Theatre Intangible

Here’s Theatre Intangible episode 110: Hertenstein/Hunt/Sevits, recorded on September 13th, 2013. Joe Hertenstein is a New York City-based drone/avant-garde/free improv drummer, originally hailing from Germany. He’s played with heavy hitters such as Mat Maneri, Anthony Coleman, Ken Filiano, Frank Gratkowski, Jon Irabagon, Achim Tang, Mikko Innanen, Todd Neufeld, Simon Jermyn, and Thomas Heberer. How did this [...]

Here’s Theatre Intangible podcast 109: Lyrebird Artist Showcase, recorded on February 15th, 2013. Lyrebird is an experimental improv duo featuring Jeremy Bennett on electronics and Craig Schenker on saxophone and flute. Jeremy takes samples of Craig’s live sounds and weaves them into ever-evolving loops, which also feature field recordings and electronic synthesis. Craig then improvises new parts [...]

Here’s Theatre Intangible podcast #108: Savage Knights artist showcase, recorded in the basement of Noa Noa on April 5th, 2013. Savage Knights are an avant-jazz and rock n’ roll instrumental band from Raleigh, North Carolina. The band features Mike Isenberg on drums, Joey Chorley on bass, Chris Eubank on cello and Crowmeat Bob on guitar, [...]

Here’s Theatre Intangible podcast 107: Age Artist showcase, recorded on March 30th, 2013. Age is the “horizontal sound composition process” of Josh Gumiela and Luke Rainey, and it’s based around a very innovative technique. One artist presents a sound. The other samples that sound and alters it in some way – perhaps speeding it up, [...]

  I had some time this week to finish up five new podcasts that I’ll be cranking out in the coming weeks. I also recently treated my room with homemade sound absorption panels, and the new podcast intros are my first tests of the panels. I normally record the spoken intros with an SM58 dynamic [...]

Here’s podcast 105: Robert Bond and Regi Wooten Artist Showcase. We recorded this series of four improvs at The B Room in Nashville on June 18th, 2013. Regi and Robert are two Nashville musicians with long and fruitful careers who have only just recently begun performing together. Guitarist Regi Wooten is the eldest of the [...]

Here’s episode 104: Adventure Bomb: Projecting, a revised and expanded edition of the set I performed at Soundcrawl in collaboration with Benton-C Bainbridge’s live video projection mapping (“Fast-mapping”). Recorded at Brick Factory Nashville. Best experienced through headphones. Adventure Bomb is my experimental “scoop & loop” solo project.  “Scoop & loop” is a performance-style that involves scooping out [...]

Here’s episode 103: Tim Barnes and William Tyler artist showcase, recorded July 13th, 2012. Chris Davis organized a fantastic show at the Downtown Presbyterian Church featuring free jazz legends Trevor Watts and Veryan Weston. He also booked Louisville-by-way-of-New-York experimental percussionist Tim Barnes and Nashville guitarist William Tyler to perform that night, and that duet is what [...]

Here’s episode 102: Moonlight Pineapple, recorded on the Noa Noa back porch on April 6th, 2011. We organized this show around Charlie and Chris Rauh’s visit back to Nashville from New York City and DC respectively. We did two improvs that night, the first with a set group of participants, and the second, a free [...]

Here’s Theatre Intangible episode 101: Restless Mariner, recorded on the Noa Noa back porch on April 6th, 2011 and starring Randy Hunt, Chris Murray, Charlie Rauh, Chris Rauh, Craig Schenker, Jamison Sevits, and Tommy Stangroom. We organized this show around Charlie and Chris Rauh’s visit back to Nashville from New York City and DC respectively. [...]

For the 100th Theatre Intangible podcast, we’ve been saving a very special performance: the Thomas Lehn and John Butcher artist showcase. This is a recording of their spectacular June 7th, 2012 performance at Downtown Presbyterian Church. Thomas and John very graciously allowed me to release the recording as a  podcast. This rare event was organized by [...]

Here’s episode 99: Tau Ceti, starring Mike Simpkins, Josh Gumiela and Luke Rainey, recorded May 25th 2012 on the back porch of Noa Noa. Minneapolis-based ambient electronic artist Mike Simpkins was in town to perform a concert at Noa Noa under his moniker Kendall Station. You can see an excerpt from his performance in the [...]

Here’s Theatre Intangible episode 98: Ypsmael and Lawrence Crow Artist Showcase. These two solo performances were recorded August 5th, 2012 for a show also featuring T.J. Borden and Steven Dunning. Episode 97 featured those performances. Ypsmael is an electroacoustic improviser and performance artist currently based in Munich. He uses stompboxes and a blend of baritone guitars and other [...]

Here’s Theatre Intangible episode 97: T.J. Borden and Steven Dunning artist showcase. These two solo performances were recorded August 5th, 2012 for a show also featuring Ypsmael and Lawrence Crow. Episode 98 will feature those performances. Buffalo, New York experimental cellist and composer T.J. Borden has worked with artists such as Tony Conrad, Steven Mackey, [...]

Here’s episode 96: Cenobium Artist Showcase. Cenobium is an evolving collective of improv musicians based out of Nashville. Exploring the worlds of post modern jazz and the avant garde, Cenobium pushes the boundaries of improvised acoustic music. For this event, Cenobium took the form as a trio featuring Craig Schenker on saxophone, Randy Hunt on [...]

Here’s episode 95: John Latartara Indeterminacies, recorded November 8th, 2011 at Zeitgeist Gallery in Nashville, TN as a part of their Indeterminacies series. Indeterminacies is a series of performances organized by Zeitgeist Gallery‘s Lesley Beeman and Lain York. It’s based on John Cage’s idea about creating processes with no predetermined outcome, welcoming the unexpected and learning from [...]

Now that I finally have some free time on my hands, I’m releasing all the podcasts that have been patiently waiting in the queue. Here’s episode 94: Softly, Gently, starring Jesse Kenas Collins, Lawrence Crow, Brady Sharp, Stephen Molyneux and Jeremy Bennett, recorded on June 08th, 2012 at Noa Noa. Boston experimental multi-instrumentalist Jesse Kenas Collins [...]

Here’s Theatre Intangible podcast 93: Evans/Laplante/Schenker/Sevits, starring Peter Evans, Travis Laplante, Craig Schenker, and Jamison Sevits. New York free improvisation artists Peter Evans and Travis Laplante performed a show at Noa Noa on May 15th, 2012 organized by Nashville’s Craig Schenker. See excerpts of their solo sets in the videos below. After the show, we [...]

I’m proud to present Theatre Intangible podcast 92: Concurrence Artist Showcase! Concurrence is a Nashville jazz improv duo, featuring bassist Greg Bryant and pianist Paul Horton. Greg and Paul are key players in the Nashville jazz and improvisation communities. Greg is one of the organizers of Improv Undergound, a monthly Nashville concert series dedicated to [...]

On today’s podcast, I’m incredibly excited to have legendary British free jazz pioneers Trevor Watts and Veryan Weston! Saxophonist Trevor Watts, along with drummer John Stevens, is co-founder of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, a loosely-knit group of free improvisers first assembled in London in the mid-60’s. The SME’s influence in the avant garde and free [...]

Today on the podcast, I interview brothers Tony and Todd Gerber. Tony and Todd have been making music together and separate since they were ages 9 and 3, first in Northern Indiana where they grew up, and later in Nashville, TN. Tony Gerber wears many hats, including visual artist, virtual reality homesteader, and record label [...]

It’s the fifth and final day of the Great Podcast Releasathon 2012!(tm). (“But Tony, you said it was going to last a week!” — I meant a work week, sue me!) Here’s episode 89, Heavenly Noise, starring DaveX, Tony Youngblood, Tom Denney, Kevin Vogel, and Matt Giant. We recorded Heavenly Noise way back in 1999 [...]

It’s day 4 of the Great Podcast Releasathon 2012!(tm), and this is episode 88, Prong and Spittle, featuring Bobobobobob on Sequential Circuits Prophet synthesizer, William Davis on electric kazoo through Chaos Pad, Paul Cane on ukelele through guitar pedals, and myself on Boss RC-50 Looper, SK-1, bent sleep machine, and bent audio book. Prong and [...]

In keeping with the Great Podcast Releasathon 2012!(tm), here’s episode 87, Angelia, featuring DaveX, myself, Tom Denney, the Care Bears, and probably some other people I can’t remember. (Possibly Wil Bernal.) We recorded Angelia way back in 1998 at my college radio station WIDB on the campus of Southern Illinois University. It was just the [...]

It’s the Great Podcast Releasathon 2012!(tm) this week at Theatre Intangible, a glorious celebration with a new podcast each day! Actually, I made that up. I’m just way behind on my release schedule, I had several old episodes ready to go, and I thought a fancy name would make it appear as if it were [...]

Here’s podcast 85: Catharsirator, featuring DaveX, Tom Denney, Jacob Riley via phone call-in, myself, and probably some other people I can’t remember. We recorded Catharsirator way back in 1999 at my college radio station WIDB on the campus of Southern Illinois University. It was somewhere around the 15th episode of the original incarnation of Theatre [...]

Here’s podcast 84: Bad Vibes, featuring Brandon Able from MICROWAVE WINDOWS, Douglas Lucas from MU, Brendan Mucillo from HARDON COLLIDER, and Alan Sweeny and Aaron West from ASHOCHIOUS. We recorded this episode on Saturday, April 14th, 2012 after the bands came down for a show at Noa Noa. This is an improv very rich in [...]

Keeping up the momentum, I present podcast 83: Hardon Collider and Microwave Windows Artist Showcase! Experimental bands MICROWAVE WINDOWS, HARDON COLLIDER, MU, ASHOCHIOUS, and JEREMY BENNETT played Noa Noa in Nashville on Friday the 13th, April 2012. Last week, we release an interview with Mu’s Douglas Lucas and the Noa Noa sets from Mu and [...]

After a not-so-brief hiatus, the TI podcast is back with Episode 82: Mu Artist Showcase! MU is the experimental guitar-based project of Louisville, Kentucky resident DOUGLAS LUCAS. Douglas performed a very visceral set hunched over a modified guitar at Noa Noa on April 13th, 2012. On the podcast, I talk with Douglas about making music, [...]

  I’m very pleased to present podcast 81: Ghosts in the Hollow, starring THOMAS HELTON on double bass, STEVEN DUNNING on violin, RANDY HUNT on double bass, CRAIG SCHENKER on saxophone, and TOMMY STANGROOM on percussion. I recorded the episode live to 2 track at the Gallery F closing reception on February 26th, 2012. Billed [...]

Here’s podcast 80: ANDREW RAFFO DEWAR Indeterminacies, starring Andrew, BRADY SHARP, PULSE NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE, and moderator RODGER COLEMAN. Indeterminacies is a series of performances organized by Zeitgeist Gallery‘s Lesley Beeman and Lain York. It’s based on John Cage’s idea about creating processes with no predetermined outcome, welcoming the unexpected and learning from the accidental. [...]

Theatre Intangible was asked to host two circuit bending panels at last October’s Geek Media Expo, Nashville’s premier multi-fandom convention. In the first panel, Circuit Bending 101, we broke open some toys and showed people how to make simple bends. In Circuit Bending 201, we performed. Podcast 79 is that performance. The GMX11 performance features [...]

Here’s podcast 78 The Ocean and the Sea starring BREY MCCOY and ANTHONY WILLIAM HERNDON from the Paducah, Kentucky experimental group METRONOME THEREMIN. We recorded this synth-filled noise-fest in August of last year. This is the first podcast I mastered and edited in a program other than Soundtrack Pro. I finally put to rest my [...]

Here’s podcast 77, Elsewhere, recorded July 10th, 2011 and starring LET’S SAY BALTIMORE members ANDY ALEXANDER, AUSTIN ALEXANDER, DAVE DAWSON, and BRIAN SISKIND. This is the first time in five years that the four have recorded together. A month after we recorded this, Brian Siskind performed a new electronic composition at the famed Rothko Chapel [...]

In June of this year, I took a trip to Chicago, Illinois to attend the 4th annual Experimental Garage Sale, a gathering of circuit-benders, instrument makers, and musical innovators. I recorded interviews with ROTH MOBOT, TIM KAISER, ALEX DEEBA, CMKT4, THEJUNKYARD CATALYST from THRIFTSORE BORATORIUM, LOW-GAIN, and a number of other makers. What follows is [...]

 TWO podcasts in one weekend! Have I gone mad?!? Nope, just trying to catch up. Here’s podcast 75: SANTA’S WORKSHOP Artist Showcase. Jeremy Bennett and Grant Parker formed Santa’s Workshop in late 2010 on the campus of University of Tennessee Knoxville. The two friends decided to form a band in order to stretch beyond the [...]

The PORTARA NEW MUSIC QUARTET perform DAVID LANG‘s Pulitzer Prize winning composition The Little Match Girl Passion live at Zeitgeist Gallery. The performance was the fourth installment of Zeitgeist’s 2011 INDETERMINACIES series. The moderator is JOHN PITCHER. The performers are MONICA COOMBS (alto), SHREYAS PATEL (bass), LEA MAITLEN (soprano), and NATHAN RODRIGUEZ (tenor). The excellent [...]

Four members of Murfreesboro noise collective HORSEHAIR EVERYWHERE reunite in the Theatre Intangible studios for a special improv. The group was instrumental in the formation of Murfreesboro’s experimental community. Matt Sullivan writes in a December 2010 edition of the Nashville Scene, Noise and experimental music scenes, much like the art they produce, tend to be [...]

“That’s when I knew that I had the supernatural anointment of one of the otherlee conduits of miraculous divine healing. So now. . . reconstruct the eardrum! Polka! Listen to the polka!” – Dave Cloud – 4th Annual Halloween Extravaganza Join punk music legend Dave Cloud and a ragtag group of disparate instrumentalist for the [...]

MICROWAVE WINDOWS and a group of noise all-stars converged on the back porch of Noa Noa for a late night, spine-tingling, bone-chilling Halloween improvisation. Recorded live October 15th, 2011 to an audience of two, featuring Brandon from MICROWAVE WINDOWS on guitar, John Hancock from ELECTRIC INERTIA on trumpet, Josh Gumiela from FOSTER DAD on electronics [...]

Every October, Halloweird! descends upon Theatre Intangible, and we devote the month’s podcasts to all things Halloween. You may have noticed it’s been October for 21 days now. For that, I must apologize. It’s been an incredibly busy, stressful, and productive 21 days full of concerts, recordings, and commitments. But we’re going to make it [...]

Here’s episode 69, Art Waves, the third of three Theatre Intangible presentations, performed live at Gallery F on August 27th, 2011. The performances all sought to bridge the gap between science and art. Check out the previously-released Brainwaves and Space Waves. Art Waves features Craig Schenker on saxophone and Jamison Sevits on trumpet. Their performance [...]

Here’s episode 68, Space Waves, the second of three Theatre Intangible presentations, performed live at Gallery F on August 27th, 2011. The performances all sought to bridge the gap between science and art. You can hear the first wave, Brainwaves, on podcast 67. The third, Art Waves, will be on the podcast next week. For [...]

Ken Soper and Dylan Simon make analog synthesizer music . . . WITH THEIR MINDS!!! Sabine Schlunk from Gallery F asked me to curate the music portion for the August 27th opening reception of the exhibition Figure 1: Scientists and Artists Picture the Intangible. The T.I. crew ended up doing a total of three improvs [...]

On this WRVU-era episode from 2008, Cody Bottoms, Melody Holt, and Tony Youngblood broadcast the live signals of other radio stations and crop them down to a few bands on 12-band equalizers, juxtaposing movie dialogue and circuit-bent toys. Fly the dark skies. This episode was previously named “Radio EQ.”

Bathe in the noisy fm transmitter loops of this Prefab Audio Extrapolation show from the year 2000. Starring DaveX, Tony Youngblood, and possibly others. I can’t remember that far back. Listening back to this and other WIDB-era shows, I’m reminded of what many noise kids are doing now. Only we did it 11 years ago.

Composer and Belmont School of Music professor MARK VOLKER performed live at Zeitgeist Gallery on May 10th, 2011 as a part of the Indeterminacies series. ERIN BRADFIELD, PHD candidate in Philosophy at Vanderbilt moderated the discussion. Mark was joined by the PULSE NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE, soprano ALYSSA VOLKER, and flutist BETH DAVIS. Mark in his [...]

On September 8th, 2008, I stood in the WRVU master control room next to three completely nude string players. I was more than a little worried that we were going to get kicked off the air. Sure, the web cam had yet to be installed. Sure, there were no “official” clothing policies. Yes, it was [...]

The mother of all noise improvs featuring Anderson Cook (Hadals, Tapes of a Neon God), Anthony William Herndon, and Dylan Simon (Mass At Dawn)! Recorded July 2nd, 2011 at Theatre Intangible studios. Also, check out another installment of Dada Mail! Send your Dada Mail to tony@theatreintangible.com If you like the show, tell a friend or [...]

String trio JOEY MOLINARO, SARAH ROBEY, AND LAWRENCE CROW carve notes into the sand as a 6 foot tape loop washes them away. A few weeks ago, I saw a friend’s show announcement featuring “thrash violinist” JOEY MOLINARO. I admit, I was intrigued. I checked out Joey’s music and discovered a very accomplished violinist who [...]

Outsider music legend GARY MULLIS joins a free jazz quartet for recitations on life, love, and the Ryman Auditorium, recorded June 9th, 2011 at Theatre Intangible studios. Gary was featured alongside Captain Beefheart, Shooby Taylor, The Shaggs, Daniel Johnston, and Wesley Willis on the 2 volume compilation Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious [...]