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Saul Stokes

Sending sound into space, each composition induces its own unique zone. Pearce's six steel strings shiver under his light touch, with every tone challenging gravity's pull. Each note builds on the promise of the one that came before, revealing a robust creative vision. Yet, in its inviting minimalism even the sparest of the tracks contain references to the cosmos. As sonic eddies form, slow yearning melodies reiterate at the rate and depth of a sleeper's breath - and the music deepens from the pleasant and consonant into the transcendent and moving.

Arising from shorelines of unearthly radiance the mesmerizing impact of this music's aural texture ventures to defeat space and time. Yet, when Pearce commands it, his guitarist's picking, looping and E-Bow echo techniques are exact and clear. In the dancing delicacy of arpeggio chords the spare procession of isolated notes articulate a soaring, confident energy - which settles down ultimately into a refuge of otherworldly beauty.

Shrouded in a misty mystical digital signal processing, through the clever use of loop pedals, long echoes and the splitting and shifting of sonics, a dreamy cloud of harmony is realized - yet always with a few tones lurking in a vast darkness. Trembling with emotion, the music conveys a timeless yearning.

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Jeff Pearce - excerpt from The Gatherings rehearsal

The setting is a grand, although unrestored, church sanctuary in Philadelphia on Saturday 10 June 2000 where Jeff Pearce is set to perform a show. Along with his performance set he has on offer (produced especially for attendees) a limited edition six track CD called Songs for The Gathering. It was the perfect souvenir for The Gatherings Concert Series audience as it offered music from this formative era and remained out of print, becoming a collector's item for a full two decades. Having now rediscovered (and remastered) this material, and added on two additional contemporaneous pieces, Songs for The Gathering (58:27) has been given a proper re-issue - just in time to commemorate the porcelain anniversary of its first release, and also to remind us of the hope we all felt at the beginning of the 21st century.

Sending sound into space, each composition induces its own unique zone. Pearce's six steel strings shiver under his light touch, with every tone challenging gravity's pull. Each note builds on the promise of the one that came before, revealing a robust creative vision. Yet, in its inviting minimalism even the sparest of the tracks contain references to the cosmos. As sonic eddies form, slow yearning melodies reiterate at the rate and depth of a sleeper's breath - and Songs for The Gathering deepens from the pleasant and consonant into the transcendent and moving. Arising from shorelines of unearthly radiance the mesmerizing impact of this music's aural texture ventures to defeat space and time. Yet, when he commands it, this guitarist's picking, looping and E-Bow echo techniques are exact and clear. In the dancing delicacy of arpeggio chords the spare procession of isolated notes articulate a soaring, confident energy - which settles down ultimately into a refuge of otherworldly beauty.

Songs for The Gathering is a lambent landmark from two decades ago, yet its bright message remains as meaningful as when it was first delivered. Written in a language and performed with a skill that has stayed with us across the 20 years since first hearing it, this music has been revived to help us through the times in which we now find ourselves. What can an artist expect to achieve in the shadow of disaster and doubt? For Jeff Pearce it has been quite a lot. In many a profound musical moment he has encountered glints of transcendence, and the hint of how things might have been in a less brutal world.

Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END - 30 April 2020

Jeff Cain may be best known for his work in the Philadelphia based innovative music duo The Ghostwriters. Authoring several atmospheric masterpiece recordings and live performances, these early realizations were unhindered, true expressions between collaborators. Forty years later Cain has returned to music. His performance at The Gatherings with fellow Ambient Musician Nick Tannen will be distinguished by elegance and tenderness. Their adventurous explorations are delivered as if in intimate, personal touch with the listener. Opening a rare space for peace, thought and warmth, their music is as powerfully effective as instrumental storytelling gets - flowing with the solemn, blissful insistence of life itself.

Jeff Cain + Nick Tannen make their debut at The Gatherings Concert Series on Saturday 13 May 2023.

The Gatherings Concert Series presents Jeff Pearce plus Jeff Cain + Nick Tannen live in concert on Saturday 13 May 2023 at 8:00PM. (doors open at 7:30PM) in the church sanctuary of St. Mary's Hamilton Village 3916 Locust Walk (just east of 40th & Locust) on the Penn campus in West Philadelphia. Free Admission/Donation Requested. Advance Registration is available through Eventbrite.

(please click the graphic above and register through Eventbrite)

Additional Material:

• Directions to The Gatherings Concert Series
• Questions? Please Send an Email

Jeff Pearce plus Jeff Cain + Nick Tannen Youtube Live Stream Saturday 13 May 2023
In-Person Concert/Live Stream - Complete Performance

: :

• Official Website: www.jeffpearcemusic.com
• Jeff Pearce STAR'S END Profile at: www.starsend.org/pearce.html
• Photos of Jeff Pearce live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on 6 March 1999
• Photos of Jeff Pearce live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on 10 June 2000
• Photos of Jeff Pearce live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on 19 October 2002
• Photos of Jeff Pearce live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on 22 October 2005
• Photos of Jeff Pearce live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on 11 October 2014
• Photos of Jeff Pearce live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on 7 October 2017

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeff.cain.908