NOISE TOURISM

Perhaps it ís serendipity, but maybe the level of excitement over the last several years has gotten out, and our city is finally a must stop on any east coast tour itinerary. Either way, we are thrilled that two separate tours, John Wiese (solo) and The New Monuments, have converged on Philly for a single night. And even though this is a star-studded affair, this should by no means overshadow the fantastic Philadelphia based artists featured this evening: Morally Gray and the Kudler / Fraser duo.

WHAT TO EXPECT

John Wiese the prolific Los Angles based artist and composer who has worked with everyone from Wolf Eyes and Sunn O))) to Nico Vascellari at last years Venice Biennale, will be performing a solo set with electronics and laptop. Expect frenetic noise assaults pulsating brutally in stereo. Expect strange things to happen in your inner ear as Wiese strikes on some acoustic phenomenon. But mostly, expect it to be amazing.

New Monuments, on its inaugural tour, is a new collaboration between Don Dietrich founding member of the legendary Borbetomagus; percussionist Ben Hall, who may be best known for Graveyards, his collaboration with John Olsen (Wolf Eyes) and Hans Buetow (both Hall and Beutow appeared on bowerbird in 2006 in trio with NYC based Trumpeter Nate Wooley as Melee); and voice and string manipulator C Spencer Yeh, who often performs under the project name Burning Star Core, and redefines the word prolific. Here, expect the unexpected. Fans of Dietrichís Borbetomagus may be surprised by a new facet of his playing, while Yeh and Hall will likely bring a dimension that will appeal to both listeners of noise and free impov music.

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY

Morally Gray is a tape and minimal electronics project of Mat Rademan (Newton / Breathmint Records) and Marc Zajack (Antler Piss / Deep Fried Tapes). At times the music can be restrained and even quiet, but thatís just a prelude to the no nonsense noise assault you are about to be subjected to. But this is no amateurish freak out ñ even at heightened levels of intensity this duo is able to react in subtle and measured cooperation.

Ian Fraser and Jesse Kudler should be familiar to any close-watchers of Philadelphia’s small experimental music community. They play together frequently, in the large group Benito Cereno and in smaller trios, but this will be only their second-ever duo performance. Both share a fascination with re-purposed consumer tools: laptops, tape players, radios, hacked guitar pedals, guitars, etc. Fearing neither silence nor harsh “un-musical” sounds, the two embrace unexpected contrasts and turns in sound-making.