Recording: Heraclitus Akimbo & friends

Artist: Allison Cameron/Kristel Jax/Heraclitus Akimbo / Brian Abbott/Heidi Chan/Laura Swankey/Heraclitus Akimbo + Ambrose Pottie/Andrew Furlong/Karen Ng/Heraclitus Akimbo + Ryan Kinney/Paul Newman/Heraclitus Akimbo

Songs: [excerpts from four improvised mini-sets]

Recorded at Array Space (Audiopollination #53.2), April 25, 2017.

Allison Cameron/Kristel Jax/Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt]

Brian Abbott/Heidi Chan/Laura Swankey/Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt]

Ambrose Pottie/Andrew Furlong/Karen Ng/Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt]

Ryan Kinney/Paul Newman/Heraclitus Akimbo - [excerpt]

Fully aware of my own fungibility, I try not to go out of my way to score gigs for my alter ego Heraclitus Akimbo. This one was an exception. Inspired by Paul Newman, who always has a show on his birthday, I asked Audiopollination's Mike Lynn if he'd be interested in booking me on mine. In a blink, he had a full slate of peeps lined up, filling four twenty minute-ish mini-sets. The goal here was to have each half move continuously, with the musicians switching off seamlessly, and that worked out quite well. In fact, everything went off better than could be expected — but I guess that's what happens when you have so many A-1 talents on stage. Even if half of my stuff didn't work out as planned, there was enough going on to not leave a hole. Playing with others is an interesting experience on the heels of my (limited) career as a mostly-soloist, and it was rather interesting to see things take on their own shapes. The first half ended up being noisier than expected and the second a super-chill zone. Having tried it, I recommend that everyone should play a show on their birthday. Getting older is already the thing you're best at.

[Audiopollination is on hiatus until September, when its self-curation series will return. Heraclitus Akimbo has two shows coming up: a collaboration with Paul Newman on Sunday, June 4th as part of Ratio's "Decreation" series, and a solo set on Sunday, June 18th at Handlebar, with New Tendencies and Bachelard.]

[photo by Tom Beedham]