Hey Everybody…
Things have been very busy recently at Evil Clown Headquarters…
I started a New webpage for Evil Clown http://www.giantevilclown.com/
I also started a YouTube channel to hold the video content
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCprJy4kMIRs51FIFQF12dw/videos
Bandcamp, for Streaming, Downloads and CD Orders
https://evilclown.bandcamp.com/
New Sparkles Painting nearly completed by Raffi!!!
The GiantEvilClown site contains links to Bandcamp for streaming and sales, artwork for every album, photos and videos of many performances, Bios for most involved, etc. It is not finished yet, but a lot of the material is in place. It will probably take another month or so to wrap up the site for everything that currently exists.
Leap of Faith and Metal Chaos Ensemble both making solid progress. Leap of Faith has 3 shows in August including 2 in NYC. Metal Chaos Ensemble got 3 Titles reviewed by Bruce Lee Gallanter for Downtown Music Gallery. LOF + MCE concert in July (maybe with electronics).
I have started to digitize all of the video from the 90s period, and it looks like I have another 10 shows or so of video to post.
The newsletter is in 3 parts today:
1) Posters for Upcoming Events
2) MCE Reviews
3) YouTube links with show descriptions
Concerts coming up –
8/4/2015
Lily Pad – Cambridge MA
8 PM
Continuum – A Night of Pure Improvisation in Four Dimensions
Special Guests Jim Hobbs and Daniel Levin
Set I - Jim Hobbs / Daniel Levin
Set II – Leap of Faith
Set III – both bands together
8/15/20115
Revolutionary Arts, Brooklyn NY
8 PM
Factorizations – A Night of Pure Improvisation
Set I – Shoshke Rayzl (electric guitar with efx)
Set II – Leap of Faith
Set III – both groups together
8/16/2015 Downtown Music Gallery, Manhattan 5 pm
9/12/2015
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church
Somerville MA
Hyperbolic Spirals – A Night of Pure Improvisation
Set I – Metal Chaos Ensemble
Set II – Leap of Faith
Set III – both groups together
Three fabulous reviews for recent Metal Chaos Ensemble releases by Bruce Lee Gallanter at Downtown Music Gallery…
Metal Chaos Ensemble album Molten Reviewed by Bruce Lee Gallanter for Downtown Music Gallery
REVIEW by Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
METAL CHAOS ENSEMBLE [PEK/TONY SAVARINO/TAMORA GOODING/YURI ZBITNOV] - Molten (Evil Clown 9063; USA) Featuring PEK on oboes, bassoon, clarinets, shenai, alto sax, etc., Tony Savarino on guitar, metal, drums, Tamora Gooding on metal & drums and Yuri Zbitnov on metal & drums. Of the three Metal Chaos Ensemble CDs reviewed today (7/2/15), this is the only one with four members, two of who play mainly metal & drums. "Molten" is one hour-long work recorded at Evil Clown Headquarters in May of 2015, less than two months ago. It begins with multiple metals, gongs, cymbals, drums and assorted percussion. Quite hypnotic and well recorded. Similar in some ways to the Art Ensemble of Chicago, this music has otherworldly, ritualistic sort of sound. When PEK picks up that double reed (a shenai?), they move into the section which soon includes some strange vocal sounds at one point. Systematically PEK works his way through some eight different reed instruments while Tony Savarino switches between guitar and percussion, the sound of the ensemble ever-evolving and mutating. Another strange yet transcendent journey for the Metal Chaos Ensemble. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
https://metalchaosensemble.bandcamp.com/album/molten
http://www.giantevilclown.com/mce-molten.html
Metal Chaos Ensemble album War Tuba Reviewed by Bruce Lee Gallanter for Downtown Music
METAL CHAOS ENSEMBLE [PEK/YURI ZBITNOV/CATHERINE CAPOZZI] - War Tuba (Evil Clown 9056; USA) Featuring PEK on double reeds, tarogato, clarinets, aquasonic, Yuri Zbitnov on metal, chains, etc and Catherine "Axemunkee" Capozzi on guitar & aquasonic. The Metal Chaos Ensemble have three discs out on Evil Clown, each one with Leap of Faith members PEK (multiple winds & voice) and Yuri Zbitnov (percussion). The third or fourth person changes on each disc. The third person here is Ms. Catherine Capozzi on guitar.
This disc was recorded in Dave PEK's house and contains one 51+ minute track. In the first section we hear mostly layers of ritualistic percussion: mostly bells, cymbals, gongs, etc. The combination of metallic percussion is pretty hypnotic. Eventually, Pek picks up a double reed which makes bent, animal-like sounds while Ms. Capozzi plays strange sounds on her electric guitar, although it is hard to tell what she is playing at times. Eventually the trio takes off with Capozzi playing some disturbing fuzzed guitar while someone else does scary vocals in the distance. A cosmic boogie or something equally disturbing?!? The cover of this disc features a number of evil looking serpent-like horns (bassoons?) on wheels with an army marching underneath. The title and cover of this disc, "War Tuba" doesn't quite prepare for the scary sounds within. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
http://www.giantevilclown.com/mce-war-tuba.html
https://metalchaosensemble.bandcamp.com/album/war-tuba
Metal Chaos Ensemble album Chrononauts Reviewed by Bruce Lee Gallanter for Downtown Music Gallery
METAL CHAOS ENSEMBLE [PEK/BILL T MILLER/YURI ZBITNOV] - Chrononauts (Evil Clown 9064; USA) Featuring PEK on alto sax, clarinets, oboes, bassoon, game calls, etc., Bill T Miller on electronics & metal and Yuri Zbitnov on metal, drums & theremin. This is another trio version of the Metal Chaos Ensemble which includes Bill T Miller on electronics and mainstay Yuri Zbitnov on theremin. Plus all three also play percussion and or metals.
This disc was recorded just over a month ago on May 27, 2015. The title here is "Chrononauts" which are time travelers and that seems appropriate for this unit which has that ancient to the future sort of sound plus a time machine-like image on the cover. The electronics and percussion work together here quite well and it is hard to tell them apart at times.
Beginning with spacious, mysterious sounds and building in intensity from there. Is more strained than the other discs by Metal Chaos Ensemble. If you are patient it does take us away a journey to another place. The vibe changes once PEK picks up his reed or double-reed and a ritualistic groove takes over for a bit, the vibe gets darker and quite a bit more intense.
Take a chance with a disc from Leap of Faith or the Metal Chaos Ensemble and being taken away to another time or place. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
https://metalchaosensemble.bandcamp.com/album/chrononauts
http://www.giantevilclown.com/mce-chrononauts.html
I have started to digitize video shot of 90s and 00s Leap of Faith Performances to be posted on YouTube.
Here is a link to my YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCprJy4kMIRs51FIFQF12dw/videos
Two concerts posted in the last few days:
This one is from a concert at the Addis Gallery with an unknown date. I’m guessing that it is from 1995 or 1996. A strong performance from the PEK, Glynis Lomon, Craig Schildhauer trio version of Leap of Faith. This line-up features prominence from the strings of Glynis and Craig.
The three tracks from this concert were issued on Evil Clown in the deep catalog releases prepared earlier this year on two albums – Track 1 & 3 on Elliptical Eccentricity and Track 2 on Computations.
Links to videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rimm3hGwfiY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd__FcH3yPU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnCrrXyaYhg
Links to webpages
http://www.giantevilclown.com/lof-computations.html
http://www.giantevilclown.com/lof-elliptical-eccentricity.html
https://leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/computations
https://leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/elliptical-eccentircity
This one is from the Autumn Uprising Festival in Jaimaca Plain in 1997. This was a 3 day festival with many of the stars of the Boston Improv Scene having sets. This Leap of Faith is PEK (reeds), Glynis Lomon (cello, voice), Craig Schildhauer (bass), Sydney Smart (drums). An excerpt from this performance was released on the festival CD Autumn Uprising. Later, I issued the entire performance on Evil Clown on Unified Fields.
Links to videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7VKemXNEFc
Links to webpages
http://www.giantevilclown.com/lof-unified-fields.html
https://leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/unified-fields
Sparkles out
Evil Clown Newsletter 7/3/2015
On Metal Chaos Ensemble: "... using unique strategies to yield densely active and eerily surreal music, an incredible excursion through experimental improvisation." - Squidco website staff
Evil Clown
On Leap of Faith: "Alien yet familiar, bizarre yet completely fascinating. Expanding, contracting, erupting, settling down, always as one force..." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG