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the drirler
Ambient -found /culptor Gleg Duvi/
MAKGJ HI/ FIR/TTRIPTO ATH€NJ
percussion piece with bells and gongs. Something like ritualis
tic music—like a cross between gamelan, temple music and Joe
Jones automatic instruments. A CD of live recordings by me and
Sebastien Roux is coming out soon as well. Et cetera.
As far as my own solo sets go, these days I'm getting really
deeply into drone music and long-tone/ overtone singing. I've
been really interested in creating an intense three-dimensional
meditation space. Peace noise. I'll be doing some version of drone
music in Athens. It changes from night to night, and I'm sure it'll
be well evolved by the time I get to Georgia.
FP: How did you come to pair up with Akron/Family?
GD: I met the Akron/Family guys back in June when they
played a show in Burlington and I opened up for them. I had
met Miles [Seaton] from the band a couple weeks earlier down in
t here's a reason that a droning sound is one of the oldest forms
of music. A timeless blend of power, beauty and calm exists
within a sustained tone that no chord or bridge could possibly
contain. Many have the misconception that it's as simple as hold
ing down a key or twisting a dial. But when done properly, as few
can, the drone, a surprisingly multipurpose musical context, can
create the perfect mental state as well as engage directly with the
listener. This is not sonic wallpaper. This is closer to classical mu
sic than to Pure Moods.
Drone is merely one of Greg Davis' many gifts. The Vermont mu
sician has dabbled in far too many genres and subgenres to enu
merate, but the drifting textures and ebb and flow of drone are his
calling cards. Unparalleled warmth and depth—complemented by a
sense of actual life—nestle within his pieces. Not only is he bliss
ing us out with his presence as opener for the Akron/Family [see
Liner Notes], he's also playing in that headlining
band on this tour.
Davis is known for being into an impossible
number of musical styles, and there's always
something to glean from what he's spinning
lately. Check out http://gdfavorites.blogspot.
com for a list of his current obsessions. Flagpole
spoke with Davis about the state of experimen
tal music in general, and which clouds he finds
his head in these days.
Flagpole: There's far, far more interest in
experimental music than there was 10 years ago,
at least in the independent music world, not
to mention the sheer number of fans of all the
types of left-field music and so many new labels
catering to them. It's the Internet that's mainly
allowing for this vast expansion and a seemingly
"secret" music has become widely known.
Greg Davis: The move of music culture to
the Internet allowed all types of music to gain
more equal footing. Almost anyone has access to
almost any kind of music from any era now. So
everyone, especially huge music fans, can dis
cover every little nook and cranny of the musical
universe. It's a really beautiful thing.
You don't have to pay SlOO anymore to hear
that super-rare Taj Mahal Travellers album, for
instance. As soon as something gets digitized
and gets shared on the Internet, it finds its way
out to all those who are seeking it.
So it is an exciting time for experimental mu
sic, because rare, obscure, small-press music can
make its way out to anyone who is willing to
listen. I really wish I had had that access to so
much music when I was growing up. But I also
really cherish and value the time that I've spent
going to record stores and buying records and
discovering them on my own. Then again, I'm
also really grateful to be here now.
FP: You've never played in Athens before. What's your pre impres
sion of it?
- GD: I don't know much about it except that it's a nice college
town and the home of the Elephant 6 scene and the Orange Twin
community and stuff. I'm excited to come down there and check it
out. I get the feeling that its something like Burlington [VT, Davis'
home town] or Asheville or something. Looking forward to it...
FP: It would be one thing to call you a guy who can make beau
tiful and involving drones, but you can do ultra-minimal microsound-
scapes, solo piano, raga, folk, on and on and on. Being so prolific,
we never really know what you're going to sound like from release to
release. What’re you up to these days? What can we expect to expe
rience at the show?
GD: As always, I'm involved in lots of different music now. T'm
working on my next solo album for Kranky called Joysongs. I'm
hoping to have it done this winter. It's turning out to be a collec
tion of psychedelic Buddhist songs.
Also I have a duo project called Sun Circle with Zach Wallace,
and we are working on some minimal deep-drone music. Jeph
Jerman and I just finished our second CD together; it's a long
Tivoli, NY. I think they had heard little bits of my music before and
kinda knew what I was up to. I really became interested in what
they were doing when I first heard Meek Warrior, which blew me
away.
They asked me to do this tour with them and of course I said
yes—they are riding a nice little wave of recognition right now,
and I'm psyched to play in their band and also share my own solo
music with some different types of audiences. I think my drone
sets will be a good complement to the fun rocking jam sets that
we'll be doing as the Akron/Family. My sets will hopefully set up a
nice space and vibe before the Akrcn/Family set.
Michael Wehunt
/ V
WHO: Akron/Family, Greg Davis, Megafaun
WHERE: 40 Watt Club
WHEN: Saturday, September 15
HOW MUCH: $10 (advance), $12 (door)
v J
28 FLAGPOLE.COM • SEPTEMBER 12.2007
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