NEWS:
 THE STEREOPHONIC CONFIT FESTIVAL is a rare meeting of seven off-kilter international and regional musicians, including bluegrass/jazz banjo/guitarist EUGENE CHADBOURNE, freestyle percussionist TATSUYA NAKATANI (Japan), a twin-bass attack from JOEL GRIP (Sweden) and EVAN LIPSON, violinist ERNEST PAIK, and THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS (Moog and drums). Expect the strange and the sublime in an intimate, salon-type performance, and come early, because the price of admission ($8) includes gourmet appetizers! It all happens on Monday, November 16, at the Winder Binder Gallery (40 Frazier Ave.) at 8 PM.
 THE LATEST CD FROM THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS is entitled A.S.A.P. Wings and features Dennis Palmer and Bob Stagner with H'arpeggione (the "devil cello") player Killick Erik Hinds. The music is a juggernaut, a whale of a hoot. Post-post-modern revivalism at its ornery and most unabashed best, and there's even a cover of the Residents' "Red Rider." Go to the online store.
 Support the arts in Tennessee by purchasing a specialty license plate! Each purchase helps to fund the Tennessee Arts Commission.
PAST EVENTS:
 ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO AND THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS will lead two nights of shamanic improvised energy, at CreateHere, 55 E. Main St., Chattanooga. The first night (Wed., Oct. 7, 6 PM, $20) features two concurrent workshops: Arrington will teach multiphonic vocals and Tuvan throat singing, while the Shaking Ray Levis present their "Ol’ Timey Avant-Garde Workout," where participants create a sonic vocabulary with their own instrument of choice or the provided drums. On the second night (Thurs., Oct. 8, 6 PM, FREE ADMISSION), workshop participants will become performers, improvising alongside the instructors. Workshop spaces are limited, so email shakingraylevisociety[*at*]gmail.com to reserve a spot - please specify either "vocal" or "instrumental" workshop.
 INCUS FESTIVAL NYC 2009: Two diverse, breathtaking evenings of musical fireworks to celebrate Incus Records (co-founded by SRLS friend, collaborator, and inspiration Derek Bailey), one of the world's most important improvisation based record labels. Each night features the musical luminaries Cyro Baptista, Min Xiao Fen, Fred Frith, Milford Graves, Susie Ibarra, George Lewis, Richard Teitelbaum, and John Zorn. Oct. 17-18, 2009, 8 PM, Henry Street Settlement: Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street) New York, NY 10002 (212.598.0400). $25 for 1 show | $40 for both.
 THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS are going to freeze your eardrums by submerging them in liquid nitrogen, then shatter them with a hammer, then glue the pieces back together if you ask nicely! It's happening at the Flying Monkey Arts Center in Huntsville, AL, on Oct. 3 (Sat., 8:30 PM, $5).
 INCUS PHOENIX FESTIVAL: The legendary Incus Records (co-founded by SRLS friend, collaborator, and inspiration Derek Bailey) is celebrating a healthy surge of activity with the INCUS PHOENIX FESTIVAL, which will prove to be THE international improv event of the season. Over the September 18-19 weekend in London, an unbelievable number of veteran improvisors will come out to play, including Han Bennink, Duck Baker, Steve Beresford, Alex Ward, John Butcher, Will Gaines, Oren Marshall, Philipp Wachsmann, Rhodri Davies, Thebe Lipere, Steve Noble, Simon H. Fell, Tony Bevan, and Ashley Wales. More details are on the Incus site, and tickets may be purchased from the Cafe Oto site.
 VOICE OF THE DEWCLAWS: You won't find a more diverse line-up 'round these parts than this quintet: the SHAKING RAY LEVIS (Dennis Palmer on Moog synthesizer, Bob Stagner on Pearl percussion) with harpist Renee Nelson (from ENVIE) and Scott Burland and Frank Schultz (a.k.a. DUET FOR THEREMIN AND LAP STEEL). Expect solos, duos, and trios, plus ad hoc groupings devised by the musicians. Catch it at Eyedrum in Atlanta on Sept. 12 (Sat., 9 PM, $7).
 THE WHAT CHEER? BRIGADE from Providence, RI is a 19-piece mobile party, like a marching band on an atomic fireball sugar rush that darts from New Orleans brass band tunes to Bollywood dance numbers to whirlwind Balkan folk to bombastic hip-hop, with a ton of surprises along the way. The SRLS brings their merry insanity to Chattanooga on July 31 (Fri.), starting at the south side of the Walnut Street Bridge (7 PM) and parading over to the Winder Binder Gallery (40 Frazier Ave.) for an outdoor dance 'splosion. Admission is FREE but donations are encouraged.
 KENOSHA KID from Athens, GA delivers a one-of-a-kind movie viewing experience, accompanying the classic Buster Keaton silent film Steamboat Bill, Jr. with a completely original, vibrant soundtrack. Their performance at the Barking Legs Theatre on July 25 (Sat., 7 PM, $10/$5 for AEC members) will have something for everyone: a jazz concert, a film, a chamber ensemble, and a comedy all rolled into one. Presented in conjunction with the AEC as part of its 2009 Back Row Film Series. Opening the evening will be two classic short films with original scores created just for this event by SRLS members.
 WHOFEST is the best-known folk/visionary/outsider art festival in the area, and for the second year, the SRLS has cherry-picked a fun and diverse musical lineup for all ages. Hear EUGENE CHADBOURNE (free jazz & bluegrass) and the SHAKING RAY LEVIS, LITTLE BANG THEORY (toy-tunes transcending novelty), KEVIN "KALIMBAMAN" SPEARS (Jimi Hendrix on a thumb piano), THE SURE SHOTS / JENNIE KNAGGS (hollerin' champion), ENVIE (art-rock/pop with harp), DUET for THEREMIN & LAP STEEL, THE RIVER OF FLAVORTASTE, and more! It takes place on 5/23 (Sat) and 5/24 (Sun) at Renaissance Park on Chattanooga's north shore (directions), and ADMISSION IS FREE!
 REV. HOWARD FINSTER'S PARADISE GARDENS was the location of the FAH-SAH-LAH-CAH-LO FESTIVAL back in 1987, presented by the Shaking Ray Levi Society. This May, the SRLS returns to Paradise Gardens (84 Knox St., Summerville, GA, 30747) for FINSTER FEST, an event to help benefit the restoration of this unique folk art Mecca. The SRLS will present Shaking Ray Levi's Drum Workout at 1 PM and 4 PM on May 3 (Sun), a hands-on creative percussion collaboration for all ages and skill levels.
 THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS will join the incomparable SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM on their tour of the South: Bottletree (Birmingham, AL) on April 24 (Fri), The EARL (Atlanta) on April 25 (Sat), and 5 Points Pub (Columbia, SC) on April 26 (Sun). This special incarnation of the Shaking Ray Levis will include Killick from Athens, GA. Don't miss this opportunity to see two mind-blowing acts in the same evening!
 THE ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC CUPCAKE FESTIVAL is back! This time, it will feature guitar/Chapman Stick experimentalist and Zepubicle member JEFF MCLEOD, a noise deathmatch between NEON VIKING FUNERAL and SECRET GUILT, and free improv from multi-instrumentalists AMANDA CAGLE (Rough Shapes) and ERNEST PAIK. Come see the most unpredictable music event of the season in Chattanooga, on April 11 (Sat, 8 PM, $5) at the Winder Binder Gallery.
 The award-winning documentary A MAN NAMED PEARL, which was co-produced by the Shaking Ray Levi Society, will be broadcast on the Home & Garden channel (HGTV) on March 22 (Sun) at 8 PM and midnight and also on April 3 (Fri) at 4 PM. This intriguing, upbeat, and inspiring film is about the topiary artist Pearl Fryar, known for his astounding botanical creations; despite a lack of formal training, Fryar has emerged as one of the most celebrated figures in topiary art today, and his influence is seen throughout the South and beyond.
 THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS will perform at the BIG EARS FESTIVAL, a presentation of adventurous and exploratory concerts by artists with unique visions that stand apart from the mainstream. Other acts at the festival will include Antony and the Johnsons, Philip Glass, Negativland, Pauline Oliveros, Matmos, Fennesz, and Michael Gira (Swans, Angels of Light), and it will take place Feb. 6-8, 2009, at various venues in Knoxville, TN.
 SHELLEY HIRSCH is one of the most acclaimed and celebrated avant-garde vocalists today, known for her fiercely unconventional singing techniques, intriguing and compelling storytelling, fascinating improvisations, and unforgettable stage performances. SHELLEY & THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS are performing as a TRIO on a mini-tour of the South, hitting Chattanooga (Thurs, Jan 8, 8 PM) at the Winder Binder Gallery and Athens (Sat, Jan 10, 10 PM) at the Caledonia Lounge. (press release)
 THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS will bring their gleefully wicked creative free improv stylings to a special HALLOWE'EN PARTY show (Fri., Oct. 31, 9 PM) at Kavarna (707 East Lake Dr.) in Decatur, GA (Atlanta area). Also on the bill are CINETROPE ("colorful tones, swirling rhythms") and ENVIE ("Intricate and pretty art-rock with a punchy pop undercurrent...an evocative group like no other in the Atlanta area" - Stomp and Stammer).
 Chattanooga filmmaker JARROD WHALEY presents an encore screening of Passion Flower, and the premieres of Footprints and Relearning Everything this Saturday (9/6, two screenings: 7 & 9 PM) at Barking Legs Theater (1307 Dodds Ave.) Beautifully filmed and edited, these three documentaries explore unconventional approaches to health issues undertaken by locally based non-profit organizations. $10 minimum donation - most proceeds to benefit these nonprofits: CoPAC, The Aim Center and the Chattanooga Area Brain Injury Association.
 If you missed the special screening back in June, here's your second chance to see the award-winning documentary A MAN NAMED PEARL. About the topiary artist Pearl Fryar, known for his astounding botanical creations, this intriguing, upbeat, and inspiring film was co-produced by the SRLS, and it opens this fall's AEC Independent Film Series. Catch it at the downtown Bijou Theatre from Aug. 29 (Fri) to September 4 (Thur). "[Fryar] turns trees and bushes into topiary sculptures every bit as amazing as the ones Johnny Depp's character crafts [in Edward Scissorhands]" - New York Post.
 THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS will be part of an extraordinary evening of improvisation and avant-garde music, featuring STRING TREK (violist LaDonna Smith and Russian guitarist/poet Misha Feigin), PAUL THOMAS and CHRIS RAY (video art/electronics), ECHO CANYON (three-piece free-range improv), and the inimitable KILLICK (Appalachian trance metal). It all happens on August 4 (Monday, 8 PM) at Ciné in Athens, GA.
 COL. BRUCE HAMPTON is the legendary musician, surrealist, improv-rock trailblazer, and actor who has led the Hampton Grease Band and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. ROGER ALAN WADE has written songs for Johnny Cash and Hank Williams Jr., and he goes from comical to woeful with his raw, deep, and unforgettable voice. Both will perform at a free show presented by CreateHere and the Shaking Ray Levi Society on August 18 (Monday, 7 PM) at the Loose Cannon Gallery (1800 Rossville Ave.) in Chattanooga.
 DUCK BAKER is one of the most highly regarded fingerstyle guitarists of his generation and has been praised by guitar legends such as Chet Atkins, Leo Kottke, and Charlie Byrd. His repertoire spans the entire history of jazz—from ragtime through swing to modern masters like Thelonious Monk to free improvisation, and he's also devoted to traditional American forms like blues, gospel, and Appalachian music. Baker will play a rare stateside show as a soloist and also as part of an improvising trio with the Shaking Ray Levis on July 12 (Sat, 9 PM) at JJ's Bohemia. (press release)
 A MAN NAMED PEARL is an award-winning documentary about the topiary artist Pearl Fryar, known for his astounding botanical creations. This intriguing, upbeat, and inspiring film was co-produced by the SRLS, and the AEC kicks off their 2008 Back Row Film Series with a special screening at the TN Aquarium on June 28 (Sat) starting at 5 PM with a topiary demonstration by Pearl Fryar himself. The film will be shown at 6:30 PM, followed by a discussion with Fryar at 7:45 PM. $5 for AEC or Aquarium members, $10 for non-members. "There's always gonna be obstacles. The thing is, you don't let those obstacles determine where you go." - Pearl Fryar
 THE BROTHERS UNCONNECTED are Alan and Richard Bishop paying tribute to SUN CITY GIRLS and bandmate CHARLES GOCHER, who succumbed to cancer last year. The evening will include a 40-minute film of Gocher's video works followed by two acoustic sets from Alan and Richard. Reverence will never sound so irreverent, and the Bishops will be true to the unpredictable, confrontational, eclectic, and bizarre legacy of Sun City Girls on June 28 (Sat, 8:30 PM) at Barking Legs Theater.
 WHOFEST is the best-known folk/visionary/outsider art festival in the area, and this year, the SRLS hand-picked six varied musical acts to join the celebration. It takes place at Renaissance Park on Chattanooga's north shore (directions), and admission is free! On May 24 (Sat., 1-6 PM), hear songs of war and peace from FRANK PAHL (from Ann Arbor) with THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS, SANDIA (experimental prog rock), and SWEET GEORGIA SOUND (Dixieland jazz). On May 25 (Sun., 1-6 PM), catch LAND CAMERA (power pop-rock), THE KOFI MAWUKO TRIO (Ghanaian music), and ROGER ALAN WADE (humorous honky tonk).
THE ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC CUPCAKE FESTIVAL - Four diverse acts in one evening! Incomparable violinist LADONNA SMITH (Alabama) with master improviser MISHA FEIGIN (Russia) on guitar; haunting atmospherics, violin, and video from GOOD NOISE BAD NOISE (U.K.); the hypnotic soundscapes of DUET FOR THEREMIN AND LAP STEEL (ATL); the fingerstyle/flamenco guitar and fiery cello of MONTANA SKIES (ATL). Come see the Spring's most unique music event happening in Chattanooga, on Mar. 29 (Sat, 8 PM) at JJ's Bohemia.
 THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS unleash the SRL 4TET with special guests multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire AMANDA CAGLE and veteran guitar improviser DAVEY WILLIAMS, serving up their ol'-timey southern-fried avant-garde with a lineup never witnessed before! It all happens at Eyedrum (Atlanta) on Mar. 28 (Fri), with GOOD NOISE BAD NOISE and DUET FOR THEREMIN AND LAP STEEL.
 COL. BRUCE HAMPTON is a musician and surrealist whose remarkable career spans decades, from the late '60s Hampton Grease Band to his acclaimed Aquarium Rescue Unit to his current day outfit the Quark Alliance. He joins DENNIS PALMER - improviser, keyboardist, vocalist, visual artist, and one half of the Shaking Ray Levis - for a performance on Feb. 19 (Tues, 8 PM) at Eyedrum in Atlanta. The "punky, arty, doomy, trancey, folky, scrapey, noisy" outfit ZEPUBICLE will open the show.
 TRANS DUO (LaDonna Smith and Davey Williams) teams up with THE SHAKING RAY LEVIS and guitarist MISHA FEIGIN for a "REUNION of SOUTHERN-STYLED IMPROVISATIONS" on October 14 (Sunday, 8 PM) at Eyedrum in Atlanta. "A virtuoso violinist…[LaDonna Smith is] the female criminal in pursuit of the ecstatic, potent, subversive and transcendent."-Perfect Sound Forever. "Perhaps the most prolific and certainly one of the most innovative of American improvising guitarists," - Ed Baxter, on Davey Williams
 THE PLASTIC PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE are, simply put, living legends. Formed nearly four decades ago in Czechoslovakia, the group’s bold, uncompromising music (influenced by the Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa) and incarceration by the Communist regime served as inspiration for future president Václav Havel and earned them an indelible spot in Czech history. Today, the band’s music is as vital and potent as ever, and we are proud to present them on Sept. 20 (Thurs.) at the Barking Legs Theatre (1307 Dodds Ave.), one of just a handful of dates in the USA this year.
 FRANK PAHL is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, instrument inventor, toy/electronics tinker, and improviser, and he mixes both familiar and unfamiliar sounds to make "a humorously dark funhouse of musical creativity" (Metro Times Detroit). Pahl will channel his wartime outrage using wit and off-kilter songwriting with numbers from his recent album Songs of War and Peace on July 20 (Friday) at 11 PM at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre (400 River St.) Join kindred spirits and blow off some steam at what will be an utterly unique, powerful, and memorable event.
 SIR RICHARD BISHOP, best known as a member of the incomparable SUN CITY GIRLS, combines his improv and compositional wizardry with an astounding technical mastery of the guitar and diverse influences (Spanish gypsy and flamenco, Southeast Asian, North African, to name a few.) His lightning-fast picking and mind-bending melodies will make sure no jaws are left undropped. See/hear him plus the unstoppable tribal sound assault of SUOMI and the old-timey foot-stompin' and hollerin' of the NEW BINKLEY BROTHERS on June 1 (Friday) at JJ's Bohemia (231 MLK, Chattanooga).
 THE HEROES ARE HORSES - record release show - Friday, March 2, 11 PM, at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre (400 River St). Mark Bradley-Shoup, Jim Tate, and Ryan Dixon (also of the Quiet Ones) mix moody storytelling, acoustic folk, and found sounds (their "atmospheric anomalies") with collaborators like Buddy T. from Lambchop and Bob of the Shaking Ray Levis. Fans of Neil Young, Drag City bands, and Red House Painters will find a lot to love here.
RECORD RELEASE PARTY - February 22, 7 PM, at JJ's Bohemia (231 MLK, Chattanooga) - FREE ADMISSION! Featuring a performance by the Shaking Ray Levis, exclusive video screenings of a 1987 Derek Bailey set (soon to be released as a DVD on Incus) and a new documentary about the Society entitled The Jarrod Whaley Programme, and DJ action from the SAY X-RAY FEELINGS team of Kastle Hair Hezekiah and Wadsworth Longfellow. The Shaking Ray Levis will also perform in support of the CD at Eyedrum in Atlanta (Fri., 3/23, 9 PM, $7) and Mercury Art Works in Athens, GA (Sat., 3/24, 8 PM, $5).
 THE AMARANTH (dir. JARROD WHALEY, 2006) and ANTI-ARKTIKOS (dir. JUDITH MOGUL, 2006) to be screened at Eyedrum in Atlanta (Fri., 2/16, 8 PM, $5) with the filmmakers in attendance for q/a. Read Chattanooga Pulse articles about The Amaranth and Anti-Arktikos.
"A sort of Jan Svankmajer-influenced March of the Penguins or a David Lynchian Where the Wild Things Are," John Beifuss of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, on Anti-Arktikos
Shaking Ray Levi
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