@ Brooklyn Masonic Temple
317 Clermont Ave (@ Lafayette Ave)
7:00pm Doors
7:45pm Ben Frost
8:45pm Baby Dee
10:00pm-Midnight Swans
Midnight-3am Afterparty w/ DJ Sasha Grey

ISSUE Project Room in collaboration with Haunting The Chapel and the Blackened Music Series is thrilled to present Swans’ first NYC show inmore than a decade. It will take place at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, the loudest venue in the city.

Michael Gira has handpicked performance artist, harpist and accordionist Baby Dee to open the show, this time featuring keyboards accompanied by cello.

Formed in 1982 and led by Gira, a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Swans instigated and heavily influenced New York’s NoWave scene. They are considered one of the most influential post-punk bands to date, often incorporating droning vocals, thunderous rhythms, and varied, complex instrumentation.

“THIS IS NOT A REUNION. It’s not some dumb-ass nostalgia act. It is not repeating the past. After 5 Angels Of Light albums, I needed a way to move FORWARD, in a new direction,” says Gira of the pending new album. “It just so happens that revivifying the idea of Swans is allowing me to do that. I’ll be using what I learned in the last several years to inform the way this new material develops, while carrying forward from where Swans left off with its final album Soundtracks For The Blind, and in particular, Swans Are Dead.” (More here from Stereogum)

The music of Ben Frost is about contrast; influenced as much by Classical Minimalism as by Punk Rock and Metal, Frost’s throbbing guitar-based textures emerge from nothing and slowly coalesce into huge, forbidding forms that often eschew conventional structures in favor of the inevitable unfoldings of vast mechanical systems.

“…The emotional power of Frost’s music comes precisely from the stark contrast between extremely basic musical material and the deadly virtual instruments he invents to perform it… This is Arvo Pärt as arranged by Trent Reznor” – Wire Magazine, 2007

On albums like Steel Wound, released on the Room40 label in 2003 (Pitchfork: “An exemplary ambient experience”) and Theory of Machines on Bedroom Community in 2007 (Boomkat: “The Future of electronic music…”) Frost’s music is more than a cerebral exercise and has an undeniable visceral presence, felt as much as heard. His compositions are created with an acute awareness of the listener and their comfort thresholds, exploiting every extreme of pitch and volume. His notorious, building-shaking performances at international festivals including Montreal’s famed MUTEK combine amplified electronics with the furious thrashing of live guitars. Frost himself has been described as “one of the most interesting and groundbreaking producers in the world today.” (Boomkat). His music’s intense physicality has filled gallery spaces and driven contemporary dance productions by Chunky Move, the Icelandic Dance Company, and the acclaimed choreographers Erna Ómarsdottír and Wayne McGregor.

The massive scale of Frost’s music often projects a sense of remoteness and isolation and yet he remains in demand as an artistic collaborator, having performed and worked with/for artists as diverse and acclaimed as Björk, Stars Like Fleas, Tim Hecker, Amiina, Christian Fennesz, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Wildbirds & Peacedrums and Bora Yoon, and with celebrated Bedroom Community labelmates Sam Amidon (Appalachian folksinger), Nico Muhly (classical composer), and longtime collaborator Valgeir Sigurðsson (electronic composer/producer) with whom Frost shares Sigurðsson’s recording facility Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavík.

Underlying Frost’s often noisy, defiant aesthetic is a quiet and welcoming humanity, and a subtle sense of emotional drama which has recently bought him to the attention of the film world, where in 2008, utilizing the Icelandic string quartet Amiina, Frost composed the tender but ominous score for the forthcoming True-Crime feature film In Her Skin, starring Sam Neill and Guy Pearce; a cinematic sensibility also pervades his current Lp, By The Throat, whose darkly surreal sound-world owes as much to David Lynch as it does to David Lang.

Diminished Men is a Seattle-based instrumental band, whose members include Dave Abramson, Steve Schmitt, Sam Wambach, and Matt Rosof. According to Sublime Frequencies Founder, Alan Bishop, their latest album, Shadow Instrumentals (Abduction, 2009) “is a superbly crafted mosaic of whip-cracking vengeance, speakeasy hallucinations, and haunted geography.” They have also released four CDs under the Cass Record Label and Bowels of Lunacy Label. Abramson has collaborated with Secret Chiefs 3, Grails, Eyvind Kang, Six Organs of Admittance, Wally Shoup, Kayo Dot, Master Musicians of Bukkake, Climax Golden Twins, and The Curious Mystery.

Tartar Lamb is the duo of Toby Driver and Mia Matsumiya (of Kayo Dot), put together specifically to perform and record Toby’s long-form violin and electric guitar duet, “60 Metonymies,” and with the potential to move on to other pieces in the future. Tartar Lamb was augmented by the participation of Tim Byrnes (trumpet) and Andrew Greenwald (drums) of The Friendly Bears for the recording.

http://www.myspace.com/tartarlamb

Mazurek and Taylor have released five CDs together, their most recent release being Boca Negra (Thrill Jockey, 2010). They have toured extensively in the U.S, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Brazil and are considered to be the most musically adventurous performers of the Chicago Underground incarnations.

The three members have performed with a variety of musicians, McPhee with Evan Parker and William Parker, Duval with Cecil Taylor, Mark Whitecage, and Steve Swell, and Rosen with Sonny Simmons, Anthony Braxton, and Charles Gayle. They have released a number of recordings on the CIMP and Cadence Jazz Records labels and continue to receive critical acclaim for their live concerts and festival appearances.

Trio Caveat consists of bassist James Ilgenfritz, saxophonist Jonathan Moritz, and guitarist Chris Welcome. A parlour jazz trio, they have perfomred throughout the U.S. in art galleries, cafes, concert halls, parlors, and basements. Initially formed as a trio with Moritz, Ilgenfritz, and drummer John McLellan, the group’s discreet dynamics and attention to unlikely sonorities facilitate the deepest possible listening experience.

Elliott Sharp is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer and central figure in the avant-garde music scene in New York City for over thirty years. He leads the projects Carbon and Orchestra Carbon, Tectonics, and Terraplane and has pioneered ways of applying fractal geometry, chaos theory, and genetic metaphors to musical composition and interaction. His collaborators have included Ensemble Modern;  Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; Radio-Symphony of Frankfurt; pop singer Debbie Harry, computer artist Perry Hoberman;  blues legends Hubert Sumlin and Pops Staples;  jazz greats Jack deJohnette, Sonny Sharrock, Oliver Lake, and Billy Hart; turntable innovator Christian Marclay; and Bachir Attar, leader of the Master Musicians Of Jahjouka from Morocco. Sharp’s work was featured in the 2008 New Music Stockholm festival with the premiere of “Sidebands”  and at the Hessischer Rundfunk Klangbiennale in May 2007 with the premiere of his orchestral work “On Corlear’s Hook”.   He is now woorking on a commissioned opera for the Bavarian Opera in Munich.  The documentary film about Sharp’s work by Bert Shapiro, “Doing The Don’t”, has just been released on DVD and screened at international film festivals

Franck Vigroux works in the fields of electronic music, new media, composition and improvisation. He leads many bands and projects such as Push the triangle, Supersonic Riverside Blues. He has played or recorded with musicians such as Bruno Chevillon, Elliott Sharp, Marc Ducret, Ben Miller, Helene Breschand, Joey Baron, Michel Blanc, Stephane Payen,Andrea Parkins, Matthew Bourne, Edward Perraud, writer Kenji Siratori, video artists Scorpene Horrible, Philippe Fontes, Mariano Equizzi. In 2009 he won the prize Villa Medicis Hors les Murs for an artist residency in New York. Franck Vigroux is also the founder of d’Autres Cordes a record label dedicated to aventurous music. He has played in hundreds of festivals and clubs in Europe and Asia, as a guitarist or turntablist and conducted improvisers orchestras worldwide ( Nagoya, Barcelona, Leeds,etc…), he has been commissioned by Ars Nova ensemble instrumental and Radio France . He also presents audiovisual installations such as Recolte and O. Recent works for theater “septembres” by philippe malone, music for films “the nishiazabu affair” by mariano equizzi, “dust” 30mn, directed by franck vigroux in 2007, “recolte” video suite, 2009, by franck vigroux

Zeena Parkins Multi-instrumentalist, composer, improvisor, well-known as a pioneer of the electric harp she describes her harp as a “sound machine of limitless capacity”. Zeena’s unique vision is one that seeks to both meld and highlight opposites. She has broken musical boundaries to create a highly personal and stunning body of work. Or, to quote the WDC Period “Music that makes you hike up your britches and howl like a coyote”.

Made possible with the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FAJE, Chamber Music of America, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Florence Gould Foundation, SACEM, and CulturesFrance.

MAN FOREVER is the solo endeavor of ONEIDA drummer Kid Millions. The self-titled debut–two monolithic, hypnotic improvisations for arrays of drums in just intonation– is due out in an edition of 300 LPs featuring hand-pulled screens on recycled record jackets from Jagjaguwar vinyl imprint St. Ives. The touring quintet of Kid Millions, YEAH YEAH YEAHS drummer Brian Chase, Oneida cohort and KNYFE HYTS drummer Shahin Motia, drummer Allison Busch of AWESOME COLOR, and SIGHTINGS bassist Richard Hoffman, will be augmented by local percussionists in each city.

“Kid Millions, who, as drummer, is unsurpassed in his generation, finds an opportunity with slippery polyrhythmical approaches here, as if to say that the human drummer is the thing that is most controversial in the age of the click track, so there’s no pulse, no melodic home, no melody at all, really, just the thunderous ebbing and flowing of multiple rolls and fills, to replace the massaged rhythmic pulse of the Pro Tools era. It’s a provocation, yes, and a welcome one. And with the provocation comes a fair amount of dizzy joy, and a ritualized release of dammed-up energy.” – Rick Moody, therumpus.net

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/arts/music/23drummer.html

With accompanying live 16mm film performance by Mighty Robot AV Squad!!!

Participants include:

Christine Bard is a drummer/percussionist/composer in the NYC area. Bard moved to NYC to record for Enja records with Nana Simopoulos and Hamid Drake. Soon after, she met Dean Drummond and Jim Pugliese and discovered the Downtown Scene of NYC, where she began work with composers such as Marc Ribot, Zeena Parkins and John Zorn and in ensembles with Jim Pepper, Ron Horton, Marc Feldman, Otomo Yoshehide, Makigami Koichi, Dougie Bowne… x many… Other ensembles include NewBand, The Harry Partch Ensemble, the Downtown Ensemble, the Microtonal Ensemble, the Bang On A Can Allstars (for Norman Yamada’s ‘Year One’) and Ensemble Dissonanzen.

With the goal of hearing percussion as melody and harmony, Bard and Pugliese co-founded EasSide Percussion. Michael Evans made it a trio which has explored sound and composition with an intensity that exposes the ‘neural workings’ of sound itself.

With gracious support from Meet the Composer, her compositions for dance have appeared at “Celebrate Brooklyn”, The Kitchen and abroad.

Current Projects include “The Bridge” with Roy Campbell and Hilliard Greene and Jim Pugliese’s “Big Easy”.

Michael Evans is an improvising drummer/percussionist/multi-instrumentalist/composer whose work investigates the collision of sound and theatrics, combining ordered systems with intuitive choices of sound making using found objects, homemade instruments, and various digital and analog electronics. He has worked with a wide variety of artists nationally and internationally. http://www.michaelevanssounds.com

Grady Gerbracht‘s cross disciplinary work focuses on the ordering systems of everyday life. His projects employ art, architecture, experimental improvised music, sound and social dynamics to render these systems temporarily visible. As a percussion focused multi-instrumentalist, Gerbracht performs in and organizes events and festivals for varioius venues in New York, Vermont and beyond. With collaborator John Loggia, he composes sound tracks for films and regularly perfoms with, among others, Anarcho Art Lab, a loosely structured collective of interdisciplinary performers presenting monthly themed events at The Living Theater. Gerbracht founded Re: Percussions in an effort to provide a place where drum and percussion based artists can meet, discuss ideas, collaborate, rehearse and record. Re: Percussions presents the works of associated artists to an invested audience at venues that support their cause of advancing experimental approaches to percussion and exploring the outer limits of what drumming is.

John Loggia has played the drums in several bands over the years including Wronco, St. Ballantine School Orchestra and Fudge Factory Inc. who released an album in 1993 and had a song featured in the film “Timecop”. John then began to focus on experimental improvisations with saxophonist/drummer Pablo Narvaez self-producing their CD “Past Time”. John began his career in the visual arts working as an artist’s assistant to Dan Flavin and other artists through the DIA Art Foundation. He painted a 27fot mural “DayGlo Rubens” at the Mudd Club in 1981. John worked as a set decorator on films by Scott and Beth B, Tobe Hooper, Ken Kwapis, and Larry Cohen and was production designer on “Parting Glances” directed by Bill Sherwood (with Steve Buscemi) and Howard Zucker’s “Chief Zabu”. John directed the film “Live Free and Die” (1996 Fox/Lorber). From 1997-2007 John was associate project director of the Cuba Project at the World Policy Institute making documentary videos of international leaders speaking about U.S. Cuba policy and helping coordinate the project’s National Summit on Cuba conferences. Since 2007 he has been leading open improvisation sessions at the Vermont Jazz Center. Most recently, John has been recording and performing with Grady Gerbracht. Their band “Ideosynchronic” has performed along with other musicians and performers at the AnarchoArtLab, a monthly experimental multi-media project at the Living Theater in New York and created the soundtrack to John Menick’s documentary “Paris Syndrome”.

Jim Pugliese is a drummer, percussionist, composer and international recording artist on over eighty CD’s of experimental, Jazz and Rock music. Jim’s performing experience is diverse. As a freelance percussionist he is in much demand and has performed with The New York Philharmonic Horizon Series (guest artist), New York City Ballet, and soloist or performer on numerous new music and jazz festivals in Europe, Japan and the USA, including Warsaw Autumn, Huddersfield and The Nicolsdorf, Salfeldon, and Tampere Jazz Festivals. He has toured and recorded with John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Bobby Previte, Anthony Coleman, Elliot Sharp, Zeena Parkins, The Philip Glass Ensemble, John Cage and continues to lead his own groups. His latest CD “Live At Issue Project Room NYC” won best new release of 2008 in “All About Jazz New York”.

Ryan Sawyer aka Lone Wolf (b. 1976) grew up in San Antonio Texas where he played drums in various punk rock bands. At The Drive-In was one that ended up becoming very influential throughout the late 90′s. After 21 years in Texas he decided to move to New York and pursue the tutelage of a formal teacher who could show him a broader understanding of music making on the drumset. These teachers included Bobby Previte, Susie Ibarra, Hamid Drake, and Thurman Barker. During this time, Sawyer was gigging around the New York free jazz and noise scene in legendary places such as Tonic, The Cooler, and The Knitting Factory. He was also frustrated with the relegations “avant-garde” clubs put on peoples expectations of the concert-going experience.

As a result of this frustration he actively pursued taking this music to underground parties and rock clubs in hopes of shaking things up for audiences and himself. This in turn led to actively looking for a populous based project that still had all the elements of improvisation and the power found in great jazz. In 2005 Lone Wolf appeared playing solo gigs.

Ryan has played and recorded with hundreds of improvisors and bands while maintaining his own groups (Tall Firs, Glass Rock, Stars Like Fleas) throughout the years. Here is a list of a few; Charles Gayle, Thurston Moore, Jandek, TV on the Radio, Celebration, Scarlett Johansson, and Rhys Chatham. Ryan also led and co-wrote the new york chapter of The Boredoms’ 88 boadrum, a piece that incorporated 88 drummers playing an 88 minute piece of music co-written by Ryan Sawyer and Gang Gang Dance.

Susie Ibarra, percussionist and composer lives in New York City. She received a music diploma from Mannes College of Music and B.A. from Goddard College. Susie Ibarra studied Kulintang with Danongan Kalanduyan and drum set with Buster Smith, Vernel Fournier and Milford Graves.

As a percussionist, she has performed southeast Asian gong music, jazz, avant-garde, improvised and solo concert works. She has performed with many great artists such as John Zorn, Dave Douglas Pauline Oliveros, Derek Bailey, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, William Parker, Dr. L Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurti, John Lindberg, Wadada Leo Smith, Mark Dresser, Thurston Moore, Savath and Savalas, Prefuse 73, Yo La Tengo, among others.

Susie Ibarra has taught across the U.S and attended. Artist Residencies including: The Walker Art Center, Mills College, Bard College, Swarthmore College, Fundacio Joan Miro, University of Michigan, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, The New School.

She was nominated “Best Drummer” in the Village Voice, Downbeat, Jazziz, The Wire. Susie Ibarra is a Yamaha, Paiste & Vic Firth Artist.

She currently performs solo works and with Susie Ibarra Trio with Jennifer Choi & Craig Taborn; Mephista, collective electro-acoustic trio with Sylvie Couvoisier & Ikue Mori; Shapechanger with poet Yusef Komunyakaa; Mark Dresser & Susie Ibarra Duo; Mundo Ninoschildren’s music; and Filipino trance music, with Roberto Rodriguez,Electric Kulintang.

Jonathan Kane is a Downtown NYC legend — as co-founder of the no-wave behemoth Swans, and the rhythmic thunder behind the massed-guitar armies of Rhys Chatham and the rock excursions of La Monte Young and one of the hardest-hitting drummers on the planet.

“Wedding the brutal severity of Delta country boogie and Seventies German pulse rock – all dead-ahead motion and mounting detail…Epic.”
Rolling Stone

“Somewhere between Sonic Youth and Steve Reich is the drummer Jonathan Kane. Interested in the crossroads of new-music iconoclasm and experimental rock, he has a drummers sense of steady dynamic development and an unapologetic love of noise. Virtuosic”
New York Times

“Intensely propulsive motorik blues, its muscularity and greased relentlessness is never less than exhilarating”
Uncut