Upcoming shows!

This weekend will be a busy one for me! Three shows over four days.
First, on Friday night, 5/1:

Crow Crash Radio
Free Utopian Projects
2809 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland CA 94602
This show is free, and starts at 4PM. Crow Crash Radio will play at least three sets!

Next, Saturday afternoon, 5/2:
Rent Romus Life's Blood Ensemble
Finnish Kalevala Hall
1970 Chestnut St.
Berkeley CA 94702
This show will probably be the last performance of the Otherworld Suite by this particular ensemble in the Bay Area, and is just one part of the Annual Vappu Spring Festival at Berkeley Finnish Hall. Doors open at 3:30 PM, and tickets run from $15-40, with the more expensive tickets getting food, etc.

Lastly, Monday 5/4:
Earspray
Spice Monkey
1628 Webster St.
Oakland CA 94612
This show starts at 8PM, and has a $5-15 sliding scale. Also on the bill will be Porch Dub and Florent Colautti from France.

I look forward to all of it. Perhaps I will see some friends at one of these events!

Photo credit: Charles Smith, 2014

Sheila Bosco/Jerry Smith/Mark Pino-Live Soundtrack; Berkeley Arts Festival Building, Berkeley CA, 4/17/15

I swear that the Berkeley Arts Festival Building is the "little venue that could"! It seems that it's been "on its last legs" for a few years now!
Thankfully, they were still open last night, for due to a double booking with the projected venue for this show (in Oakland), we really needed their space.
It was very inspiring to be making sounds a bill that included a lot of well renowned, long time SF Bay Area musicians.
As for our set, the practicing and planning that transpired between Sheila, Jerry, and myself served well. Our soundtrack for their film Time Out flowed in a good way, and there were no major clams or catastrophes! At the end of the evening, Jerry suggested that we could now perform this piece at any time, as it's "locked in". Makes sense to me!
Bonus rad-ness for the end of the evening jam, which featured all members of every group of the night, building a thick and dense wall of ambient darkness jamage. GREAT stuff, and super fun to be a part of it.

Below: my simple rig, Sheila and Jerry

Many thanks to Sheila for asking  me to participate in this fun event with her and Jerry.

New Cosmists Digital Release!

Cosmists were very happy to play with Collette McCaslin! Enjoy!

I will play at Berkeley Arts Festival this Friday!

This Friday evening I will be assisting my friends Sheila Bosco and Jerry Smith. They will be screening their short film Time Out, and I will be working with Sheila on the live soundtrack for it.
Also on the bill will be Grale, French Radio, and Thomas Carnacki.

The show starts at 8PM, and there is a $5-10 sliding scale.
Berkeley Arts Festival is located at:
2133 University Ave. @Berkeley Way.

Looking forward to it!

Instagon-The Makout Room, SF CA; 4/6/15

It was definitely fun and extremely challenging to play with Instagon this evening. Lob leads his group from a few simple criterion, which he explained to Collette, Karl, and I a few minutes before we convened on the stage area of the Makout Room for Instagon #679.
My playing was a mixed bag, as I must admit that there were times that I struggled to hear Lob's bass. Still, there were passages that felt really good, pretty fiery and nicely Funk'ed. When things felt as if they were collapsing, I experienced some really TERRIFYING moments. That's what you get with Improvised Music sometimes, though. I guess it's all about how one deals with the terror as they are experiencing it, and after.
Still, I generally had a blast playing with Lob, Collette, and Karl!
Plus, it's not often that I get to play Sex Bomb by Flipper.
Many thanks to Jon Arkin for use of his great drums.

Below: Lob  leads, and drums

I will play with Instagon this Monday!

I'm excited to say that I've been asked by Lob to play with his long-running improvised Garage Jazz unit Instagon this Monday!
This show will happen at the Makeout Room in SF, as part of the Monday Make-Out Series.

Instagon will play at 8:30, and will feature:
Lob on bass, Collette McCaslin on trumpet, Atsilegnave Lrak on ratuig, and myself on percussion.

The Makeout Room is located at:
3225 22nd St.
SF CA 94110

Looking forward to this one!