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A.R.S.[e]Ashley / Story / Roedeliusplus Dieter Moebius and Cluster
Live at The Gatherings Concert SeriesSaturday 15 November 2008 8:00pmSt. Mary's Hamilton Village3916 Locust Walk in Philadelphia, PA |
A. R. S. [e] live at The Gatherings Concert Series on 15 November 2008 is funded in part by the independent record label Nepenthe Music
Ashley | Roedelius | Story
Ashley | Roedelius | Story
Ashley | Roedelius | Story
Dwight Ashley
Tim Story
Dwight Ashley
Tim Story
Cluster
Cluster
Cluster
Cluster
Dieter Moebius
Cluster
Cluster
Cluster
Roedelius & Tim Story
Roedelius & Tim Story
Roedelius & Tim Story
Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Ashley | Roedelius | Moebius | Story
Roedelius | Story | Moebius
Dwight Ashley
Ashley/Story
Dwight Ashley |
Dwight Ashley | Hans-Joachim Roedelius | Tim Story w/ Dieter Moebius and Cluster - The Gatherings Concert Series, 15 November 2008
The day was clear and blustery, driving into Philly and anticipating another deep and reflective night of music-making at St. Mary's. The Gatherings seventy-seventh show [or there abouts] featured a lineup of seasoned music-makers, augmented at the last minute by an impressive addition. Hans-Joachim Roedelius would be joined, it turned out, by Dieter Moebius, and the pair would perform a live set as Cluster. With the seats barely cooled off from Manuel Göttsching's August performance, you'd think one seventies flashback would be enough for one year. But no! This night would showcase the Krautrock veterans' live set, plus Dwight Ashley and Tim Story, playing in various configurations and combinations - a veritable Gatherings mini-festival. Even with so much music-making at hand, pre-show preparations were loose and easy by the time I showed up. At altar center, a folding table held a few mixers and samplers for Cluster. Dwight Ashley was stationed with laptop and gear at stage left, and Tim Story, dressed in black, was tucked away behind a wide keyboard on the opposite side. Behind everyone, a custom set of banners proclaimed: "A.R.S.[e]" - celebrating the release of the new Ashley-Roedelius-Story album, Errata. I admired Roedelius' easygoing style as he chatted with the stage crew and fiddled with his wonderful long Doctor Who-esque scarf. The church filled quickly as the bluster outside began to pick up, and before long, A., R. and S. were ready to kick things off with some selections from the new disc. An interesting fusion was revealed - glurpy and atonal keyboard work intertwined around modern rhythms, with some more light and fluid melodies interspersed. It was difficult to tell who was doing or contributing what, but the overall effect was mechanical and chilly, yet engrossing. Out of these three disparate careers, something new and distinct seemed to emerge in their forty-minute set. Even before they were done, several furtive buyers popped into the back of the church to grab some copies of Errata, unable to contain themselves. Jeff Towne's visuals took on a new dimension tonight too - as he dappled the lower stage in shades of purple, red and green, he projected hi-res photography of St. Mary's stained glass up onto the walls, a wonderful effect. After a brief break, squeals and enthusiastic clapping greeted Chuck's warm reminiscence and welcoming of Cluster to The Gatherings stage. Moebius and Roedelius took their seats right next to each other, front-and-center, as if letting us peek in on an afternoon studio jam. Chatting, joking around a bit, tweaking and grooving, the pair presented two long-form pieces in wonderful fashion, probably fifteen or twenty minutes each. The music was difficult to describe - highly relaxing and engaging, more experimental than standard ambient fare, but neither too harsh nor too bland. Sampled tidbits of voices, noises, clanks, and other abstracts pops and fizzles were cresting and falling like waves of a calming ocean. Roedelius occasionally turned to the side to fiddle with a keyboard, adding lush, Mellotron-esque colorations. A few times, a quick chirping rhythm loop would swoop through the middle of everything and heads in the audience would bob. Delighted cheering came after the first piece and a standing ovation capped off their set, while they waved and grinned easily and then darted into the back. Time for intermission, and a frenzy at the merchandise tables - Cluster albums were available, along with Moebius and Roedelius side projects and one-offs, and the whole Nepenthe Music catalogue too. Domestics, singles, imports, Japanese limited-editions with their shiny OBI strips, oh my! People walked away with armloads and we were asked more than once, "Uh, do you guys have any shopping bags?" (Not to mention the bewildered fellow who asked me, "Did these guys make all this music??") After the intermission, Dwight Ashley took the stage with Tim Story for a small palate cleanser - the wonderful deep, rattling timbres of Dwight's own track, "Katalepsis". In a concert dominated by more breezy and abstract tones, this was bracing, dark, and deep, a good few moments for reflection. In the vestibule, CD's were still whizzing off the tables, albeit with voices down to whispering level now. Roedelius and Story took the helm next, providing about twenty minutes of blissful piano interludes from the superb albums they made together - Inlandish and Lunz. Tim's fluid and expressive keyboard phrasings, set against rich and quirky underpinnings from Roedelius, set the most relaxing tone out of any of the night's artistic configurations. Small flutterings of snoring and sighing began to come from the dark pews as "Wobbly Flu Twilight" and other pieces served up three- and four-minute blissful, drowsy vignettes. The two artists exchanged a couple short glances, communicating silently, their set obviously bearing the marks of careful preparation. A final musical send-off, now, as all four artists took the stage for one final jam, similar in style to the first portion of the show, lasting about fifteen minutes. Then, with effusive thanks and cheers, the entire ensemble took a bow. The post-concert atmosphere was joyous, as I met up with a couple old friends, newly back in town, and the four artists dashed back and forth, greeting and signing CD's. Eventually, everyone was herded onto one bench, and an orderly procession of fans came through the baptismal font area to give handshakes and hugs and take photographs. The whole crew was laughing, avuncular, grateful, especially Roedelius, who once or twice slipped his hand into a bag and gave some exclusive CDr's to appreciative fans. While I kept the line moving through, the break-down and move-out of the gear happened at warp speed, even though fat drops of rain had now begun to splatter the parking lot. Instead of accompanying Dwight and his wife to WXPN and STAR'S END for late-night carousing and on-air concert, I headed home, with a new Cluster CD in the car stereo, letting the music wash over me, along with the coming downpour. by Scott Kelly (a.k.a. DJ Kel) 2 January 2009 |
Cluster
Cluster
Ashley | Roedelius | Story ~ Concert Photos by Jeff Towne
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Nepenthe - 21st Century Neo-Expressionism
A. R. S. [e] live at The Gatherings Concert Series on 15 November 2008 is funded in part by Nepenthe Music. An independent record label based in Toledo, OH, Nepenthe Music is dedicated to the music releases of Dwight Ashley and selected projects by Tim Story, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Cluster. For more about Nepenthe Music, please access: http://www.nepenthemusic.com |
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For more about A.R.S.(e), please access the:
• Photos of Roedelius + Tim Story live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on 9 October 1999 | |
The Gatherings Concert Series is presented by the all-volunteer staff of The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania
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