Year End Roundup

Hi Folks!

While the year is not done for me yet at this point, I am definitely already thinking back over this year and some of the music I was able to get done. Next year will be a very different year for me in terms of output and more on that in a subsequent post, but for now, I’m just glad to have the chance to have so much music documented and released during this year. Several of these releases were recorded in previous years, notably the Anthony Braxton GTM (Syntax) 2017 box set, and my duo record with Chris Cretella on guitar, “Singing and Singing to Keep out the Smell”. Kolessa’s “Fires” was also produced last year, as was the bulk of Mystal Tree’s “New Growth”.

But this year brought a small load of new endeavors, including Dust Seeker, Ghost of Forest, Black Epheria and L.B.R.P. I want to speak about the last one a bit as it was, as far as my dungeon synth work goes, a fairly unusual one in that it was a collaboration. I won’t go into to much detail, but my original material, recorded on 4 track in the course of 2 days, and submitted to Attic Shrines, who released it. But Attic Shrines headquarters, built as it is atop a huge deposit of unpronounceable minerals, is not a kind place to tapes. Something happens to them there - some entity, fascinated with the potentiality of analog media, takes them apart at a molecular level, and reassembles them without great care for accuracy. The result was corrupted, rearranged. Jazz people would say “Teo’d”. It was definitely an intriguing process for me as a composer and one I hope to embark upon again.

Some highlights of the year were getting the chance to perform in the Sonic Genome and at the main stage of the Berlin JazzFest with Anthony Braxton this year. I also got a solid grasp on performing Nahadoth live, which happened four times over the course of the year, including at the first ever multi-day Dungeon Synth festival, the Northeast Dungeon Siege. I performed solo a number of times and that set forth some ways of exploring solo accordion and voice that I will definitely be following up on in the future.

See below for a gallery of album covers. Blogspot seems to want to scramble the order, so I apologize for that. Two more releases will still come out before the year is done.

AOS - Mahalabelial

I spent a lot of April and May recording, doing some really focused work on an existing long-term project and then making some exploratory recordings for some new projects. My Black Metal project AOS has always been a reactionary project - so at the point in mid May where the conversation around reproductive rights sank to a new level of legal cruelty, I began writing new material for AOS. It came out fairly quickly, and this is the first proper full length of this album - slightly over half of the album is black metal, and there’s a long black ambient track to close the album.

AOS - Mahalabelial

Mystal Tree - New Growth

I released this album almost 2 months ago. It’s original music inspired by dungeon synth, video game music, progressive rock, and some elements of West African rhythms. This album also features vocals and lyrics concerning an original story of a city built under a mysterious and powerful tree.

Mystal Tree - New Growth

Spring Shows

As usual, I’ve overcompensated for the advent of spring by booking a bunch of shows in a pretty short timespan. Here they are. I’m excited about all of them, especially the NorthEast Dungeon Siege MMXIX, which is the first ever multi-day festival focusing on Dungeon Synth, and the solo set on April 3 (in support of Tyshawn Sorey/Kirsten Carey duo.)

Saturday March 30th, Nahadoth at the Northeast Dungeon Siege (Festival Runs March 29-31.) Worcester, MA.

Wednesday, April 3rd - Adam Matlock (solo) with Tyshawn Sorey + Kirsten Carey Duo). The State House, New Haven, CT. 8 PM.

Saturday, April 6 - The Harris Brothers Balkan Band at Yale Slavic Chorus 50th Anniversary Reunion concert. 7PM. TBA (on Yale Campus)

Tuesday, April 9 - Jill Burton/Wade Michaels/Andrew Drury Trio. With Chris Pitziokos (solo) and Curmudgeon Corner (duo). 7:00 PM, Water House, Hamden (message for address)

Wednesday, April 10 - Kolegi (quartet), with The Suitcase Junket and S.G. Carlson.

Saturday, April 13 - Adam Matlock (solo) with Boat Dares, Shank Painters

Shows in Winter (so far)

Hi All! Happy New Year etc

Today, I released “Fires will Sweep The Cities Built on Our Homes” by Kolessa. This is a follow up to last autumn’s “Ash-Stained Cabinet”, and is Dungeon Synth trying to reconcile with early 20th century modernization, and how that path has continued today. Dedicated to the memory of the Sai Anantam Ashram, where Turiya Alice Coltrane made her home.

My first show of the year was on January 10th, with the new trio Kolegi (featuring Helen Marx on percussion and Brian Slattery on violin). We play together in the Harris Brothers Balkan Band, and this was an opportunity for us to play some tunes that fall a little bit outside of that band’s normal comfort zone, and put some of our own spins on things. We’ll play again on April 10th, at Cafe Nine, supporting the Suitcase Junket.

TONIGHT (January 25), I’ll be performing with the Tri-centric Vocal Ensemble at Roulette in Brooklyn. Two years ago we recorded 12 hours of Anthony Braxton’s vocal music with the composer present, and it was a truly transformative experience. I’m so excited to get back together with all these wonderful musicians and do it again. We will be missing the bass voice and warm presence of Michael Douglas Jones (RIP), and the concert will be performed in his memory.

Then Sunday January 27, I’ll be playing as part of a new series at the State House in New Haven, called Multiplex. It’s a series focusing on improvised music, and so it will be an opportunity for Elm Fiction (with Bob Gorry, Thomas Martin, and Jeff Cedrone) to play again. There will also be 3 other sets, including a quartet led by Stephen Haynes, and duo music by Joe Morris and Dan O’Brien. This starts at 4PM.

Saturday, February 9th, I’ll be playing a duo set with Chris Cretella. We recorded a CD several years ago now, and as it happens, it took us awhile to get the material to release readiness - but now it’s here! There will be sets by Human Flourishing, Lucas Brode, and Henry Fraser as well. At Never Ending Books, starts at 7PM.

Tuesday, February 12th, Dr. Caterwauls plays a set at the Milford Arts Council. We’re excited to be working with them in their own venue, and our set will start at 7:30 PM.

Finally (FOR NOW), I’ll be doing a longer concert at Neighborhood Music School on Friday, February 15. This is a free show, and an important one - I’ll be performing a mix of my own songs and compositions, and maybe one or two transcriptions, in duo form with Brian Slattery. I will have (and take!) the opportunity to play the 9-foot concert grand piano, and who knows, I may make Brian learn a new instrument by then....