RIP Jim Ryan

 

News is spreading amongst the Improvised Music community of the passing of Woodwinds player, composer, visual artist, and poet Jim Ryan. I got to know Jim in about 2014, after having seen one of his bands a few years earlier. During that time, Jim was making major changes in his life. After several years apart, he and his sweetheart Millie had reconnected and resumed their romance. Hence, Jim was in process of making the decision to move to her in Washington D.C., one that he went through with. Within that dynamic, Jim was still generous with me, spending time making music and talking about things. A conversation with Jim was always characterized by passion. He felt his passions with great depth, and was not shy about voicing them. He was no push over! Here was a guy who, in his 80's, could be kind of scary and intimidating. That said, Jim Ryan was a really sweet soul. He traveled all over the place, making music and art and poetry. He was surely a guy that influenced plenty of people. Farewell Jim Ryan, the rich tapestries that you wove will not be forgotten.

Glen Weyant-cello forest; digital single, self released via Bandcamp 2023

 

Vermont-based sonic explorer Glen Weyant, in a recent email to his Bandcamp supporters, stated bluntly "...2023 sucked." Disaster Amnesiac felt sad to have read the sentiment, but was stoked by Weyant's inclusion of a free track, cello forest, that was attached to said email (and all the more so because it was sent as an mp3 unattached to Bandcamp's codes, which my old computer hasn't been able to read in a long time now). cello forest spends a bit over eight minutes showcasing Glen's facility with bowed cello playing, and it sounds wonderful. He sticks to standard bowing techniques as he probes the sonic field of what sounds like the entire soundboard of the instrument after starting from bass pizzicato. The action pretty much remains bowed for the rest of the piece, which also features a songbird that's decided to join in duet. Sweet moments there! Weyant coaxes a lot of great sounds from his cello on cello forest, and Disaster Amnesiac is happy to have been given a chance to hear them. Hopefully you'll have some better times in 2024 Glen!

Live shot #103!

 

Innuendo Trio, Berkeley Arts Festival circa 2015. Bigge Vinkeloe, Scott Looney, Donald Robinson.

Random Christmas time shot!

 

Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson AZ 12/15/2023. May there be an end to suffering, collective and individual. May all people know peace within their souls. Merry Christmas.

Live shot #102!

 

Hogwind, Hemlock Tavern San Francisco; July 2017 or '18.

Philip Gayle-Mammoth Flower; Public Eyesore Records #156, 2023

 

Several weeks have passed since Disaster Amnesiac received Mammoth Flower, Philip Gayle's new recording for Public Eyesore. It's been a daunting process to try to review it, in large part due to my having noticed certain repeated tropes within reviews, tropes that, when noticed, became extremely aggravating. Sounds such as those produced on Mammoth Flower deserve better than that. Disaster Amnesiac has listened, many times, but just really doesn't want to get reductive about describing the album. Maximalist pieces such as the title track, wherein all sorts of musical elements, especially the wonderfully "inside/outside" alto sax of Shogo Ohshima, blend into a fantastical soundscape that evokes night scenes from Shinjuku or perhaps a jungle at its most dense spots, or Zone, with its glistening string slides and percussives, drop the listener into spaces that are almost overwhelming at times. It's been fascinating to note the astute uses of the multi-track recording process on both of them. This stuff is thick. Gayle also finds time for more reflective musical ruminations on geketsutoketsu, a sparse, spacious guitar piece worthy of Takoma Records (not that Public Eyesore is anything to sneeze at, mind you) and the similar minus inu. I Ain't Got No Think has Disaster Amnesiac tweaking as fingers skitter across strings and Omusubi-san and Fuuchan get primitive in the human vocal range, while TN 35 gets all SF Tape Music Center while pairing up with a returned Ohshima. Solo waterphone gets a lovely treatment on Ceann Ruadh Tiresias. An instrument with potential for such lovely, lonesome sounds, played well by Gayle. Richard Waters had a bit of a cranky side, or so I've heard, especially when it came to his opinions about musicians using his invented instrument. Surely he'd have heard the beauty within this track? 

Along with all of these wonderfully challenging sounds, Mammoth Flower is presented with groovy Abstract Expressionist painting by Kohei Akiba for its cover art. Wonderful stuff, full of blendings between lighter, brighter shades and darkness. Very cool. 

Philip Gayle traverses several distinct sonic approaches on Mammoth Flower and all of them are worthy of deep, dedicated listening. No platitudes present on it. Disaster Amnesiac hopes that they are also absent from this review. Sounds such as Philip Gayle's are worthy of deeper consideration.

The sounds that men make, when they're breaking down

 

It had been a number of years since Disaster Amnesiac played my copy of Candy Machine's 2004 CD before yesterday evening. For some reason, I just felt really compelled to do so and in fact did listen, at least until a scratch on the disc made it impossible after track ten. That being said, those first nine tracks......man. They are the sounds that men make when they're breaking down. Disaster Amnesiac must admit that I had befriended George Earth, the man behind this particular Candy Machine (and God knows, there must be at least a dozen musical projects with this same moniker over the decades), during the time of this recording, and was somewhat familiar with the dynamics within his life. These dynamics were mostly stressful as I recall, mostly alienating, mostly heartbreaking. When Earth sings longingly about an unnamed woman, I am pretty sure that I know who this woman is. When his verses document being broke and unable to participate in social functions of any nature, I recall his beat up car, used as a tour vehicle that he drove all over this country, hounding down gigs wherever he could find them. When he describes just generally being BROKEN, Disaster Amnesiac has a pretty clear idea about the whys and wherefores of that feeling that George had to endure for years.  Even when Earth has a female friend sing a few songs, several cuts deep into the album, the listener can still feel his angst through her intonations. Seriously, if you need a soundtrack to your breakdown (and I hope that it doesn't do permanent damage), seek out this recording from Candy Machine. Just try not to collapse permanently. 

A more subtle breakdown has been presented by Paul Simon on Seven Psalms. Mr. and Mrs. Amnesiac listened to it on Youtube, and we were both blown away by it. Just a bit over thirty minutes of sparse guitar and singing on it, and I swear I hear Jandek as an influence! As Simon gets into some WAY spiritual musings, the high lonesome vibes of his adopted Texas hill country are very much present. Paul seems to be documenting a much different type of breakdown than George on Seven Psalms, one that is characterized by the recognition of the lifting of the veil of mortality; Simon really does describe the beauty of letting go, of letting God be seen and felt within EVERYTHING. Its a musing and summing up of a human life that is closer to its final chapter. We all know how the breakdowns pile up during that phase, don't we? Disaster Amnesiac is not sure if he's accepted Christ as his Savior, but the possibility is indeed hinted at. So, the breakdown is quite different from the one documented by Earth. Still, a breakdown none the less. If you've not heard Seven Psalms, it's easily accessed, ad-free on Youtube. If for no other reason, check it out and then tell me if you hear the Corwood influence upon it. 

Are you breaking down? Have you broken down in the past? Of the myriad methods that a person can deal with a break down, music and art are among the best. Send Disaster Amnesiac your breakdown documents! I promise to listen and respond.

Live shot #101!

 

Two musicians. Govinda's Natural Foods Buffet, Tucson 11/23/23. Really musical playing from the guy with the Telecaster.

Live shot #100!

 

Laserthrone; Groundworks Tucson. 11/17/23. Shredding guitar paired with programmed drums and synthesizer color washes. Effective.

RIP Luna's Cafe

 

A few evenings back, Mr. and Mrs. Amnesiac watched Youtuber Metal Leo's recent video, in which he walked around downtown Sacramento. We marveled at his shots of empty store fronts all over River City's once bustling town center. What the hell happened? This is the capitol city of a state that touts itself as one of the largest economies in the world, yeah? As I recall, that area was often kind of sketchy in an inner city kind of way, but restaurants, markets, and small businesses filled its breadth. It seems that now, not so much. Is it going too far to blame Gavin Newsom? Perhaps he's just a symptom of some greater force. As my pal Charlie, with whom I hung out the last time that I was in Sacramento, would posit: Powers and Principalities.

Viewing Metal Leo's clip led me to reminiscing about Luna's Cafe, a spot not quite in downtown Sac, but close enough. Disaster Amnesiac did a Google search and was saddened to see that Luna's closed permanently, earlier this year. My memories of Luna's are all fond. In it, I discovered a place that was friendly to visual artists and musicians, along with being a purveyor of quality food and drink. I heard some really neat music there, saw some arresting visual art on the walls there, ate and drank tasty menu items there. Additionally, the place had a community. As I type these words, I can recall the interesting people who always seemed to be at Luna's, whenever had occasion to trek there from points west of Sacramento. These were fascinating, artistic, creative, non-pretentious people, and it was always wonderful to see them and to speak with them. I hope that they are doing well. I hope that Art Luna is doing well. Again, I'm saddened by this turn of events, but, hey, it seems to be sort of par for the course at this point that I'm eulogizing tons more. It sucks. Luna's Cafe did not suck. It seems that, given the amount of pure suckage that society throws out there, that's not a bad obituary at all. So long, Luna's Cafe, and thanks for the memories.

Live Shot(s) #99!

 

All shots from Desert Drone show at Hotel Congress, Tucson AZ 11/2/2023.

Below: EttKhett. Star power through viola improvisation and astute beat programming.

Above: Machine Oil. Stomping pummel with tight breaks.

Below: Lana del Rabies. Seamless sonic assault attack.

Above: Realize. Krnchy grrrrrrrrrrrrndng. 

Hotel Congress is a truly classy joint! Excellent staff and killer atmosphere always.

Jakal-Peroration; Amalgam Records, 2023

 

Fans of extended Free Improvisation, take note! Jakal, a trio consisting of woodwinds player Keefe Jackson, drummer Julian Kirshner, and cellist/guitarist/electronics man Fred Lonberg-Holm has released Peroration, and it's right in your wheel house! Consisting of two tracks, the longer Peroration and the shorter The Grand Finale, this set features a group that is mining the rich possibilities inherent within the act of musical improvisation, possibilities which each member of the trio are up to and then some. The listener is dropped immediately into the fray; there is not subtle build up or countdown as Peroration begins. One simply finds oneself surrounded by the thickets of improvised music emerging from the axes and minds of the group's players. Disaster Amnesiac has found much enjoyment from Lonberg-Holm's earthy string sounds, Blues-ey at times, Jackson's high end wind song action, and Kirshner's spacious yet simultaneously dense trap set figurations. Jakal always sound as if they're in conversational mode, even at the moments characterized by a more "let 'er rip" type of dynamic. These dudes play together exceedingly well. Top flight sounds from a great group on Peroration. I'll bet that their live shows are corkers!

Goodbye Andrew Palmer

 

Tremendous sadness has been affecting me since I heard the news about the passing of Andrew Palmer, who died on October 2nd, 2023. 

I got to know Andrew over the course of five years, 2015-20, after he contacted me out of the blue with a request to get together and make some music. Andrew's vision of "Sound Art", as he called it, was pure, and influenced by his bright sense of humor. As I've recollected our relationship over the past few days, I've recalled that the very last utterances from him to me were sarcastic jabs at one of the then current societal tropes. Keeping those to myself, though. Getting back to Andrew's wit and its influence on his musical activity, that wit never mired his production down into mere satire. Time spent within what I recall to be a deep art scene in London assured that Andrew would always take his music seriously. He stuck to his principles, always, even as he noted the elements of absurdity embedded within the pursuit. Never were his aesthetic choices not inspiring.

It must be stated that Andrew was also a tremendously devoted husband and father; the love that he showed to his daughters was humbling in its purity. It was always clear that his family was the primary focus of his attentions. 

Andrew was patient and big-hearted, even under stress. I can't imagine a kinder person than him. It is through a prism of tears that I type these words of remembrance. Godspeed and much love to you,  Andrew. This world is diminished by your leaving.

Live shot #98!

 

A Noise musician whose moniker I can't recall. Noto Motors, Menlo Park CA 1/5/19.

Seeded Plain-Badminton, The Volleys; Public Eyesore Records #155, 2023

 

It has occurred to Disaster Amnesiac more than a few times while listening to Seeded Plain's new CD, Badminton, The Volleys that it should have been put out from the eh? Records imprint. An Electro-Acoustic release with a completely bizarre cover image, recorded at temples in India by two Americans? I mean, c'mon, how eh? is that? Really, really eh? I'd say. 

Well, regardless of which of Bryan Day's labels that Badminton issues forth, this duo action with the accomplished Jay Kreimer is well worth the time spent listening, for this or any other fan of musical whatzis. Seeded Plain continue their long collaboration on Badminton with four tracks of sound art pulled from seemingly any and all manner of sources. These sources are listed as "invented instruments" on the slip case (lovely photos there, too by the way), and Disaster Amnesiac has wondered how many of these inventions were sourced locally in Hyderabad and Bangalore. I can still hear certain elements of Day's rig pretty clearly; even though it's rather sad to realize that it's been years now since I've seen him play live, it's neat to recognize certain of those pops, plinks, drags, and whorls that he coaxes from it. These sounds mesh in ways that can evoke mental images of giant robots striding across the plains of the sub-continent, or skyscrapers alternately erected and felled. One aspect of the Public Eyesore aesthetic is close mic'd techniques to capture large, overwhelming sounds from primitive sound sources, and this aspect is very much at play on Badminton. It's then up to the imaginative successes or failures of the listener as to how they're perceived. Disaster Amnesiac advises headphone listening as a means to get your mind into that successful zone. This is not to say that Badminton lacks any kind of simpler melodic track. I was pleasantly surprised by Bangalore and Hyderabad Two, both of which evince elements of said melodicism. The former by dint of the overtones of scraped metals hitting each other in just a certain way, and the latter by the addition of very resonant throat singing of a quite Himalayan feel from Trishant Shetty. These interactions give added depth, both musical and intellectually, to the proceedings. Hey, Seeded Plains dudes, more of this please, as it's a fascinating development that I feel should be pursued further.  

Badminton, The Volleys with its continuation of their established modes and new, interesting collaborative aspect, is a real winner for Seeded Plain.

So, Bryan, did you find and document any Indian musicians that are doing music similar to groups on Public Eyesore? If so, when are those releases slated for public consumption? Disaster Amnesiac hopes to be kept in the know, should those releases emerge on Public Eyesore or eh? Records.

Live shot(s) #97!

 

All shots taken at Groundworks, Tucson 10/4/23.

Below: Skin Theory (most of). Prog influences mashed together with Psych breakdown tendencies. Which will win out? 

Above: Lung, flexing with mid-tour adeptness. 20th Century Art Music details blending with Rock-ist song tendencies. Extreme precision with loop pedals! 

Below: Compersion. Full band sound achieved from Chamber Drone approach. The bass leads the way, as it should.

Gone To the Wolves; John Wray; Farrar Straus and Giroux Press, 2023

 

It was not by word of mouth that Disaster Amnesiac came across John Wray's excellent Gone To the Wolves, sadly. I'd had no idea that this book even existed. When it came to view at the Oro Valley Library, I just knew it. Knew its subject matter, in an intuitive way, knew that I'd dig it, just straight up knowledge. Those fonts on the cover said everything needed to be convinced about checking it out. Glad to have done so, too. Wray's story centers around a triangle of three young people in the time frame of the later 1980's into 1996. Kip, Kira, and Leslie are all sprouted from the murkier side of American society, and find their initial bonds forged by mutual love of Heavy Metal. Were we calling it simply "Metal" by then? Disaster Amnesiac cannot recall, even though I was aware of that scene in that time. I can safely say that I even knew a Kip, and a Kira and a Leslie. It seems safe to remark that everyone and anyone that's ever been involved in outsider scenes such as that of Metal will attest to knowing them, too. Wray's treatment of their shifting relationships and the emotional, as well as physical, impacts of them are treated with a tenderness that moved this reader many times. As stated, Disaster Amnesiac knows these people. They may have different names and faces, but in essence, they are the same. Gone To the Wolves is brilliant in that sense. The novel is also brilliant in the ways that it utilizes three distinct Heavy Metal scenes as framing devices for developing the relationships of Kip, Kira and Leslie. Florida Thrash, Los Angeles Glitter/Hair, and Norwegian Black Metal are all explored deftly by Wray. John clearly knows his stuff, and if he's not a genuine fan of the genre and its myriad offshoots, well he fooled me. Glen Benton, Lemmy at the Rainbow Bar and Grill, Oystein Aarseth, and Varg Vikernes all appear in the story, with Vikerness getting a pretty large support role during Act Three. Disaster Amnesiac couldn't help but wonder if Varg has read the Gone To the Wolves, and, if so, what his thoughts have been. Can't  say that I've seen him expound upon the subject at his Telegram channel, but then again I do not see his content that regularly.

Gone To the Wolves is a mightily compelling read. Just like good song craft, Wray's writing transcends genre with its solid story, eloquent turns of phrase, and obviously deep knowledge of the human condition. Disaster Amnesiac tried to play a role in starting a word of mouth campaign about the book at a Metal show on Friday night in Tucson. Would that action start a fire here in the Sonoran Desert? This novel certainly did so within my Heavy Metal brain waves!

Live shot(s) #96!

 

All shots taken at 191 Toole, Tucson AZ 9/29/23. 

Below: Over Thinking. Teenage riot. 

Above: Non Grata, continuing their journey into the heart of heavy.

Below: Evasion. Does humor belong in Grind? 

Above: Head Rust returns to live action after four years. 

Below: Sleeping With the Witch precision attack invoking lunacy. 

There may have been one more band on the bill, and if I missed them I'm sorry. Five Metal bands is a lot and Disaster Amnesiac was dead on the feet.

Live shot(s) #95!

 

Keyboard master Guy Whatley playing pieces by composer William Byrd on Flemish Keyboard and virginal. Lovely interpretations of English Early Music! St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Tucson 9/24/23.

Paul Lytton & Erhard Hirt-Borne On A Whim-Duets, 1981; Corbett vs. Dempsey Records 2023

 

Great news for fans of the deeply individualistic sounds of European/British Improvised Music scene emerges via Corbett vs. Dempsey Records in the form of Borne On A Whim-Duets 1981! Eight archival tracks from percussionist/electronics innovator Paul Lytton and guitar/dobro player Erhard Hirt have been unearthed, mastered, and packaged into a very pleasing release from the Chicago-based label. The depths that these two players plumbed during this session will be audible and pleasing for said fans. Lytton and Hirt conjure all kinds of scrapes, whirls, twirls, pops; basically any kind of "not allowed" sounds from their respective instruments are investigated and pushed to their limits. Borne's vibes are ones that evince an intimacy that will surely transmit to the attentive listener. One can hear and feel how closely Lytton and Hirt were paying attention to each others' sounds as they improvised: calls are sent, responses are intoned, and all within a very non-pompous atmosphere. These two musicians must have felt quite a lot of pleasure themselves as they got down to business over two days in Spring of 1981. Disaster Amnesiac recommends listening to Borne On A Whim-Duets 1981 with headphones. There are depths to this mix that really show themselves under 'phones. Such a wonderful release, and as it's listed as Paul Lytton Archives #1, it feels safe to assume that we can look forward to further sonic delights from the great drummer by way of Corbett vs. Dempsey. Bring 'em on!

Live shot #94!

 

Jazz guitarist, Settlers West Galleries, Tucson AZ 9/7/23.

Las Mordidas-Ex-Voto; L.G. Records, LG-6; 2023

 

It was a tremendous pleasure to have recently scrolled over to Dischord Records and seen that Ex-Voto, an archival release from Las Mordidas being served up. To paraphrase Ian Mackaye, D.C. bands have always seen the album as the menu and the show as the meal, but Disaster Amnesiac was not anywhere near the District when Las Mordidas were being plated live. Hence I have had to enjoy their lone 7" for many years as the best example of what was clearly an ass kicking band. No cool memories of seeing them in flesh for this listener, but I recall making the purchase of that 7" at the legendary Epicenter Records on Valencia St. in 'frisco (yes, I'm calling it that now). Surrounded sounded so great at that time (1996? 97?), and it's only ever sounded better to me over the years. I'd go so far as to say that it's one of the best songs of that decade. Good for you, the listener (and Disaster Amnesiac, too), it is included on Ex-Voto. It's so cool that Surrounded is now buttressed by nine other tracks of groove and rage from this quartet of Dischord schooled players. Las Mordidas pumped out a chunky, funky fusion that was rooted in the Hardcore Punk Rock aesthetics of that long running successful label but had moved horizontally away from them in solidly Rock-ist ways. Jerry Busher was one of the best drummers that I've ever seen play live, and those skills can be heard all over the LP, for example on Surprise Goodbye with its solid groove-centered traps playing. When Dug E. Bird is playing the bass, the Funk of D.C. is going to be present, and indeed it is. Oh, to have heard this rhythm section live! Their sets must have moved some butts! Dig on Solar System and Just About Buried for evidence of that potentiality. Guitarist John K. seems not afraid to make heroic moves worthy of the six string electric tradition on Bad Man and the snappy instrumental Ransom. Big riffs and sweet melodic runs can be heard all over the guitar parts from Ex-Voto. And then, there's Chris Thomson. Chris evolved into perhaps the Top Punk Rock Singer of the post-Nirvana era in Monorchid and Skull Kontrol, in vocal timbre and lyrical astuteness. It's quite fascinating to hear these qualities in their primal state within the Las Mordidas matrix. He'd clearly already envisioned and developed an absolutely singular delivery therein, a delivery that only got better over time. Rock 'n Roll singers must have a cool, individual style, unique to themselves and rooted within their decisions about, as Joe Carducci noted, what will and also won't work. Thomson had that shit nailed for years, and the documentary evidence on Ex-Voto evinces it in ways that will make fans of his art very happy. Slight critical thoughts have arisen from the kind of tossed off sounding Not Again and a few moments where then-current musical influences/trends poked out with a bit of glare, but, on the whole, this album, so lovingly packaged and produced by a top flight team, is very worth seeking out and digging into. It they did a reunion show, Disaster Amnesiac would try really hard to make it out to D.C. to hear them. Maybe get Hammered Hulls on the bill? Hell, if they did that, maybe re-form Ignition as the show opener? You guys have almost a year to get if happening at Fort Reno.........

Live shot(s) #93!

 

All shots taken at 191 Toole, Tucson AZ 9/2/23 at Celestial Fest 2023.

Below: In Lessons. Dramatic twin guitar emotional Rock with good stage presence and thick bass lines. Cool stuff. 

 

Below: Rat Trap. Blending of Hip Hop and Metal for the sake of fun.

 

Below: Non Grata. Lemmy once said something like "somewhere in the world right now, the best band in the world is playing", and for this listener on this night that band was Non Grata. They do it RIGHT. 

 

Below: Of the Lost. Technical overdrive pushed through the house speakers for streamlined mix, and interesting thing to see no amps and speakers on the stage. 

I think that one band was missed, sorry, I had to eat dinner before heading downtown.

Live shot(s) #92!

 

Organist and composer Pamela Decker with composer Ken Yukl as page-turner.  Holsclaw Hall, Universtiy of Arizona, Tucson 9/1/23. A recital featuring 20th-21st Century pieces by Decker, Yukl, Calvin Hampton, Herbert Bielawa, Charles Villiers Stanford, Gerald Near. Organ by Schoenstein & Co., San Francisco. Full spectrum sounds!

How 'come Disaster Amnesiac was the last to find out?

 

Steve Miller Band's The Stake and Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain Way are the same song? Wish you guys would have told me. These were the tunes that made the Punkers do it themselves. These were the tunes that young 'uns listened to as they were schlepped to the grocery store by mom and sometimes dad. I guess it's a zeitgeist type of issue? 

Well, time keeps on slippin' into the future. The culture was so much different than as compared to now, but Disaster Amnesiac guesses that each and every era has that characteristic. Probably each and every minute does for that matter. I read about the suicide of Frank Kozik recently. His art was very popular within cultural strains that Disaster Amnesiac was aware of and inspired by. He had just turned, or was about to turn, sixty years old when he went through with his decision. I can't help but ponder what factors they were that made him decide to end it once and for all. In terms of "the average American male", whatever the hell that is, Kozik was nearing some major endings. Perhaps he'd already began having some of them. Who can say, and that's really not my business anyway, but it has given food for thought. 

The presence of human death is one to be so engaged with for a person as their later years envelop them with tremendous quickness. It would be so nice to be able to phrase that into some kind of "rage, rage" line, but, honestly Disaster Amnesiac can be a pretty Steve Miller Band type of guy, and I fear that an attempt to do so would emerge dorky at best. Instead I'll just try to focus on these moments that are left for me with some kind of presence, worthy of their gifts.

Rent Romus-PKD Vortex Project (A Tribute to the Dark Master of Pulp Fiction); Edgetone Records, 2001

 

This CD has been in and nearby any player within mi casita for a number of weeks. Furthermore, Disaster Amnesiac would challenge any listener of outside-styled music to not have a similar response to its killer sounds. PDK Vortex Project was recorded in 1998 by five musicians that are just very damn good at what they do: Rent Romus (woodwinds), Doug Carroll (electric cello), Joel Harrison (electric guitar), Dave Mihaly (percussion), Tom Nunn (electro-acoustic inventions). The interactions that these five have with each other was justifiably dubbed "Vortex Music" by Romus, and repeated listening has proven why to this listener.  The group sound whirl and spin as such. And so many spirited interactions on these eight tracks,  and such depth of focus each one of them shows toward the overall sound matrix! Quite pleasing to these ears. I'll recommend March of the 80 Foot Phils as the prime exemplar of such. The ensemble (in the truest sense of the term) achieves a zen atmosphere of magical suspension there that is just so lovely for its delicacy. Really, though, just play the entire disc, as it is filled chock-a-block with the best sounds on offer from the Free Improvised scene of that or any other time. As Phil stated in his Exegesis papers: "[I] was so clear in my mind as to what to the exact point in this drama at which we stood". It's like that for over an hour, and that is time well spent. 

PS-very nice, luminescent cover art by CJ Borosque too.

John Krausbauer & David Maranha-Briging it Back b/w Round and Round and Round; Public Eyesore Records #154, 2023

 

Fascinating format fuckery here, as John Krausbauer and David Maranha, men of lengthy resumes opt for a relatively short 7 inch that showcases music most often featured on long playing LPs or even longer CDs. Two sides of Drone from amplified violin and amplified organ to be exact. And drone they do. The listener is essentially dropped into what sounds like an already-established action as soon as the needle hits the vinyl. Maranha has set up a pulsing ostinato pattern that bubbles and wobbles. Krausbauer solos with abandon atop of that. The musical action really hits when their notes converge within the wildness of their duo sounds. Disaster Amnesiac has heard it as a thick band of dark color and also as a quickly flowing ribbon of water. It's clear that they caught a moment of peak mind-meld on some day back in 2020. Lovely Minimalist cover art from Sarah La Puerta to boot. A fine little document from an obviously inspired session. When does the full length LP come out?

Live shot #91!

 

Guitarist, composer, visual artist, jewelry maker Mika Pontecorvo. KPFA studio, Berkeley CA 12/31/2018.

Live shot(s) #90!

 An evening of Metal at Hotel Congress, Tucson 7/26/2023.

 Above: Satanic Blood Angel. Tucson True Black Metal. Without darkness there's no light. 

Below: Sorcerer's Sword. Manic Thrash Metal from Reno NV. Out on tour now, catch 'em!

Above: Evasion. Tucson Technical Death Metal with a truly versatile singer.