Sun Worship XI at BUOY Gallery; 12/17/2011

Last night concluded the quarterly series I've curated for the past three years. For three years every three months I have accumulated some of the most inspiring performers I've had the honor to know and call friends in New England. For this final installment I brought together some really special people. The night started off with Id M Theftable. Just two days off the plane from a tour of England, tired, disoriented, jet-lagged, he was fantastic. Voices came from him that seemed impossible from such a body as his.

Second was the trio Los Condenados. A firey fury of electronic sounds melded with the vocalizings of Andrea Pensado and the horn playing of Jules Vasylenko. Walter Wright provided controlled electronic chaos via his various circuit boards of noise. Third round was Eric Dahlman and Eric Nugent of the Auddity trio, performing as Eric and Eric or Audd. Next up we had bunq present a film strip about little boy who wanted to be an artist. Then Crank Sturgeon. Next I performed with Dei and Marc Bisson, an homage to my first show in Manchester, at the old M.A.P. gallery. With only three people in the audience we decided to just perform together as one set. That started a lot of things for me in the New England free improvisation community. Greg Kowalski projected on the wall behind us and all that was missing was Steve Norton, our horn player/percussion guru who couldn't make it as he was performing in Somerville at the time. After our set came Skinny Vinny. They are always a crowd pleaser and are able to cross boundries and offer something people can relate to. And unlike many of these performers whom the uninitiated may not be able to discern whether or not they are educated in their line of performance, or whether they are novices or seasoned veterans, Skinny Vinny is easily identifiable as two performers who know their chops. Another demonstration by bunq defining the Winter Solstice and describing some of the traditions around it, as well as sacrificing a stuffed dog and distributing beef jerkey from amongst the synthetic fill. The evening concluded with 2/3 of Mystic Out Bop, Kit and Frank Turek. It was one of the best Sun Worship events I could recall, the Winter Solstice always being my favorite and seeming to involve some excellent performances. I look forward to visiting in the future and setting up the occasional Sun Worship show. And who knows, somebody might carry on the tradition once I'm gone. But I don't think it will be quite the same. Thanks to all who have come to perform or witness this special event. It's really meant more to me than I can put into words. The series has been a way I was able to participate both in the free improvisation community and the local community in Kittery, melding the two, trying to present art to this area that has been inspiring me. And now it is time for another chapter.

Sun Worship V, The One That Almost Got Away

   Feverishly trying to keep up with springtime work volumes at the bike shop took precedence over creative endevers.  That meant that planning for the fifth Sun Worhsip event suffered. So I was even more grateful for the performers who were able to rally with only two weeks notice.  Eric Dhalman was able to enlist a friend on guitar and bass to accompany him on horns, whistles, and various light treats. Although Joshua Jefferson was not in the area to join in, Steve Norton and Angela Sawyer were up for a performance and brought their elaborate collection of bird calls, horns, electronics.  They performed an extensive and dynamic set moving through various textures and intensities.  Birdorgan was complete again with percussionist Mike Daley who incorporated his crutches in the first performance since he crashed his scooter.  Lighting up their set was Greg Kowalski from Qfwfq Duo, projecting real time abstract images across the group and wall behind.  I brought along the bicycle wheel, electronics, etc., for a performance of Offst Needle Radius that was somewhat eclipsed by bunq's implosion of various objects, crumpled paper, balancing sticks, toys, etc.
   In all, the evening was another great night of free improv performance.  September will bring Sun Worship VI, will be the first Sun Worship event to take place on a Saturday, and will no doubt be great.  So write it on your calender, September 18th: Sun Worship VI!

Sun Worship IV IS Coming: Sunday March 21st

   Thriving on the deadline, the flier is in the works. A great line up once again with diverse sets from New England Phonographers Union, Warewolf, Crank Sturgeon, Marc Bisson, bunq, and of course, Offset Needle Radius.

   The New England Phonographers Union
is a fluid congregation of sound artists and field recordists who work with untreated and unprocessed recordings of the rich and varied sounds around them. Through the exploration and documentation of urban and rural public spaces, sound objects and events, the Union captures auditory phenomena otherwise lost, and re-interpret the particularity of individual places as a newly idealized sonic environment. Within a focused listening environment the members present their recordings, both individually and as collaborative improvisations.  Performing at Sun Worship IV will be Rick Breault, Mike Bullock, Linda Aubrey Bullock, Ernst karel, and Jed Speare.
  
   Crank Sturgeon
has been freaking out audiences around New England and the world for longer than I can tell you about. His combination performance art/noise creation is always unique and completely unignorable.  Utilizing during various performances, nudity, inflatable sculptures, masks and costumes, contact mics, intense square wave generators and high volume.  Crank Sturgeon was unable to participate in Sun Worship III having just come off yet another European tour and down with a case of the travel bugs.  I'm really excited to bring him back to Kittery this time around.

 Loup Garou (Warewolf)
is collaborative group consisting of Walter Wright of Apocalypso Trio on electronics, Setheyny Pen of Ralph Eats Dynamite on toy pianos and objects, Mike Daily of birdorgan on prepared guitar and whatnot, Kit Demos of Mystic Out Bop Review on electronics.  The pairing of sound sources can at first seem unlikely or perhaps unsettling. The introduction of melody from the damaged primitive sounds of the toy piano jars some peoples idea of free improv sound.  The result is playful and disarming at times, conflicting and challenging other moments.  This event will see Mike Daily hurting his drums, accompanied by Walter Wright and Kit Demos on electronicas.  Sadly, Setheny and her toy pianos won't be able to make it...

   Marc Bisson
is one quarter of birdorgan, utilizing prepared guitar, electronics, synths, wind up toys, and many other objects to create sort of a one man improv band of unique sound that moves easily through varying textures and intensities.

   bunq
has been appearing at area free improv sound events for some time, usually accompanying sound performers with his creative stacking and balancing performances.  Always with different elements to create teetering towers with, challenging his own sense of balance and the limits of structural gravity resistance, until the inevitable climax of a crash scattering objects across the floor.  Each time David's performances are an exercise in tension building, structure rendering, release, and rebuilding.

   This is happening at Buoy Gallery at 2 Government St in Kittery just over the bridge from Portsmouth.  We'll get things started around 7pm.  Donations requested.  Please bring $$ or gas cans full of petrol to help offset the cost to performers and the gallery for bringing you this event.  It is truly a labor of love and oobe.