Ain Soph Aur, the experimental music group I’m in, will be performing at The Puka Bar (21+) on Monday January 4th from 8 – 10 PM. Joining us are David Witham, David Bunoan, Christie Scott, Mike Weber, Jeremy Morelock, and Kirk Pickler. This performance is in celebration of the group’s 2nd Anniversary, which came into being at The Puka in February of 2008.
Two years ago, Ken Huntington invited me to organize an evening of experimental music at The Puka Bar. He’d been booking Monday nights as part of the Long Beach Musicians’ League. At that time I’d been doing solo live looping, also called Frippertronics after the English guitarist Robert Fripp, who popularized the system as an improvisational tool.
With this system, one can place notes before, on top of, or after the previous one, creating complex melodic and harmonic movement. I’d been using voice, lap steel guitar, and electric guitar in these performances. The spontaneous nature of these performances was wonderfully liberating, but I craved the connection, and the element of surprise, that comes from performing with others.
So, I called Carl Off, a founding member of the Hop-Frog Kollectiv, and head of the independent and experimental URCK Records. We’d worked together on one studio project, and he’d invited me to perform at a performance series called Dung Mummy. On an intuitive level, I knew that, even if our esthetic tastes were different, they’d be complementary. So, I pitched him an idea: Let’s do the show together, but with no rehearsals, no planning, and little discussion. We’ll show up, each with our own sets of musical tools, and go where the moment takes us. Not surprisingly, he said “Yes.”
I remember stepping off the stage after our set, thinking to myself, “I have no idea at all what happened.” I felt like the time we were on stage had somehow vanished, as though I’d been asleep, or in a trance. This is not an experience I was used to, by the way. From the reaction of the audience, some clearly enjoyed what we did, but it wasn’t until much later, when I listened to the room recording, that I began to understand what had transpired.
As an artist, I push myself to take chances. I strive to create a space within which something can arise. I try to release all judgment, all expectation, and just trust in each perfect, unfolding moment. This is the ideal to which I aspire. It seemed that, in that first performance, I came close to actually doing it.
That performance awakened an enthusiasm in me that I hadn’t known before. Now, about enthusiasm: I was watching a film the other night and, in it, the central figure mentioned that the Greek root of ‘enthusiasm’ was ‘éntheos,’ which roughly means ‘being possessed by god.’
I found name of our group, Ain Soph Aur, in The Book of Thoth, a rather heavy tome about Egyptian tarot, written by Aleister Crowley. The phrase is Hebrew, translating as “The Limitless Light” and, I discovered later, is one of the names of the Judeo-Christian God. I felt drawn to the name because it reflected something I was trying to evoke in my work. Not a religious ideology or belief, but perhaps a scientific or spiritual one.
Since that first performance, we’ve done many others. More often than not, we’ve invited other artists to join us, always without any rehearsal, or much discussion. Until now, we’ve only worked with one at a time, but we’re always looking for new ways to engage in our creative process so, for this upcoming show, we had the idea of inviting as many of our past collaborators as possible. Our first two, Hermit The Flog and Deer Tear, were unable to join us, so we invited two other performers to join us instead.
Christie Scott, with her husband Stane Hubert, is the creative force behind the group Bavab Bavab. They’re both Cal Arts grads, and have run the Il Corral and Zero Point performance spaces in LA.
David Witham was principal pianist for Wicked and Lion King at the Pantages Theater and, before that, served as George Benson’s touring band leader for 15 years. His original work is released on the Cryptogramophone label.
David Bunoan is best known as a guitarist, having played in surf, metal, and blues bands. He’s also a talented amp tech. In secret, he’s developed a passion for analog synthesis.
Jeremy Morelock is a cofounder of the Hop-Frog Kollectiv, performs as The Drum Jester Devotional, and toured with Backworld. He uses a variety of ethnic and electronic instruments.
Kirk Pickler is a percussionist and multi-instrumentalist, formally of Between Ravens and Crows. Although he is an active member of the Hop-Frog Kollectiv, this will be his first time performing with ASA.
Mike Weber is one half of the Lap Steel Duo, and was previously guitarist in the local psychedelic/prog juggernaut, Blue Dot. This will be his first performance with ASA.
Please join us in celebration of the New Year, creative collaboration, and harmonious interaction. The show will start promptly at 8 PM, and will end promptly at 10. There is no admission charge, but ID is required for entry, as it is 21+. The Puka Bar is located at 710 W Willow, just East of the 710 Freeway.