Musical Guests 2015

Canopy

Canopy is a collaboration between Baltimore residents, Matt Muirhead and McKenzie Ditter. The duo digs deep into the roots of human musical memory and finds the melodic frequencies that lie there. Matt is a longtime builder of non-traditional instruments, primarily kalimba and tamboura. He is an avid collector of wooden boxes and transforms each one into an instrument unique unto itself. The metal tines on the kalimbas are created from Baltimore’s own street cleaner brushes and McKenzie tunes each one individually. Their improvised music relies on the interplay of two harmonizing kalimbas and their relationship of notes. Most recently, they discovered the “Hokkaido” scale, a haunting collection of notes reminiscent of the cold snows of the northern Japanese island. Matt has also recently invented something he calls the “soundboard,” a sensitized wooden surface for the kalimbas to be played on which picks up very minute vibrations and conveys them to an amplifier. It allows the frequencies of two kalimbas to pass through the same piece of wood, blending the tones to create a unified sound. They are influenced by classical and traditional world music but also draw highly from modern electronic styles. Outside of creating music, Matt and McKenzie are both primarily visual artists. Learn more about each on their websites, www.mattmuirhead.jimdo.com and www.mckenzieelizabeth.co.

Darsombra

Transcendental audio/visual rock duo Darsombra have packed and prepared their shuttle for launch, readying themselves for journey to inner space. Brian Daniloski (a veteran of metal bands Meatjack and Trephine), pilots, navigates, and controls the sound of Darsombra, alternating between searing guitar riffs, leads, loops, mammoth vocal swells, and soundscapes. He takes one part metal, one part psychedelic rock, one part experimental, and dashes of prog, glam, and krautrock, to soundtrack the voyage. Filmmaker Ann Everton joins him on vocals, synthesizer, and percussion, as well as stewarding us along the way by projecting her kinetic, psychotropic videos specifically composed to the music, engulfing the audience within the trip.

Following releases on At A Loss, Public Guilt, Underradar and others, Darsombra worked with Exile On Mainstream for the release of Climax Community in 2012. The three tracks on the LP traverse forty-five minutes of the outfit’s unique, slow-building, organic transcendental rock. Recent tours in the U.S. and Europe have paired Darsombra with Wino, Jucifer, Thrones, Floor, and Stinking Lizaveta.

Fractal Cat

Baltimore’s Fractal Cat is inspired by early rock ‘n’ roll, classic soul, and psychedelia; musical influences include Buddy Holly, early Pink Floyd, and John Coltrane, while lyrical inspirations range from Blake to Buddha. The band is currently promoting Lovingkind, its second album of all-original material. The album track “Tryptide” was named by WTMD Radio’s Sam Sessa as one of the top 14 Baltimore songs of 2014. Fractal Cat has shared the stage with national, regional, and local talent including Consider the Source, Telesma, and Deaf Scene. Fractal Cat is produced by Miles Gannett and mastered by Motown legend Bob Olhsson.

Xyphoid Process

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