Tyler Damon

Mars Williams Quartet live debut now streaming…

The debut live performance by The Mars Williams Quartet (Mars Williams, Kent Kessler, Peter Maunu and myself) is now available to stream for free. It includes both of our full sets from Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago, recorded Monday, July 22nd, 2015 as part of the OPTION series. Check it out below!

We will be back in Chicago at The Owl on Sunday, October 25th. See you there…

July 31, 2015 [permalink] Audio, Chicago, Experimental Sound Studio, Kent Kessler, Mars Williams, OPTION, Peter Maunu, Quartet, Streaming

German “Oninbo” review + Damon/Jost duo clip + archival release on Auris Apothecary…

Darin Gray and I received a nice German-language review of our duo release “Oninbo” from Eike Klien on his Das Klienicum blog:

http://dasklienicum.blogspot.com/2015/07/eingestreut-832-darin-gray-tyler-damon.html

Additionally, Tom Burris has captured another clip of me in the wild, this time w/ my upright bass/clarinet cohort Keith Jost at Bloomington’s own Artifex Guild:

Keith is on his way to greener pastures in Newark, NJ, so this clip stands as a testament to what is (likely) our final show for some time. Certainly not our last meeting, however…

For one last piece of news, Auris Apothecary has released an archival session featuring two of my great friends, Deserter (Greg Simpson/Rare Candies) and Dante Augustus Scarlatti (Bruce Woodward) from 2010. From Auris Apothecary:

“A “lost” session from 3 of Auris Apothecary’s most trusted accomplices, recorded in stunning fidelity in 2010 inside one of the most aesthetically & musically awe-inspiring spaces in the Midwest. 7 tracks totaling over an hour of quasi-improvisational avant-garde manifestations of harsh noise, ambient atmospheres, black metal, post-rock, melodic repetitions, and other dense sonic tapestries”

This was a very formative and, indeed, experimental time for me musically – I wasn’t quite sure which direction I was going in but I was really trying to push myself to try new things. I was drifting away from a lot of the heavy stoner rock, post-rock and metal I had briefly explored and I was increasingly interested in free improvisation and noise but hadn’t quite found my voice in that realm yet. Engineer Tim Smiley, another great friend of ours, managed to grant us access to the incredible space during a break in classes at Indiana University, so we spent all night in there trying out whatever sprung to mind. That said, I have really enjoyed revisiting this document. Bruce (D.A.S./Auris Apothecary label-head) has done an excellent job presenting Auer Hall Sessions and I hope that listeners enjoy the disc on its own terms and also as a reference point for where I’ve ended up musically today. It’s limited to 50 copies and is available now HERE.

July 28, 2015 [permalink] Auer Hall, Auris Apothecary, Dante Augustus Scarlatti, Darin Gray, Das Klienicum, Deserter, Discography, Duo, Eike Klien, Greg Simpson, Keith Jost, News, Oninbo, Press, Reviews, The Artifex Guild, Trio, Video, Yoke

“Softened Skull” review on Free Jazz Blog

Tireless out music supporter and aficionado Tom Burris has penned a very flattering review of my solo recording debut, “Softened Skull,” over at Free Jazz Blog:

“This disc seems to be a condensed demo to show the range of Damon’s talents, rather than a full-blown “statement” & that’s just fine with me. The pieces are short, yeah – but I wouldn’t say they’re under-developed. There’s a shit-or-get-off-the-pot aesthetic that displays a mass of ideas quickly. And now that this recording exists, I expect we’ll be going on many more trips with Mr. Damon that will build upon this sturdy framework. A highly respectable debut from a phenomenal talent.”

Check out the full review here: [LINK]

“Softened Skull” is out-of-print on cassette but is still available on CDr via YOKE and digitally on my Bandcamp page…

July 16, 2015 [permalink] Free Jazz Blog, Press, Reviews, Softened Skull, Solo, Tom Burris, Yoke

Back from Asheville!

I had the great privilege of spending this past week in Asheville, North Carolina playing, recording and generally sharing good times with the always incredible Tashi Dorji. I cannot overstate the level of spiritual satisfaction I experienced on this trip. Tashi and I have only known each other a short while but it often feels like we’re old friends, both personally and musically. I will be patient but I must admit I’m very excited to (eventually) share these recordings with the listening public!

I am pleased to extend an enormous thank you to Tashi, Patrick Kukucka (recording engineer extraordinaire – check out Hi Z lo z), Meredith, Effie, Mille and little Jetsun, Rae, Thom Nguyen, Jamie Hepler, Ross from Villages and the great people of Asheville for their kindness, support and accommodation…and excellent food. A positive, healthy head space is vastly important to me, especially while traveling and trying to tap into creative potential (finding the “magic”), and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Thank you!

Good times at Black Mountain.

Live shot from the Lazy Diamond in Asheville. Photo by Thom Nguyen.

Notes on a napkin from an audience member regarding my solo set in Asheville. Putting “knee healer” on my resume.

MANAS (Tashi & Thom) has a new double cassette out on New Body Tapes, as well as a forthcoming LP on Feeding Tube and another tape on Körper / Lieb. Do yourself a favor and check out what they’re doing. Free rock of a very high order…

opensexduomutantfestii Open Sex duo photo at the Back Door in Bloomington by Craig Bell.

Additionally, I had the pleasure of playing with John Dawson as Open Sex at Mutant Fest II yesterday in Bloomington. Unfortunately I didn’t get to attend most of the day but I was stoked to catch killer sets from Timmy’s Organism and The Gizmos. Thanks to Meagz and Alex for having us along…what a week…!

Here’s a live clip from the show (also by Craig Bell):

I’ve added a few new shows to the LIVE page including a duo gig w/ Keith Jost on Friday, July 24th opening for Chicago’s Tim Daisy and NYC’s Daniel Levin. Also of note, I will be returning to Chicago on Sunday, October 25th to reconvene with Mars Williams, Peter Maunu and Kent Kessler as The Mars Williams Quartet. Our recordings from our debut performance at Experimental Sound Studio will be streaming imminently…