Mountain vs. Building/The Use; Luggage Store Gallery, SF CA 3/28/13

Mountain vs. Building had debuted our tandem drummer iteration last night at the Luggage Store Gallery, playing with the Use, from NYC.
We played 3 improvisations and one song, written by Sheila. Things seemed to go OK, and, despite the sound being pretty muddy (no monitors), I think that we sounded good.
Thanks to Rent for setting this show up for us, and to Cyd Burke for the photos!

Below: Photo courtesy of CatSynth blog. Thanks, CatSynth!

Mountain vs. Building will play the Luggage Store!

This Thursday, 3/28, Mountain vs. Building will play SF's venerable Luggage Store Gallery, as part of its New Music Series. We're grateful to Rent Romus for allowing us this opportunity. The bill will also feature the Use. The Luggage Store is located at:

1007 Market St.
SF CA 94103

The show is from 8-10PM, with a $6-10 sliding scale.

India Cooke with Cloud Shepherd-IEATA 10th International Conference; Double Tree Hotel, Berkeley, 3/15/13

I did not write a preview for this gig, as it was kind of a private affair, in that it was open to attendees of IEATA's 10th Annual International Conference in Berkeley only.
India set this one up, and graciously asked Cloud Shepherd to appear with her. Thanks, India!

Before our set, the Anne Liebenthal Dance Troupe did a great, expressive piece. They featured an amazing singer, too.

After a brief pause, Cloud Shepherd took the stage. Owing to the fact that this ballroom of the Double Tree is very large, and the seated audience were a LONG way away from the stage, we asked them to please dance with our music. Thankfully, many did. We played one twenty minute improvisation. It felt fine to me, very flowing and pretty intense. Due to time constraints with other presenters, that was about it for us. Still, we had a great time! Thanks to IEATA for such a great event!

Above: setting up for lift off

Crow Crash Radio in a short film

As I mentioned in the summary of our 2/10/13 gig at Actual Cafe in Oakland, there was a young film student in attendance, Brittany Storozinski, who filmed our set.
Brittany used our music for some of the soundtrack, along with using some of the live footage.
Crow Crash footage starts at 3:31.

http://vimeo.com/61669694

Ear Spray-Brutal Sound Effects Festival #73; the Lab, SF, CA 3/11/13

In January of this year, percussionist Ann O'Rourke asked me if I'd like to get together with her and jam on her newly-acquired Tom Nunn Percussion Plate. I was flattered that she asked me, and we got together a few times to jam out ideas.
Ann's a really interesting player. She started playing music in her 50's, and, by her own account, was drawn to Noise and Improvisation really quickly. In her words, she "doesn't like playing music by dead people"! Before her music career, she developed a successful publishing venture within the appraisal business.
In February, Ann set up a gig for her on-going group with Carlos Jennings, Ear Spray, and they asked me to play with them at the Lab, as part of the Brutal Sound Effects Festival #73. The Lab? Grux? Ah, HELL YEAH!!!!

Above: Ear Spray rig, gone sideways! Vertigo much?

For the show, we played a quick, 15 minute improvisation that had conduction by Carlos. I mostly stayed on the Nunn Plate, making droning sounds with rubber mallets. Ann sang, and bowed cymbals. Carlos utilized his electronics rig. I felt calm and relaxed, and the music seemed to ebb and flow nicely.
Ann and Carlos both seemed happy when our allotted time was up. Sadly, I had to run off, it being a "school night". I hate to be THAT guy, but, I was very tired after a long Monday.

Ear Spray is scheduled to play at the Luggage Store in April. Hopefully I'll be there, dragging rubber balls across metal surface again!

Above: Ear Spray in negative. Photo by Rent Romus. Thanks, Rent!

Link to video here:

http://www.youtube.com/annorourke12

Silencer Assembly-Tuned Mass Damper

Silencer Assembly came together in the winter of 2010. Max Sidman had been wanting to form a heavy, group, inspired in particular by a group that his friend Daniel had been leading, up in Chico. Max and I saw this group in 2009, when Ovipositor shared a bill with them.
I was casting about for a new band, as both Ovipositor and Barney Cauldron had ended a few months prior.
When Max and I decided to jam again, we wasted not time, and ensconced our bass rig and drum set into a lockout room at Oakland Music Complex, in West Oakland. It was there that we rehearsed and wrote with near religious fervor for the next 1 3/4 years. At some point Max agreed to name the group Silencer Assembly, a term which I had read in a book about a prototype electric car. A silencer assembly is essentially an engine part. This album's title, Tuned Mass Damper, had been Max's choice for the name of the band. Thanks for going with my idea, Mr. Sidman!
Guitarist Ian Robertson joined up with us in mid-2011, after we decided that being a bass/drums duo was not going to work out for us.
These recordings pretty much sum up the work that we put in. After we finished them, it was almost as if we collectively decided to just lay it down and walk away. I'm not sure if Silencer Assembly will ever speak again, but it was a fun project. The focus was downright maniacal at times.

Cloud Shepherd with India Cooke; the Jazz School, Berkeley, 3/10/2013

The men of Cloud Shepherd convened with India Cooke, who graciously invited us to play with her at the Jazz School in Berkeley, as part of their International Women's Day festivities.
We had a great time, and India was smokin'. She definitely brought her A-game today!
We played two sets, and the vibe felt good during both of them, needless to say. It's very challenging, trying to keep up with such a master musician, but I felt like I played pretty well. We even took a stab at Honeysuckle Rose, upon request from an audience member. Our version came out more Honeysuckle Drone, but, hey, we gave it a shot!
Plus, I got to do a waterphone duet with Ms. Cooke! Yeah!
Upon arriving home, I felt drained in the best possible way.
Thanks to Melissa, for taking these pics, and grateful thanks to all the women who I've known in my life, for putting up with such a big lunkhead guy as myself. 

 Above: Scenes from the Cloud, with India directing the movements.

Above: Cloud Shepherd with India Cooke, photos by Rent Romus. Thanks, Rent!

Cloud Shephred with India Cooke!

The men of Cloud Shepherd will play with India Cooke next Sunday, 3/10 at the Berkeley Jazz School.
The date is being billed as an International Women's Day Celebration, and I am honored to have been asked by India to play this date with her.
The Jazz School is located at 2087 Addison St., Berkeley, CA.  The show starts at 4:30 PM, and remember, 3/10 is the first day of Daylight Savings Time, 2013!
Come on, come all, and trip with us and India!