Birthday Party

Phone: (410)-646-7334

Email: info@orionsound.com

www.orionsound.com

Hey, its that time of year again, that time when I throw a big ol' party to help distract me from the growing body of evidence indicating my declining physical and mental capacities! Yup - another year older, dumber, uglier, and, this year, a whole lot lot poorer to boot! As in past years I'll have lots of tasty adult malt beverages, available to all (of legal age, of course), as well as a table full of food of marginal nutritional merit. It's been a hell of a year for all of us and personally I'm just glad to be here and happy that the studio has survived. I'm also very honored that Pitom, Might Could, and Kuan have graciously offered to play at this year's party. Even if you don't know me you should come to see these bands, they're all fabulous!

I should also note that while I've listed 7:00pm as the start time we'll likely be having a few beers during setup throughout the day. We'll also likely take a pause for the cause around 4:20 or so. So you're invited to stop by early if you feel like it - especially if the weather cooperates! I'm not holding the bands to any sort of schedule, but I'd guess that Might Could will open the show at around 8:00-8:30pm, and that Pitom should hit the stage at around 10:00-10:30pm, and Kuan by midnight. But no promises!

Last April, when GutBucket played here at Orion, somebody in the crowd mentioned "Hey Mike, tonight is the first time in two years you haven't played any Gut Bucket between sets!" I think he was right. But if there's one other band (other than Sleepytime Gorilla Museum!) whose music you're likely to hear at an Orion show it would be Pitom. Ironically enough I first became aware of Pitom when they were paired with Gut Bucket for a show at the Galaxy Hut in Alexandria, VA, a little over a year ago. Thanks to the suggestion of Brandon Wu I decided to stay after Gut Bucket's performance to see the last act that night, Pitom. Man was I ever glad I did!

I could not possibly better describe both the band and their debut cd than these excerpts from a "JazzPreview.com" review by Dave Wayne:

Guitarist and composer Yoshie Fruchter is another of John Zorn's recent musical discoveries who works in the increasingly audible – and visible – world of Radical Jewish Culture. Like Koby Isrealite, Shanir Blumenkranz, Jamie Saft, Jon Madof & Rashanim, Eyal Maoz, and several others on the Tzadik roster, Fruchter's dynamic, highly original music is more aptly described as a sort of avant-garde instrumental rock that draws its inspiration from Jewish traditional themes and forms. Though artists such as Sonic Youth, Masada, Bill Laswell, and Frank Zappa are name-checked in Pitom's press packet, the actual result also bears some resemblance to the great mid-1970s Fripp / Bruford / David Cross / John Wetton incarnation of King Crimson that produced over-the-top prog classics such as Lark's Tongues In Aspic, Red, USA, and Starless and Bible Black. Though the similarity is partly due to both groups having the same instrumental lineup, the overall sound concept of the two bands is also similar. Both Fruchter and bassist Shanir Blumenkranz like to play fast and loud, and both use a lot of fuzzy distortion. Violinist / violist Jeremy Brown – like David Cross - prefers a very natural, effects-free tone. Unlike Cross, Brown plays his instruments like a mad Gypsy with his pants on fire. Kevin Zubek's flowing, jazzy, polyrhythmic drumming provides a palpable link to the world of modern jazz, much like Bill Bruford did for King Crimson. Finally, like mid-70s Crimson, Pitom's music is concise, hard-edged, tuneful, dynamic, and surprisingly free of the excesses often associated with experimental rock.

Might Could is the acoustic guitar trio of Andy Tilloston, Tim Mcaskey, and Aaron Geller, and the added beefy bass guitar stylings of Luis Nasser. They draw their influences from many quarters, ranging from heavy metal to progressive rock to jazz, and have been compared to King Crimson, the California Guitar Trio, Steve Morse, Michael Hedges, and Béla Bartók. Since the band originated in College Park, MD, it isn't too surprising they've graced the stage here several times in the past. But now that everyone in the band has graduated from the University of Maryland and moved on it's getting to be a rare treat to see them live. Their newest album, "Wood Knot" is a gem and will surely be available at the show!

"Wood Knot is a perfect marriage of intricate guitar interplay and well conceived melodic compositions with a distinctive hook plus an ambitious tapestry of jazz fusion, new world, progressive, and traditional folk." (Joseph Singler, ProgNaut)

Hailing (and likely sleeting and snowing) out of Dayton Ohio, Kuan are a four-piece band whose influences range from early Don Calbellero and Toroise to post-rock bands like DoMakeSayThink. Drummer Brett Nagafuchi is joined by Paul Larkowski on guitar, Charles Heck on guitar, and Bryan Wright on bass and Moog synth. All veterans of Dayton's post-rock, punk and jazz scenes, Kuan formed originally as a three-piece, adding Wright in 2008. Their debut release, "On/Standby", is actually a dual EP package that includes music from the quartet format (On) as well as earlier material played as a trio (Standby) with a few live included.

Of their live shows, John Davis of Chicago writes: "If you watch the audience at a Kuan gig, something unusual happens to the socially diverse crowd that tends to make up their fan base. The punk rockers, prog rockers, hipsters, b-boys and metalheads all react in about the same way: they start by nodding their heads. Then they sway a little. Then, they do whatever the word 'dance' means to each of them. They smile. "

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Take I-95 to exit 50A, which is Caton Ave., south. If you are coming from the south beware of the merge onto Caton Ave as there is no merge area. Take Caton to the third traffic signal, which is Washington Blvd., and turn left. Follow Washington for about a quarter mile until you approach a "U-Haul" sign on your right. Turn right, just before the sign, onto Inverness. Take Inverness to its end and turn left onto Whittington Ave. Take Whittington to its end and turn right, into our parking lot. The showcase entry is door B, on your right as you enter the lot.