myriad (january 2010 demo)

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the list of performers (as of 6/25/10):

The Norman Conquest, Brian Gleeson, Shayna Dunkelman, Theresa Wong, Zachary James Watkins, Agnes Szelag, Marielle Jakobsons, Ava Mendoza, Noah Phillips, Sarah Palmer, Andy Strain, Jason Hoopes, Jordan Glenn, Jon Porras, Evan Caminiti, Emily Packard, Damon Waitkus, Preshish Moments, Alee Karim, Joyce Teale, Bruce Teale, Gregg Kowalsky, Johanna Borchert, Ellen Fullman, Dave Holton, Patrice Scanlon, Sean Clute, Aram Shelton, Eli Wise, Kristine Barrett, Kevin Adams, Varun Kejriwal, Caroline Penwarden, Luis Maurette, Cory Wright, Angela Hsu, Ri Crawford, Matthew Pusti, Kate Mcloughlin, Marty McGinn, Mike Guarino, Kimberly Miller, Phoebe Lehr, Chuck Johnson, Michael Gardner Cox, Phillip Greenlief, Hilary Overberg, Luke Selden, Karl Evangelista, Ben Bracken, Sam Ospovat, David Ryther, Deborah Katz, Victor Lowrie, Amelia Lukas, Kathryn Thompson, Heather Vorwerck, Hande Erdem, Lauren Elledge, Polly Moller, Ashley Morro, Maryclare Brzytwa, Jennifer Harper, Kate McLoughlin, Lisa McGee, M Mara-Ann, Michael Elrod, Suki O’Kane, Tom Duff, Vanessa Beggs, Bob Marsh, Kurt Kottheimer, Fred Frith, Carla Kihlstedt, Matthias Bossi, Zeena Parkins, Shahzad Ismaily, Jewlia Eisenberg, Kristin Slipp, Chris Cutler, Kanoko Nishi, Theresa Wong, Jen Baker, Dennis Somera, Zachary James Watkins, Melody Ferris, Steini Gunnarsson, Paul Scriver, Ivor Holloway, Derek Monypeny, Amy Friebertshauser, Jefre Cantu Ledesma, Maxwell Croy, Tony Cross, Steve Dye, Adria Cardwell, Jozef Van Wissem, Matthias Jentsch, Daniel Feese, Heath Thacker, Patrick Allen, Luciano Chessa, Blixa Bargeld, Beth Custer, Oscar Kaiser, Alejandra Ortiz, Saed Muhssin, Kala Ramnath, Moe! Staiano, Leah Rae Mittelmeier, David Gamper, Stuart Dempster, Manuel Sala, April Coker, Eddie Rich, Evan Fraser, Heike Liss, Burt Winn, Rachel Kast, Lisa Mezzacappa, Marco Eniedi, Darren Johnston, Sheldon Brown, Anantha Krishnan, Sam Wambach, Nadja, Nathan Fritz, Amir Shirani, Erik Larson, Matt Marks, Liz Albee, San Francisco Symphony, Jesse Quattro, Charity Chan, Quentin Sirjacq, Antoine Berthiaume, P.L. Grove, Leif Shackelford, John Kessler, Angel Gold, Michael Gold, Robert Lautenslager, Ivan Piesh, Nathan Snider, Robert Miller, Matt Miller, Jerry Smith, Sarah Howe, Sammy Kruger, John Abbott, Erika Pipkin

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and the instruments played:

harmonium, voice, supercollider, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone electric guitar, toy guitar, lap steel guitar, xylophone, citara mini harpa, long string instrument, gamelan, singing bowls, bul bul tarang, gu zheng, lou harrison koto, autoharpguitar, mandolute, marimba, vibraphone, lou harrison xylophone, drum kit, electronic drum kit, drum machine, electronics, congas, bongos, maracon, guasa, tamborines, shakers, timbales, djembe, cell phone, wine bottles, beer bottles, omnichord, mandora, handbells, iphone, slide whistle, tonkori, violin, cello, sitar, harp, dulcimer, sruti box, charango, chromatic harmonica, toy piano, sanxian, melodica, pitch pipe, portative organ, pipe organ, chord organ, accordion, electric organ, banjo, double bass, piano, piano zither, harpsichord, fortepiano, celeste, glockenspiel, ukulele, baritone ukulele, tuned feedback, psaltery, santur, viol de gamba, yangquin, rebec, steel tongue drum, kokle, tuning fork, tuner, tabla, dan bau, ocarina, oud, coffee cup saucer, toy xylophone, tin can mandolin, bass banjo, yamaha tx81z, waldorf micro Q, doepfer modular, moog low pass filter/freqbox, paia stringz n’ thingz, nord lead, yamaha an1x, yamaha sk20, MOTU bassline, novation bassstation, MOTU model 12, MOTU modulo, MOTU nanosampler, MOTU polysynth, MOTU proton, roland em10, roland super jv1080, yamaha psr140, automat, cheeze machine, freealpha, casio celviano, ticky clav, yamaha dx21, yamaha dx7, korg microkorg, nord electro, ARP2600, ARP axxe, ARP avatar, buchla modular prototype, alesis qs8, stylophone, korg electribe, sequential circuits pro one, the amen break, tympani, tubular bells, crotales, electric cello, novation bass station synthesizer, rhodes electric piano, electric violin, alto trombone, large bore trombone, small bore trombone, slide trumpet, vibraphonette, glockenspiel, autoharp, 5 string acoustic violin, musical saw, banjo, wine glasses, ukelin, flute, max/msp beats, max/msp synth, clarinet, dobro acoustic guitar, electric tanpura, long string instrument, tonkori, blossom, no-input mixer, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, recorder, casio sk1, roland tr707, coke bottle, pump organ, m’bira, bombo, cajon, chango, seed shakers, marimba de chonta, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto flute, gongs, tympani, feedback, bassoon, veena, chromatic lap zither, viola, prepared guitar, koto, baroque lute, nyckelharpa, bass harmonica, oud, berimbau, cellphone sruti box, tabla, french horn, philicorda, mandolin

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pictures of recording sessions from the last three years:

Based in Oakland, California, Dokuro are visual artist/composer Agnes Szelag and the magnificently nomenclatured The Norman Conquest. They include the word “pop” in their self-definition, which is a little like Sunn 0))) locating a Country & Western element somewhere in their music. This is extremist fare that blasts away the earwax without leaving you feeling pointlessly bludgeoned. On “The Ghost Goes West”, clouds of generated electricity belch blackly, then are discreetly sculpted. “Shadow of the Cat” is sheer catastrophe, all earthquake and Grindcore, its rotorblade still whirring long after the helicopter has crashed and burned. Finally, with “October Moon” a calm descends and dawn breaks over a charred landscape quiet but for the sporadic noises of afterburn.

Berthiaume is nearer to Frith than Bailey in his guitar stylings, and on Leaves and Snows he’s occasionally drawn to the tuneful end of the improvisation spectrum. “Freedom Fried” and “Kawaidski” for example, contain elegant, simple melodies and sound thoroughly composed, though they may not be, while “Staring at a Western Time” is suggestive of Hans Reichel mimicking one of Ry Cooder’s ‘lone guitar in the wilderness’ film soundtracks.

But enough of comparisons, they distract attention from a keypoint- the individualism of Berthiaume’s approach, something he has in common with Quentin Sirjacq (piano, sometimes prepared) and especially Norman Teale (electronics). These players already have a distinctive music that, for all its spontaneity, is conceptually rigorous and displays a true group sensibility. They aren’t garrulous or barnstorming players- the music they make is spare and exacting, cool but not chilly, and Teale’s delicate electronic soundscaping and sensitive interactions are remarkable for such a young and relatively inexperienced player.

Each of them brings something worthwhile to the mix, and Teale’s engineering and editing of the session is exemplary- this is one of the best-sounding CDs I’ve heard for quite some time. In her brief sleevenote to Leaves and Snows, Joelle Leandre describes the music as “profound” and “lovely”, which sums it up rather well. Consistently attractive without ever lapsing into prettiness, Leaves and Snows is a great success.

Dokuro is a duo from Oakland that uses ambient noise like a six-string guitar on their gorgeous EP The Black Room [Aphonia].  Composer buddies Agnes Szelag and The Norman Conquest go from soft, prickly synths (“The Ghost Goes West”) to brainy, noir-ish beats (“Kuroneko”) that are the soundtrack to Merzbow’s dreams.