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More snuff jazz purveyors led by drummer Adam Kriney who seems to be all over the place as of late. You read about La Otracina a while back, then Owl Xounds not too long ago, and now the final piece of the package sent my way in, fuckin', October. Rust Ionics is a rule-busting jazz unit akin, certainly more Owl than Otracina, featuring Kriney on drums (natch), Ed Chang on saxophone and Doug Theriault on electric guitar, the latter two which play together in DUAL. The blurb over on the Colour Sounds page (Kriney's label...natch) tells the tale of this being quote "the most insane recording [Kriney] has ever recorded". Don't know if it's been bested since then since I'm not terrifically up to date with all of Adam's happenings, but it must be at least a contendor if not at the absolute top of the list. Don't know if it can hang with the Borbetomagus, PainKiller and Fushitsusha references dropped in said blurb, but I'm sure all three served as strong influence. And besides, this ain't no pissing contest.
I spose I could say that Rust Ionics are a bit less, uh, esoteric than Owl Xounds, but they make up for it in gusto. Side A joins the trio in progress, with Kriney already beating out a Neanderthral no wave stomp and Chang blowing high-spirited, upper-echelon alto snarks and twists. Theriault's guitar contributions are surprisingly minimal at first, limited to solely background shading via wrenched groans. Later when the group settle in, Theriault pushes out muted, plucked undercurrents with Chang still splattering endless nodes of vibrant horn work and Kriney sticking to cymbal-glancing splashes. The saxophone sounds almost processed around this point as Chang drops chemical cluster bombs of mutant howling, scooped up by Kriney's now-thudding declarations. It all comes to a head in the span of about six seconds and closes off the side sweetly. The flip features similar charges of assault and battery highlighted by an excellent solo spot from Chang who, if he wasn't before, is definitely running his saxophone through something now, or he's gotta be channeling the breath of the beast from iron lungs. Theriault's guitar only scrapes center stage once, and it's in partial duet with shortform gasps with Chang, so he may while he may not be encroaching on Sonny Sharrock's turf, the group sound mustered up is still very much Last Exit (or, to be still more precise, Peter Brotzmann's recent "Full Blast" record with Marino Pliakas and Michael Wertmuller), if for no other reason than the shared punk rock/heavy metal ethos. This whole Adam Kriney/Colour Sounds axis is proving to be a satisfying addition/alternative to other current jazz form destroyers c'est-a-dire Graveyards, Chris Corsano's various skirmishes, Daniel Carter/Test, Steve Baczkowski, Bill Nace/x.0.4., and all the rest. "Moving/Pictures" (Rush?!) is limited to a paltry 311 (311?!) pieces and can be available for $12 U.S., $16 world. Comes in a clear sleeve on sexy, transluscent blue vinyl (as you can see) too. Head on over to Colour Sounds to score MP3 samples and what are surely final copies at this point.

On offer are six tracks in all, three running at around the ten to fifteen minute mark and three shorter pieces. Uhtan opens the album with a nice mixture of tabla and other percussive matter. Giving the feeling of slow winding up, maybe the slow motion of an aging train, cutting through Indian country side, as guitar elements are subtle added, very much in the background to start with, but as the track develops Chang cuts out more of a path though the percussive haze. Sliding strange guitar patterns/ noise and wrong sounding Spanish strums, over the erratic beat pitter - patter.

Ivory Asuras opens straightaway with Chang's hectic changing tone, gone-wrong-blues guitar work. With the percussive element more chaotic here, literally throwing in the kitchen sink percussive-wise - be it wooden tapping, box-banging, wood against wood, pots and pans and tabla on speed, careening off all over the place.

Another enjoyable adventure into sound -different from what I've heard Chang do before. Just a pity it’s ltd to such a small number of 200. So really if you enjoy something a bit different in acoustic percussive improvised/ noise vein- you better be quick,before they disappear.

Featuring Ravi Padmanabha on tabla & percussion and Ed Chang on acoustic guitar. A well-recorded duo of superb tablas and hand percussion with banging on the strings, free acoustic guitar. There is a great free section of guitar and layers of percussion on the Mothers' 'Uncle Meat' album called "Nine Types of Industrial Pollution". This CD sounds quite a bit like that. I dig the way this entire disc flows freely together, moving in waves together. -

Ravi Padmanabha / Ed Chang - Elephant Calls (Utech)
I first heard guitarist Ed Chang in his NYC ensemble Spin 17 when they played on the Stork Club at WFMU many moons ago; having always been a fan of such out-there axemen like Derek Bailey and Fred Frith I was wowed by the leftfield applications on display; taking the instrument into terrain as wild as theirs while still staking his own terra firma with assorted toys and electronics thrown in for good measure. Chang's still quite active live and with assorted releases, one of my recent faves being Elephant Calls, showcasing his anything-but-conventional acoustic guitar going head to head with tabla player/percussionist Ravi Padmanabha. Utilizing the bare minimum, these two sound off with a pure celebrate of acoustic sound, zonked strings, thwacking on guitar to complement the Indian-style rhythms being thrown down, "Avatar"'s sandpapery string sliding vigorously enhances Padmanabha's fingers while "Elephant Calls" sounds like the ghost of Bailey turned loose with good old Dave Soldier's army of Thai pachyderms. As with most Utech releases, they're quite live and immediate sounding; this one is particularly rich and beautiful to bask in with the headphones. They're also quite limited, so grab it now.

About an hour of sheer noise terror, heavy on the aggressive electronic bleats. Six pieces: two trios and four duos, Moran in all of them. Whether in pairs or triads, one thing you can say: these musicians fill every nook and cranny of space with sound. In fact, “overstuffed” is one of the adjectives that springs to mind. You kind of have to sit back and simply bathe in the sonic overkill...Once done—and for this listener that’s no easy task—there’s a certain numb pleasure to be derived here. The fourth track, a duo between Theriault (guitar and electronics) and Moran (circuit bent electronics) does indeed encompass a wider range of colors than the rest. Even as it shreds one’s ears, it allows a bit of air to creep in between blasts and creates a vivid image.

Featuring Han Degc on prepared alto sax, Motoko Shimizu on voice, toys & percussion, Chris Welcome on hollow-body electric guitar and Matt Hannafin percussion & radio. This free-form quartet was recorded at the C.O.M.A. Series at ABC No Rio in August of this year. The ABC No Rio free music series (mainly on Sunday nights) has been going on for as long as I can remember. It is certainly the most consistent series to present unknown, little known and well-known improvisers from around the world in the downtown area. This disc was recorded on one such Sunday night and shows how you never know what will happen, just something at least interesting or perhaps even extraordinary. Although I am unfamiliar with Han and Chris and only vaguely know Motoko, I've known Matt Hannafin for quite a while and he has played on DMG a couple of times. This is a fine, playful, inventive and quite interesting date. Saxist Han Degc sounds like he is from the Jack Wright, Bhob Rainey school of microtonal sax sounds. Very cool. Only 29 minutes and actually pretty great throughout. -

BLG (Downtown Music Gallery)

Bloody-Fucking-Gore-Improv-No-Wave-Skronk-Meltdown
presents a limited to 49 copies 3” of ecstatic-free-metal blowouts from these liberated-to-the-point-of-psychosis New York heads, featuring drummer Adam Kriney of Owl Sounds et al, Ed Chang on homemade reed instruments, ‘demonized’ alto sax, toolbox percussion and ferocious noise guitar and Motoko Shimzu on post-Patty Waters/Junko styled high/death vocals. 9 short blasts of primitive Hijokaidan/Abe-Takayanagi attack strategies played by punks that don’t know any better. This is as crude as all hell. Packaged in over-sized colour paper wallet.
Colour Sounds Recordings/Quodlibet Recordings 3” CD-R
Volcanic Tongue

Ringsteppers
Ringsteppers is a musical game played (in every sense of the word) by four musicians: Ed Chang, a co-founder of Spin-17 from New York; John Dieterich of Deerhoof and The Gorge Trio; multi-media artist David Forlano, who studied guitar with Robert Fripp; and Sean O’Donnell, a multi-media designer. Each musician composed a track which was then remixed by the next musician, then that remix was remixed by the next musician, so that the original track would transform into a new work by the end of the cycle. The CD consists of four tracks drastically restructured four times, with two extra mixes.

Ed Chang’s music, such as his work with Spin-17, is very strange to most ears. His creates a joyous noise that mixes industrial, post-modernism, and every bizarre electronic effect he can find. In the hands of someone else, his conceptions might seem ominous, but Chang always manages to put a strange disappearing Cheshire Cat grin in the chaos.

The CD sounds like classic Throbbing Gristle and Nurse With Wound, NIN f/x without the music, David Tudor’s electronic compositions, children’s records played backwards, sonic new-age soundscapes, a radio being tuned, free jazz and the soundtrack to ERASERHEAD all at the same time. Unlike other avante-garde CDs, where you get tired of the work in a few minutes, RING STEPPERS is a constantly changing kaleidoscope. It’s like a mystery novel that keeps you glued to find out what will happen next.

The musical game of RING STEPPERS is a successful one, in that the music by these four artists is virtually seamless in its aural barrage. The CD is highly recommended to serious artists with a sense of humor.

Chang has also released a collaboration with Blindfold, PICTURE SHOW (on J’Boy). The CD is just as playful as RING STEPPERS, but more rooted in free jazz; it should appeal to fans of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane’s latter period.

A man once told me that he went to a Cecil Taylor concert and felt like he was in hell. If this is hell, it’s the version seen in South Park. (Wmurg)

Infinity Press, Oct 2000

One of the most beautiful, intriguing, crazy, and innovative electronic music CDs released in 1999, the Ring Steppers debut release is the result of re-mixing four original works three times each by the four different members of the band.

Extracted Celluloid

Razor tapes from Hell!, October 19, 1999
Reviewer: A music fan (Seattle, WA USA)
Well, I know they're actually not razor tapes, but rather Soundforge or Acidbath (or whatever) recordings, but this is surely one of the seminal works of audio collage. I was/am mesmerised from start to finish, simply brilliant. If ever you loved Negativland or Art of Noise or any of the more eclectic electronic/audio-collage bands, you simply MUST have this CD. A landmark work which proves that "copyright infringement is your best entertainment value." Get it NOW.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000I7SL/103-0000103-8867838?v=glance

Amazon.com

You know, if you're not a part of the gunfire, you're part of the problem. Thankfully, Trav S.D. is part of the gunfire. He's taking potshots at the state of performance art, which over the past few decades has mutated into nicely packaged isms. Trav S.D.'s hilarious performance is fueled by his frustration with those who have hijacked the spontaneity of art and the surreal. He is armed with the very weapons that these hijackers use to sell us this art—pretentiousness, aesthetic deconstruction, and a far-out hairdo.

Trav S.D. plays a Beatnik buffoon named Nihils who is just too hip to be annoyed by our presence. His presence, however, is like a black hole (literally and figuratively) in that he is dressed entirely in black (black gloves, sunglasses and wig included) and that he sucks his audience into himself and his world like a singularity sucking light out of the galaxy. This performance is like the Big Bang of kitsch. It is part blank verse Beat nonsense, part one-liner "bah dum bum" standup, and part stream-of-semi-consciousness. He attacks everything from performance art to the culture industry to consumerism with a sort of Marshall McLuhan-on-mushrooms mystique. There is a trippy jazz trio (guitar, clarinet, and viola) that takes the stage with him, playing discordant riffs and displaying little to no emotion while doing it.

Trav S.D. is quite simply hilarious. Even when his one-liners fall flat he's hilarious. When it comes to one-man shows what I like to see is absolute commitment to the character or characters the performer is portraying and that's what Trav S.D. gives us. His character, Nihils, is the total embodiment of the performance's themes. He does not rely solely on his text or on hamming it up to get his theme across but rather he lets his message flow through his posture and gesture and every other aspect of his invention. This is not to say that his text doesn't hit the nail (and everything else, for that matter) on the head. He collages rant and vaudeville and poetry and pun and prattle like a found object mural. He shouts, "All hands on decadence!" as he tries to keep his head from rolling off his shoulders and his hair out of his mouth. I laughed at him, I laughed at myself, and I laughed at my culture all with equal zeal.

Technically the show looks good. We open with a crazy remix of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" by Arthur Schlenger and accompanied by short, clever turns of phrase projected on a screen. There is a short film that S.D. overdubs live that is just shoddy enough to be appreciated. There are many quick blackouts that didn't really seem necessary to me though they didn't bother me that much. The jazz trio, Blaise Siwula, Robyn Siwula and Ed Chang, are just perfect for this show. They set the mood and break it too.

This show is a part of the Pretentious Festival at the Brick and I can think of no better show to fit that bill. Even his name, Trav S.D., is admittedly pretentious. He makes every moment interesting, funny, and dismantling. His ill motives are for us. He's shooting for us. See there, the man that rocks the boat generally doesn't have time to row it. He needs us there to row for him even if we all annoy him. Don't miss this show. It is eternally a work in progress. So catch it in whatever form it appears next.