2022 Schedule

ROVA Saxophone Quartet

Rova Sax Quartet’s musical goal has always been, since 1978, to instigate, to challenge, and to inspire. The group explores the synthesis of composition and collective improvisation, creating exciting, genre-bending music. Rova:Arts, formed in 1986, acts as the umbrella organization for the musicians, facilitating the goals and productions and tours, the collaborations and special projects. With a 40th anniversary on Feb 4, 2018, Rova is one of the longest-standing groups in the music movement that has its roots in post-bop, free jazz, avant-rock, and 20th century new music; Rova draws inspiration from the visual arts, contemporary poetry, contemporary dance. We listen closely and deeply appreciate both the traditional and the pop music styles of Africa and Asia. And then there is the blues; always a key.
Personnel:
Bruce Ackley (soprano and tenor saxophones), Steve Adams (alto and sopranino saxophones), Larry Ochs (tenor sax), Jon Raskin (baritone sax)

Rob Ewing’s Long Tone Sally

An all-trombone experimental mega band, Long Tone Sally is the brain child of musician, composer, and educator Rob Ewing.
Personnel:
Rob Ewing (ringleader and trombone), Will Baker (trombone), CL Behrens (trombone), Shane Cox (trombone), Jamie Dubberly (trombone), Mara Fox (trombone), Rich Lee (trombone), Danny Lubin-Laden (trombone), Patrick B. Malabuyo (trombone), Nick Platoff (trombone), Mike Rinta (trombone), Jonathan Seiberlich (trombone), Spencer Sussman (trombone), Adam Theis (trombone)

Karen Stackpole & Krys Bobrowski duo

Krys Bobrowski and Karen Stackpole have collaborated in the quartet Vorticella for over 20 years. During that time they started their duo of gongd and Gliss Glass, an instrument invented by Krys Bobrowski consisting of water-filled glass vessels mounted on telescoping stands and interconnected with tubes and valves. By varying the height of the vessels and opening valves the sound dynamically changes with the level of the water changing the pitch from the glass via friction, mallets, splashes. The sounds are captured via piezo pickups and amplified. The Gliss Glass blends extremely well with the sound of the Gongs played by Karen Stackpole using various techniques with friction mallets, bows, and other implements. Karen Stackpole and Krys Bobrowski create a deep sonic journey that unfurls into an engaging and transcendent soundtrack for the imagination.
Personnel:
Krys Bobrowski (Gliss Glass), Karen Stackpole (Gongs)

Ven Voisey 4

Ven Voisey will present signal vs. noise. Musique concrète, field recording, mouth sound (shhh), self-amplified cassette players, electronics. For 4 performers and many sound sources dispersed throughout the space. A low-fi to hi-fi meditative swell of broad-spectrum sound: beginning with unamplified shushing from the performers, and building into a multi-channel chorus of sound.
Personnel:
Ven Voisey, Danishta Rivero, Alexandra Buschman, Forest Graham

T.D. Skatchit

T.D. Skatchit & Company will play Skatchart. A Skatchart is a kind of “painting,” using objects instead of paint to create visual images and, as such, can be hung on a wall or played on a specially designed table that holds the instrument at an angle. Each Skatchart visually reflects, in some way, its title and is played in combination with at least 2 media inspired by the Skatchart.
Personnel:
Tom Nunn (skatchboxes), David Michalak (skatchboxes, fixed audio and film for Skatchart), Aurora Josephson (voice), Dean Santomieri (spoken word, text for Skatchart), Bruce Ackley (soprano saxophone)

David Leikam’s zBug

zBug is multi-instrumentalist David Leikam’s psychedelic jazz quartet. San Francisco-based composer-performer and bandleader, David Leikam Being born with cerebral palsy has affected his body and speech, giving him a distinct view into his creative arts/music process and being largely a self-taught multi-instrumentalist.
Personnel:
David Leikam (NS Design CR5-string fretless bass / CR6-string cello, Moog synthesizer), Patrick Cress (saxophones, clarinet), Timothy Orr (drums, percussion)

Moira Scar

Moira Scar is art-punk dark-wave freak-deathrock band from Oakland CA. Moira Scar/V.E.X. Vortex Empath Xen is Roxy Monoxide and LuLu Gamma Ray (also known as Roxzan Zatan and Lu Lucifer), who are trans and non-binary queer femmes, non-conformist, anti-racist, anti-fascist, always freaking.
Personnel:
Roxy Monoxide, LuLu Gamma Ray

Tri-Cornered Tent Show

“This unusual band has been together since the mid-70s… Each song is part of a concept of an avant-psych blues freak-out… The overall effect is supreme weirdness and eerie coolness, much as you would expect from a tent show.”  – Humana for KFJC Radio 2014

The music of intentional distraction
In the early 20th century “tent shows” created multiple stages of interest vying simultaneously for attention. They could be selling you medicine, salvation, entertainment or war. Drawing on combined influences in R&B/dance, classical, multi cultural folk, progressive rock, 20th century avant garde and free jazz, Tri-Cornered Tent Show pushes the envelope of melodic groove and arrhythmic improvisation, sometimes evoking images of 70’s Italian horror pictures and other outré forms of cinema.
Personnel:
Philip Everett (Electric Lapharp and Xlarinet), Ray Schaeffer (Electric Basses), Anthony Flores (Drums), Valentina O (Vocals and Vocal FX)