DCImprovisers
Collective
Press Release: ONE, TWO, THREE!
A solo, a duo and a trio that crosses genres and creates new ones.
Who: DC Improvisers Collective (DCIC), Don Fleming and Chris Grier, Hugh McElroy
When: Wednesday, January 18th, 9:00pm. $6
Where: Warehouse Next Door 1021 7th St. NW Washington DC
Venue Phone: 202-667-7960


This coming Wednesday January 18th at the Warehouse Next Door (1021 7th St. NW Washington DC) come experience three dynamic perspectives of improvisation and performance. Ranging from a single voice, to a duo of humming guitars, to a trio of genre jumping melodies and driving rhythms.

Hugh McElroy

Had Hugh McElroy done nothing else in his sainted life, he would have forever cemented his place in the punk-rock firmament as a member of the legendary Black Eyes. His new band, Hand-Fed Babies, thumps out some of the most radical art-dub ever, and they are currently on their way to making people forget all about Art Brut, Pitchfork, The Wire, and even Metal Box-era PiL. When Hugh steps out, booty gets shaken and hearts get to breakin'. He runs his own record label, his entire life is one big fat Vice Do, and he will soon take over the world.

This night, however, Hugh will perform one of his rare and stunning a capella sets, featuring numbers from the Great American Songbook—the repressed version The Man doesn't want you to know about. Last time out, he tingled spines by running the lyrical gamut from Nina Simone to (no shit) BOHICA. This time, Hugh says his set will feature a "topical" number, Jean Ritchie's "West Virginia Mining Disaster." Buddha knows what else he'll warble, but you will problem drool on your shoes in slackjawed amazement.

Don Fleming and Chris Grier

If you don't know who Don Fleming is, go ahead and finish reading that copy of "A Newcomer's Guide To Planet Earth: Everything You Need to Know" and then come on back. (Cheat sheet: Ringleader of Velvet Monkeys and Gumball, produced/played with Sonic Youth, Half Japanese, Dinosaur Jr., et cet namedrop et cet legend et cet every third record you own et cet.) Don made his bones in D.C., and his stop at the Cat is part of a three-day homecoming, during which he and Chris will leave a trail of burning honey and glowing ozone all across the District. He's recently been rummaging through the late Hunter S. Thompson's archives for a project, and he keeps busy up in NYC licensing Alan Lomax's recordings for Moby source material or mutltimillion-dollar Hollywood blockbusters, depending on the day of the week.

Chris Grier is a guitar player, writer, and noted raconteur who plays with Don in To Live And Shave In L.A. They last played together in Sonic Youth's studio while cranking out the most recent TLASILA LP. Chris recently returned from a months-long jaunt to Australia (with Wussy Bunny bass player/Kendall Nordin), where he wandered about spraying burning guitar over everything in sight. He has just begun recording a CD's worth of new songs for the Sockets label.

DCIC

DC Improvisers Collective will be in its trio configuration, consisting of Ben Azzara (drums), Jonathan Matis (guitar), and Mike Sebastian (reeds). This trio has played most recently at the Black Cat last November, where their unique genre mixing was greeted with great accolades. This coming performance at the Warehouse will provide fertile territory for these divergent performers to further delve into their conversational explorations that can traverse a century of American musical landscape in a single meditation.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE
photos by: Pete Duvall | design by: ben azzara © 2005-2007