Showing posts with label pierre-luc simon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pierre-luc simon. Show all posts

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Recording: Arrington De Dionyso & Pierre-Luc Simon

Artist: Arrington De Dionyso & Pierre-Luc Simon

Song: This Saxophone Kills Fascists [excerpt]

Recorded at Ratio (TONE Festival – Show #7), June 24, 2017.

Arrington De Dionyso & Pierre-Luc Simon - This Saxophone Kills Fascists [excerpt]

Although the local "jazz" festival is anticipated in some quarters, it seemed that too often there was no home there for adventurous and experimental creators. Thus, out of necessity, the TONE Festival was born to give these touring musicians a chance to connect with local audiences and artists. A collaboration between Burn Down the Capital's Tad Michalak, Ron Gaskin (a.k.a. Rough Idea) and Karen Ng and Daniel Pencer, the goal was to create shows that were rewarding for players and listeners alike. Coming after their own funeral series, this was also the last concert at beloved local DIY venue Ratio.

Returning for further excursions with Montréal percussionist Pierre-Luc Simon, Arrington De Dionyso's political and artistic vision has been sharpened up over the past year — "nothing is normal in America right now," he said to me when we were chatting before the show. Stomping his feet, his horn-blasts are the soundtrack to his own march on Washington, fusing Woody Guthrie and Albert Ayler into a form of protest music that not only denounces institutional greed and hate-mongering but also finds its own joyful, healing affirmations.

[Brandon Caswell Douglas was also documenting the show with his video camera — check out his youtube playlist from the night.]

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Recording: Arrington de Dionyso + Pierre-Luc Simon

Artist: Arrington de Dionyso + Pierre-Luc Simon

Song: [excerpt from last piece]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), August 27, 2016.

Arrington de Dionyso + Pierre-Luc Simon - [excerpt from last piece]

After playing in a wall of noise quartet with Montréal's Vicky Mettler and Raph Foisy, Arrington de Dionyso and Pierre-Luc Simon pulled back to the same duo format they explored on their new tape, ranging from saxophone soul-blasts to quieter flute interludes.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Recording: Arrington de Dionyso

Artist: Arrington de Dionyso

Song: [excerpt from second piece]

Recorded at Array Space (Invocation Residency Series), August 26, 2016.

Arrington de Dionyso - [excerpt from second piece]

Arrington de Dionyso is based in the Pacific Northwest, but has been spending some time out NY way; this brief excursion into Canada saw him backed by an ad hoc Montréal quartet that included percussionist Pierre-Luc Simon (his foil on a new tape from Jeunesse Cosmique) as well as Raphael Foisy and Vicky Mettler. Especially with the latter pair on hand, things started in a cleansingly apocalyptic wall-of-noise zone before pulling back to explore some more subtle textures. De Dionyso played sax and bass clarinet as well as some homemade pvc pipe instuments that allowed interesting multiple voicings, while also offering some throat-singing mutter-howls (and occasionally pausing his playing for some tai chi-style moves). An hour of steady, kinetic energy and galloping creativity.