Musicircus

Dean Christesen — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:39:00 +0000

We followed our ears to nooks in the store, finding musicians and ensembles around every corner. The musicians had almost nothing to do with each other, save for the fact that sound is their art.

From Musicircus

Before you even entered Chop Suey Books this evening, a sized-down No BS! Brass Band greeted you with their signature flavor on the street.

Directly inside the doors stood the Four Story Sax Quartet to the right, Marty McCavitt's trio to the left, the sounds of the two equaling something much different than the two parts.

Further inside sat an autoharpist, which blended into Boots of Leather's (Brian Jones, J.C. Kuhl and Randall Pharr) Velvet Underground re-orchestrations and Jones originals. Silence in the band's sound was replaced by humming drones of other instruments and ensembles throughout the store, disconcerting and beautiful at the same time.

Through the window to the backyard the drums, bells, and cymbals of Gamelan Raga Kusuma interacted with the trio with slightly more volume than the other groups. Walking into the backyard gave a more pure gamelan experience.

Smaller rooms upstairs housed more unconventional music makers, like coins vibrating in a small cymbal on an amplifier, bowed cymbals and singing bowls, and Snow Panda.

David Hood Party played as an impromptu brass and woodwind quintet in the largest room.

Like last night's event, the audience was eclectic and wildly supportive of experimental and avant-garde music.

According to Brian Jones, curator of the event every year, this is the 6th or 7th Musicircus that he has put on. Check out the photos and don't let it pass you by next year.

photos by dean christesen

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