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BEN BENNETT started playing music as a young child, took up the drums in middle school, and has always been attracted to improvisation. His interest in jazz moved steadily towards the more avant-guarde, then to free jazz, and onward into the world of free-improv. His current music stems mainly from various forms of free-improv: maximalist, reduced, noise, etc. A desire to get the most varied and visceral array of sounds from the simplest instruments has led to an ongoing process of distilling the drumset to its essential sound-maker, the vibrating membrane. Using extended techniques involving breath and friction, as well as the time-honored tradition of hitting things with sticks, he plays an evolving pile of frame drums, pre-tuned drum heads, metal things, tubes, and other objects that can be combined and recombined to get a variety of sounds during a performance. This set-up lends itself greatly towards being crammed in a backpack, strapped to a bike, dragged along the ground, or thrown down the stairs, generally without physical or psycological damage. Recent projects include: bst.cr - trio with Ryan Jewell and
Wilson Shook, Wrest - with Jack Wright and Evan Lipson, Rotty What - trio with Jack Wright and John M Bennett; Central Ohio War Coalition - with Mike Shiflet, Joe Panzner, and others; duos with Ryan Jewell, Jack Callahan, and Ben Hall; and solo performances.
http://milmin.nixsyspaus.org/
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THOMAS CARNACKI is a purloined moniker attached to the recording and performing activities of Berkeley-based Gregory Scharpen, who in turn emerges from the twin factory-farms of theatrical sound design and several tours of duty with the oblique-concrete outfit irr. app. (ext.). Thomas Carnacki has performed on both coasts of the continent, and has convinced a sizable number of luminaries to shed their dignity and participate in the proceedings. The core performing outfit generally includes Jesse Burson, James Kaiser, Gregory Hagan, Sheila Bosco and Cheryl Leonard. Carnacki performances have taken place in festivals such as Project Soundwave and the 2008 Whitney Biennial, and as part of such organisms as the Illuminated Corridor and Neighborhood Public Radio.
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BAD JAZZ is
Bryan Day, Tania Chen and Ben Salomon.
http://www.bryanday.net/
http://www.taniachen.com/
http://www.bensalomonmusic.com/
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Pet the Tiger is an inventors collective that plays in a wide variety of idioms. For this event PTT will be
David Samas, Cheryl Leonard and
Amanda Chaudhary with Marvin Baker dancing butoh.