Had a fine ol' time last Tuesday at the No Idea Festival in Ft. Worth. It was the North Texas debut for the esteemed fest curated by Austin percussionist Chris Cogburn. And even though it was on a Tuesday night, and despite a last minute venue change(!), it was a smashing success with a strong turnout. I'm still proud to be a Texan!

Sets included the quiet guitar and laptop compositions of Annette Krebs, both solo and in conjunction with local experimental musicians Michael Maxwell (electronics) and Sarah Alexander (voice/electronics). Solo Krebs merged guitar feedback and field recordings into quiet eruptions of crackle and fuzz that occasionally even gave that loud lady at the bar a run for her money in terms of volume...

With Maxwell and Alexander: the tender interplay...


Jason Kahn (electronics) and Chris Cogburn's (percussion) set was a work of strange wonder with Cogburn's abstract skins and cymbals feeding into Kahn's soundboard, which he then manipulated in a multitude of directions. Kahn began his performance career as a drummer (and played on a few albums by Universal Congress Of for the SST label) before discovering his more abstract tonal side via solo compositions (percussion and electronics) and his label Cut Records. I'm new to the guy but know where he's coming from, as I suggested a tonal kinship to Jon Mueller and Crouton Records which Kahn welcomed. No video sad to say but one sweet pic! Some cute young lady videotaped basically the whole night though...
Kahn also performed in a trio along with Michael Chamey (radio signals) and Nevada Hill (electric viola!) in a super-drone-skree fest that can be witnessed below. Was happy to hear the wiry electronic string scrape smashed up against the whoosh and pulsing groan of vintage electronix during their set...

And that brings me to night-closers Yells at Eels (Steffan Gonzalez on percussion, Aaron Gonzalez on double bass, Dennis Gonzelez on trumpet) plus the great Tatsuya Nakatani on free percussion. I can say firsthand how privileged folks in this crowd felt to be seeing something this cathartic and relentlessly OUT smack-dab in the middle of the Stockyards of all places. This clip is only the second part of what I captured, so it represents a kind of lull compared to the first part of their set, but you can definitely get the gist. This was easily the most furious and straight up free jazz Yells at Eels set I've seen to date, plus a fitting/mindblowing conclusion to a magical night. The effect of the twin percussion with Aaron's see-sawing basslines beneath Dennis's fierce trumpet trills was comparable to a mighty pendulum swinging back forth in a torrential downpour. I don't blame that bald guy sitting beside me for for leaving halfway through the set, but I also wonder if he'll ever realize how lucky he was to be privy to such a dexterous and highly visceral sonic display. I felt it down to my brittle bones. I'm still reeling in that moment, still feeling the furious torment. Just wish I'd been able to upload the first part of this set to Youtube... Fuckin' Youtube!

So there you have it, friends: a night of magic in the heart of pain. A night of rejuvenation. A fount of rebirth. May this cosmic improvisation we call No Idea never end.