Syrus Fotovat is rarely seen without a tie, and he wears his majestic fro with pride. He is one of the helpful experts that can assist you in purchasing or selling a guitar at the Guitar Showcase Swapshop. When he’s not giving expert advice on musical instruments or zipping around town in his Volvo wagon, he and his bandmates do a little thing they like to call Amonie.

Amonie is Nick Ereso on drums, Dan Barrera on Bass, with Noel Huh and Syrus on guitars. As Syrus puts it, “It doesn’t mean anything and there is no easy way to remember it.”

Although people may have trouble remembering the name of the band, the music is quite memorable. The tracks Amonie create are big, almost orchestral, feedback riddled, shoe gazing at times, filled with delay, accentuated by massive cymbal crashes, and probably not something you can dance to.

“I feel like I’ve always been pretty transparent as far as my influences go, but I tend to rip off bands like Mogwai, Mono (from Japan), and Godspeed You! Black Emperor pretty blatantly,” Syrus says.  “Of course, I try to cover it up, but those bands make music that I find very important to me musically. Of course, I’m speaking for myself, I’m sure the other guys have influences I don’t know about.”

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He’s also not afraid to give local artists their due, “I’d have to say my two favorite bands in San Jose right now are Doctor Nurse and Worker Bee. Yes, they’re my friends, but I’m not getting paid off in any way. I tell them all the time.”

Amonie just finished their forthcoming album at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco, and their current offerings can be found on Facebook.