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Red Krayola, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, The Curtains
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Red Krayola, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, The Curtains at Spaceland. Review appeared in the WIRE issue:
Red Krayola, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, The Curtains at Spaceland.
September 11, 2003 Silverlake, California
by Tom Recchion
Upon arriving The Curtains had already taken the stage. Chris Cohen on guitar, Greg Saunier on a Radio Shack Realistic version of the mini-moog, and Andrew Maxwell on drums/vocals. This LA (Open City)/SF (Deerhoof) band’s music is angular, fragmented, demented and funny. Conjuring Captain Beefheart ,Henry Cow with a dash of DNA or like 3 guys riffling around in a junk drawer and making songs out of the noises within. I kept wondering how they were doing this, which is always a good thing to get from music.
Tokyo’s Maher Shalal Hash Baz played a total of 70 songs in a 50 minute set. Premiering compositions fresh off the pen by its leader Tori Kudo. In fact Tori and Hiro started the band in the mid 80s after hearing the Mayo Thompson’s composition ‘Dear Betty Baby’, which features a euphonium.
Some songs were no longer than 5 seconds. Baffling the audience, whose faces looked confused about the goings on. Sounding like the beginnings, middles or endings of popular songs halted just as you could recognize the melody. But once you understood their approach the confusion turned into delight and the crowd stood amazed.
Reading off charts and moving rapidly from piece to piece the musicians performing on Hohner Electric Piano, euphonium, trumpet, sax, drums and bass were all working with softly focused of concentration.
Mayo’s itinerate life has lead him to form versions of Red Krayola in Texas, London, Germany and now Los Angeles. This line-up has been The Red Krayola’s longest incarnation. They’ve reached such comfort with each other that Prina just showed up for the gig ready to play, without attending any rehearsals.
Without Mayo Thompson there is no Red Krayola. It’s been his vision since the late 60’s. He is still conceptualizing new ideas and challenging not only himself and the group but the audience as well. No performance is ever alike. Through these years they’ve acted collectively to build a huge body of work. The current always bass-less line up is Tom Watson on guitar, George Hurley on drums, Stephen Prina on vocals and percussion, Sandy Yang on voice, a surprise guest violinist Sachiyo Yoshimoto and Mayo on guitar and vocals.
The Red Krayola is one of the most underrated groups in the history of rock and Mayo Thompson is a complete original. Their songs are timeless, humorous, and political and seem to seep into almost every new trend in rock. Unlike many forward thinking bands that after 2 or 3 albums run out of ideas and seem to get flaccid and weak. While playing songs that go back some 30 years they’re always delivered with a humor, furiousness, anger and gentleness that is never stale.
Tonight was just one an arm of the family tree of the Red Krayola… featuring a couple offspring in praise of ‘big daddy’. God bless the Red Krayola and all who sail with it.
All 3 groups raised questions and demonstrated just how fucking wondrous rock can be.
September 11, 2003 Silverlake, California
by Tom Recchion
Upon arriving The Curtains had already taken the stage. Chris Cohen on guitar, Greg Saunier on a Radio Shack Realistic version of the mini-moog, and Andrew Maxwell on drums/vocals. This LA (Open City)/SF (Deerhoof) band’s music is angular, fragmented, demented and funny. Conjuring Captain Beefheart ,Henry Cow with a dash of DNA or like 3 guys riffling around in a junk drawer and making songs out of the noises within. I kept wondering how they were doing this, which is always a good thing to get from music.
Tokyo’s Maher Shalal Hash Baz played a total of 70 songs in a 50 minute set. Premiering compositions fresh off the pen by its leader Tori Kudo. In fact Tori and Hiro started the band in the mid 80s after hearing the Mayo Thompson’s composition ‘Dear Betty Baby’, which features a euphonium.
Some songs were no longer than 5 seconds. Baffling the audience, whose faces looked confused about the goings on. Sounding like the beginnings, middles or endings of popular songs halted just as you could recognize the melody. But once you understood their approach the confusion turned into delight and the crowd stood amazed.
Reading off charts and moving rapidly from piece to piece the musicians performing on Hohner Electric Piano, euphonium, trumpet, sax, drums and bass were all working with softly focused of concentration.
Mayo’s itinerate life has lead him to form versions of Red Krayola in Texas, London, Germany and now Los Angeles. This line-up has been The Red Krayola’s longest incarnation. They’ve reached such comfort with each other that Prina just showed up for the gig ready to play, without attending any rehearsals.
Without Mayo Thompson there is no Red Krayola. It’s been his vision since the late 60’s. He is still conceptualizing new ideas and challenging not only himself and the group but the audience as well. No performance is ever alike. Through these years they’ve acted collectively to build a huge body of work. The current always bass-less line up is Tom Watson on guitar, George Hurley on drums, Stephen Prina on vocals and percussion, Sandy Yang on voice, a surprise guest violinist Sachiyo Yoshimoto and Mayo on guitar and vocals.
The Red Krayola is one of the most underrated groups in the history of rock and Mayo Thompson is a complete original. Their songs are timeless, humorous, and political and seem to seep into almost every new trend in rock. Unlike many forward thinking bands that after 2 or 3 albums run out of ideas and seem to get flaccid and weak. While playing songs that go back some 30 years they’re always delivered with a humor, furiousness, anger and gentleness that is never stale.
Tonight was just one an arm of the family tree of the Red Krayola… featuring a couple offspring in praise of ‘big daddy’. God bless the Red Krayola and all who sail with it.
All 3 groups raised questions and demonstrated just how fucking wondrous rock can be.
