Me and Gus will be on the Zygotic Episodes radio show this Wednesday the 19th at 7pm. We’re going to have a chat with Kev and then play something. Should be fun. Regular presenter and man about Brighton Graham won’t be there, I think he’s avoiding me.
Here’s the Brighton and Hove Community Radio website
Chris and I did a Nil thing at Splitting the Atom at the beginning of June. We thought the recording sounded ok so we’ve released it on Bandcamp as a free download. I was only there in the afternoon and everything I saw was inspiring, there was more low key stuff too, although I heard things degenerated as the night wore on.
Here’s the album
So Gus and I played as The Static Memories at Club Integral on April 19th and then as part of the SafeGrav Orchestra at Dear Serge at the De La Warr Pavillion on the 20th. Both good gigs, one in London and one in Bexhill which are about as different as places as you could get I guess.
Great gig at Club Integral, we only saw one other band as we had to drive back to Brighton from Stockwell and we were first on. She was Nad Spiro of Barcelona and she was great, there’s a Bandcamp download that’s worth getting. Very nice crowd of people and a great pa. Another great pa at Dear Serge and playing in two quintets with people from Spirit of Gravity and Safehouse and live visuals from Bartosz Dylewski.
I’ve been collaborating with video artist Ben Honeyball on a piece for Electric Dreams, an event which responds to the work in Kelly Richardson’s show at Towner Contemporary, Eastbourne.
Full details here
I was involved in a 12 hour improvisation performance on February 3rd. An amazing way to start the year and one of the best experiences in my creative life. It came about after Gus and I met the Carousel Collective at a gig in London organised by James Alaska and Tom Mudd. Carousel are Tim Yates, Nora Sanatian, Benedict Taylor and Charlie Sdraulig they are a group of musicians who are interested in exploring the possibilities of music in new and imaginative ways. After a performance in Brighton last year which I helped organise Tim suggested we collaborate on a long improvised piece at The Coach House in Kemptown.
I was lucky enough to get Adam Bushell, Kev Nickells and Chris Parfitt involved as well and the eight of us started with some trepidation at 10.30am. 12 hours later we drew to a close after a truly remarkable experience which was very different to my expectations. With maybe 3-4 twenty minute breaks I was performing for the whole time, as was everyone else. There were great moments when we all clicked together followed by an ebb and flow for a while and then another upsurge.
There is a recording but who knows what will happen to it, we’re trying to work that out at the moment.
http://carouselcollective.com/
The next Nil album, too, free to download from Bandcamp with a picture of a horse.
I played a solo set at Collect Convert Converge in late September. The event was organised by JoJo Gingerhead as part of her degree and included Seth Cooke and Clive Henry from Bang the Bore doing a solo set on a variety of instruments including Seth’s contact miked iron sink I saw him play to such good effect at Supernormal.
Before them I fought to overcome the art chat from the hordes of students whilst Karl, Jo and Duncan shushed them and glared (at the art chatters not me). It was interesting playing to a room full of people the majority of whom who treated my work as background noise. Although it didn’t really bother me it was a lesson in how most people view improvised music in general and mine in particular. I’m unsure whether they were listening at all or if art music in that context adds to the general feel of the event, in which case I don’t really object to people talking.
I’m used to playing at events where the audience sits staring quietly and intently at the stage and listening hard so in a strange sort of way Collect Convert Converge was a more collective experience.
The Static Memories played at Splitting the Atom IX at the Tubman in Hastings last Sunday. when Gus and I arrived the total audience consisted of the (mostly Brighton based) artists playing. It filled up as the day went on and it was a good night. Our set went well and we’re looking forward to Aural Detritus and Club Integral next month.
Great sets from Plurals, Mothers of the Third Reich – the best I’ve seen from them with Jason beating an amp into submission with his guitar – and a long set from Warrior Squares who included a chap playing a contact miked tree branch. Splitting the Atom is a great thing and I like the way Graham is keen to move it out of Brighton when he can. It’s easy to stay in town and play to a home crowd who like that kind of thing but going somewhere without a big experimental music scene takes some bottle.
Good chips from a place in the precinct in Hastings too.
Gus and I got together last night to listen to the material we have recorded for the Static Memories album. We got through about half of it and it’s starting to sound good. Gus has suggested The bloudy vision of John Farly as a title which I am happy to go with, it’s got a good ring to it and I think it suits the way the album is starting to sound.
We are both really pleased that Paul Khimasia Morgan will be putting the album out on Slightly Off Kilter, although maybe when he hears the title he’ll change his mind. Who knows. Anyway, Paul is a good bloke and I’m not just saying that because I’m doing some recording with him this coming Saturday.
Me doing prepared guitar and computer, electronics and sampler.
3″ cdr in a hand made velvet bag with flower badge designed and made by Emma.
Limited edition of not many.
£4 (+£2 p&p)
