2019: Vegan Butcher

John Shiurba: guitar, composer
Wil Hendricks: bass
Suki O’Kane: drums
Angela Coon: voice

Vegan Butcher is led by guitarist John Shiurba assembled to interpret his music and somniloquy. The lyrics are culled from the early-morning, half-asleep ramblings of the composer, while the music employs the signature January Scale. The band includes bassist Wil Hendricks (Califone), drummer Suki O’Kane (Thingamajigs, She Mob) and vocalist Angela Coon (Ninewood, Toychestra) along with Shiurba on guitar. In January 2012, John Shiurba began composing music that he would premier that July at the Outsound New Music Summit. Writing for the commissioned 9:9 ensemble, he invented a 9-note scale dubbed The January Scale. While the 9:9 music magnetized the more atonal aspects of the scale, Shiurba felt there was more to be discovered in it. He set out composing music focused on the tonal qualities of the scale, and exploiting the unusual harmonies that resulted. These alternate compositions came together with the contributions of drummer Suki O’Kane (Thingamjigs Performance Group, She Mob) and bassist Wil Hendricks (Califone), wrapped around Shiurba’s sweet, narcotic melodies on electric guitar. Shiurba knew his emerging power trio required a lead vocal, and he invited his wife Val Esway (Loretta Lynch) to recreate his melodies using lyrics drawn from her notebooks filled with documentation of Shiurba’s own early morning somniloqy: short phrases he has for years been uttering when half asleep. The quartet now performs the enigmatically-titled compositions as a song-cycle, blending conceptual art concerns with thundering rock-show aesthetics. Last year Shiurba was back at the drawing board, writing a new set of material for the band. When it became clear that the new book of music called for a different voice, veteran rock goddess Angela Coon (Ninewood, Toychestra) was brought into the band to sing the part.

Vegan Butcher (photo by Peter B Kaars)