PiNG EVENTS & PICTURES
• All PiNG Events • 1999 ( A ) • 2000 ( A B C D ) • 2001 ( A B C D )
• 2002 ( A B C D E F ) • 2003 ( A B C D E F ) • 2004 ( A B C D E F )
• 2005 ( A B C D E F ) • 2006 ( A B C D ) • FUTURE
2005 EVENTS • MARCH - APRILMarch 2nd • dreamSTATE + mara's torment
with General Chaos Visuals
mara's torment with General Chaos Visuals
dreamSTATE with Lynn Harrigan and General Chaos Visuals||: IN THE LOOP :|| dreamSTATE + mara's torment
with General Chaos VisualsAs the month of March announced its presence with a roar,
dreamSTATE released a new CD titled PASSAGE. This
music is an especially satisfying experience for those of us
who feel that we have traveled through darkness for too long.
With PASSAGE, our hope for spring is manifest in the
pleasing arc of a pastoral electronic soundscape.mara's torment (aka rik maclean & Sovaak the sock monkey)
began the evening's festivities with a dreamy set of sparse,
well-textured instrumentals. Accompanied by General Chaos'
shimmering visuals, mara's torment lulled PiNG listeners
into a zone of exquisite electronic ambience.Dedicated to the memory of renowned Toronto broadcaster/
musician/artist David Pritchard, the dreamSTATE concert was
both sophisticated and celebratory. Beginning with excerpts
from PASSAGE, dreamSTATE explored new musical territory
later in the set with a groove-driven far East (and far out)
feeling piece. General Chaos' peacock colored eye candy
provided the perfect backdrop as dreamSTATE strutted
their stuff in an intense sonic celebration of music, friendship
and artistic collaboration.Speaking of new territory, I have to wonder if it isn't time for
the PiNG to explore new directions. Days later, I am still
floored by the lack of support shown for mara's torment and
dreamSTATE. It's hard not to take this kind of thing personally:
was it the threat of a poetry reading by Lynn Harrigan (Luna's
alter ego) that kept the crowds at bay? Or, was it a general
malaise fuelled by THE AMBiENT PiNG crew's unyielding
support and reliability when it comes to promoting its artists?
Whatever the cause, the community's lack of support was
palpable - and terribly disappointing for the artists who
work hard to keep TAP up and running every week.On a lighter note, between sets the audience enjoyed a
special treat: music from David Pritchard's never released
album, Unexplored Ether. Like Pritchard's first album,
Nocturnal Earthworm Stew, which played before the first set,
Unexplored Ether is a rich concoction of gorgeous textures and
playful arrangements. The upbeat music was a fitting tribute
to the spirit of generosity that characterizes the pioneering
musical visions of both David Pritchard and Scott M2
and Jamie Todd of dreamSTATE.Luna Tek
March 9th • building castles out of matchsticks
and Psychosomatic Climax Machine
with General Chaos Visuals
Building Castles out of Matchsticks with General Chaos Visuals
Psychosomatic Climax Machine with General Chaos Visuals||: IN THE LOOP :|| building castles out of matchsticks
and Psychosomatic Climax Machine
with General Chaos VisualsOnly two days after our first real taste of spring, PiNG artists
& enthusiasts braved the snow and cold to gather at Hacienda
for a concert by the talented folks from Worthy Records, a
Hamilton-based collective and the only non-profit, artist-run
record label in Ontario.Composed, arranged and performed by Anne Sulikowski,
Building Castles out of Matchsticks presented a gorgeous
first set of analogue synthesis and accidental sequences.
Anne's vocal treatments added an ethereal element to
an always intriguing performance.Anne was joined by Psychosomatic Climax Machine for the
second set. Featuring Anne, Scott Johnson & Vanessa Price
on keyboards and Phil Ogilson & Jeff Sinibaldi on guitars,
this improvisational music ensemble captivated listeners
with an electric performance of energy-building improvisations.General Chaos, who have become a regular part of
Psychosomatic Climax Machine's live performances,
supported both shows with their lush, atmospheric visuals.While PiNG organizers have their fingers crossed that the
support shown last Wednesday night continues, they are also
exploring new possibilities for TAP. Stay tuned for details.Luna Tek
March 16th • Adelaide + Aidan Baker with Mnemosyne||: IN THE LOOP :|| Adelaide + Aidan Baker with Mnemosyne
For most concert-goers, music that leaves you speechless
is an amazing experience. When you're trying to capture your
rapture in words for a weekly column, however, the experience
ranks as one of life's guilty pleasures.This was definitely the case on March 16, 2005: the PiNG
presented Adelaide, a band visiting Toronto all the way from
Portland, Oregon. Formed in the summer of 2003, Adelaide
shared their fascination with the interplay of sound & image
via a gorgeous set of sonic & visual experimentation. Grounded
by 16mm film projections of urban images, the concert featured
upbeat electronics, guitar and drum arrangements.Celebrating his 26th release since 2000, Aiden Baker started
off the second set with a brief solo performance of ambient
looping guitar. More of Mnemosyne (Rich Baker on drums/
percussion and Luke Baker on bass) then joined Aiden onstage
to perform music from Figures, Aiden's newest CD. Judging
by the audience's reaction, the set was far too short for their
liking. Aiden and friends were only too happy to appease their
fans, playing another down tempo piece with shimmering
drums and pulsing guitar riffs and ending the evening on
a grace note.Last week, I mentioned that PiNG artists and organizers are
exploring new directions for TAP. Plans are in the works to
publish a zine that appeals to and reflects the diversity
among PiNG artists and supporters. As editor of the zine,
I (aka Lynn Harrigan) look forward to hearing from those of you
who would like to contribute articles, reviews, photographs,
artwork, etc. Please send queries to luna@theambientping.com
and let your voice be heard.Luna Tek
March 23rd • The Devil In The Design,
Weird State Inbetween and The Lonely Flight
with General Chaos Visuals
The Devil In The Design • Phil Ogison with General Chaos Visuals
The Lonely Flight • Scott Johnson with General Chaos Visuals
Weird State Inbetween • Anne Sulikowski & Scott Johnson with D.J.Pain
and with General Chaos Visuals||: IN THE LOOP :|| The Devil In The Design,
Weird State Inbetween and The Lonely Flight
with General Chaos VisualsOn Wednesday, March 23, 2005, Worthy Records presented
the second of three showcase concerts at the PiNG with
the launch of 3 new CDs by The Devil in the Design,
The Lonely Flight and Weird State Inbetween.Phil Ogison, aka The Devil in the Design, began the evening
with two pieces based on music from his new CD, Cloudface,
and a third piece of pure improvisation. Supported by General
Chaos' stunning cloud-inspired visuals, Phil's set drifted from
one lovely piece to another, carrying the audience on its own
devilishly delightful Sonic Way. Menno Krant, one of my favorite
Toronto artists, created the cover art for Cloudface and was
in attendance to autograph CDs.Scott Johnson continued the floating, drifting feel, as he
opened the second set with densely treated instumentals
which followed a flight plan similar to the new CD from his
The Lonely Flight project. After 20 minutes Scott was joined
by Anne Sulikowski, his partner in Weird State Inbetween,
on synthesizer and treated voice plus their special guest
D.J.Pain on feedback-looped effects pedals and things
definitely got wierder as they plunged into sonic chaos.
Pain's high-frequency distortion encouraged a noise
freak-out which left the audience in a suitably wierd state.More information about this evening's sound artists
is available here and info about visual artist Menno Krant hereLuna Tek
March 30th • Canadian Electronic Ensemble||: IN THE LOOP :|| Canadian Electronic Ensemble
March fulfilled its promise in 2005 by ending like a lamb: on a
mild, windy Wednesday night, The Canadian Electronic Ensemble
played for one of the PiNG's best crowds in recent memory,
an audience seemingly invigorated by the promise of spring
just around the corner.Larry Lake, Rose Bolton and Michael Dobinson opened the
evening with Kyoto Bells (Smog in February), a piece composed
by Dobinson. Jim Montgomery and Dave Jaeger joined the group
later in the set for an improvisation as visually evocative as any
art installation I've ever experienced. The listener was challenged
to move beyond the realm of simple (passive) listening to engage
in new sonic dimensions via various juxtapositions of dissonant
and found sound.The second set featured a charming Celtic piece that was a
particular hit with Luna. As the piece developed, the music
explored the mystery that is Celtic lore by conveying the
feeling of an underwater journey that was more adventurous
than sinister.Between sets, PiNG-goers experienced NuuK by multimedia
artist Thomas Köner - a 1995 album of gongs, electronics and
treatments. Köner currently has a small music/video installation
mounted at Gallery 44's Centre for Contemporary Photography
(401 Richmond St W, #120). The installation runs until April 16.Luna Tek
April 6th • Söftware with Toastybird Visuals
Söftware with Toastybird Visuals||: IN THE LOOP :|| Söftware with Toastybird Visuals
On Wednesday, April 06, 2005 Söftware presented the audience
at THE AMBiENT PiNG with a sonic and visual feast. Exquisite
up-tempo improvisations flirted with live video projections
courtesy of Toastybird Visuals. For those intrigued by gear
and gadgets, Söftware lived up to their reputation with a full-on
electronic stage presence enhanced by rapidly blinking lights
from Doepfer Schaltwerk & MAQ sequencers, racks of Electrix
F/X and loopers and a huge vintage PAIA modular synthesizer.Soaring guitar sections, intense grooves and refined keyboard
interludes were among the musical highlights of the evening.
Not to be outdone, Toastybird created a series of superb visual
mixes. At one point, flames washed over the stage and screen,
immolating the band and captivating the audience.Kudos to Söftware for creating an uber-cool chillout environment
and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.Luna Tek
April 13th • Finger||: IN THE LOOP :|| Finger
THE AMBiENT PiNG concert on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 was
the most ambient in recent weeks. The evening featured two
sets by Finger - Richard Windeyer (percussion/electronics),
Leslie Wyber (harmonium/electronics) & Cameron McKittrick
(theremin/electronics) - with special guests Byron Wong
(Synthi AKS/electronics) and Jonathan Gallivan (guitar).The first set featured all five artists improvising together.
Wong had planned to bring his new Mellotron keyboard but
by showtime it had still not arrived from the manufacturer
in Sweden. Instead he processed guitarist Jonathan Gallivan
through a looper, Synthi AKS and a pair of Kaoss pads while
the regular Finger trio very gently attacked their instruments.Wyber and McKittrick had to hit the road before the second
set and so the remaining trio began by riffing off the words
"geometry" and "calculator" generated by a child's learning
toy. Soon a series of buzz and hum rhythmics initiated by
Wong (from a wire touched to his thumb, tongue and items
scavenged from the stage) were met with the sounds of
small percussion items and toys manipulated on a mic'ed
floor tom by Windeyer and processed through MAX patches on
his laptop plus tonal injections from Gallivan's E-bowed guitar.Richard Windeyer, Leslie Wyber, Cam McKittrick, Byron Wong
Luna Tek
April 20th • Planet Of The Loops
Andrew Aldridge and Thomas Al-Hamed||: IN THE LOOP :|| Planet Of The Loops
A last-minute lineup change turned out to be a real boon for
THE AMBiENT PiNG audience on Wednesday, April 20, 2005.
Thomas Al-Hamed stepped in for Andrew Moon and made his debut
at the PiNG in the latest installment of The Planet of the Loops.
Thomas plays with the Trainwreck Collective, Joy Fusion,
Denormalize and guest performs with Escalate.Performing on an Oud (Arabian Lute) and looper, Thomas improvised
with guitarist Andrew Aldridge to create two sets of lush atmospherics.
Enveloped in this exotic music, an image of the musicians casting
veils of sound into the room came to mind. The evening was a
special treat for fans of acoustic and electronic improvisation
with a Middle Eastern sensibility.The next evening, Brian Eno presented a lecture at the Art Gallery
of Ontario. Eno’s talk was part of the AGO’s Third Culture: Where
Art meets Science series. Eno supported the sense of optimism
inherent in the exhibition by describing a number of environmental,
political and social initiatives underway around the world.
Suggesting that the “job of the artist is to imagine other worlds,”
Eno challenged his listeners to take an active role in creating
a new world order.Luna Tek
April 27th • A Pretty Sonic Splatter and dreamSTATE
with General Chaos Visuals
A Pretty Sonic Splatter • Phil Ogison & Anne Sulikowski with
General Chaos Visuals
dreamSTATE • Scott M2 & Jamie Todd with General Chaos Visuals
dreamSTATE and A Pretty Sonic Splatter with General Chaos Visuals||: IN THE LOOP :|| A Pretty Sonic Splatter and dreamSTATE
with General Chaos VisualsInfamous for its cruelty, the month of April took its leave graciously
this past week, serving up a mild evening for THE AMBiENT PiNG‘s final
concert of the month.A Pretty Sonic Splatter (Phil Ogison and Anne Sulikowski) began
the April 27th concert with a lovely, drifting set that featured tracks
from their new album, It Is Fate That We Met. Delicate, yet
captivating, their music was a sonic reflection of the spider web
patterns cast by General Chaos’ hypnotic visuals. Both Phil and Anne
were in excellent form, delighting the audience with tasteful
guitar-synth improvisations and Anne’s sensuous vocalizations.Special guests dreamSTATE (Scott M2 and Jamie Todd) commandeered
the stage for the second set. As promised, they created evocative
sound environments that established, and then transformed, the
emotional path of their performance. Ranging from playful to poignant,
the dreamSTATE set proved that these masters of the genre have miles
left to travel in their own ambient explorations. Let’s hope that
they leave us with more than “fragmented memories and haunted dreams”
before they’re finished, though – a handful of new releases would be
far more satisfying for this devotee.Exploring the outer limits of their earlier sets, the two duos closed
the concert with an end-of-the-evening jam. Truly a worthy performance
by four outstanding musicians.Luna Tek
