An ongoing project to document every one of the 147 bands & artists (so far) to have appeared at a Terrastock festival
Compiled by Phil McMullen, with help from Jeff Penczak. Mats Gustafsson, Lee Jackson, Kevin Moist and Nunu Robles. Latest update: August, 2008.
| "Abunai's
second long-player Mystic River Sound extends the Krautrock-meets-noise-folk-meets- space-pop mix of their debut, in the
process forming a veritable encyclopaedia of guitar bliss directions and
neo-psychedelic intrigue. ‘Tomorrow’ kicks the album off with a
folk-inflected bass line leading into a pop song that looks wistfully
back at the paisley underground as well skywards at a kaleidoscope of
stars. The lads scratch the Fairport Convention itch with pulverizing
versions of ‘Barbara Allen’ and ‘Sweet William’, which traverse the
landscape of traditional balladry like mythical behemoths, kicking over
thatched huts and standing stones on their way to share several kegs of
ale with the Goddess. ‘Learning To Ask’ recalls the best of late 80s UK
dream pop, and wouldn’t be out of place as a classic Creation label 7".
‘To Think That You Knew’ and ‘Vanishing Point’ have their genesis in
lysergic improvisation, and most closely recall the freewheeling jams of
the first record, as does the 7 minute ‘hidden’ MP3 format data track
‘Lockjam’. The biggest surprises come with the sci-fi rock of
‘Mechanical Kingdom’ and the proto-metal ‘Rock Song’, which invokes a
garage chord sequence not dissimilar to that of Black Sabbath's
‘Paranoid’ to form a framework for some of Brendan Quinn most emphatic
riffing. After the record concludes with the anthemic signing-off song
‘Toast’, most folks are going to be in little doubt that they have
really been somewhere Mystic."
found at: http://www.eclipse-records.com
Found at: http://www.cameraobscura.com.au/Bios/cambios_ab.htm |
From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Performed at: T1, T3, T4
Dan Parmenter – Bass
Brendan Quinn – Guitar
also played Theremin and Violin with The Lothars [T1]. Ex-Ritual Silence; currently in The Squall (with ex-Bright bassist, Jay Dubois; the band played for assembled Terrastockers at the "T5-1" launch party the night before Terrastock 5 in Boston) and Giants Dance
Kris Thompson – Keyboards
ex-Jasmine Love Bomb, Nisi Period. Brother of Olympic gold-medallist swimmer Jenny Thompson. Kris is also in The Lothars
Joe Turner – Drums
Joe is also a solo performer, and was prime co-ordinator of T5 in Boston. Parmenter and Turner were both in Cinnamon and The Forever People. Quinn and Thompson were in Cloud Furnace together.
|
In 1996,
Makoto Kawabata banded together with a bunch of communal friends,
musicians, farmers, dancers and fisherman from the Acid Mothers
"soul collective" to create what he thought would be a
non-continuing outlet for his musical freak-outs. Dubbing the
group Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
(Underground Freak Out), Kawabata decided to unveil his
astrophysical clatter with a 1997 self-titled release on PSF.
Although the first release was basically a Kawabata solo record
replete with overdubbed group jams, it garnered plenty of
international press and paved the way for a full-blown group tour
in 1998 and more albums for PSF. Since then, what began as a
one-off trip has turned into a full-scale lysergic ride into the
noise cosmos. found at: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/interviews/a/acid-mothers-temple-02
|
From: Japan
Performed at: T5, T6
Cotton Casino - vocal, synthesizer
Cotton left the band in December, 2003 to pursue a solo career and work on other projects
Tsuyama Atsushi - bass, vocal
ex-Omoide Hatoba. Also in Risu (“Squirrel”) with his brother, Yamamoto Seiichi of The Boredoms
Higashi Hiroshi - synthesizer, guitar
Uki Eiji - drums
Kawabata Makoto - guitar, bouzouki
One of the world’s most prolific artists, Makoto has recorded over 100 albums in the past ten years, both solo and as a member of many side projects, including Baroque Bordello, Erochika, Hedeik [aka Headache, with several members of The Boredoms], Floating Flower, Father Moo & The Black Sheep [sort of a Japanese version of cult weirdies, Ya Ho Wa 13], Water Planet Band, Inui, Guy Unit [including all of AMT except Eiji], Shogo-Nari, Zu-Kanku, Karma, Splendor Mystic Solis and Boomerangs. Is also a member of Johari, Toho Sara, Musica Transonic, Ohkami No Jikan, Mainliner, and Seventh Seal [all with Nanjo Asahito of High Rise]
Makoto and Casino joined Daevid Allen’s Gong [briefly renamed youNgong) in 2003 and toured the US (with Allen) as Guru & Zero; they also formed the duo, I & Makoto and recorded an album as Rebel Powers. Acid Mothers Gong (AMT and Gong) performed together with Damo Suzuki (Can) and Incredible String Band in London in October, 2003
Makoto and Hiroshi are also in Uchu and Tsurubami; the latter, like AMT, formed from Tenkyo No To.
Makoto and Atsushi are also in Zoffy, Nishinihon, Dere Devil Band and Seikazoku
Makoto, Hiroshi and Atsushi are also in Kawabata Makoto & The Mothers of Invasion
Casino and Hiroshi have also recorded several albums together as D-Pardons-X (aka Pardons), which disbanded in September, 2003
AMT has toured several times (and recorded a split LP) with Kinski
Makoto has recorded an EP (and guests on a solo LP) with Mason Jones (SubArachnoid Space)
| A collaboration
between U.S. guitarist Gerard Cosloy, and London-based drummer Jon
Steele, previously heard as a member of State River Widening.
Taking inspiration from This Heat, Flowers Of Romance-era PiL, and Last Exit, 'Whisper Number' is the most ambitious Air Traffic Controllers recording to date. While the album features more than its share of interplay between guitarist & drummer, many of the album's most intriguing moments result from a soundclash taking place between dueling samples, many of which are mutated beyond recognition from performances that have occurred mere seconds earlier. Whether this machinery presents itself as a compliment or competition, is for you to decide. While upcoming performances seem unlikely --- at least until Gerard finds someone who sounds exactly like Jon Steele and or at least has the same initials (no sense in wasting all the monogrammed stagewear), new recordings by yet another version of Air Traffic Controllers will continue to emerge, as will periodic mp3's on the Parallelism website. found at: http://www.parallelism.com/about.html |
From: London (UK)
Performed at: T3
Featuring: Gerard Cosloy – Guitar
Founder of the influential Matador label, although all of Air Traffic Controllers' output has been released on Parallelism, which he also runs. Gerard once shared a bill in New York with Loren Mazzacane Connors.
Jon Steele – Drums
ex-State River Widening
| Treading the thin,
jagged orange line that meanders between the savage squall of punk
rock, 60's garage, psychedelic rock and tripped out feedback
sculpted improvisations, the Alchemysts have existed as a handsome
and well groomed power trio for 10 long years. Hidden away in the
wild mushroom covered hills and forests of rural Somerset they
have watched musical trends come and go, laughing in the face of
almost everything, kicking out the jams and ploughing their own
lonesome furrow towards sonic guitar absolution. Ignored and
unknown except by a select few their many influences include the
likes of the MC5, the Stooges, Sonic Youth and the Thirteenth
Floor Elevators as well as a host of other bands that you've never
heard of or are far too uncool to mention. They have spent their
valuable time constantly gigging, touring, writing and recording
material for their own satisfaction and maybe yours. Over the
years they have released two full length albums, a number of
e.p.'s and have featured on numerous compilations. They recently
collaborated with Simeon from cult 60's electronic duo the Silver
Apples from which a whole album of material was recorded and
released. The Alchemysts would like to stress that they embrace
the spirit of punk rock but freely admit that they are unafraid of
guitar solos. They are very approachable but find communication
with people from 'towns' and 'cities' kind of scary in an amusing
way.
found at: http://www.rubricrecords.com/bands/alchemists.html
photo of Alchemysts at T4: not sure, but probably by Scott Sterbenz |
From: Bridgwater, Somerset (UK)
Performed at: T1, T2, T3, T4, T5
Jon Guard – Bass, Vocals
ex-Free Spirit, The Fur Coats, Merlyn The Happy Pyg
Mat Love – Drums, Percussion
ex-Tribal Laughter, Soup
Paul Simmons – Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica
ex-Free Spirit, The Fur Coats and Merlyn The Happy Pyg, also member of The Bevis Frond and has performed with Ethereal Counterbalance, Tom Rapp and Silver Apples
| Alva are rather a
rare bird. Three women, classically trained, performing whimsical
avant garde compositions, with a ratio of tongue in cheek.
Keyboards, violin, flute, saxophone: these are not twee or vapidly
pretty "songs" but challenging, accomplished compositions. Fans of
twentieth-century classical take note.
found at: http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue3/terra2.html
Photo of Alva at Terrastock One by Sally Irvine
|
From: Tampa Bay, Florida (USA)
Performed at: T2
Aida Ruilova – Keyboards, Toys and other instruments
Michelle Anderson – Saxophone, "Blud curdling screams," Toys and other instruments
Appears on Neutral Milk Hotel's 'In The Aeroplane Over the Sea' LP
Liza Wakeman – Violin
ex-Chocolate USA (with Neutral Milk Hotel’s Julian Koster and Olivia Tremor Control’s Bill Doss and Eric Harris, who is now a member of Elf Power), November Foxtrot Whiskey; now records as a solo artist
Band was formerly known as "Home"
 AmberAsylum...a
filmic fusion of modern classical and post-rock...where arias and
Art Songs meet in a pale field of electronic disturbance. Equally
at home in the opera house or the smoky, raucous din of an
underground nightclub, AmberAsylum plumbs the crevass between
noise and beauty. Lyrical, confessional, dark yet aspirant, their
strings, vocals, and spare percussion billow like furious mists
across your consciousness...
Dark as it is beautiful, spare as it is complex, its supernaturally decadent powers will overtake you in the remote reaches of your imagination. There's no escaping the Asylum. And no reason you'd want to. found at: http://www.neurotrecordings.com/catalog Photo of Amber Asylum at T4 by Jerry Lombardo |
From: : San Francisco, California (USA)
Performed at: T4
Kris Force – Guitar, Samples, Violin, Voice
also in Culper Ring with Mason Jones (SubArachnoid Space) and Steve Von Till (Neurosis). Has also recorded with Swans, The Body Lovers and Matmos
Wendy Farina – Drums
ex-Towel; also in Red Shark, Condor
Jackie Perez Gratz – Cello
Erika Stoltz – Bass
also lead singer in Lost Goat
|
It’s official: Thee American
Revolution will be playing this year’s Terrastock Festival in
Louisville, Kentucky. If you’re not familiar with the group, let
me explain it in flash cards: Robert Schneider (The Apples in
Stereo) + Craig Morris (Ideal Free Distribution) + “Billy
Shears,” an anonymous psychedelic rock legend from the 60’s who
has been known to sit onstage upon a throne so that Robert can
humbly ask for his approval after performing each of his songs.
Their sound can best be described as “loud.” Also as “really amazingly fun.” With his New Magnetic Wonder promotion wrapped up, and the Apples rarities comp Electronic Projects for Musicians about ready to hit stores (April 1st on Yep Roc), Robert’s had more time lately to concentrate on launching TAR, including mastering the band’s first record, Buddha Electrostorm–originally planned as an EP, but with enough songs now to support a full-length. Found at: http://opticalatlas.com |
From: USA
Performed at: T7
Featuring:
Robert Schnieder - guitar, vocals
Craig Morris
Bill Doss (ex Olivia Tremor Control and Sunshine Fix) was to have performed with them, but was hospitalized.
|
One of the great secrets in the American underground, Antietam arose out of the same fertile scene that spawned indie guitar rock luminaries such as Yo La Tengo, Come and Eleventh Dream Day. Based in Louisville and anchored on the throaty, androgynous voice of singer/guitarist/songwriter Tara Key, Antietam can be seen today as one of the few remaining links to American’s noted Paisley Underground. Though Antietam formed a few years after said scene’s heyday and came from more removed environs than either coast, its combination of wiry guitar dissonance and post psychedelic dreaminess plants the group firmly in the pantheon of great noise pop bands. After the release of the classic Rope-A-Dope for Homestead Records it was feared that Antietam might be fading from the scene, but 2004 onward has seen much activity with live shows and two excellent new studio albums for the Carrot Top Label, including the fantastic 2CD Opus Mixtum, featuring acoustic vignettes worthy of Nick Drake right alongside blistering post punk eruptions. Fans of the above groups, Throwing Muses and The Dream Syndicate will not want to miss this most excellent ensemble. Key albums: Rope-A-Dope (Homestead), Victory Park (Carrot Top), Opus Mixtum (Carrot Top). from the T7 festival program, written by Lee Jackson |
From: New York (USA)
Performed at: T7
Tara Key – Guitar, Vocals
x – Drums
x - Bass
| When Arco play live
their small band of loyal, knowing supporters edge politely to the
front of the stage. They do this not in preparation for some
abandoned slam-dancing ritual or anything so energetic. They do it
because Arco play so quietly that if you're more than a few feet
from the stage the chances are that the clink of glasses at the
bar will drown out their exquisitely fragile laments. What Arco do
is the antithesis of 'Rocking Out'.
(from a feature in The Ptolemaic Terrascope) Photo of Arco at Terrastock III Aug 99 by Chris Gillis |
Arco are unusual in a number of
ways. Ask Chris Healy about his musical influences and you very
quickly realise you're not talking to the archetypal record
obsessive. Chris is in his mid-30s, and Arco is his first shot at
being in a band. He didn't start writing songs until a few years
ago. In fact, only David falls into the the category of serial
band-member, drummer Nick having just dabbled a bit when at
college in the 80s. Chris does mention Nick Drake though, and that
gives some indication of the restrained, quintessentially British
explorations of sweet melancholy that Arco specialise in.From: London (UK)
Performed at: T3
Chris Healey – Guitar, Vocals
Nick Healey – Drums
David Milligan – Bass, Melodica
AREA C was formed in 2003 by Erik Carlson in order to turn sounds created by guitar, organ, percussion, field recordings and other analog sources into manipulated but recognizably organic soundscapes. Largely based around improvisation and the recording medium as compositional tools, AREA C explores both extremes -- severe sonic manipulation within computer and/or tape deck, and the live creation of both subtle and overloaded rooms of sound in live show settings.
Erik
Carlson lives in Providence, RI. He also performs and collaborates with Joel
Thibodeau in Death Vessel. Prior to forming AREA C, he was a founding member
of Purple Ivy Shadows ('92 - '02) and Seeland ('00 - '01, with I Love You
But I've Chosen Darkness's Ernest Salaz).
Joel Thibodeau lives in Brooklyn, NY and IS Death Vessel. He plays guitar, violin, persussion and sings in AREA C. Prior to all that, he was in Stringbuilder with his brother Alec.
Jeff Knoch is currently travelling in the southwest with Parmalee, his dog. He plays Farfisa and harmonium with AREA C, and is a founding member of Providence's Urdog.
Found at: www.areacmusic.com
From: Providence, RI USA
Performed at: T6
Erik Carlson
Joel Thibodeau
| Autumn Leaves Grimsey
Records debut (Grimsey 005), "You Didn't Say A Word (The Ballad of
Plum Tucker)" b/w "Magic Red Raincoat," was released in November 1995.
Both tracks appear on the band's full length release (September 1997),
"Treats and Treasures." The collection highlights a sterling melodic
sensibility tinged with just the right dose of psychedelia, resulting
in a quintessential collection of vital pop songs. The album rings
with a crisp, clean sound classically influenced by greats like the
Beatles, Hollies, and Byrds.
found at:
http://www.grimsey.com/autumnleaves.html
|
From: Minneapolis, MN (USA)
Performed at: T3
David Beckley – Vocals, Guitar
ex-Sedgwicks, Glow
Matt Gerzema – Guitar, Vocals
ex-The Legendary Jim Ruiz
Bryan Hanna – Drums
currently in The Orange Peels
Keith Patterson – Bass
ex-The Spectors, The Funseekers, The Conquerors
|
Unhinged psychotic madness, wildly propulsive psych-folk and Krautrock grooves move into a forested world of dream abstraction, ambience and moonlight trance that reveals a blurred close-up of a band that’s all about freedom, intuition and passion. Beauty is placed right next to chaos; order only a stone throw away from disorder. This is one of very few bands that can take their Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Düül, Tangerine Dream, Godz and Pärson Sound influences and somehow make them sound their own. Despite often investigating the eerie depths of late-'60s/early ’70s psychedelia there is something very modern and demented about all this that feels especially relevant these days. A fucked-up world is typically the birthplace for surreal musical journeys, and boarding Avarus’ vessel through history and into the present day certainly offers a different projection of all that madness.-Mats Gustafsson
found at: http://www.digitalisindustries.com
Avarus photographed at Terrastock 6 by Scott
|
From: Finland
Performed at: T6
Featuring:
Roope Eronen - keys, effects
Markus Mäki - bass guitar
Tero Niskanen - keys, effects
Arttu Partinen - drums, voice
Lars Mattila - electric guitar
| Contrary to popular
belief, the Azusa Plane is one man. The Azusa Plane creates climates.
Remember the last time you drove a very long distance alone and found
yourself watching low flying clouds form off the edges of mountains
only to disintegrate minutes later? Have you been in the quiet dusk of
the eye of a hurricane? Do driving rains and thunder lull you to
sleep? Jason Diemilio may or may not use the Azusa Plane to explore
these experiences, but if you want a more accurate explanation of what
his mostly improvised droning guitar noise sounds like you'll just
have to find out for yourself. Initially, the mission of the Azusa
Plane was to release a 10 volume series on vinyl. Having reached that
goal four times over, the Azusa Plane now threatens to halt operations
and resume anew under the guise Spires of Oxford. But before this was
to happen, I had the chance to make my way to see the Azusa Plane play
with Roy Montgomery, Silver Apples, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bardo Pond,
and countless others at the three-day Terrastock benefit in San
Francisco. I made it to Terrastock to hear the final moan of feedback from you guys. That was fairly annoying, as I planned my arrival time so that I could catch Roy Montgomery and then Azusa Plane, but the times kept getting switched around. So, since I still haven't seen you live, how is it different from your recorded material?
How were you approached to do it?
I haven't written anything on Terrastock, so hopefully you won't mind going into some detail about that weekend...
Was Galbraith in the bay right out back of the concert place? What was he trying to do?
That was the first time I saw most of those bands, and in most cases that was the first time I heard those bands. Seeing Neutral Milk Hotel was bordering on surreal. Mazzacane Connors' set was just elegant. Mountain Goats was funny and got me thinking about a bad relationship. Major Stars hurt my ears. Galbraith confused me.
Why should Alastair Galbraith be on 60 Minutes ?
Which musicians did you enjoy the most?
Neutral Milk Hotel: wow. That was something. I loved how Mangum started on stage by himself and one by one the horn section crept onto one side of the stage and then the whole band crept on and that freak with the motorcycle helmet instrument was wandering around the stage in a haze. Did you get to talk to those guys about the show? It looked pretty exhausting.
by Chad Bidwell found at: http://www.ink19.com/issues_F/99_03/
|
From: Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania (USA)
Performed at: T1, T2, T3
Jason DiEmilio – Guitar
also records as The Spires of Oxford and plays in Mazarin’s live incarnation
Jason Knight – Guitar
ex-Mariner Nine. Both Jasons joined Gibbons Bros. (Bardo Pond), Dave Pearce (Flying Saucer Attack) and Carl Hultgren (Windy & Carl) in "Drone Summit" in the Rogue Lounge at Terrastock 1 - subsequently released as a CD by Little Army Records entitled 'Providence 27.4.97'
Quentin Stoltzfus – Drums
ex-Therisphere. Also plays guitar in Mazarin with Brian McTear who was in Mariner Nine with Jason Knight and who ran Minor Street Studios where most of Azusa Plane and Bardo Pond’s records were recorded.
The Azusa Plane CD 'Result Dies With The Worker' on Colorful Clouds for Acoustics includes material recorded live at both Terrastock 1 and 2.
Tragically, Jason DiEmilio ended his own life on November 1st 2006 following a lengthy period of deteriorating health and hearing loss.
|
From left to right:
The Diminisher, Blue Hawaii, Marta Tennae
Bablicon was formed in Chicago in
1996 by The Diminisher (Dave McDonnell), Marta Tennae (Jeremy Barnes),
and Blue Hawaii (Griffin Rodriguez). Each member is a writer, as well
as an improviser. Plus each member can play an arsenal of instruments.
In A Different City, their first album, has both material which is
highly composed and wholly improvised. It was recorded by the band in
an abandoned machine shop. The roar of Chicago's elevated train (whose
tracks ran only a few feet away from the shop's walls) continually
interrupted the proceedings. |
From: Chicago, Illinois (USA)
Performed at: T3
Blue Hawaii (aka The Bageler) – Bass, Vocals, Piano, Sampler
also in free jazz outfit, Fransis Locrius (with The Diminisher), H.I.M., Toe, Toe 2000
(Kaiser) The Diminisher – Piano, Tenor Sax, Theremin, Organ, Bass, Sampler
also in free jazz outfit, Fransis Locrius (with Blue Hawaii)
Marta Tennae – Drums, Piano, Kazoo, Voice, Sampler
aka Jeremy Barnes from Neutral Milk Hotel [T1,2], The Gerbils, Circulatory System, Guignol, Music Tapes, Now It’s Overhead,also records solo and as A Hawk and A Hacksaw
Marta's been recording albums with Guignol, Hawk & Hacksaw and they all appear on the Need New Body LPs
| The world's most
essential psychedelic rock experience should defy rational explanation
and scholarly deconstruction. No tablature can define for you what
these latter day cosmic couriers bring to the table, no lyric sheet
will give you access to their text; you put the music on, close your
eyes, and dream your equivalent of the pond into existence. Bardo Pond
has the outward specifications of a rock band — guitars, bass,
keyboards, drums, occasional but crucial flute and violin and vocals —
but the rivers that converge into the band's oneiric flow have their
headwaters in the outlands of ecstatic jazz, free noise and the
avant-garde. Their slow-motion avalanches of churning instrumentation
and voice suggest drugged states but don't necessarily require them.
They alter brain chemistry by the alchemical effect of distressed
sound alone, aspiring to become engineers of the soul's passage to
alternate states of consciousness. At the foundation of the pyramid,
the drums of (originally) Joe Culver and (now) Ed Farnsworth and the
bass of Clint Takeda lay down a sinewy, sexy and hypnagogic bottom
end. At the centre of the pyramid, the twin guitars of John and
Michael Gibbons send out emissaries of fire, flaying flesh from bone
in a storm of holy liberation. Isobel Sollenberger inhabits the place
where the pyramid meets the eye of their storm, weaving fibres of
voice, flute and violin through the din.
Photograph: C. Taylor Crothers © 1999
I heard someone comment recently that the limits of music have now been defined, bracketed by John Cage's silence at one end and Merzbow's maximum noise at the other, leaving only the option of filling the spaces in between. Bardo Pond demonstrate how much scope there is to innovate within that continuum. If rock music is to have any relevance in the new millennium, it is bands like Bardo Pond that will make it so. (by Tony Dale, from a feature in The Ptolemaic Terrascope) |
From: Philadelphia, Pennslyvania (USA)
Performed at: T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7
Joe Culver – Drums
John Gibbons – Guitar
Michael Gibbons – Guitar, Synths
The Gibbons Bros. joined Jason Knight and Jason DiEmilio (Azusa Plane), Dave Pearce (Flying Saucer Attack) and Carl Hultgren (Windy & Carl) in "Drone Summit" in Rogue Lounge at Terrastock 1, highlights of which were issued on Enraptured’s “Providence” 10” EP (issued on CD by Little Army)
Isobel Sollenberger – Voice, Violin, Flute
Clint Takeda – Bass
band also records as Hash Jar Tempo with Roy Montgomery, and performed two songs with him at T2
Bardo Pond had a song included on the Terrastock 5 7" EP, Time-Lag 2002. (Part of a 5x7" EP boxed set which also featured Stone Breath, Sonic Youth, Charalambides, and The Iditarod)
Makoto Kawabata of Acid Mothers Temple became an honorary member of Bardo Pond for their T7 performance
| After releasing
experimental/industrial tapes of Antagonistic Music/Dissonance
(as Migraine Inducers), Martyn Bates formed
Eyeless In Gaza in 1980 as a duo with
Peter Becker. Eager to explore musical
territories that veered crazily from filmic ambience to rock and pop,
industrial funk to avant-folk styles, the duo steered hungrily and
rapidly through several albums that culminated in the reflective swan
songs of Rust Red September and Back From the Rains.
Citing a need to explore fresh territories and musical
configurations/situations, Bates suspended Eyeless In Gaza activities in
February 1987, leaving behind an eclectic legacy and influential body of
work that has yet to be fully acknowledged by the press. Contributions
to the soundtracks of Derek Jarmans’ The Garden and The Last
of England followed, along with a series of solo albums that saw
Bates armed with a 12-string acoustic guitar investigating traditional
troubadour stylings whilst moving further and further from that
particular context with each successive release... 1996 saw the long
overdue first appearance of Martyn Bates work on the printed page, with
a Stride Publications book entitled ’Imagination Feels Like Poison:
Selected Solo Lyrics 1982-1995’. A companion release (going by the same
title) convincingly threads together several strands of Bates’ past
work, whilst adamantly embracing further new developments – a haunted,
mesmeric ”folk” music, quite unlike any other.
found at: http://www.eyelessingaza.com/mbbio.html
|
From: Nuneaton, Warwickshire (UK)
Performed at: T4
Martyn Bates - Guitar, Vocals
ex-Eyeless In Gaza, Migraine Inducers, Hungry i; also in Twelve Thousand Days and has recorded with Anne Clark and Mark Harris
THE BEVIS
| "The Bevis Frond was Nick
Saloman, a neo-psychedelic renaissance man and the sole writer,
performer and producer behind the cottage industry bearing the Frond
name. The head of his own label (Woronzow) as well as publishing the
highly regarded Ptolemaic
Terrascope magazine, Saloman was a quintessential English
eccentric, a frighteningly prolific talent and a true anachronism
purveying an archaic musical genre while simultaneously pioneering the
lo-fi aesthetic. Saloman cloaked his formative years in mystery;
according to legend, he formed his first band, the Bevis Frond Museum,
during his school years, and after the group disbanded he performed solo
acoustic sets throughout the London area known as Walthamstow. After
founding the Von Trapp Family, later known as Room 13, Saloman was
sidelined in 1982 following a motorcycle accident. With the money he
received as compensation for his injuries, he revived the Bevis Frond
name and during his recuperation period assembled 1986's Miasma, a slice
of twisted, latter-day psychedelia issued on Woronzow in a pressing of
250. Much to Saloman's shock, the record sold out; realizing an audience existed for his brand of time-warped pop, he quickly issued Inner Marshland, another underground success which encouraged him to raid his extensive archives for more material. With the floodgates opened, new Bevis Frond material — much of it written and recorded at Saloman's home long before it ever saw release — appeared constantly; in 1988 alone, Woronzow issued three separate collections, Triptych, Bevis Through the Looking Glass and Acid Jam, all spotlighting his surreal wit and acute social commentary. Beginning with 1990's Any Gas Faster, Saloman was secure enough financially to begin recording in an outside studio; as the new decade dawned, he also made his live debut, appearing sporadically with an ever-changing group of backing musicians. After 1990's Magic Eye, a joint collaboration with former Pink Fairy Twink, the Bevis Frond issued its acknowledged masterpiece, 1991's double-LP set New River Head; erratic and eclectic, Saloman's output continued on without concession to trends or consumer tastes, with new albums appearing with clocklike precision: 1993's It Just Is, 1995's Superseeder, 1998's two-disc North Circular and 1999's Vavona Burr, plus the excellent concert recording Live at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco. Valedictory Songs followed two years later."
Photo of Bevis at Terrastock 2: Erik Auerbach http://www.aquariusrecords.org/exhibits/terra2.html found at: http://www.allmusic.com
|
From: Walthamstow, London (UK)
Performed at: T1, T2, T3, T4, T5
Nick Saloman - Guitar, Vocals
also in Magic Muscle; ex-Dune, Nick & Dick, Von Trapp Family, Room 13, Outskirts of Infinity and Oddsocks
also recorded as Fred Bison V, Dr. Frond, Nick & Nick & The Psychotic Drivers, The Bizaardvarks, The Conrad Hopkins Set, The Parthenogenetick Brotherhood and The Vacant Plot and appears on many of the (other artists’) releases on his Woronzow label
Nick appears on the Primordial Undermind track on the 7" EP "If I Could Hear You I Would Hit You"
jammed with Alchemysts [T2], Magic Muscle and Tom Rapp (various)
backed daughter, Debbie Saloman in Petrocat [T3]
Adrian Shaw - Bass, Vocals
Also in Magic Muscle; ex-Hawkwind, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, J.P. Sunshine, Rustic Hinge, Ad Nauseum, Dobbin, Atomic Rooster, Steve P.Took, Zarabanda, Keith Christmas Band, Deep Fix, The Vox Bros, Red, White and Blues and many others too numerous to mention. Several solo album releases as well, the first of which, Aerial Dance, was self-released on his own Cyborg label. The others are available on Woronzow, the label he helps run with Nick Saloman.
Andy Ward – Drums
ex-Camel, Caravan of Dreams and Marillion.
Ade and Andy were also honorary Deviants with Mick Farren
| Black Forest/Black Sea is
the duo of Jeffrey Alexander and Miriam Goldberg. They formed the band
in April of 2003 in Providence, RI where both currently live and work.
Miriam primarily plays cello and sings, while Jeffrey primarily plays
guitar, although both also employ various electronics, omnichord, live
sampling tools, strumstick, and whatever they can get their hands on.
Since forming, BF/BS have toured extensively, travelling around the US
for six weeks in the summer of 2003 and in Europe for three and a half
months in winter and spring of 2004. BF/BS have toured with Fursaxa, Christina Carter (of Scorces, Charalambides), Gravenhurst and in Poland with the Magic Carpathian Project. They have also collaborated on recordings with Kemialliset Ystavat, Christina Carter, Glenn Donaldson (of the Jewelled Antler Collective), Gravenhurst and German psych-folk duo Fit and Limo. Before forming this new project, both Jeffrey and Miriam were members of the acid-folk group Iditarod. the Iditarod (BlueSanct / Secretly Canadian, Elsie and Jack, Time-Lag and Camera Obscura labels) toured extensively in the USA, Canada, and Europe over the past six years and have been featured repeatedly in magazines like the Wire, Broken Face, Mojo, Rockerilla, Copper Press, Magnet, Dream Magazine, Ptolemaic Terrascope and Rolling Stone. They performed at the 5th Terrastock Festival in Boston, where a 5x7" box-set was released featuring the Iditarod, Sonic Youth, Bardo Pond, Stone Breath and Charalambides. Jeffrey also operated the Magic Eye Singles record label and he currently runs the Secret Eye record label.
Article found in: http://www.secreteye.org/b/bio/ Photo: www.lotsofnoise.com |
Performed at: T6, T7
Featuring:
Jeffrey Alexander - guitar, effects, sleep
Miriam Goldberg – Cello
Margot Goldberg - violin
Jeffrey Alexander was the principal organiser of Terrastock 6.
| Imagine hearing Nico's
dark, smokey voice beautifully in tune and you'll touch the melodic tip
of what's so gorgeous about British folkie Bridget St John. Originally
Bridget recorded for John Peel's short-lived Dandelion label
(1969-1972), which promptly gave her the well-deserved label of
"chanteuse". Critical acclaim did not equal commercial success, and St
John seemed to vanish, only to re-emerge in the New York City area with
some live performances. Bridget's recent sets are aided and embellished
by guitarist Mick Gaffney.
Article found in: the Terrastock 6 festival program Photo of Bridget at T6: Phil McMullen |
From: UK
Performed at: T6
Bridget St John - Guitar, Vocals
Mick Gaffney - Guitar
|
summer of 1994, when Clive
Painter and Martine Roberts met and began to record and develop
their songs on a worn out reel to reel machine.
From: London (UK)
Performed at: T3
Andrew Blick – trumpet
also in Blowpipe
Alex Morris - acoustic guitar and keyboards
Clive Painter – Guitar
Martine Roberts - vocals, bass and acoustic guitar
Clive & Martine both ex-Monograph and Tram
Mark Wilsher – drums
ex-Faith Over Reason
 The
name is John Terlesky, (born in Easton, PA.,USA) but people have been
calling him JT for as long as he can remember. BROTHER JT since the
early 90’s (suggested by a music writer/benefactor who felt some of his
ramblings resembled those of a defrocked monk). It’s not easy to write
to have the blessing for an official ‘ bio ‘ as John Terlesky admits
himself because he does not feel he has achieved the notoriety to
warrant it. What he has done is written a lot of songs. His first group
the ORIGINAL SINS (1987-1998) put out some 10 albums and the same number
as BROTHER JT as of 1991 onwards. As he himself describes " … To me it’s
always been about the songs anyway. I think I only really feel in my
element when I’m putting melodies and rhymes together, which could
account for all the time I’ve spent doing it without much compensation.
"
For a while when the Original Sins started it seemed like they might be going places: They got great reviews from Rolling Stone, Sounds and Creem magazines, did some tours of the US and Europe and even got a few videos played on MTV’S " 120 Minutes ". But their version of Garage pop never really fit in with either the 60’s purist or indie rock camps and they kind of fell through the cracks the Grunge scene created. The same could be also said for the BROTHER JT output, despite being labelled " psychedelic " or whatever, it’s either been a little too lo-fi and trippy for some and too poppy for others. Nevertheless it seemed just right for him at the time of writing and recording it. John Terlesky believes the reason he has never gained much acceptance is because he always " … wanted to reconcile the popular with the experimental ". The music he loved most (early Stooges, John Coltrane, 13th Floor Elevators, Beach Boys, Velvet Underground) all possessed both elements: light and darkness. In a way he is still trying to come up with just the right balance. Strangely enough, despite the doubtful prospect of profit-making, people keep wanting to put out his records. He would have probably just kept writing songs anyway, so the fact that some value them enough to let them see the light of the day makes him feel pretty successful after all. found at:
http://www.tonguemaster.co.uk |
From: Pennsylvania (USA)
Perfomed at: T2
John Terlesky – Vocals, Guitar
also in Original Sins. ex-The Creatures (NOT Siouxsie’s band!), Suffacox (with Vibrolux’ Wayne Hamilton). Also recorded as Fuzzface, Brother JT3 and many other aliases, and has released material on his own label, Bedlam.
Performed additionally at T2 as Brother JT & Vibrolux, featuring:
Jon Boothman – Bass
Fearless leader, limo driver and tour manager on The Bevis Frond's 1999 North American tour. Ex-Gelcaps and member of Naked Movie Star
Wayne Hamilton – Guitar
ex-Suffacox
Dave Frank – Drums
also joined by Joe Turner (Abunai! – T1, 3)
THE OCCULT SISTERHOOD
|
Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood is centred around Michael Donnelly who resides in Kyogle, a tiny Australian town that stands in the middle of one of the country's largest rainforests. The stunning mountain scenery, the rainforests surrounding the town and the remnant magma chamber of an extinct and enormous volcano that can be found nearby are apparent when listening to their music. That being said, these people provide a diverse trek through the outer regions of acoustic improvisations, tribal folk eruptions, forested drones, roaring psychedelia, strangely fractured folk-scapes; and even then there's still a unifying cohesion to what's going on here. Text found at: Terrastock 6 festival program Photo of BOTOS at T6: Phil McMullen |
From: Australia
Performed at: T6
Michael Donnelly
Not the same Michael Donnelly as the one who performed with Lhasa Cement Plant at T1, or the same Michael Donnelly who played with Delicate AWOL at T4 and T5.
|
Photo of Charalambides at Terrastock 5 by Avril Wine found at: http://www.southern.net
|
"Charalambides are among
the most beautiful and mysterious groups to have emerged from the
American desert. Formed in 1991 in Houston, Texas, they have created a
glowing template of humanist/mystical improvisation that has kneaded
brain muscles from here to Kokomo."Originally From: Austin, Texas (USA)
Performed at: T4, T5, T6
Christina Carter – Vocals, Guitar
also solo and in Scorces (with Murray)
Tom Carter – Vocals, Guitar
also solo; ex-Mike Gunn; also recorded with Pip Proud and Primordial Undermind
and at T4 and T5:
Heather Murray – Organ, Guitar, Vocals
also in Scorces (with Christina); ex-Ash Castles on the Ghost Coast
Charalambides had a song included on the Terrastock 5 7" EP, Time-Lag 2002. (Part of a 5x7" EP boxed set which also featured Stone Breath, Sonic Youth, Bardo Pond, and The Iditarod)
CHILDREN OF
THE RAINBOW
Kate Biggar and Naomi Yang with "Rainbow Eyes" - photo: Richard Booth (from the private collection of the Editor) The only tribute band ever to have played a Terrastock festival - the Magic Hour line-up pays homage to Merrell Fankhauser and Mu. "We ride a white horse, our message is true / And our magic works in the daylight / Could it be that we've been searching for you / Come go with us into the sunshine / Come go with us over the rainbow...." from the Terrastock Four festival program notes
|
From: Boston, Massachusetts (USA)
Performed at: T4
Damon Krukowski - Drums
Kate Biggar - Guitar, Vocals
Wayne Rogers - Guitar, Vocals
Naomi Yang - Bass, Vocals
Same band as Magic Hour, but wearing cunning disguises...
 Clockbrains
have been playing live and recording as a band since 1989. Holding true
to their DIY independence, their latest CD The Other Side of the Sky
is the fourth of a series of self-released titles on the Fancy Basket
Toy Co label. The first LP Everything You Want was an extensive
foray in studio experimenttation - an eclectic blend of spacey
psychedelia, carnival ride keyboards and drowsy swing, all overlaid with
tuneful pop. With bassist Lynne Porterfield's part-time move to
12-string guitar the band added the complementary bass/guitar talents of
Matt Appleby. The power hitting of new drummer Mark Hutchins, together
with the melodious guitar work of Alleyne Rogers and the occasional
spooky violinery of John Ettinger combine in The Other Side of the Sky,
the result of Clockbrains' 5 year evolution in defining their own brand
of noisy, melodic rock.from: a Fancy Basket Toy Co press release
|
From: San Francisco, California (USA)
Played at: T2
Matt Appleby – Guitar, Bass
Mark Hutchins – Drums
Lynne Porterfield – Bass, Vocals
her solo debut 7", "3 Foot Stonehenge" launched the ArtStorm Record label in 1997
Alleyne Rogers – Guitar, Vocals
Lynne and Alleyne are believed to have been in Caroliner.
Clockbrains' performance at Terrastock 2 proved to be their final gig. Their album was reissued in 2005.
|
Loren MazzaCane
Connors was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1949. Best known
as a composer and improviser, Connors has released over 30 albums on
record labels across the globe. Music has always been a part of
Connors' life. As a child he studied violin (which he credits with
shaping his vibrato technique on the guitar) and trombone and guitar
during his teens. Though in 1966 he began playing bass guitar in a
rock band. Early on Connors was heavily influenced by his mother's
singing as well. She often performed Johann Sebastian Bach pieces at
funerals. This exposure to classical music led Connors to
investigate the music of Giacomo Puccini and Frederic Chopin. Blues,
particularly the works of Robert Pete Williams and Muddy Waters,
also appealed to him. Instead of concentrating on music Connors
decided to study art at Southern Connecticut University and the
University of Cincinnati in the early 1970s. Though he quickly
decided his music was more original than his painting. He moved back
to Connecticut in 1976 and lived in a warehouse artist community. In
1978 Connors began releasing his first LPs -- an eight volume series
of improvised acoustic works on his own Daggett imprint. Around 1981
he shifted from this style of free improvisation to a more
structured style, performing mostly traditional and original folk
music with singer Kath Bloom, which he recorded on his Daggett and
St. Joan labels. Then from 1984-1987 Connors abandoned music and it
wasn't until the end of this hiatus did he turn to electric guitar.
By this time Connors had ceased Daggett and was releasing his (and
Robert Crotty's) work on St. Joan and recording regularly with
vocalist Suzanne Langille. He also recorded under numerous names:
Loren MazzaCane, Loren Mattei and Guitar Roberts before settling on
Loren MazzaCane Connors in 1993. The 1989 LP "In Pittsburgh,"
managed to gain a growing interest in Connors. After moving to New
York City in 1991 Connors released his most heralded album at that
point, "Hell's Kitchen Park," on yet another label of his own, Black
Label. Since 1991 Connors' profile has risen dramaticly. Portland,
Oregon's Road Cone label became one of the first to issue Connor's
albums for him. Since that time Connors has performed across the
United States (including Alaska), Ireland, England and Sweden. He
has performed with Keiji Haino, Alan Licht,
From: Chicago, Illinois (USA)
Performed at: T2
Loren Connors - Guitar
has released many of his albums on his own Daggett, St. Joan and Black Label imprints, several under pseudonyms, including Haunted House (with his wife, Suzanne Langille), Guitar Roberts, Loren MazzaCane and Loren Mattei.
 One of the staples of the Northwest [USA] psychedelic rock scene in the '60s, Crome Syrcus released a fabulous album in 1968 entitled Love Cycle. After many accolades and a move to San Francisco, the band split up and the members went off in various different musical and career directions. Their show at Terrastock 4 will be the first reunion of the band in many, many years. from the Terrastock Four programme notes photo credit: http://www.cromesyrcus.com/
|
From: Seattle, Washington (USA)
Performed at: T4
John Gaborit – Guitar
Lee Graham – Bass
ex-Seattle Jazz Quartet. Now known as Yakima Lee; also records solo and as member of The Decrees and KriyaShakti
Jim Plano – Drums
ex-Grandma’s Cookies
Dick Powell – Keyboards, Harp
leads the award-winning blues project, The Dick Powell Band
Gaborit, Powell and Plano all ex-The Mystics
Ted Shreffler – Keyboards
Powell continues to gig and record with his band and I believe Yakima Lee Graham also records and gigs as KriyaShakti
| Of the many adjectives that have been lavished upon Cul de Sac's utterly original |