RIVER of THANKS!

Thanks to everyone who performed and/or attended our RIVER of DRONE event. We had an incredible time, and it was a great experience for all of us. We will see you all in 2009 with lots more exciting events!

Here's a great composite shot from the event, courtesy of Chris Harvey. Thanks Chris!

A RIVER of DRONE -- Sat. Nov. 22

Hey everyone - hope you can all stop by for any part of this great event. We'll be there from noon to midnight, and the sound will be continuously evolving, so pop in when you can! And if you're really adventuresome, why not stay for the whole thing and experience something very rare in live music!!

ALBANY SONIC ARTS COLLECTIVE presents a celebration of its first anniversary. Come join us as we offer a 12-hour continuous live drone performance:

A RIVER OF DRONE

The Upstate Artists Guild
247 Lark St.
Albany, NY
Saturday Nov. 22, 2008
12 Noon Until Midnight
Free


Capping off a compelling first year of performances that ranged from the intensely quiet Berlin sound master Andrea Neumann to the roaring noise of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, with many stops in between, the Albany Sonic Arts Collective (ASAC) is proud to present our first anniversary celebration at the Upstate Artists Guild. For this very special event, several ASAC sound and video artists will be collaborating live to create an immersive sonic and visual environment. The "drone" is a part of life, from the constant hum of electricity to the constant rush of traffic around us. Music from all parts of the globe has drawn inspiration from the sounds found in drones. In celebration of the universal harmonic power of drones, the ASAC musicians will conjure a continuous river of sound, building on sustained tones and repetition.

Inspired by LaMonte Young's Theatre of Eternal Music and Dream House installation, along with the music of Charlemagne Palestine, Phill Niblock, and others, the goal is to develop a musical vehicle for immersion, reflection, deep listening, meditation, and concentration. Video projections throughout the gallery will accompany the ongoing music. Attendees are encouraged to bring pillows, chairs, and snacks, and to stay for as little or as long as they would like. Unlike a traditional performance, performers will be located throughout the gallery, and may move during the performance in order to explore subtle acoustic phenomena. Attendees are also encouraged to walk around, enjoy the art on the walls, watch the video projections, and discover new relationships to the sound in the drone.

The collectively summoned drone will be harmonically rich and full of mysteries for the listener to discover. By presenting a 12 hour continuous performance, the music will unfold and develop in an evolutionary way unlike any ordinary concert. Parts of the drone will be quiet, others will be loud; parts will be relatively still, while others will be dynamic. Such diversity mirrors the range of sound we experience in the world every day.

We hope you will join us to meditate, listen, self-hypnotize, bliss out, or simply enjoy a swim in the RIVER OF DRONE!

Musicians:
Eric Hardiman
Ray Hare
Holland Hopson
Jason Cosco
Michael T. Bullock
Linda Aubry Bullock

Video:
Jason Cosco
Roy Buckley
Michael T. Bullock
More TBA

Sat. Nov. 1 in Saratoga = MV/EE + Wovoka!!

While you're waiting for the next ASAC event (Nov. 22, by the way), why not stop up to Saratoga this weekend to see MV/EE and Albany group Wovoka?!?

Saratoga Arts Center (right at the corner of the park)
320 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY
8PM
$5 to get in

Great venue, great music, great time. Be there!

Next ASAC event = SAT. Oct. 25!!

Don't worry, we haven't gone away! We're very happy to announce the next monthly ASAC show at the UPSTATE ARTISTS GUILD at 247 Lark St. in Albany. It's this coming Saturday, October 25th, and we've decided what better way to spend the evening than to celebrate Glenn Tipton's Birthday and everything else that is great about Autumn.

COME JOIN US! On tap, we'll have:

* Holland Hopson (the dynamic chimeric), banjo and electronics (Albany)
* Aaron Phillip Tate (Ithaca's finest, his first Albany appearance!)
* Twilight of the Century (Albany/Troy)
* Cyrus Gengras (Hudson's Antique Brother and Sleepy Demon)

Twilight of the Century = Century Plants (Eric Hardiman and Ray Hare) PLUS rise set twilight (Mike Bullock and Linda Aubry Bullock). This will be their second appearance at UAG, and it's bound to be a scorcher.

Doors at 7:30, music at 8:00.
Upstate Artists Guild
247 Lark St.
Albany

TUESDAY 9/30 @ VALENTINE's!!!!

hi again everyone! Last Saturday's show was amazing - we were really happy with how everything turned out. BIG thanks to Steve Pierce and the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy for letting us collaborate with them. And an even bigger thanks to Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson, and Peter Evans, who put on a beautiful set, as did the Empty Cage Quartet.

On to the next thing now! We're presenting an unusual show outside of our normal monthly events on Tuesday Sept. 30th. This one will be at Valentine's on New Scotland Avenue in Albany. We really hope you can be there - it's going to be a great night of music, only $5 too!!

It'll be the first Valentine's appearance for Century Plants, featuring ASAC's Ray Hare and Eric Hardiman. Blues Control are an amazing psychedelic duo from Brooklyn, with an LP on Woodsist and an upcoming one on Siltbreeze. Psychedelic Horseshit hail from Ohio, have graced the pages of Spin Magazine, and apparently stole the show from everybody at SXSW in Austin, TX. Finally, Pink Reason also come from NYC and they offer a fantastic and unique take on garage rock.

So the sounds will range from deconstructed, shambling garage rock to lo-fi pop nuggets (think early pavement or GBV!) to trippy psychedelia to raging cathartic drones. And I'm sure there will be plenty of stops in between.

Definitely another ASAC event not to miss! Holler if you have any questions...

BLUES CONTROL
PSYCHEDELIC HORSESHIT
PINK REASON
CENTURY PLANTS

VALENTINE's in Albany
17 New Scotland Ave.
TUES. 9/30 at 7pm

SEE YOU THERE!!

SEPT. 20 EVENT!!!!

It's that time again, and it's big news. For the first time ever, ASAC will be co-presenting an event with the amazing Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy. We could not be more thrilled about this, and hope you will all make it across the river for this extraordinary show! The Sanctuary has been one of our inspirations in starting ASAC this past year, and the chance to combine forces for this night will be great!!

Here's the scoop:

Saturday, September 20, 2008

A double feature showcasing:

the Empty Cage Quartet (Los Angeles) and
the Weasel Walter Trio (Oakland, CA)

The Sanctuary for Independent Media
3361 6th Avenue in north Troy (at 101st Street).

The Empty Cage Quartet will perform at 8 PM; the Weasel Walter Trio begins at 10 PM. Admission for the all-ages show is $10.

Call (518) 272-2390, email info@MediaSanctuary.org, or visit www.MediaSanctuary.org for directions and more information.

SEE YOU THERE!!!! Some information on these amazing musicians follows:

EMPTY CAGE QUARTET

The Empty Cage Quartet has consistently been praised as one of the most powerful and original new jazz groups to emerge from the American West Coast. For nearly six years the group has explored imaginative new ways to integrate a diverse mix of musical influences ranging from shuffle swing to free jazz blowouts, minimalist
percussion loops to complex modernist gestures, robotic grooves, odd- meter marches, heavy rock, and nearly everything in between. Performances of this music involve an elaborate system of on-stage cues to navigate the flow of improvisation in, around, and out of modular compositional structures designed to cycle, overlap, combine
and recombine. The result is a continually evolving, multidimensional approach to jazz and new music performance, improvisational acuity, and compositional craft that Amazing Sounds Magazine has likened to an "urban folk music of the future."

The Empty Cage Quartet has toured extensively in the Western United States and in Canada and Europe, and they have received support from the American Composers Forum, the International Society for Improvised Music (ISIM), and Chamber Music America’s French-American Jazz Exchange. To date they have released six CD recordings that have been featured on jazz radio stations around the world and reviewed favorably in publications including Signal to Noise, The Wire, All About Jazz, Cadence Magazine, Jazz Hot, Paris Transatlantic Magazine, LA Weekly, Tucson Weekly, and Stride Magazine. Stratostrophic, their most recent album, is out now on the Clean Feed label, and in September they will make their New York City debut with a concert at
the Living Theatre co-sponsored by Clean Feed Festival III and the Sixth Annual Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT).

Instrumentation
Jason Mears - alto saxophone, clarinet, flutes
Kris Tiner - trumpet, flugelhorn
Ivan Johnson - double bass
Paul Kikuchi - drums, percussion, electronics


WEASEL WALTER TRIO

A drummer whose current material straddles the many lines between punk, free jazz, no wave, improv, and much more, Weasel Walter will be playing with Mary Halvorson on guitar and Peter Evans on trumpet.

Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter in Rockford, Illinois) is a composer and instrumentalist who founded the band The Flying Luttenbachers in Chicago in 1991 with late jazz cult figure Hal Russell. Over the years, the band has included noted Chicago musicians such as Ken Vandermark, Jeb Bishop, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Dylan Posa, while creating an uncompromising and mercurial body of abstract music drawing equally from no wave, death metal, free jazz, gamelan, noise music, hardcore punk and modern classical. Walter relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003, where he formed the latest of many Luttenbachers lineups, remaining on percussion with
the addition of bassist Mike Green (Burmese), and virtuoso guitarist Ed Rodriguez (ex-Colossamite, Gorge Trio). Singular guitar phenomenon Mick Barr (Octis, Orthrelm) joined the group in 2005. The Flying Luttenbachers ceased to operate in late 2007. In addition to leading various free jazz ensembles under his own name, currently he is a member of XBXRX and Burmese.


Before relocating to the West Coast, Walter was a major contributor to the Chicago no-wave/noise/improvised music underground during the '90s and early 2000s. During this period, he performed as a founding member of bands such as The Flying Luttenbachers, Miss High Heel (with Jim O'Rourke and Azita of The Scissor Girls), Lake of Dracula (with Marlon Magas and Heather M. of the Scissor Girls), To Live and Shave in L.A. 2, and Hatewave (replacing founder Nandor Nevai) among others. Walter has collaborated with artists like Marlon Magas and Jim O’Rourke, Tom Smith in To Live and Shave in L.A., Henry Kaiser, Damon Smith, Vinny Golia, Joe Morris, Frank Gratkowski, William Winant and Ken Vandermark as well as many influential underground rock bands including Bobby Conn, U.S. Maple, Cock E.S.P., Curse of
the Birthmark, the Scissor Girls, Erase Errata, The Chicago Sound, Harry Pussy, Quintron, Sharon Cheslow, and Cheer-Accident, in addition to producing albums by the Coachwhips, Burmese, Total Shutdown, Arab on Radar and Glenn Branca.

Mary Halvorson is a guitarist, composer and improviser living in Brooklyn. She grew up in Boston and studied jazz at Wesleyan University and the New School. Since 2000 she has been performing regularly in New York with various groups and has toured Europe and the U.S. with the Anthony Braxton Quintet (Live at the Royal Festival
Hall, Leo Records) and Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant (Sister Phantom Owl Fish, Ipecac Recordings). She has also performed alongside Joe Morris, Nels Cline, John Tchicai, Elliott Sharp, Andrea Parkins, Marc Ribot, Tony Malaby, Oscar Noriega and Jason Moran. Current projects which Mary composes for and performs with include a chamber-music duo with violist Jessica Pavone (On and Off, Skirl Records, 2007); The Mary Halvorson Trio with John Hebert and Ches Smith; and the avant- rock band People (Misbegotten Man, I & Ear Records, 2007). She also performs regularly in ensembles led by Taylor Ho Bynum, Ted Reichman, Tatsuya Nakatani, Jason Cady, Matthew Welch, Brian Chase and Curtis Hasselbring.

Peter Evans is an American trumpet player based in New York, who specializes in improvisation and avant-garde music. Evans has been a member of the New York City musical community since 2003, when he moved to the city after graduating from The Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Peter currently works in a wide variety of areas, including solo performance, chamber orchestras, performance art, free improvised settings, electro-acoustic music and composition. In addition, he performs regularly as part of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, which is held annually in New York City.

Local presentation of the Empty Cage Quartet and the Weasel Walter Trio is co-sponsored by the Arts Department at RPI and Albany Sonic Arts Collective, made possible by volunteer labor, small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media and support from the New York State Music Fund.

The Sanctuary for Independent Media is a community media arts center located in an historic former church in Troy, NY. The venue is an intimate and acoustically excellent space which seats about 150. The Sanctuary hosts screening, production and performance facilities, training in media production and a meeting space for artists, activists and independent media makers of all kinds.

# # #

Empty Cage Quartet website:
http://www.myspace.com/emptycagequartet

Weasel Walter website:
http://www.myspace.com/weaselwalter

Mary Halvorson website:
http://www.maryhalvorson.com/

Peter Evans website:
http://www.myspace.com/peterevanstrumpet

Sad news...

Adam with Sunburned April 08


Our friend Adam Nodelman passed away at home on Monday. Adam was just at our No More Bush show a few weeks ago, and was an amazing person, full of life. We're all incredibly saddened by this. Adam began playing with BORBETOMAGUS at age 18 in 1984. He appeared on LIVE IN ALLENTOWN(RECENTLY REISSUED), 7 REASONS FOR TEARS,and FISH THY SPARKLING BUBBLE He joined MISSING FOUNDATION IN 1987 and put out MISSING FOUNDATION, 1933-YOURE HOUSE IS MINE ,DEMISE, IGNORE THE WHITE CULTURE.after a short stint with MOTHERHEAD BUG with DAVID OUIMET, he joined the west coast band CRASH WORSHIP in 1996-97.In 2005 Nodelman joined SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN. We'll let you know about the memorial service. RIP Adam...

Next event = FRIDAY 8/29!!

Quick announcement here, full press release with bios SOON!!!

FRIDAY Aug. 29, ASAC is proud to present:

Vic Rawlings (cello, electronics) - Boston
Andrew Lafkas (bass) - Queens
Bryan Eubanks (electronics) - Brooklyn
Mike Bullock (contrabass, electronics) - Troy

Andrew, Bryan, and Mike have all played ASAC before, and we're thrilled to be having them back of course. But it's Vic we're most excited about hosting for his ASAC debut appearance. If you haven't heard the magical things Vic does with his cello, homemade instruments, and electronics treatments, you are in for a very special surprise. Please make it out if you can, and as always, bring some friends!!

Friday 8/29
247 Lark Street - UPSTATE ARTISTS GUILD
Albany, NY
doors at 7:30, show at 8
donation at door

See you then!

Some photos of recent shows!

Byron Coley and Ziamuluch (cello)

Wovoka

Wovoka

Wovoka, Bill Nace, Tom Carter

Charles Plymell

50 Foot Women w/ Axolotl & Meg Clixby

Valerie Webber

John Morton and Bill Nace

Byron, Jessi, and Valerie

Jack Rose

Zaika (Tom Carter & Marcia Bassett)

Tom Carter

Marcia Bassett

Ghoul Poon & Jason Cosco

Twilight of the Century (Linda, Ray, Mike, & Eric)

Bone Parade

Hair Police

Hair Police

Hair Police

Thanks to Chris Bassett and Sick Llana for the photos!

TWO SHOWS in one week!!!

Two upcoming shows to tell you about next week. We know there's a lot going, but it'd be a serious mistake to miss out on these happenings. Albany is finally getting on the map for underground music, and these shows are a great example. And if you're feeling like you should make a choice, just take the chance and hit BOTH of these shows. We wouldn't steer you wrong!

And as usual, if you can't make it, tell a few of your pals - we really want to keep the energy of our past shows going, and we need you all there! Thanks for spreading the word.

*****************************************************************************
THURS. JULY 31 -- UAG Gallery 247 Lark St. 8:00 PM SHARP!!!
*****************************************************************************

Hair Police (noise psych rock masters from Lexington, KY)
Bone Parade (Albany's own makers of "dark soundscapes" )
Twilight of the Century (Troys' Rise Set Twilight meets Albany's Century Plants - see what happens!)
Ghoul Poon + Jason Cosco (electronics/ noise/madness/ excellence from Albany)

8PM's the time. $10 is the suggested donation. Hair Police are amazing, and include Mike Connelly from Wolf Eyes, if that helps sweeten the deal for you. If you like your rock LOUD, weird, righteous, and intense, be there...


****************************************************************************
SUNDAY AUG. 3 -- UAG Gallery 247 Lark St. 7:00 PM SHARP!!! ****************************************************************************

The NO MORE BUSH Tour makes a stop in Albany!! We told you about this one already, and we'll keep reminding you because we don't want anyone sleeping on this special night. Rock legends, underground and otherwise, come together to celebrate the end of the Bush era. And since they're legends, this show will definitely be... legendary!

A fantastic array of talent, different styles, genres, you name it. Show of the year in Albany? You bet. If you have questions about who the performers are, and why they're legends, just shoot us an email, or scroll down to the next post for some bios to read...

Zaika (Tom Carter & Marcia Bassett)
Jack Rose
Valerie Webber
50 Foot Women + Axolotl
Charles Plymell
Kate Village + John Morton
Wovoka
Byron Coley + Ziamaluch

Hope to see you all out for these shows!

No More Bush Tour - SUNDAY Aug. 3!

In conjunction with Ecstatic Yod, Ecstatic Peace, and Arthur Magazine, the Albany Sonic Arts Collective is proud to present:

NO MORE BUSH TOUR

SUNDAY AUG. 3
UPSTATE ARTISTS GUILD
247 Lark Street, Albany NY
7:00 PM SHARP!

Zaika (Tom Carter & Marcia Bassett)
Jack Rose
Valerie Webber
50 Foot Women + Axolotl
Charles Plymell
Kate Village + John Morton
Wovoka
Byron Coley + Ziamaluch

Five years ago, in a time of woe for the underground, the country and the world, the members of the Ecstatic Yod Collective organized a tour called More Hair Less Bush. Including a variety of musicians and writers, the tour brought the flame of hope to cities cast into darkness by the hideous secretions of the Bush Twins.

Now, in 2008, as we prepare to enjoy thelong-promised fruits of regime change, we felt it was time to bring our show on the road again. But this time, rather than offering balm and apologies to the psychically wounded, we would like to celebrate the pre-dawn of a new day -- a day when the word “cheney” is once more an empty phrase we use to terrify youngsters. To this end, we have assembled a revolving cast of musicians and writers, all of whom honk the horn of freedom with both hands. We trust it will be a gas. Trinkets will be available at all shows. Tour schedule and bios follow. Support is being provided by Ecstatic Peace Records & Arthur Magazine.

Info/photos/ etc: glasseye@yod.com

PERFORMER BIOS

50 FOOT WOMEN is a San Francisco-based duo with Jessi Leigh Swenson and Elaine Barry Kahn. Swenson is known for her trance-forming work with the Believers and Duck, Kahn is a wild card. Combined, they create and destroy small forms with the ease of kettle fish. They promise to have several secret weapons up their sleeves.

AXOLOTL is the ghost-wolf of New Jersey and all points west. Currently resident in the head of Karl Bauer, this ghost takes many forms, and uses many tools to do its jobs. On this tour, there is a functional involvement with several things. Psychedelic? You bet!

BYRON COLEY is a writer from Western Massachusetts . His organizational abilities are dwarfed by his capacity for letting a participle hang. He is a veteran of the More Hair tour.

JOHN MORTON is legend that begins in Cleveland , with the Electric Eels and spasmodic guitar art bonged against the arc of the infinite. Later, in Brooklyn , these inpulses devolved into more insanity and writing and art and phlug. Now, here he is again. He promises a theremin. Think fast! A veteran of the More Hair process.

CHARLES PLYMELL is one of the great writers of our age, and a ferociously talented/opinionate d editor, publisher and reader as well. Based for the last few decades in Cherry Valley , NY , Plymell’s evil eye and exquisite grasp of language and image are a deadly combination. It’s always an extreme pleasure to hear him read. A veteran of More Hair.

JACK ROSE is one of the pre-eminent geniuses of acoustic guitar creation and dissemblage. In the years since he left Pelt, Jack has toured and recorded incessantly, inventing moves that would make past masters blush. His fingers are magic fever generators.

KATE VILLAGE is one of the most savage guitar players our planet has yet produced. Her most blues-wailing style with Crystalized Movements, Vermonster, B.O.R.B., Magic Hour, Major Stars and solo have made her an icon to the youth of every nation. Watch her bring it to the masses.

VALERIE WEBBER is a Montreal-based writer whose poetry and prose combines a naïve belief in perefection and a wise-ass sneer at its collapsing façade. Her work has been widely published in Canada and the U.S.. , and her voice has a soft purity, oftimes at odds with its content. She is a veteran of the More Hair tour.

WOVOKA is an upstate channeler of mystery-volk in all its drugged and writhing splendor. Rarely spied except through a cloud of basement smoke, their vibes are their amplifiers.

ZAIKA is a duo comprised of Marcia Bassett and Tom Carter. Both are long-time and very active members of the American underground scene: Marcia with Un, Double Leopards, Shackamaxon, Hototogisu, GHQ and others; Tom with The Mike Gunn, Charalambides, Badgerlore, Friday Group, Kyrgyz, Spiderwebs, etc. Together, they create very special kinds of silver cloud eruptions.

ZIAMALUCH represents the bridge between ERL and Burnt Hills in terms of Albany ’s underground continuum. Unseen in public since opening a gig for Universal Indians, Ziamaluch once again scales the scales.

SATURDAY JULY 12!!!

Hope you can all make it for this one - it's going to be great!!!

See you there.

PHOTOS FROM THURSDAY NIGHT

Thanks to everyone who made it out on Thursday for our June event. It was a great time. Hope to see you all on July 12 for BRENDAN MURRAY and BROWN WING OVERDRIVE.

Here are a few snaps from the show...
eric

CENTURY PLANTS

CENTURY PLANTS

CENTURY PLANTS

ROBEDOOR

ROBEDOOR

POCAHAUNTED

POCAHAUNTED

BILL & THURSTON

THURSTON

BILL

BILL & THURSTON

BILL

BILL and THURSTON

BILL & THURSTON

BILL & THURSTON

THURSTON

THANKS TO CHRIS BASSETT & JESSICA DARNELL FOR ALL THE PHOTOS!

JUNE 26 - Thurston Moore + Bill Nace/Robedoor/Pocahaunted/Century Plants!!!

Just a quick note here to let everyone know about the next ASAC event. I'll post something more detailed soon, but for now, just hold the date on your calendars!

It's going to be a KILLER night of amazing music - don't miss this one.

THURSTON MOORE + BILL NACE (Sonic Youth, Vampire Belt, X.0.4., etc).
ROBEDOOR (amazing duo from LA)
POCAHAUNTED (another amazing duo from LA)
CENTURY PLANTS (Albany)

THURSDAY June 26 @ 8PM
UPSTATE ARTISTS GUILD
247 Lark St. Albany

A very rare Albany appearance from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, a repeat visit from the ever amazing guitar wizard Bill Nace, the first ever east coast tour for Robedoor and Pocahaunted, and ASAC's own Century Plants. Sounds pretty sweet for a hot June night, huh?!?

We'll get you the flyer soon.

One important thing: space is pretty limited for this show, so it'll be tight and cozy but fun! Get there early if you can...

see you on 6/26!!!

SATURDAY MAY 17 - next show!!!

May's here, and we are thrilled to be announcing our next event in the monthly series. We're on a roll, and this month is no exception. It's gonna be a fantastic night, so don't miss out!

Show This Saturday!!!

SATURDAY 4/26 at UAG - be there!

hey everyone -

The sun is out and spring might finally be here. yeah!!

So a week from Saturday we've got our next ASAC event, and it should be a boatload of fun. As before, we'll be at the awesome Upstate Artists Guild on Lark St. Come on out for this one, bring a few pals too if you can.

here's the scoop on it:

ALBANY SONIC ARTS COLLECTIVE presents “4 Solo Sets for April”



TRAVIS JOHNS (field recordings, electronics)


ERIC HARDIMAN (guitars, electronics)


RAY HARE (guitars, electronics)


HOLLAND HOPSON (banjo, electronics)


video projections by JASON COSCO


The Upstate Artists Guild
247 Lark St.Albany, NY
Saturday April 26, 2008
doors at 7:30 pm: show at 8:00
$5 suggested donation at the door


The Albany Sonic Arts Collective (ASAC) is proud to present “4 Solo Sets for April” the fourth installment in our 2008 monthly series of live improvised experimental music events at the Upstate Artists Guild. Previous months have showcased world renowned musicians from Germany, Philadelphia, New York City, and Cincinnati, Ohio. For this very special evening, we will offer four solo sets from locally-based musicians. A diversity of styles and approaches will characterize the night, and the audio wonders will be enhanced visually with live improvised video projections from UAG member Jason Cosco.

A common theme among these four musicians is a dedication to the exploration of new sonic spaces and atmospheres. In some cases, improvisation is blended with more structured musical approaches, resulting in fascinating and compelling blends. Each musician will present a set showcasing a particular style and/or strategy. Please join us in supporting these local musicians and come be part of our ASAC community!

Travis Johns writes and performs music that he describes as an "abstraction of reality." Consisting primarily of processed field recordings, improvisations and amplified "small sounds," he attempts to weave a tapestry of experiences, gestures and thoughts into a singular, enveloping mass of sounds. Often labeled as noise at first, a more concentrated listen will yield countless paths for the ear to follow, leading to listening experiences that he hopes will provide infinite possibilities for interpretation. His music has been performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad to a wide variety of audiences, ranging from galleries to anarchist warehouses to international music festivals. An avid performer and improviser on electric bass and electronics, he is a member of the Oakland, Ca. quartet le Pink Canoes (with Noah Phillips, Aram Shelton and Zachary Watkins), the improvisation trio Satellite (with Gudmundur Steinn Gunnarsson and Liz Meredith) and Vslykon, a collaborative duo with sound artist Ayako Kataoka. Travis is also a founding member of the Thinktank Collective, an international arts collective focused on the interrelation of sound and image. More information on both Johns and Thinktank can be found at: www.think-tankmedia.net.

Eric Hardiman plays guitar and various other instruments as one-half of Albany-based experimental minimalist guitar duo Century Plants, and also plays in Albany free form psych rock collective Burnt Hills. In addition, he records solo material under the moniker Rambutan. He also has experience playing both Javanese and Balinese styles of gamelan. He runs a handmade DIY label, Tape Drift Records (www.tapedrift.com), and is also a founder of the Albany Sonic Arts Collective. Hear excerpts of Eric’s solo work at www.myspace.com/rambutanmusic.

Ray Hare is a musician who currently plays in Albany-based experimental minimalist guitar duo Century Plants and free form psych rock collective Burnt Hills. He records solo music under the name Fossils From the Sun, and has just released his debut cd for Tape Drift Records. Hear excerpts of Ray’s solo work at www.myspace.com/fossilsfrthesun.

Holland Hopson is a composer, improviser, and electronic artist. As an instrumentalist he performs on soprano saxophone, clawhammer banjo and electronics. He hopes someday to play the musical saw. He has held residencies at STEIM, Amsterdam; Experimental Music Studios, Krakow and Katowice, Poland; Sonic Arts Research Studio, Vancouver, Canada; and Harvestworks Digital Media Arts, New York where he developed a sound installation based on Marcel Duchamp’s With Hidden Noise. In 1993- 1994 Holland recorded environmental sounds on four continents and in over a dozen countries as a fellow of the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. Holland’s latest recording is With Hidden Noises released on Grab Rare Arts (www.grabrarearts.com).

Jason Cosco is a video and sound artist who is a member of the Upstate Artists Guild and has previously played a solo noise set for the Albany Sonic Arts Collective. He does extensive VJ work around the Capital Region. He has worked with the band Death by a Thousand Cuts, and currently plays in the Albany-based Grab Ass Cowboys. Check out some of Jason’s work (http://jasoncosco.mosaicglobe.com/).

Century Plants in Saratoga with Sunburned!

Not an ASAC event, but we hope you'll make it up to Saratoga on April 12th to catch CENTURY PLANTS opening up for SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN. Thanks to the Saratoga Arts Council for putting this one on.

Saturday April 12th, 8PM
at The Arts Center
320 Broadway, Saratoga
$5, all ages

Century Plants, featuring Eric Hardiman and Ray Hare, is a guitar-based duo from Albany, NY playing improvisational noisy psychedelic minimalism. Working with an array of sound sources and strategies, they create sonic systems that simultaneously unsettle and hypnotize listeners. They've been described as "Part raging metallic clang by way of the holy Shred, part meditative feedbacking in total Zen style", "hazy psychedelia", "massive inferno style guitar destruction" and "axe-slinging skull soothers". One review notes that "The music .... contains both fuzz-drenched melodic improvisation and blistering atonal squall, blending themselves to create a musical behemoth that is both intimidating and accessible." Another describes their music as "extremely tense, dark and utterly spellbinding" made up of "a rich tapestry of textures".

Century Plants have released 6 full-length recordings in their first year alone, on underground labels from all over the globe, including Hardiman's Tape Drift Records. They've also appeared on compilations and split releases. A feature interview is found on Foxy Digitalis.

Read more about Century Plants

Read more about Sunburned Hand of the Man

C. Spencer Yeh

Thanks to everyone who made it out last night. An amazing night!! Stay tuned here for announcements about the next event(s) and more pix from last night too. Special thanks to Mark Lunt for the photography.

(photo by Mark Lunt)

C. SPENCER YEH on March 22!!!

On SATURDAY March 22, at the UAG Gallery (place rules, if you haven't heard yet), we are very proud to be hosting a special solo gig from the one and only C. SPENCER YEH!!

C. SPENCER YEH (solo violin, electronics)

BRYAN EUBANKS (electronics) & ANDREW LAFKAS (bass)

MEG CLIXBY (bass, electronics)

The Upstate Artists Guild 247 Lark St.
Albany, NY: Saturday March 22, 2008
Doors at 7:30 pm: show at 8:00
$5 suggested donation at the door

The third in our 2008 monthly series of live improvised experimental music events at the Upstate Artists Guild, the Albany Sonic Arts Collective is proud to present this very special evening. Each musician brings a unique approach to the soundworlds they create, and to have them all in one place will be a treat for the Albany experimental music community. These musicians have played all over the globe with multiple collaborators and represent some of the guiding lights and innovators in creative improvised music. C. Spencer Yeh in particular is in high demand for his improvisational skills on the violin, as evidenced by his work with such luminaries as Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, jazz great Evan Parker, and minimalist legend Tony Conrad.

More on the musicians:

C. Spencer Yeh was born in Taipei, Taiwan 1975, moved to the US in 1980; studied radio/television/film at Northwestern University, and is now based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Yeh is active both as a solo and ensemble artist, as well as with his primary 'organized sound' project, Burning Star Core. As an improviser, Yeh has focused on developing a personal vocabulary using violin, voice, and electronics. As a sound organizer/composer, Yeh works with all aspects available surrounding a work, aurally and physically, as elements key to the cumulative experience. He is concerned not only with the sensual aspects of sound, but the gestural qualities as well. Yeh has performed alongside and collaborated with a deep and ever-growing list of artists and groups including Tony Conrad, Evan Parker, Thurston Moore, The New Humans with Vito Acconci, Paul Flaherty and Chris Corsano, John Wiese, Aaron Dilloway, John Olson and the Graveyards, Amy Granat, Jutta Koether, LaDonna Smith, Carlos Giffoni, Okkyung Lee, Atsuhiro Ito, Lasse Marhaug, Audrey Chen, Nate Wooley, JP Feliciano, Rafael Toral, Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio All-Stars, Damo Suzuki's Network, and many others, and has performed across the U.S.A. and Europe in a variety of settings and festivals. Most recently he participated in the 24 Hour Drone People project in Stockholm (and the abbreviated 5 hour version in Amsterdam), alongside artists such as CM Von Hauswolff, Mika Vainio, Joachim Nordwall, BJ Nilsen, Hildur Gudnadottir, Hild Sofie Tafjord, and Mark Wastell. He has also had visual art and video works presented internationally. http://www.myspace.com/cspenceryeh

Bryan Eubanks is a musician and sound artist originally from the Pacific Northwest of the US, and since 2005 he has been living and working in Brooklyn, NY. He works in live electronic settings with an instrument that integrates open-circuits and samplers, as well as working in acoustic settings with the Soprano Saxophone. His primary focus is on collaborative improvisation and solo musical projects, and he consistently works with Andrew Lafkas, Vic Rawlings, and an acoustic chamber ensemble. His work with sound installation is exploring sound as a function of architecture, cognition, and temporality. He has presented his music across the US, Europe, Japan, and Korea and at festivals such as LineSpaceLine in Los Angeles, Erstquake in NYC, No Idea in Austin, Texas, Relay in Seoul, and recently exhibited sound installations at the Portland Art Center and Diapason Gallery for Sound (in collaboration with Andrew Lafkas). He has released recordings on Little Enjoyer, Gameboy, Last Visible Dog, Jyrk, Experimental Musical Research, and Rasbliutto Recordings, a label and online library of sound he founded in 2002. http://www.rasbliutto.net/bryaneubanks


Meg Clixby grew up in Maine and then quitted to Western Mass for eight years. She took a hiatus during that time to live in Brighton, UK where she began to play bass guitar and participated in The Polly Shang Kuan Band. This collaboration continued once back stateside for a NE US mini-tour after which Meg began to play with her WMass brethren in projects such as Duck and Bottoms Up. After moving to Brooklyn, she continued to play with friends indoors but now lives in the woods and jams with herself. Bass, pedals, tape.