Cool photo of Amy Reed from 2015

 

Just a really cool photo of Northern California guitarist Amy Reed, taken at Berkeley Arts Festival Building in Spring of 2015. Disaster Amnesiac is really proud of this shot, so I figured I'd share it. Hopefully more posts coming at some point in the near future.....

gabby fluke-mogul-Jacob Felix Heule-Kanoko Nishi-Smith-Non-Dweller; Humbler Records, 2021

 

The standard m.o. for Disaster Amnesiac is really simple: receive music, decide to review, listen, listen, listen, listen, then review. I mention this in regards to Non-Dweller, the fantastic new release from gabby fluke-mogul, Jacob Felix Heule, and Kanoko Nishi-Smith, because it's been really tough to get from the listening phase and into the reviewing one. 

The best explanation for this hesitancy is simply that this music is so deep and rich, so sublimely intimate, I really don't want to stumble around with words that seem inadequate as far as descriptions of these sounds go.  So, here sits Disaster Amnesiac, really wanting to review Non-Dweller, but feeling rather daunted by the task, even after multiple, deep listens. That said, I need to at least try.

These three improvisors are all clearly reaching new depths of their understanding of extended techniques with the instruments which they use: violin, koto, and bass drum. From this elegantly simple array, fluke-mogul, Heule, and Nishi-Smith utilize this breadth of understanding to conjure up a tightly focused trio action that goes so far beyond notes and so deeply into worlds; these worlds spin upon the axes that are scaffolded by each player as they listen and respond to the gestures of their cohorts. The sum total of these actions seem best described as episodes that feature all three of them changing places within the shifting zones of the improvisations. When a listener finds themselves within these various episodes, they will likely find it fascinating to try to figure out who is playing what. Is that the koto playing the bass guitar part? Is that a bowed cymbal on the bass drum, or the violin bow that is making that deep drone? Which one of the instruments is making that higher register clicking sound, and which one is making the booming low sound in counterpart to it? This is not to say that the various voices are disconnected, for they all blend into whole that is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.If you're at all interested in Improvised Music and the ways in which improvising bands order their individual languages into group dynamics, surely the kind of playing that this Sublimity Trio displays will appeal to your tastes. fluke-mogul, Heule, and Nishi-Smith are going deep on Non-Dweller.

So, yeah, here sits Disaster Amnesiac, having had tracks i and ii of Non-Dweller in the listening rotation for days and days, marveling at the beautiful cover art by Sarah Partch Smith, struggling to find the words that could even adequately begin to describe the heights and the depths that it travels  to. 

Perhaps I should have just kept this review really simple: listen and be blown away.

Donilo Ligato-Rizieri; EEEE Records, 2021

 

These days, it's often that Disaster Amnesiac wants to throw my hands up into the air and beseech the Creator, "CAN THE WORLD BE AS SAD AS IT SEEMS?" 

Thanks to Throbbing Gristle for supplying that bit of wise query, and thanks to the Creator for gifting humans with music. Even during sad and hard times, humans can make and listen to music. So many moods, and surely for each of them, a sound can be found. Even when sadness grinds at the senses, we can find a music that helps. 

All of this brings Disaster Amnesiac to Rizieri, a new digital EP from seasoned sound artist Danilo Ligato. Across three rather short tracks, Ligato conjures moods that have been pretty uplifting during a turbulent time. Opener Nube pairs minor key vibraphone ostinato with somewhat eerie feedback sounds; the former has frozen this listener in his tracks in somewhat sad contemplation, while the latter pushes those feelings back a bit, until a noise wall of guitar chords takes over the entire scene.This song has brought the tears streaming, tears of genuine sadness at the acknowledgement of physical life's inevitable endings, and tears of joy at the simple beauty that we are afforded within this mortal coil. This is music with simple, direct affect. Wonderful. Next up is Dissipatio, wherein ethereal keyboards pair with clean, plucked guitar. Pensive at first, its latter, major key sounding portion brings just the right amount optimism. Ligato ain't leaving you mired in despair, and for that you should feel good. Rizieri's short journey concludes with Monte Analogo. A simple keyboard refrain, much like that of Nube, is treated with metallic cello sounds and small whisps of feedback. Another lovely little island of intimacy. 

The three tracks that make up Rizieri have an interconnected feel that is very pleasurable. Even as they seem to reflect a deep sadness (or, maybe that's just Disaster Amnesiac projecting?), their beauty is akin to that of discovering the deeper, hidden joys within the human struggle. As I continue to struggle through these strange times, I'll be dipping in to its ethereal tones for some of those healing vibes.

Perpetual Bridge-Upon the Deep; self-released via Bandcamp, 2021

 

The world certainly has been under heavy manners, has it not? Fear seems to have become the guiding emotion for a LOT of people over the past year, even more so than usual. Disaster Amnesiac will spare you the list, for, surely, you're aware of it. I will say, that during times of stress, duress, and societal mess, I, like many others, tend to turn towards the more soothing sounds. After a day of taking in whatever weird/bad news is currently being spewed, it can be really tough to listen to, say, Slayer, with the hopes of just finding a way towards making it to another one. 

Recently, this dynamic has been where Perpetual Bridge's Upon the Deep has come in really handy. This three track EP-length digital release is full of the kind of hypnotically cosmic sounds that can truly assuage the frightened feelings that seem to be poking up from all corners. Composed and performed by Swiss/Italian sound artist and DJ Nadia Peter, who coaxes all manner of digital exotica and hypnotica from what I imagine are digital sources, Upon the Deep sends the listener into three worlds of comfortingly beautiful sound baths.  On tracks Nebula, Hidden Rivers, and Blue Orbit, quiet musical motifs are presented and then fleshed out with many different manner of bubbling, scratching, and whirling sound accents. The sounds here are almost New Age in their melodic composition, but the added accents give them a certain spice that enlivens them into something more spacey and singular. 

There's plenty of musical variety coming from the mind of Perpetual Bridge's creator, and it can surely appeal to wide swath of listeners, as evidenced by Mrs. Amnesiac deeming it "really cool", often most assuredly NOT an appellation given by her to the music that she hears coming from my stereo. 

Upon the Deep has provided Disaster Amnesiac with a place of refuge in which to relax and to escape from the turbulence that society is stumbling through. Recommend listening technique for this lovely EP: put it on repeat, find a comfy spot in which to sit, and just let its sounds embrace you with their mysteriously calming mists.

Bad Brains-Pay To Cum!/Stay Close To Me; Bad Brains Records, 2020

 

Ok, so Disaster Amnesiac was NOT there for the rock that hit the water of culture that the Bad Brains were. That said, I most DEFINITELY felt their ripples. I can still recall hearing Pay To Cum! on Let Them Eat Jelly Beans and just knowing that their sounds, along with those of Black Flag, had changed how music was going to be heard and appreciated by me. I would soon become aware of just how many other people had this same revelation, but at the time, it was a purely subjective one as I sat alone in a small bedroom apartment in West Germany. The lightning fast guitar riffs from DR. Know and Darryl Jenifer, giving off so much more energy than those I'd been digging from groups I had been hearing, exploded in my ears, their chords tracing neural paths that were clearly necessary! The precision drumming of Earl Hudson, as if originating from some ancient and yet absolutely current ritual, with that cowbell sound and crisp snare hits! And, of course, the strange incantations from H.R., sung and spat out with such declarative fury and intriguing accent! Much like many others, Disaster Amnesiac found myself asking "who are these beings, and what planet are they from?" 

Pay To Cum! was one of those paradigm shift moments that Punk Rock presented. I'd imagine that copies of the original 7" are closely guarded and kept in secure locations by those that acquired them at their initial release, they being well aware of their import on the cultural landscape. It was fucking significant then, and it remains so.  The song has just never aged for me, and I'd imagine that that rings true for millions of others at this point, too. 

Thankfully, for people such Disaster Amnesiac that never were able to get their mitts onto an original copy of it, Bad Brains have gotten their business act tight, and are re-issuing huge chunks of their back catalog, starting with the world historical song of which I'm now singing praises. I was stoked to have found my copy of Pay To Cum! on a sleek silver slab of 7" vinyl at their website, and at a non-bank busting price to boot. 

As for the B-side, I was never familiar with Stay Close To Me, and have been enjoying its Punky Reggae feel as well; it conjures up visions of summertime cook outs and puppy love, what with its good time feels. Not as earth shattering as Pay To Cum!, but, then, what really could be so? Not much.....

Badbrainsrecords.com is a beautiful, slick, and classy spot on the web, and they're delivering their product with efficiency. Kudos to Bad Brains for that, and, of course, for using their PMA to draft that kick ass template of a large swath of music for the ensuing four decades. 

I needn't tell anyone who has marveled at the precision attack of Bad Brains musical vision that they should get on over there pronto, if for nothing more than a reminder of the possibilities that Bad Brains are so adept at invoking.

Waycross-self titled; self released 1998

 

Cities are damn weird places, and as regards San Francisco, this is doubly true. A tiny geographical area that is stuffed with people, it's a place that is full on quick transitions. One minute you're in an affluent  neighborhood, and the next you're walking past bodies, maybe living, maybe not, and crunching on used dope needles. It can be pretty jarring on the psyche. 

In light of that, a fair amount of the art and music that comes from San Francisco can have a certain dark tinge. Think of the brooding soundscapes of Toiling Midgets or the nihilist lyrics of Flipper. People in the City that are awake to this darkness, or have been affected by it need to find outlets for it. Some of those people are musicians; some of those musicians' work is going to reflect it.

A case in point is Waycross, a San Francisco band that emerged in the late 1990's. As Disaster Amnesiac recalls it, they were a pretty big deal in their home town, and deservedly so. The sound on their first, self-titled CD is one that is drenched from top to bottom with reflections of the environment from which it arose. As such, it resonated with people there. 

It's fitting to speak first off of the lyrics. Often intoned in duo by Caroleen Beatty and Sunshine Haire, they tell eloquent stories of relationships observed to be in bloom or in decay and everywhere else on the spectrum. It's not listed who wrote lines such as "lovers of art who gave you the message/you neglected to use the proper inflection/you're loveliest when you're perfectly still" on Lovers Of Art, but  whomever it was that did, credit them with superb powers of observation. Every time that I hear this song, I marvel at the sharpness of its insight. Waycross is filled with great lyrics such as that, or "the world's hungry and mean/and it's waiting for me" on Tips For Travelers. Suffice it say that you're a fan of poetry, you'll find tons of great verbiage here, and so much of it seems to reflect the lived lives of people in San Francisco. The harmonies achieved by Beatty and Haire as they deliver the words are subtle and quite lovely. They must have spent a ton of time honing them. There is a richness to them which makes hearing even the harder edged lyrics a beautiful experience. Beatty's voice, when solo, is like a Punk Rock Patsy Cline, never histrionic but powerful in its confident understatement. 

Along with their entwined vocals, Haire and Beatty also pair their guitar sounds on Waycross.  Beatty holds down the rhythm with clean tones and lines while Haire adds deliciously smudgy slide and echoed reverb. It's the latter sound which feels like the band's secret weapon. As Disaster Amnesiac has listened to this disc over the years, I've often been able to see the fog of San Francisco rolling down over Twin Peaks, or the gleam of sunset in the Mission, or the otherworldly glare of the Outer Richmond in July. This is large part due to the creative sound colors that Haire coaxes from her axe. They are often just unhinged enough to take the sound to those surreal spaces for which the electric guitar seems to have been almost exclusively designed. Just as with their vocals, this guitar team clearly spent a ton of time setting up a unique musical dynamic for their band, and in Haire's case I imagine there was also plenty of it spent in solitude, working out unique ideas.

One aspect that defines a band is its rhythmic feel. Think about groups such as the Ramones, Iron Maiden, or Black Flag. Regardless of how one might feel about them on an aesthetic level (Disaster Amnesiac enjoys them all), one must admit that they have distinct ways of shaping the rhythms of their songs. This quality is also the case with Waycross. They mostly stick to a loping 12/8 form on Waycross, which is held down tightly by drummer Bruce Ducheneaux and bass player Doug Hilsinger. This feel often has me thinking of hikes up the hills from Downtown or SOMA and up into the Western Addition. So often the faster Thrash rhythm is upheld as being indicative of the San Francisco environment, but that's probably because of speed; I never tried that shit, but I did a ton of walking around those 7 Hills, and Waycross brings those memories back. Hilsinger made hugely psychedelic guitar sounds with Bomb and Gift Horse, and it's really fascinating to this listener that he switched over to the bass for his duties within Waycross. He proves himself to be just as adept with four strings as six, and his booming fat tones set up and underscore the riffs really well. From the interactive and involved playing within the arrangements, it seems unlikely that Hilsinger saw playing the bass as any lesser of a role than that of guitar. Bruce has a great bass drum feel and gets pretty intricate with his cymbal beats, all the while managing to remain locked in with and supportive of Doug, Caroleen, and Sunshine as he does it. A fine drummer he is.

Taken as a whole, the Waycross sound is a deep and swirling fusion of Rock, Punk, and Country, one which manages to transcend these influences in shaping a singular musical band voice. The unique and mysterious lyrics, the great harmonized vocals, the creative instrumental playing: it all adds up to a solid document of musical ideas worked upon and realized. Disaster Amnesiac sees Waycross as a defining document of a specific time in the life that strangest of cities, San Francisco. Willing to bet that there are others out there that would share this opinion as well.

Above: Waycross set list, probably from Bottom of the Hill ca. 1999

 

Euphotic-Isopleths; Public Eyesore Records #146, 2020

 

A euphotic space is one in which plankton can receive enough sunlight for the process of photosynthesis. When Disaster Amnesiac thinks a bit past the definition, I think of areas that are both dark and light, warm and cold. You know, that spot that you can float around in, with a snorkel, while half of your body is warmed by sunlight and the other half is touched by the cooler dynamics emanating from the water's depths. These spaces are liminal, and as such, one must strive to pay attention a bit more when one is within them. 

Paying attention is a key to interactions with Isopleths, the recent CD from Euphotic. A kind of Eletro-Acoustic power trio, made up of Bryan Day on self-invented instruments, Cheryl Leonard on same, and Tom Djill on trumpet and electronics, the group has recorded a work that demands and rewards that attentive listening. Generally, you can disregard the inclination to identify what instrument is making which sound. This is especially true in the case of Leonard and Day. Their rigs are so unique, so personal as to defy all that, unless you're able to see them in a live setting (...ahem....) 

Instead, just let the sounds flow over the perceptions, much in the same way that could let the water within that liminal zone flow over your body as you float or swim. Sounds click, and snort, and clang, and wheeze, and splatter, all the while bumping up against other sounds that occur simultaneously. On occasion, Tom's trumpet bleats, giving off a bit of traditional timbral familiarity. All of this action happens within a generally still and unassuming manner. These three musicians all work within a scene that values understatement and active listening to a high degree, and, within those parameters, Djill, Leonard, and Day are very refined. As Disaster Amnesiac has listened to Isopleths, I've done so both within a more "active" mode and within one less so (driving, doing dishes, writing emails), and the album suits both modalities just fine, even though one will definitely get more sonic payoff from the a place of the active variety. Significant, "rocking" heat is at times generated, especially within the tracks that have most consistently made my ears perk up, Echolocution and Pluton. On the former especially, it's felt almost as if Euphotic planned things to go that way, winding their way to it with a relaxed, gentle pace. The latter gives a bit of a preview of what's to come, before slinking more into the background for a while. The dynamic ebb and flow of Isopleths is very compelling, that's for sure. You wade in, immerse, start to float, notice more and more, and then you're hit with the immensity of the environment in which you're presently dwelling. A VERY nice feeling, and absolutely worth the wait. 

As stated,  you'll want to give as much of your direct perceptual attention to Isopleths as you can. Do so, and you'll find yourself floating along within a very fascinating liminal world. Don't be panicked by the wide open spaces therein, for you can be assured that they'll lead to plenty of satisfying sound interactions in time.