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schedule Sunday January 30, 2011 @ The Marvelous The Marvelous, 208 S. 40th St., Show starts at 9pm sharp, $5 suggested donation. (map) Alabaster Tongue Presents: Mikroknytes eletronics and violin from NYC and PHL (bio)  http://www.mikroknytes.com/ Jesse Kudler & Ian M. Fraser guitar, electronics, computer, etc. from Philadelphia (bio)  www.jessekudler.com http://ianmfraser.wordpress.com/ http://homophoni.com/homo041.html Kohoutek Duo & Charles Cohen percussion/electronics meets Buchla, from Philadelphia (bio) 
 http://claviusproductions.alkem.org/kohoutek/ http://colorisluxury.org/cc.html Bios: Mikroknytes are a duo of drone, avant-acoustics and cracked electronics. Derek Morton (laptop, f/x, mind control) and John Coursey (violin, vocals, idea manufacturing) formed in Washington DC in the late nineties. Two of their first recordings were released on Marc Master’s past label Crank Automotive where he described the releases: “Imagine Hrvatski if his dad was Tony Conrad, or Phill Niblock if he was quarterback of a football team made of Microstoria 12-inches” Morton (one half of Brown Wing Overdrive) and Coursey now live in separate cities New York City and Philadelphia respectively. Over the years their live performances have morphed into a stunning hypnogogic installations with the addition of Morton’s video projections. Textures are weaved and ripped into shreds with Coursey’s distorted violin and Morton’s continual destruction of rhythm and pulse. Philadelphia-based improvisers Jesse Kudler and Ian M. Fraser have worked together in various groupings, including a trio with Tim Albro and the quintet Benito Cereno, but they have been intensely focusing on their duo project for the past year. Combining Fraser's digital laptop programming and Kudler's analog, instrumental, and mechanical devices, their duo creates busy, detailed pieces that are informed by contemporary computer music aesthetics, electro-acoustic improvisation, noise, contemporary composed music, field recordings, and silence. Kohoutek Duo (Scott Verrastro/Scott Allison) & Charles Cohen Drummer/percussionist Scott Verrastro utilizes a plethora of sticks, brushes, bells, shakers, cymbals and gongs, metal, contact mics, and household items -- in addition to a traditional drum kit -- to coax a wide palette of sounds. Verrastro received a degree in music literature from Northeastern University in Boston and continues to examine many forms of music, including all styles of improvisation and traditional folk. His main percussion influences are Milford Graves, Rashied and Muhammed Ali, Sunny Murray, Han Bennink, Jaki Liebezeit, Tony Oxley, Bill Bruford and Jamie Muir circa King Crimson's Larks' Tongues in Aspic, and yes, those old classic-rock stand-bys John Bonham, Bill Ward, Keith Moon, and Nick Mason. His improv psych band Kohoutek explores all of this territory, veering from drony Krautrock-inspired psych to abstract noise freak-outs and everything in between. Verrastro also plays in an all-percussion duo with Nathan Bowles (of Pelt/Black Twigs/Spiral Joy Band), a duo with guitarist Chris Grier (ex-To Live and Shave in L.A.) called Thee Ultimate VAG, and the Philly ensemble Curanderos (an improv collaboration between Bardo Pond and Kohoutek), and often accompanies multi-instrumentalist John Stanton in Kuschty Rye Ergot and guitarist Jeff Barsky in Insect Factory. Verrastro has also collaborated with saxophonists Marshall Allen (of Sun Ra Arkestra), Peter Brotzmann, Elliott Levin, Paul Flaherty, and John Dikeman, and has performed with JANDEK, vibraphonist Khan Jamal, George Kinney (of Golden Dawn), Damo Suzuki (of Can), Richard Pinhas (of Heldon), multi-instrumentalists Mike Tamburo and Little Howlin' Wolf, and bands such as Bardo Pond, Fern Knight, and United Bible Studies. Scott Allison, born 1972, improvises and composes (solo, duo, and group situations) with various analog electronic circuits, freeware digital software, tapes, radio (shortwave, VLF), processed/unprocessed field recordings, and extended use of musical instruments. Scott earned a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in visual arts during the early to mid 90's. Scott is a core member of the collective avant art-freerock group Kohoutek. Charles Cohen is a Philadelphia improv musician and composer. Creating music since 1971, his music is entirely improvisational and produced solely on a vintage Buchla Music Easel synthesizer, an extremely rare integrated analog performance instrument made by synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla. He has been increasingly recognized for his artistry performing internationally and is one of a handful of musicians who has mastered the Buchla. Only twenty-five of the instruments were produced in the early 1970s and only a few have survived. He is also considered a pioneer in synthesizers and performance music. Cohen was initially inspired by free-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor. An avid collaborator, Cohen worked for many years with musician Jeff Cain in their group The Ghostwriters. From Baltimore to Philadelphia and New York City, he collaborates with many media artists in improvisational settings as varied as the Red Room, Knitting Factory and Tonic. With few recorded or commercially available works to his credit, Cohen prefers to concentrate on creating electronic music in the setting of the live performance space. His music ranges from completely abstract and challenging to pleasantly rhythmic and infectious. His present main performance offering is Color Is Luxury, a purely improvisational, all electronic duo. |