FRML Arts is hosting a show at Emma Bistro on Sunday, October 26th, featuring “Italian Occult Psychedelia” band Father Murphy, local noise artist Derek Schartung, and local ambient improviser Eric Fourman. Check the streams below. More info at FMRLArts.org.
FMRL Arts presents Father Murphy, Derek Schartung, Eric Fourman
Sunday, October 26th, 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), $10
@ Emma Bistro, 11 Lea Avenue, Nashville, TN
Just a few short years ago, it was really difficult to find experimental programming in Nashville. But now our city has one of the most active experimental scenes in the country, thanks to the hard work and passion of people like Chris Davis, Leslie Keffer, Brady Sharp, Greg Bryant, Cody Bottoms, and Crom Giguere.
Take for example the evening of Friday, July 25th. Nashville hosts two must-see experimental lineups. At the new Wedgewood/Houston arts venue abrasiveMedia (I wrote about the space in Nashville Arts here), we have the duo Suzanne Thorpe and Bonnie Jones. Thorpe performs on flute, electronics, and laptop, and Jones performs on circuit-bent electronics and spoken word. They’re in town for an electronics workshop at Southern Girls Rock Camp, which I think is fantastic.
Stephen Trageser did a wonderful job of describing the event over at the Nashville Scene. Here’s an excerpt:
If you’ve ever been interested in experimental or improvisational music but found yourself intimidated by technology, jargon, or the prospect of successfully navigating a male-dominated field as a woman, don’t miss this show featuring cutting-edge female performers. Besides having several shelves of awards and advanced music degrees between them, Suzanne Thorpe and Bonnie Jones founded Techne, an organization that offers young women workshops in DIY electronics and instrument design.
The Voight-Kampff Duo (Brady Sharp on prepared guitar and Stephen Seifert on synthesizers) will open. The event, which begins at 8:30 p.m., is organized by Brady Sharp.
On the same evening at Emma Bistro, Chris Davis and Tate Eskew’s experimental art company FMRL is presenting Jeremy Bible, Derek Schartung, Coupler, and Tate Eskew. Bible is an Ohio sound artist and founder of the label Experimedia. Here’s what Aquarius Records had to say about him:
Bible’s jittery splutter of tone into jagged sawtooth patterns and erratic squiggle recalls some of the polydactyl, generative work from Keith Fullerton Whitman or the scabrous digital errata of Florian Hecker. At times, it’s a frenzied, furious work; and at others, it can be austerely designed in the vein of Tietchens.
Derek Schartung, Coupler, and Tate Eskew are all amazing local musicians. Dig Deep Light Show will provide the visuals. The FMRL show begins at 9 p.m. I recommend starting the evening at abrasiveMedia and then high-tailing it over to Emma to catch as much of this as you can.
Over at Cult Fiction Underground, they’re screening the silent film The Temptress, starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, and Lionel Barrymore. What makes this a must-see is the live hammered-dulcimer score by Ricko Donovan. The Temptress is playing at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Of course, I recommend seeing the abrasiveMedia and Emma shows on Friday and catching this Saturday night.
An Evening with Suzanne Thorpe & Bonnie Jones, w/ The Voight-Kampff Duo
Friday, July 25th, 8:30 p.m., $6 – $10 donation.
@ abrasiveMedia
434 Houston St. in Houston Station, Nashville, TN 37203
FMRL Presents Jeremy Bible, Derek Schartung, Coupler, and Tate Eskew
Friday, July 25th, 9 p.m., $7. Purchase tickets at http://fmrlarts.org.
@ Emma Bistro
9 Lea Ave, Nashville, Tennessee 37210
Cult Fiction Underground: The Temptress Feat. Live Score by Ricko Donovan
July 25th & 26th, 8 p.m.
@ Logue’s Black Raven Emporium
2915 Gallatin Pike, Nashville, TN
The Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood is kicking off a new monthly art crawl, beginning Saturday, August 3rd from 5:30pm to 11pm. I’m teaming up with Mike Kluge (Future Night at Boheme Collectif) to curate an electronic art exhibition at the SNAP Center called “ON/OFF.”
The art community centered around Chestnut Street (near Greer Stadium) has long been one of Nashville’s best kept secrets. The Saturday art crawl is a great opportunity to tour wonderful spaces such as music producer Lonie John Hutchin’s new Cleft Studios, world famous Infinity Cat Records, community makerspace Fort Houston, and galleries such as Ground Floor Gallery, Ovvio Arte, Seed Space, Track One and Zeitgeist Gallery.
For our ON/OFF exhibition at SNAP Center, Mike and I called upon members of the circuit bending and electronic music and art communities to show off interactive installations, reactive video, sound sculptures, flashing lights and things that go buzz.
There will be two live performances. At 7pm and 9pm, artist David Wright LaGrone will perform live dynamic video art with guitar pedals and the Hard Soft Synth 3jb, an innovative lo-fi video synthesizer from Bleep Labs. At 8pm and 10pm, artist and Watkins professor Morgan Higby Flowers will perform realtime audio visuals using a no-input system. The output ranges from dirt-filthy, loud, and stroboscopic to soft, rhyth-matic NTSC rivers.
The participating artists include:
(Artist list is subject to change.)
This should be a fun show! Check out previews of Adrienne Outlaw‘s and Zach Adams‘ works below.
And be sure to check out all the other great gallery exhibits.
More info on the Facebook event page.
ON/OFF Electronic Art Exhibition (Wedgewood-Houston Art Crawl) Saturday, August 3rd, 5:30-11pm, FREE, all ages
@ SNAP Center 1224 Martin St, Nashville, TN 37203
Parking locations: 516 Hagan St. 37203 500 Houston St. 37203 427 Chesnut St. 37203
This article was adapted from my guest post at Nashville Arts Magazine.
NO KINGS Records is a vital part of the local lo-fi and noise scenes. Sunday night, check out an intimate show at No Kings founder Stephen Molyneux’s place, featuring a roster of the label’s many talents: Ben Marcantel’s chip-tuned SUGAR SK*-*LLS, Ryan Norris’ ambient melodia COUPLER, STEPHEN MOLYNEUX himself, and Derek Schartung’s cardboard noise machine MALOCCHIO. Nearly all have appeared on Theatre Intangible at one point or another, most recently Stepehen in Episode 73: Cuatro Ninos starring HORSEHAIR EVERYWHERE.
The show on Sunday is FREE and starts at 8:3opm, on-schedule so Stephen tells me.
More info on the Facebook event page.
SUGAR SK*-*LLS : (Ben Marcantel) of Hands off Cuba, Forrest Bride
COUPLER : (Ryan Norris) of Lambchop, Kort, Hands off Cuba, etc.
STEPHEN MOLYNEUX : of Horsehair Everywhere, Poet Named Revolver, etc.
MALOCCHIO : (Derek Schartung) of Taiwan Deth, etc.BYOB, & if you’d like to bring food to share that would be lovely.
Park at the Shell gas station on the corner, or secondarily on Murphy Rd. Carpooling and bikes are encouraged!
Richland Ballroom
4208 Murphy Road, Nashville, TN