COTFG at MASS Gallery

Thanks to MASS Gallery for hosting us this auspicious day! Join us for a few sets of diverse sonic exploration.

4:00pm Lila Divine Play ( An improvisational set by Julie Slim-Nassif, Stephanie Britten Phillips, Seetha Shivaswamy , Tonya Lyles)

Julie Slim (Voice, Darbukah) is an Austin ­based Lebanese American multilingual jazz vocalist known for her vocal versatility, singing in English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and other languages. Backed by multifaceted musicians Shawn Ellison (keyboard), Phil Spencer (bass), Shirley Johnson (accordion), and Joe McCreary (drums), she envisions her band, RendezVous, as a fusion of the constantly expanding musical influences in her life. Julie’s warm vocals transport her audience to a different time and place, reinterpreting standards from the 1920’s to 1960’s in a variety of latin and jazz rhythms. In addition to two previously released CD’s with RendezVous, Julie recently released her latest full length CD, “Promenade Sentimentale”, an emotional journey through the many phases of love. Julie performs around Austin and the surrounding areas, and enjoys collaborating with several Austin world music bands, such as Atlas Maior, Oliver Rajamani & the Mondsee Orchestra, Indimaj, 1001 Nights Orchestra, and the UT Middle Eastern Ensemble, Bereket. Julie believes in the healing power of music, and its gift of connecting people from all walks of life.

Stephanie Britten Phillips (Viola, Percussion, Voice) is a composer, improvisation specialist, and violist. She facilitates workshops in creative music making and improvisation for people of all ages and abilities. She particularly loves to help (often terrified) classically trained musicians to find and release their individual creative voice. Her Improv Orchestra workshops are sourced from her lifelong exploration of improvisation in music and interdisciplinary arts and focus on helping participants to bridge the gap between technical training and creative self-expression. She has found that this process builds confidence, releases tension, and allows musicians to diversify their skills. She has presented her unique improvising program at numerous universities, camps and conferences across Texas, the U.S. and Canada. Recent presentations have included the McGill School of Music in Montreal, the international conference of the Applied Improvisation Network, and numerous presentations and performances for the annual International Society of Improvising Musicians (ISIM) Conferences.

Seetha Shivaswamy (Flute, Percussion, Voice)
performs as a soloist and chamber musician in concerts throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. She has toured the USA with Global Rhythms World Music Ensemble, performed as a guest flutist with the Orquesta Sinfonica in Monterrey, Mexico, and performed a solo flute recital at the Hong Kong City Centre.

5:00pm Thomas Echols / Man, Woman, Friend, Computer

Man, Woman, Friend, Computer” is the means by which Thomas Echols makes music when he is not performing various works from the classical guitar repertoire. Simple songs unfold into meandering compositions, analogue synth fetishism, conspiracy pop, polyrhythmic laments, somnambulist visions, and process music. Classically-trained Tom was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Devotchka.

6:00pm Till by Turning

This group is the collective effort of Amy Cimini, Erica Dicker, Emily Manzo, and Katherine Young — four creative performers who work as composers, educators, scholars, songwriters, and improvisors. Till by Turning performs new chamber music by established and emerging artists, including original compositions, songs, and arrangements written by the ensemble members. Till by Turning also develops creative educational programs linked to this repertoire.  Time Out Chicago wrote: “There’s an old Shaker dance number, written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett, that likely serves as inspiration for…Till by Turning. It’s called ‘Simple Gifts’ and what it describes is a kind of serendipitous joy in movement through time and space: When true simplicity is gain’d / To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d / to turn, turn will be our delight / Till by turning, turning we come round right.”

7:00pm More Eaze / Future Museums

More Eaze is the project of composer/multi-instrumentalist marcus m. rubio. The project focuses on collage based work and the destruction of song forms. Recordings and performances often feature a set of stylistically disparate pieces stitched together through complex tonal/timbral relationships that constantly challenge exactly what the music actually “is”. For example, it’s not uncommon to hear American primitive guitar, chopped and screwed r & b/rap, lush synth drones, and deconstructed pop melodies throughout the course of a more eaze album or even in just one song! In 2015, more eaze released several albums for Kendra Steiner Editions, Full Spectrum, and Already Dead Tapes. More Eaze has worked collaboratively with artists such as Seth Graham, Amulets, and Andrew Weathers and shared bills with Gary Wilson, John Wiese, Chris Corsano, and Circuit des Yeux amongst others.  Rubio has also released music for a myriad of small labels under his own name and has had his compositions performed by the Soli Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Pamplemousse, and the Dogstar Orchestra

Future Museums is serious about harmonizing with the frequency of ceaseless, infinite Earth; chasing strings of desire to the farthest corners of the continent; exploring the introspective engagement with the self that comes after showerless days at a campsite on the side of the highway… Like that moment in a science fiction movie when someone is put into a vat of liquid, but is still able to breath, Future Museums preserve and sustain that same sort of unbelievable, life-affirming lax-luxury that lightens the load of any stressful encounter.” -Tiny Mixtapes

8:00pm Asukubus featuring vocalists Wyatt Rosser, Sarah Ruth, and Aaron Gonzalez is a haunting Avant Garde performance piece that has been best described as primal scream therapy / psychedelic head noise. Inspired by the likes of Meredith Monk, Scott Walker, and Diamanda Galás, Asukubus focuses on the voice as the primary instrument. Conceptually the performance is an exorcism of masculine toxicity, abuse, and power through ritualistic display of feminine divinity and power.