The Squid's Ear Magazine


Tragic Assembly: Blood Drains And Memories (Soul City Sounds)

The Durham, NC free improvising trio of Crowmeat Bob on alto & tenor saxophones, clarinet & guitar, Phil Venable on double bass and Charles Chance on drums notch up their playing, with Crowmeat Bob performing on both reeds and electric guitar as the band explores breaking down the barrier between subconsciousness and expression through collective improv.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Crowmeat Bob Pence-alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet, guitar

Phil Venable-double bass

Charles Chance-drums


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UPC: 195269173203

Label: Soul City Sounds
Catalog ID: SCS-0006
Squidco Product Code: 32269

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2022
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Todd Warner Studios, by Todd Warner.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Phil Venable talks about the new recording titled Blood Drains And Memories: "During the session Crowmeat Bob put down the reeds and picked up the guitar to wrangle space sounds out of it. It took the music to a higher level. Charles and I definitely tapped into something as well. The improvised session just seemed to flow effortlessly. As usual, we didn't think too much about how we did it. Tragic Assembly doesn't work that way. If anything, the band's name is a comment of how consciousness feels like a car wreck of experience and thought; everything mangled together. It's more about how we eliminate the barrier between subconsciousness and expression. This is about more listening and responding than indulging our ego."

As to the title, Venable offers no explanations. "We try not to operate in too linear a fashion. We tend to come up with pieces of text as a juxtaposition to the music similar to the Brion Gysin/ William Burroughs cut-up method. The only title I'd cop to being intentional is 'FYA". It became an abbreviation, but the last word is Alito and the first two sure ain't Happy Birthday." "-Tragic Assembly


Artist Biographies

"Upon graduating with a degree in cinema production in the 90's, Crowmeat Bob swiftly went to work at the Record and Tape Exchange and started playing bass and guitar with friends (primarily guitar guru John Aguero) in his parents' basement and in a friend's garage. No gigs were played during those years; they were a freaky little neurotic island in the strip-mall wasteland of northern Virginia. The prevailing aesthetic was some kind of heavy splatterjazz-noise-math-rock-free-improv, with 'frop breaks spent listening intently to all kinds of bidness like electric Miles, Black Sabbath, Messiaen, Sonic Youth, Marc Ribot, Cecil Taylor, Bartok, Last Exit, The Stooges, you name it. He eventually made the move to North Carolina in like '96, where he resides to this day, and picked up sax and bass clarinet while continuing with guitar.

He's played with about a billion bands, either as a composer or sideman, and been gigging on about a weekly basis since settling in the Research Triangle in 2000. Becoming fairly well known as part of the small "free improv" scene there, he was fortunate enough to get to play with a lot of great touring musicians, some of whom you probably revere. And mixing with the indie rockers provided ample opportunity to add sax to various rock'n'roll bands. His playing can be heard on local labels like Merge, Sorry State, and Paradise of Bachelors. Now that he is almost a halfway-decent player and has had a lot of experience writing music for many different kinds of ensembles, he has finally put out a record as a leader: Judge Schreber's Avian Choir is the name he gives to a recurring project that takes slightly different forms, in this case a large string ensemble with a heavy rhythm section."

-Bob Pence 3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Phil Venable is a Chapel Hill, NC composer and multi-instrumentalist. He plays in numerous groups including Tragic Assembly and The Phil Venable - Paul Swest Duo."

-Soul City Sounds 3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Blurry 5:08

2. Hundred Perfect Snakes 5:09

3. Non Listener 2:49

4. Future Confidence 5:30

5. Study Of Ono 3:49

6. Sounds Fine 3:37

7. Fya 5:21

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Collective Free Improvsation
Trio Recordings
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

Search for other titles on the label:
Soul City Sounds.


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The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

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