MSP/Synth+: in Puppy Surprise Electro-acoustic improv vortex #2, w Jorge Bachmann, Sheila Bosco, Ferrara Brain Pan, Matt Davignon, Philip Everett, Joe Lasqo, Bob Marsh, Joshua Marshall, Collette McCaslin, David Michalak, Rent Romus, & Eli Wallace, Thu 07 May @ The Luggage Store (in slightly displaced location)

◉ Jorge Bachmann (electronics)

Sculptor, electronics master, photographer, and engineer [ruidobello] (Jorge Bachmann) is a multi-disciplinary, mixed-media and sound artist. Since the early 80s, Jorge has been exploring the strange, unique and microcosmic sounds of everyday life, collecting field recordings. The sound atmospheres created are meant for deep listening and are composed in symbiosis with the sculptural installations.

He creates equally sensual and detailed oriented photo-based work; and his art explores social and sensual constructs and experiences.

Starting his career in Bogotá, Colombia and then active for a long period in Lausanne, Switzerland, Jorge eventually relocated to the Bay Area and became a technical and artistic mainstay of MEDIATE’s Soundwave Series as well as the Engineer Scotty of the Starship SFEMF. Now he’s returned to regularly giving solo electronic concerts such as his recent brilliant one at The Lab Serge 40-year Reunion.

◉ Sheila Bosco (percussion | keyboards)

Sheila Bosco, versatile, many-faceted musician, and veteran of the New York scene with the celebrated band Autobody, will bring some subset of her arsenal of sounds, kit, percussion, and video projection to the improvisatory vortex.

When not busy working on her Opus Maximus, Part 12, you can find her playing any of drums | percussion | electronics | keyboards | vocals | projection | or… in the duo Alien Planet with Collette McCaslin as well as with industrial jazz and post-rock configurations such as Mountain vs Building, zBug, and Dire Wolves.

◉ Ferrara Brain Pan, sometimes also known as Forms Of Things Unknown (saxophone)

Ferrara Brain Pan’s earliest musical experimentations developed in the wake of the original Punk and Industrial scenes in the late 1970s. Fresh out of high school in San Diego, she became involved with the international Mail Art scene under the tutelage of Fluxus artist and historian Ken Friedman, putting her in direct contact with Genesis P-Orridge. Around the same time, Ferrara established fast friendship with noise music pioneer Boyd Rice.

A move to San Francisco in the ’90s set off amassing and learning a formidable collection of wind instruments ranging from flute, saxophone, bass clarinet, and recorder, to non-Western wind instruments such as the didjeridu, shakuhachi (尺八) and Tibetan thigh-bone trumpet, the kangling (རྐང་གླིང།). During this time, she participated in the initial formation of longtime friend Timothy Hendricks’ ambient dub project 23 Degrees. The subsequent addition of harmonium, bowed psaltery, glockenspiel, percussion, and assorted electronics ranging from vintage oscillators and shortwave radio to digital signal processors led to a further expanded instrumental palette for Forms Of Things Unknown.

Ferrara has been involved with various collaborations, including Everything But The Gargoyle (dark wave duo with Pixyblink), Darmstadt Pharmacy (with Ure Thrall), and with legendary noise provocateur Boyd Rice.

◉ Philip Everett (autoharp | electronics)

Philip Everett began studying drumming with Warren George from the Stan Kenton band. Warren stuck Philip in a room alone for an hour a day, told him to learn drum rudiments, and put him in advanced orchestra & marching band. Then came Bartok, Debussy, Gershwin, and New Orleans style 2nd line marches. Furthering his studies, Philip sought wisdom from George Marsh & Eddie Moore, from whom he was taught the finer subtleties of the drums. Phillip states, “These guys taught me to relax and trust my own instincts and that pursuit of one’s own uniqueness was not a negative quality”

Armed with an array of teachings, Philip led various groups over the years, beginning in 1967 with his first group Ice, a psychedelic R & B group who opened for bands like Canned Heat & Sweetwater. Then he started Arrival, a band featuring the electronics of David Toby & bassist Ray Schaeffer, and combining elements of hard rock, folk, world music, electronic improvisation & composition. Next, Philip’s restless imagination led him to form Sound Oasis, a jazz sextet. A later stage saw Philip making a living with various country & western groups including his own The Homewreckers and The Ghettobillys — but he was unfulfilled. He decided to leave it all and devote himself to sonic exploration, deepening his involvement with electronics and the unorthodox (unholy…?) electrification of various acoustic instruments.

His current projects include Tri-Cornered Tent Show, an improv group that explores music inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, various ensembles with saxophonist Rent Romus (including The Abstractions and Lords of Outland), and writing experimental country music for his project White Buffalo, Midwestern Gothic.

Among the Cthulhic highlights of his current kit is the unique sound of an electrified (and highly distressed) auto-harp, fed through a maze of FX boxes.

◉ Joe Lasqo (laptop | synth | objects)

Laptopist/pianist Joe Lasqo studied classical music in India; computer music at MIT, Columbia, Berkeley/CNMAT; has been a long-time avant jazz musician; & has lived, played & listened in many East Asian and European countries (now in SF).

Special interests include applying AI techniques from expert systems, natural language processing, and computational linguistics to music; and the intersection of traditional Asian musics with modernism.

Joe is a regular member of Aaron Bennett’s Electro-Magnetic Trans-Personal Orchestra and Jim Ryan’s Green Alembic, as well as his own Renga-kai (連歌会) & Mukaiji-kai (霧海箎会) ensembles, and has played and recorded with musicians such as: Bruce Ackley, Steve Adams, Nancy Beckman, Tom Bickley, Viv Corringham (London/NYC), Beth Custer, Thomas Dimuzio, Vinny Golia, Phillip Greenlief, Ron Heglin, Darren Johnston, Thollem McDonas, Lisa Mezzacappa, David Michalak, Tom Nunn, Suki O’Kane, Simon O’Rorke (NZ), Teddy Rankin-Parker, Rent Romus, Joe Snape (UK), Lucie Vítková (Czech Rep.), Paul Winstanley, Jack Wright, and Pamela Z, among many others.

◉ Bob Marsh (instruments to be quantumly determined…)

Having previously left large swathes of stunned onlookers and listeners gasping in the Midwest, Bob Marsh has become a treasure of our own Bay Area music scene.

Bob is a master improviser on any instrument (or surface… or sound-generating costume…), whose work involves shaping sounds words images motions sonic-suits ideas.

Originally from Detroit, Bob arrived in the Bay Area after a decade in Chicago where he played with most of the avant improvisers in that rich and varied scene, and has been busy with multiple projects since his arrival. He currently leads or directs: Emergency (X)tet, a string ensemble focusing on textures and microtonics; the Che Guevarra Memorial Marching (and Stationary) Accordion Band, structured and free improv for 6 to 15 accordions; Robot Martians, electronics and processed voice; the Out of the Blue Chamber Ensemble, a mixture of reeds and strings; Opera Viva, voiced physical theater; the Quintessentials, a quintet specializing in interpreting graphic compositions based on alterations to the Michelin Road Guide to France; the Free Reed Vibrating Society (inexplicable/self-explanatory), and the Illuminated Orchestra, structured improvs for large ensemble. Additionally Bob is a member of Rent Romus‘/Ernesto Diaz-Infante’s Abstractions, Moe! Staiano’s MOE!kestra, Tom Bickley’s Cornelius Cardew Choir, and a duo with Sandra Yolles, YO-YO MA-MA. Bob tours frequently with his long term collaborator, saxophonist Jack Wright, and has recently been presenting a solo work involving violin, voice and tap shoes. Bob’s educational background includes a BFA in sculpture and an MA in humanistic clinical psychology. He has studied classical piano, classical guitar, and vibraphone and has taught himself various other instruments. He’s currently active with cello, accordion, violin, voice, vibraphone, and electronics.

Bob plays well with others, such as Jim Baker, John Berndt, Tom Bickley, Jeb Bishop, Kyle Bruckmann, Gust Burns, Gene Coleman, George Cremaschi, Matt Davingon, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Dina Emerson, Bryan Eubanks, R. Albert Falesch, John Finkbeiner, Tara Flandreau, Stephen Flinn, Jonathan Fretheim, Carol Genetti, Greg Goodman, Morgan Guberman, Greg Hamilton, Chris Heenan, Ron Heglin, Jeff Hobbs, Matt Ingalls, Kurt Johnson, Aurora Josephson, Andrew Lafkas, Adam Lane, Joe Lasqo, Eric Leonardson, Jacob Lindsay, Fred Longberg-Holm, Toshi Makihara (牧原トシ), Tatsuya Nakatani (中谷達也), Tom Nunn, Suki O’Kane, Garth Powell, Bhob Rainey, Hal Rammel, Rent Romus, Scott Rosenberg, Jim Ryan, Joe Sabella, Jonathon Segel, John Shiurba, Blaise Siwula, David Slusser, Damon Smith, Adam Sonderberg, Karen Stackpole, Grant Strombeck, Tom Swafford, Ken Vandermark, Matt Weston, Sue Wolf, Theresa Wong (黃天欣), Michael Zelner, and Michael Zerang.

◉ Joshua Marshall (winds | saxes)

Joshua Marshall is an Oakland-based saxophonist and composer/improviser. His work involves architectural innovation, narrativity, advanced extended saxophone techniques, and live digital media. He’s studied with Pauline Oliveros, Evan Parker, Butch Rovan, I.M. Harjito, & Steve Adams of ROVA Saxophone Quartet. In addition to work with Opera Wolf, Joshua has worked with Ikue Mori (もりいくえ), Rent Romus’ Lords of Outland, Architect/Enchantress, Medium Sized Band, Josh Allen’s Deconstruction Orchestra, Key West, and Modest Machine.

His amazing technique gives him relaxed command of cracked multi-phonics, exotic trills, and timbre tremolos, which he uses to superb effect.

◉ Collette McCaslin (a.k.a. C.J. Borosque, trumpet)

Collette McCaslin is a frequently heard Bay Area-based improviser, noisician, and video artist. Her art is a blending of genres pulling from abstract and avant-garde traditions.

Her electronic work is unique and she’s a pioneer of blending radical electronics with free jazz acoustic ensembles like Rent Romus‘ Lords Of Outland and vocalists like Laurie Amat to stunning effect. Her trumpet lines are paradoxically fluid and dry at the same time — and always beautiful.

Collette plays trumpet and analog FX boxes configured in a “no-input” design which allows for the creation of sonic feedback and feedback sounds without the use of a typical sound source… her noise projects are currently created using the electrical signal that is within her gear.

Collette is a regular member of Rent Romus‘ Lords Of Outland and plays frequently with other Bay Area avant ensembles. In addition, she’s performed at the NorCal Noise Fest, The Big Sur Experimental Music Festival, The Oakland Noise Festival, and at the Spring Reverb experimental music festival in San Diego.

◉ David Michalak (skatchbox, and possibly lap-steel guitar)

David Michalak has made over 50 films with original soundtracks, including 3 features starting out on the East Coast.

After decades of films such as Dreamlife, Inside-Out (featuring The Kate Foley Dance Company and score written with Nik Phelps, performed by the Club Foot Orchestra), When The Spirit Moves, featuring (Joe Goode) dancer Vong Phrommala & silent-movie style actress Billie-Marie Gross, Firefly, and Regenbogen, a soundtrack ensemble was formed to play live scores for David’s movies. The group, called Reel Change has featured: Andrew Voigt, Joe Sabella, David Michalak, Phillip Greenlief, Adam Hurst, George Cremaschi, Tom Nunn, Kyle Bruckmann, Theresa Wong (黃天欣), and Tom Djll, releasing the CD Open In Total Darkness

David followed up with a new group called Ghost In The House, an ensemble often including Kyle Bruckmann, Tom Nunn, Dean Santomieri, and  Karen Stackpole, whose brilliant first CD can be found on Edgetone, and a duo with Bob Marsh called Dr. Bob. Some of David’s other musical collaborators include: J.A. Deane, Bruce Ackley, Carla Kihlstedt, Matt Brubeck, Beth Custer, Damon Smith, Ed Herrmann, Doug Carroll, Jim Heron, Myles Boisen, Ron Heglin, and Nik Phelps’ Sprocket Ensemble.

◉ Rent Romus (winds | saxes | electronics | toys | joik)

Organizer of innumerable Bay Area events, Rent Romus, saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and producer, is deeply involved in going beyond the confines of standard music forms of composition and improvisation and focused on presenting and supporting the local experimental and avant-garde community. From his beginnings as a student of jazz while being exposed to the tutelage of Stan Getz to today, Rent Romus has recorded and released 25+ recordings as a leader which have included Jason Olaine, Steve Rossi, Chico Freeman, John Tchicai, Jonas Müller, Stefan Pasborg, Toyoji Tomita (富田豊治), Dave Mihaly, Bill Noertker, Collette McCaslin, Philip Everett, Ray Schaeffer, Paris Slim, Jesse Quattro, Scott R. Looney, Bob Marsh, Jim Ryan, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Tobias Fischer, and Thollem Mcdonas.

As a producer and artist business activist he runs Edgetone Records a label for all forms of improvisation and experimentation. He is the founder and Executive Director of Outsound Presents under which he curates the SIMM Series, the Luggage Store Series every Thursday, both in San Francisco, and The Outsound New Music Summit, a national experimental music festival held in the San Francisco Bay Area every summer in July.

◉ Eli Wallace (keyboards)

Pianist and composer Eli Wallace began his studies at Lawrence U. under Fred Sturm, Mark Urness, and Lee Tomboulian, and continued for a Master’s in Music (Jazz Composition) at the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Jason Moran, Jerry Bergonzi, Ken Schaphorst, Frank Carlberg, & Kati Agócs.

Since relocating to the Bay Area, Eli’s played with many musicians and ensemble in wildly different genres, e.g. Karl Evangelista’s Ai-Ai, Jim Ryan’s ensembles Virtual Assembly & Retro Blue, John Givens’ No Lovely Thing, and Bill Wolter’s Inner Ear Brigade, and appeared on Dan Meinhardt’s album Gone West. His own recent project is a series of pieces composed for solo piano that embrace his interest in jazz, improvisation & contemporary avant-garde classical music. Eli is also making waves in a new trio with Karl Evangelista and Jon Arkin.

As a composer Eli’s been commissioned to write music for jazz big band, solo piano, chamber orchestra, and dance, and his piece Influx Rebellion was well-received at the EarShot Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute Readings (in affiliation with Columbia U. / American Composers Orchestra).

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Drop out of (or into) warp with us in this second electro-acoustic improv vortex and experience what the Puppy Surprise has in store…

どうぞ。。。

Joe