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Category Archives: Recorded Music
Album Review: Crawling On – Dive Star
Crawling On – Dive Star(self-released, 2025) Seattle songsmith Crawling On (AKA Aun Backstrom) is here to remind us that dive bars remain resolute, the past is a backseat driver, and a season can hold a lifetime throughout his excellent and … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: Marina Rose – “red-eyed vireo”
What is it with loopers and birds? Completely independently of Gary Prince’s improvisation with birds, the wonderful multi-instrumentalist Marina Rose offers up this beautiful closing meditation for violin/fiddle, named after a “warbler-like” bird found in Northern Georgia, where the piece … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: Colin Pulkrabek – “Trichiliocosm”
The timing wasn’t intentional on my part, but I’m so glad I ended up writing this track review after seeing Colin Pulkrabek‘s set at our Ball of Wax 71 celebration last week. (By the way, here is your reminder that … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: Amy Denio – “Dunga-Dee”
As if I’m not lucky enough to be walking the earth at the same time as a multi-faceted, multi-instrumental genius like Amy Denio, never mind to be living in the same city and traveling in the same circles of musical … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: “Improvisation for Electric Guitar and Birds, Washington, DC, 4/21/25”
Ball of Wax 71 is out now! Thanks to everyone who made the release show last night at Vermillion such a delight. You can hear (and BUY) the whole thing right here, put we’ll keep posting individual tracks until we’re … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: KO SOLO – “selfexploration”
KO SOLO – aka Kate Olson, one of the curators of this fine collection of sounds, has contributed the smoldering, meditative “selfexploration” to the pot, and it’s a perfect encapsulation of what made me want to collaborate with her as … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: N8b – “Rainy Day”
One enjoyable surprise about being part of a collection of music by live looping improvisers is the myriad different ways we all go about it: the diversity of tools, approaches, and outcomes that inform our impromptu, circular musical practice. N8b … Continue reading
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Ball of Wax 71 Songs: Passenger Pigeon – “Attack of the Twig Blights”
First of all, I invite you to google “twig blights” and feast your eyes upon artist renderings of these creepy photosynthesizers. Allegedly created from a stake run through the heart of a vampire, these D&D monsters are bloodthirsty shrubs who can … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: Crystal Beth – “Answer the Damn Phone”
Beth Fleenor – aka Crystal Beth – has long been one of my favorite performers to witness creating spontaneous musical magic with the assistance of looping pedals. Whether conjuring worlds with her clarinets or vocally opening a door to another … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 71 Songs: Leanna Keith – “something in the wind”
Words have been failing a lot lately, so happening upon Leanna Keith’s “something in the wind” was all the more welcome. A sinister bank of undulating static eddies and swarms before us, and . . . why can I taste … Continue reading