like nothing else on the landscape." SCENIC's music is like nothing else on the landscape, and while there is definitely a relation to some of the sounds explored by SAVAGE REPUBLIC during their eight-year existence, SCENIC have created a mature and focused album which is a great leap forward. Incident at Cima is an evocative aural journey, a quiet listenable and incredibly honest piece of music, and as such it has the potential to be appreciated by a wide range of listeners. Four of the songs from Incident At Cima were used to great effect in Stuart Swezey's feature documentary film "Desolation Center," including the track "Carrying On To Cadiz" which underscores the opening title sequence of the film. This expanded release comes with a bonus CD featuring 11 previously unreleased early demo recordings by Scenic and band leader Bruce Licher. Packaging for this expanded release of Incident at Cima features letterpress printed packaging created at Independent Project Press, a newly-designed oversized CD pocket folder with a 24-page booklet for the CD edition, featuring a series of photographs Licher has taken in the East Mojave which relate to the various pieces of music on the album, creating a complete audio/visual experience.
