NEW MUSIC SERIES
AAMS (Asian American Music Series 7)
improv Asian Stylee presented by guest curator
ALEX YEUNG
Ray
of Mojo of My Heart
The music is a “bricolage of world, avant-garde, psychedelic, and lowercase packaged in a powerhouse trio of percussion, vocals/harmonium, and electronics.” (The Daily Palindrome) TNC weaves a rich bed of sonic splendour upon which the dynamic duo, Musetta and Shayna, display both their virtuosity and their innate sensitivity. Their sound comes out of a collective force of musical performance that began a year ago and continued with TNC’s Requiem for the American Empire, which premiered at the 2006 APAture Festival.
VHOLTZ
Vholtz has been the going concern of Randy Lee Sutherland since 2003. Centered around different concepts in each lineup and varying from performance to performance, former members include Nick Lesley (Necking, Oma Yang), Gene Bae (Battleship), Eva Saelens (Inca Ore, Jackie O Motherfucker), Rob Enbom (Hale Zukas, Gang Wizard), and one-off appearances from guests like Brian Miller (DeathbombArc, Gang Wizard), James Ferraro (Skaters), Chad Stockdale (Weird Forest Records). Current line up includes Sutherland (Thin Ensemble, Control R Workshop, Brown Un, Sword and Sandals), George Chen (KIT, 7 Year Rabbit Cycle), Matthew Grothman (Wives, Neighbors, Woman’s Worth), Paul Morgan (Business Lady), and Daron Key (Aciddrop, Stereo Motherfuckers).”
Bill Hsu plays piano and works with electronics. He has performed in the Bay area, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Karlsruhe (Germany), and London. He has built systems, tools and installations in collaboration with John Butcher, Peter van Bergen, and Matthew Heckert.
Say Bok Gwai Improv Ensemble
Val Mih (piano)
Alex Yeung (6 string death dealer aka hack guitar)
Andre Custodia, aka/Tong Long (percussion/electroinics)
Say Bok Gwai is the first Chinese American hardcore band combining American hardcore, metal, punk, and thrash music with Cantonese vocals. Canto-Core is a new direction in music that borrows from Chinese culture as well as American culture. Say Bok Gwai consists of Alex Yeung(composer/guitarist/vocalist) and Andre Custodio aka Tong Long(drummer). The subject matter of the songs touches upon bicultural upbringing, white demon’s America, sex, food, metal, and other topics that would scare “the man”. The CD is comprised of 30 short fast and heavy songs derived from influences like Slayer, Minor Threat, and BBQ Pork and Egg over rice. Straight Outta HK talks about the difficulties and benefits of growing up between Chinese and American cultures. Senior Pride and True Words focuses on some Chinese values while Radio Star and Chinese Racism criticize Chinese culture. White America is put under the microscope in songs like White in You and White Guilt. On the lighter side $8 Sandwich and Stick It In poke fun at commercial radio and sex. Both members are native to San Francisco and have been active in the local music scene for over 15 years. Alex Yeung, born in Hong Kong but raised in San Francisco, started music in the local 80’s punk and metal scenes playing. During the 90’s, he shifted his focus to experimental, improvisational, and progressive music. Collaborating with harder bands like SPAZZ and NO LESS as well as more experimental projects like PAWN and MUSTARD SEED. In the late 90’s Alex played with the progressive music group CENTIPEDE as well as instrumental trio FEAR OF MATH. Currently, Alex is part of a hardcore project called CONQUEST FOR DEATH featuring members of WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?, ASSFORT, and ALL YOU CAN EAT.
The project has just released a 7 and will tour California west coast August 2006.
Andre Custodio’s first musical collaboration with Alex Yeung was during the mid-90s. Their improv-core trio, PAWN and experimental coffee shop trio, FLOJO took hard music fused with improvisation to create aggressive edged unpredictable variety of soundscapes and songs. After PAWN, Andre continued to thrive in the San Francisco improvisational/experimental scene collaborating with the likes of David Slusser, Rent Romus, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Eddie Gale and The Splatter Trio. In 2000 Andre took the role of conga player and back up vocalist for Bay Area local pop rock group VEGAS DE MILO. Andre currently is a member of SAY BOK GWAI, TRI-CORNERED TENT SHOW and his solo project NIHIL COMMUNICATION. Recently, Andre has started a noise project called CHOCHOTA featuring a revolving all star cast of local Bay Area experimental musicians collaborating in a violent, noise project featuring women vocalist.
Val Mih is a pianist, composer and filmmaker living in the Bay Area. She has performed with the Eddie
Gale Now Band since 2002, including appearances at the 2006 San Jose Jazz Festival; the 2005 Vision Festival, Sista’s Place, and the Zebulon Concert Cafe in New York; and the Bach Dynamite Society in Half Moon Bay. She has also p erformed with Mark Izu, notably for his original score to the silent film, Dragon Painter (1919), presented at the Castro Theater as part of the 2005 San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Her compositions incorporate improvisation and free jazz approaches to music making. As a filmmaker, she works in both the animation and documentary genres. Her recent documentary, Voices of Patriots, was co-directed/produced with fellow animator Don Richards and was aired on Free Speech TV. She currently directs the Animation program at a local art college, the Art Institute of California-San Francisco.
Say
Bok Gwai has been featured at Noise Pop, Pinoise Pop , Tidal Wave ,Chinese Rock Showcase, and the Asian American Musicians Showcase. In 2005, SBG has brought its brand of old school SF metalcore to Hong Kong performing at the Rock On Festival and Hard Rock Caf in Kowloon.