Electric Possible

2009 Show Log--The Sixth Year!

DC's mad monthly laboratory for sonic surprises

January - June shows at DCAC, Adams Morgan, WDC
July - Dec shows at Bossa, Adams Morgan, WDC

Monday, December 14--New Olduvai Quartet + Safe (reunion)!

New Olduvai Quartet--ESP recording artist Elliott Levin returns to town with a smoking group of Cecil Taylor alumni and Philly avant-jazzmen to play acoustic/electronic improvisations developed from the Olduwan Era to the present. Group includes Elliott Levin on reeds & words; Tom Rollinson; Rick Iannacone--guitars and bass; & Louis Rozier--percussion. Levin & Rollinson co-founders of jazz/r&b/rock fusion scene; join with Louis Rozier--returnign to a DC--a unique sonic event.

Safe--Improvisational electro-acoustic duo of tyler higgins and david vosh combining analog electronics and unusual sound sources like extended guitar technques, bowed styrofoam, etc, is very much a child of "electric possible" making their debut there in nove. 2006 and doing their "final" performance there in nov. 2007. in the intervening 2 years, tyler has worked on solo pieces, which you will also hear tonite, and david has worked on solo and duo projects. it late 2009, tyler felt the urge to perform live music again and the duo of "safe" was reformed for a couple of re-union performances.

Chris Grier--Guitar terrorist and "noise pop stud" recently seen on the Black Cat stage at Sonic Circuits with Rat Bastard and Ulrich Krieger (nom de trio: Black Hole Miami), and somewhat (un)known for work with To Live and Shave in LA, Scarcity of Tanks, Ultimate VAG, etc. Nice sound files of his duo perf with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn on the website. 

Chris Haskett--Solo acoustic guitar from Rollins Band axeman.

The Makioki Sisters--The Makioki Sisters are Burmese twins masquerading as J-Pop girls. But behind the perfect hair and too cute fashions you'll find Myo & Violet, two men who perform under girlish names. Joining forces they create a new sisterhood of noise--resulting in a failed attempt to play something like techno. Myo culls noise from radio frequency interference, and Violet mangles on his 70s Japanese drum machine. Don't blame us if you hurt yourself trying to dance to this.

TL0741--Beautifully crafted solo electronics works by analog synth master Pat Gillis, who also works in "dark wave/goth" duo Angus Brainpan and industrial electronics duo Northern Machine. His music sounds as gorgeously biomechanical as anything by Jeff Grienke or Asmus Tietchens, and as nuanced with living, breathing machine voices as anything by Morton Subotnick or Donald Erb, and evokes complex, dark urban dreamscapes any blade runner would be proud to call home.

"[TL0741's] amazing Back to Minus debut album has demanded heavy rotation for the past three weeks, colouring my meditiations, illustrating some of my deepest dream patterns, and generally munging up the entire neighbourhood."--Julian Cope

Twilight Memories of the Three Suns--Ruffle Taffy and the Toadstool 33 1/3 1/33 1/33 1/33 1/33.pi etc. 666. Nope. Portfolio presentation, Cornolio lips. Kissin 'teach in 1st grade under the Big Desk. Propz to the ascended masters??.Squirters? http://www.youtube.com/user/WhistlersBrother is not our bro, or is he?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_IU86I_L9k = the baby's daddy

Moving forward chugging on chugging the kombooch when possible, titty twisters, rolling around in tickle bliss, laying waste and creating nuggets. Kha-Khi Kha-Khi   !

Ben Miller/degeneration--Mutated guitar played with mutated technique, creating mutant sounds for happy mutants. Vast history with underground rock & outside musics (incl. Sproton Layer with bro Roger from Mission of Burma) is just the beginning for the new sounds of degeneration.

Cash Slave Clique--Blissful beats of DC�s indiginous �go go� sound plus the power electronics of 36 & Rape Ape in new power electronics subgenre: �go go noise core.� �...busy, techno-noise machinist-mob hum that strongly recalls Yellow Swans at their electronic blizzard best.� --Minnapolis City Paper

Soft Pieces--Known for legendary performances, Zach Mason�s electronic soundscapes build from repetitve, ambient materials before rupturing in shards of spring noise

Matta Gawa--Guitar/drum rocket fuel launches deep space probe to 10th planet Eris, goddess of disord and chaos. Ed Rickert brings strings and FX, Sam Lohman brings trap set & sticks. Have space suit will travel.

Dubpixel--Coming into existence originally as a source for independent media soundtracks, Dubpixel (aka Doug Kallmeyer) draws from years of international live mixing work to expand on the dub mixer's aesthetic toward audio to include video. Live performances range from hypnotic to nearly seizure inducing, a direct reflection of the American experience of technology, consumption & capitalism. For video collaborations and audio click here: http://www.myspace.com/dubpixel

Rape Ape--Best know these days for live sound processing with jazz power quartet Sonic Suicide Squad, Rape Ape's solo excursions add new folds to the wrinkles ironed into the power electronics field of dreams: metallic echoes blast into vast caverns of silence and deep black sound.

Mercury Fools the Alchemist--Unlikely music from trio of avant classical bass (Dan Barbiero of Nine Strings, etc), ambient guitar (Rich Sheehe of Field Shaman), and homemade "stone age synthesizer the springamajig (Jeff Bagato, aka Tone Ghosting) produces chimerical cacaphony for mystical journeys.

A workshop project for improvisors playing either acoustic or electric sound sources. We'll be conducting impromptu partnerships for on-the-spot conjury of dissonance, euphony, & zizania. Bring your axe and your skillz. Best to bring your own amplification if you'll need it (as well as all patch cords, FX, power strips, etc). If you're familiar with the "Volunteer Crap Shoot" hosted by Baltimore's Red Room, you know what we're after here. Bystanders welcome. This is a free event!

Canid--Colin Jenkins has been performing under the name Canid for about seven months now.  His music is based around drones, textures, delays, aleatoric rhythms, and a combination of rudimentary electronics, percussion, whistles, radio, and voice.  Most of his pieces are improvised with only very basic planning.  Making music like this is like tending a fire: it requires constant feeding, each move must be made according to the state of the piece at that very moment, and it is simultaneously consistent and fluctuating.  He is anxious to record and very interested in collaborating with like-minded musicians as well as video or spoken-word artists.  If you can help him with any of these things, please contact him at droningon@gmail.com or at www.myspace.com/canidsounds.

Wilson Shook--An improvising saxophonist living in Seattle,Washington.Wilson's music emphasizes focus, texture, chance and exploration. It exists in dialogue with its specific and contingent contexts; it is
"new music" in that it explores each new moment and seeks to develop a
critical awareness of the present. Perhaps better characterized as "present music", it is less concerned with staking out new musical territory than it is with creating relevant and personal communication that places equal value on intention and sensitivity.

Sonically, Wilson's music is informed by lower case and minimalist
aesthetics, while embracing the full range of his instrument. Always
aware of balance and the fundamental importance of space, Wilson is
especially interested in incidental or `between' sounds: material that
exists on the edges and in the cracks of the conventional sonic
palate.

Much of Wilson's art concerns itself with the actualization of
feminist and libertarian ethics. Investigating the interplay between
artistic freedom and freedom at large, Wilson views improvisation as a
model of interaction that can inform diverse situations and
relationships. 

Previous and continuing collaborators include: Gust Burns, Nate Wooley, Bob Marsh, Gino Robair, Tyler Wilcox, Greg Kelley, Jaimie
Branch, Joshua Manchester, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jonathan Zorn, Michael
Thieke, Robert Blatt, Jonathan Sielaff, Mark Collins, Tom Yoder, Teri
Nelson-Zagar, Dave Knott, and the Seattle Improvisers' Orchestra.

Wilson is the director of Gallery 1412, an artists' collective and
performance space, and is a member of the Seattle Improvised Music
board of directors. http://www.gallery1412.org/wilsonshook.html

Vector Trio--Vector Trio began life in 1996 simply as Vector, an improvisational avant-garde funk septet. In 2002 Vector became Vector Trio. The musicians began making use of electronics, including looping devices and effects processors, to expand the possibilities of the trio. Their work to date is showcased in their all-original CDs, most recently Live at Pyramid Atlantic and Nomina. Vector Trio is a project designed to explore freedom and possibility in three voices, contextualized by cultural disharmony: Scott Forrey - trumpet, loops, electronics, percussion; Gary Rouzer - bass, bass cello, loops, electronics; Marshall Hughey - drums, landscape percussion.

Scott Forrey has played trumpet with jazz, funk, Latin, and avant-garde bands for more that 25 years. He was both a student and faculty member at Berklee college of Music in the 1980s, where he studied improvisation with saxophonist George Garzone and bassist Miroslav Vitous. Among his interests are composition, arranging, and scoring film, digital recording technology, and collaborating with poets and other artists. In 1999 Scott contributed to the score of the independent British feature film MOTION, directed by Tom Clay. Vector Trio represents the culmination of years of exploration into live improvisation, musical experimentation, and electronics. 

Gary Rouzer has been playing electric bass since he was 16. After studying upright bass at Berklee College of Music in 1978 more jazz influences appeared. Locally he has played many styles with various jazz, rock and fusion groups. Gary and Scott met in the DC Latin-jazz group Locura. Both had been playing salsa in Latin dance bands and were looking for a more creative outlet while wanting to stay within the Latin influence. Recently Gary has added a new voice to the group--the NS Bass Cello.

Jersey born drummer/percussionist Marshall Hughey has brought a variety of rhythmic styles to this ensemble. He studied with the late Vincent "Muzzy" Mizzoni in New Jersey. Marshall attended the Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Va. After graduating in 1982, he performed with local D.C./Va. funk, rock, jazz and experimental projects. Marshall's long music history has seasoned him for vectorTrio's improvisations.

Aerosolized Mucus--Dana & Scott explore outer limits of sound & song production with found percussion, FX, voice, etc.

Circus of Saints--Trio of guitar, drums & bassoon! Bassoonist Dana Jessen visits from Amsterdam to enliven Billy Sokol's piccolo bass & Nick Costa's drums for some holy free improv shenanigans. Back home in The Netherlands, Dana performs with ICP Orchestra. More links: myspace & youtube

Blue Sausage Infant--Local troublemaker bringing some old skool industrial rhythm 'n' noise. 

Christopher Williams--Barcelona-based composer, bassist, and organizer originally from San Diego has musicked with Derek Bailey, LaMonte Young's Theatre of Eternal Music, Charles Curtis, and other notables. Recent projects include participation in Possibility of Action: the life of the score, a collective exhibition of musical scores at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary ARt; and organizing the Festivalet d'Hivern de Musica Improvisada, a yearly festival of experimental music in Barcelona. He'll be playing a mixed program of improvisations (possibly with some local victims, er volunteers) and other (theatrical) pieces such as Kenneth Gaburo's "Inside;" Benjamin Carson's Three Songs; and "Variations for Double Bass" by Benjamin Patterson, Fluxus artist extraordinaire. Sponsored by the Institut Ramon Llull, Barcelona.

Fast Forty--Inspired by an El Possible show last year, Keith Sinzinger took a bunch of galvanized pipe--once destined for the dump--and transformed it into a set of tubular bells. Played with various mallets, hammers, finger picks & whatever else comes to mind, and processed through an array of stomp boxes and other electronics, the bells are sometimes earthy, sometimes industrial, sometimes spacey. Added to the mix are tape loops, found sounds, circuit-bent toys & other oddities. After a long absence from live performance (mostly rave chill-out stuff), Keith returned in April 2009 to play at a Sonic Circuits event and gathering of the Baltimore SDIY Variable Ensemble at the National Electronics Museum. He performs under the moniker Fast Forty, adopted when he was fast approaching 40. Past projects have included remixing the Clinton impeachment debate and the Biden-Palin vice presidential debate (both self-released on cassette). A lifelong newsman, he tries to remain in tune to the news and is constantly on the lookout for ways to exploit it musically. File under: intense ambient.

VLT_BLK--Not a new sandwich, but an overload of caliphone turntable abuse from drone masters Violet & BLK w/Bear. Out of the Violet superhero cape, Jeff Surak runs the Zeromoon label and organizes the Sonic Circuits DC Festival and concert series. BLK w/Bear has an extensive discography including a collaboration with Rothko that had music appear on TV!

Dave Vosh & Logan Mitchell, Sr Duo--Dave performs as Safe 2 & Logan as Synth Tech Project; both are members of the Baltimore Synth DIY Variable Ensemble Logan founded, an eclectic assemblage of musicians from B'more & DC area exploring the many sub-genres of electro-experimental music. Both use lots of analog & home built electronics. Logan's also organizer of several upcoming electronic music festivals in B'more: the Baltimore Electronic Music Fest in June 2009 & the National Electronics Museum Electronica Fest in Sept 2009.

Twilight Memories of the Three Suns--Exploring the outer limits of sound production, performance, and the nature of sound itself, this exciting collective rocks the house with weird ideas and weirder music! With seven (7) vinyl releases under their belt, they are gettin' up in a big way. Sound samples at Flish Records myspace page.

Kingdom of Sharks--Slow burning noisescapes inspired by Frank Booth, Crispin Glover, and the light at the end of the tunnel.

March 11--Electro-acoustic free improvisation smorgasbord with Duc D'Angelos Quartet (B'more) + Andrew Weathers (Greensboro, NC) + 21st Century Chamber Ensemble

Duc D'Angelos Quartet--Baltimore-based electro-acoustic improvisation group features Cey Jo-Jo: guitar, loops / DyNameks: turntable, drum machine, laptop, loop station / SirRoland: guitar synth, filters / The Voyeuristic Fringe: analog-modular and electro-mechanical synths. The quartet describes itself thus: "The whole of Duc D'Angelos is greater than the sum of its parts; each component may influence other components in a web of incentives, constraints and connections. The slightest change in one part causes tremors everywher else. The group is dedicated to the idea of non-linear performance. It is music. It is musical form of sound ans silence over time but there is no utilitarianism in their approach. They are not useful. They create for themselves, in the moment, without premeditation. it is decor . It is graffiti via device." Sound clips, etc: www.myspace.com/ducdangelos

Andrew Weathers--(aka Pacific Before Tiger) is a composer and improvisor living in Greensboro, NC, where he studies composition and percussion at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has toured extensively, performing electroacoustic works for guitar and electronics. his music borrows heavily from modern classical music, most notable from the minimalist movement. Recordings of his music have been released on Blondena Music, Cinnamon Fnord, and Full Spectrum.

Twenty-first Century Chamber Music Ensemble, with Aaron Martin & Larry Gomez--A supergroup of DC-based improvisors coming together to bridge the worlds of classical chamber music, jazz, and the joyously unspecified music we often call the "avant garde." Featuring Ted Zook on bass cello, Janel Leppin on cello & electronics, Anthony Pirog on guitar & effects, and Mike Sebastian on saxophones. Tonite they'll be joined by special guests Larry Gomez on percussion and Aaron Martin on alto sax. 21st CCE sound clips on two myspace pages!! 21st CCE #1 and 21st CCE #2

It's Electric Possible's patented mix-n-match musical concept with 5 musicians, 4 groups, and one group improv featuring DC-based projects new and old! Acoustic strings! Laptops! Electronics! Weird junk and more!

Nine Strings--"An improvisational electro-acoustic duo combining contemporary compositional methods and instrumental techniques. Jumping off from graphic, decision-tree and conventional scores, the group creates soundscapes from a blend of melody, texture, technology and microtonality. The group's name derives from its bringing together of four-string double bass and five-string electric bass-cello.

"A native of New Haven, CT, double bassist Daniel Barbiero has been active in creative improvised music in the Baltimore-Washington area for several years as a performer, composer, and bandleader. His music reflects his long-standing interest in scalar and free improvisation, aleatory composition, microtonality, modal and post-bop jazz, and world fusion. 

"Gary Rouzer was born in Washington, DC, and started playing electric bass at the age of 16 after hearing King Crimson and Cream. Vector Trio has been his primary musical outlet for the last 10 years but has begun in 2008 to play solo and with small groups such as Aleasthete and Nancy Havlik's Dance Performance Group. Free improvisation serves as his primary approach to music-making these days on his NS bass cello." 

Pilesar--"A percussionnist and songwriter who specializes in Lo Fi 4-track molestation. Instrumentation may include microphone, voice, toys, broken effects pedals, borrowed instruments, thrift store finds, tapes, and various environmental factors. As both a soloist and collaborator, Pilesar has released dozens of fiercely independent recordings on his DIY label, Chameleon Dish Archives. One half of duo Aleasthete."

Scrap Heap--"Laptop-based sound crafter Scott Feeney uses this moniker to explore sedate ambient rumble, piercing top-heavy noisescapes, and everything in between."

Soft Pieces--"Using a synthesizer, delay pedal and mixer, Zach Mason aims to join the organic nature of improvisational performance with the versatility of digital tools. The best shows pair spectacle with subtlety and crete a memorable experience for each audience member. ("Memorable" does not always equal "pleasurable.") A Maryland local with recent appearances at the Sonic Circuits and MegaHz festivals, Zach also performs and records under the names I Scar Art's Echo, Massage, Medical Gaze, The One Warm Spark, and Softpieces."

Croniamantal--Named for the anti-hero of Guillaume Apollinaire's surrealist novel The Poet Assasinated, El Possible's first electro-acoustic free improvisation laboratory project gathers a set of local free improvisors and one avant garde poet to create some exciting new sounds. Current members include Pat Gillis (TL0741) on analog synthesizers; Amber Dunleavy (Echolalia) on theremin; Paolo Vallodolid on cello; Layne Garrett (Cutest Puppy in the World) on guitar and found stuff; Michelle Marcoccia (Ms. Conception) on didjeridoo and flute; and Jeff Bagato (Tone Ghosting) on cheesy keyboard & springamajig. Their bard for this incarnation will be legendary DC avant garde poet Rod Smith, long holding it down as editor of Aerial/Edge magazine; his new book Deed was issued by University of Iowa Press. Rod was voted "DC's Best Poet" for 2008 by Washington City Paper. Check out some of his work here.

Mind Over Matter Music Over Mind--DC trio advances political, social and spiritual consciousness through dense musical explorations that touch on Sun Ra's vision of the future and hip hop's vision of the now. "MOMMOM is directed at the function of consciousness, not at its contents. For the mind, mmorphology is physiology and MOMMOM seeks to redraw the boundaries of mental health. This radical re-normalization of mental possibility is inherently political, challenging-- as it must-- the most basic premises of social organization and order." MOMMOM is: Thomas Stanley (Bushmeat/Transparent Productions/WPFW DJ)--electrons; Bobby Hill (Transparent Productions/WPFW Music Director and DJ)--record players; Chris Downing--laptop, keyboards, samples.
 

Upcoming Shows

Show Log--2008 Anno El Possible

Show Log--2007 Anno El Possible

Show Log--2006 Anno El Possible

Show Log--2005 Anno El Possible

Show Log--2004 Anno El Possible

Show Log--2003 Anno El Possible

Photos from the First El Possible with DC Improvisor's  Collective, Mikroknytes, EBSK, Spaceships Panic Orbit