Another Two Records: Happy New Year!

It’s been almost half a year since my last post. In that time, I’ve been lucky enough to be part of two new releases!

First, Center unveiled its debut LP Over The Stations on bruit direct disques. I am immensely grateful to the label for trusting us with this release and it came out exactly as we wanted. This record was a long, long time in the making and really was important to us. I’m also extra chuffed about the release because I was lucky enough to have some photographs I took adorn the cover. Thanks to David and Stefan for supporting those photos and just generally being incredible bandmates & collaborators. We’re super proud of this record. Buy the LP from the label HERE or check it out at the embedded Bandcamp link below.

The second record I was lucky enough to play on during the second half of 2021 was Elkhorn’s Distances, which we recorded well before COVID shut down the world. Slowly, but surely, it was coaxed through the release process and the end result sounds massive due, in no small part, to the hard work of Philadelphia’s Jeff Zeigler behind the faders. You can grab the LP from Feeding Tube Records HERE and hear it on Elkhorn’s Bandcamp at the embedded link below.

Thanks for reading and, hopefully, listening! The happiest of New Years to everyone out there! There is a bunch of cool stuff coming up in 2023 which I will be thrilled to announce as we enter the year. Stop back here or on social media for more info and, as always, see you at a gig!

Two New Releases!

Here it is! My usual, incredibly slow, update!

I’m super thrilled to announce the release of two records that occupied a large portion of my pandemic creative time.

First, Zach Rowden and I have a new cassette as Figured on German imprint Hangover Central Station. Continuum Organ is available from the label HERE or at the embedded Bandcamp link below.

The second release is a new LP from Heart of the Ghost (Luke Stewart, Jarrett Gilgore, and myself). This session took place outside of Philadelphia during the height of the pandemic and I am absolutely chuffed to have it reach the light of day! Big, big thanks to No Quarter Records for having us and for their patience with this project! You can pre-order the LP HERE or at through the embedded window below.

As always, the utmost thanks for tuning in and dropping out with me! There are more releases in the pipeline so hopefully my next update will be much, much sooner than this one!

See you at a gig!!

What's New

Hi all,

After nearly two years of inattention, here’s a brief round-up of what has been up since the last post:

A few cool records that I played on were released in 2021. Stefan Christensen was kind enough to have me play some drums on his most recent solo LP, Cheap Things, from U.K. label World of Echo. You can hear the track I am featured on, and, more importantly, pick up the record from Stefan at the portal below.

Stefan, David Shapiro (Alexander, Headroom, Kath Bloom), and I also released a cassette of music called Contour Process on the Regional Bears imprint (also based in the U.K.) The cassette is since sold-out but you can hear the whole release at Regional Bears’ Bandcamp.

In other guitar music, Mattson Ogg (Dura) and I were lucky to see some old recordings we made together released on Georgia-based imprint, Null Zone. As with the above release, cassettes are sold-out but you can hear the recordings below. This collaboration was really a blast and I hope that Mattson and I get to make music again in the future!

Last but not least, Trouble in Mind records from Chicago were kind enough to issue cassettes of a session I did with Tashi Dorji and Frank Meadows in 2017. These recordings go to some interesting places and gracious thanks to Bill at the label for making these physical. Cassettes are still available through the label’s Bandcamp page.

In addition to the recordings that I performed on, I was lucky enough to record and mix “Butterfly Knife:" a stellar release on Notice Recordings by the inimitable Zach Rowden and Charmaine Lee.

This post is by no means the entirety of my last two years but these releases and experiences are some of the highlights. Extra-musically, I have been maintaining a consistent production flow of custom effects pedals for some wonderful clients. Here a few of the recent builds and don’t hesitate to drop me a line regarding commissions.

The rest of 2022 will see more long-overdue releases coming to light and some fresh new collaborations that I am very excited about. I’ll finish this up with a couple photos of performances over the past year. As always, I hope to see you at a gig!

Solo at Redscroll Records, Wallingford, CT (Photo by Michael Rogers)

Mars Williams’ “An Ayler Xmas” at Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC (Photo by Christopher Grady)

It's Been A Long Time...

Hi all,

It’s been a long time since the last update and a lot has happened since February. In order to avoid a diatribe about COVID-19 and the ineptitude of American public officials, I will be sharing only good news in this post.

Most importantly: I got married! Before the COVID-19 crisis became such a crippling reality, Nenet & I snuck in our vows in a public park and it’s official: we’re psyched! I can’t express how thrilling it is to commit to a life with someone who so thoroughly expands and enriches every day. I’m still a bit in awe of the whole thing and most definitely overjoyed.

In addition to being the coolest person around, Nenet is also a stellar music journalist and has had a number of really wonderful profiles published in the last few months. You can check out her writing on Argentina’s El Expreso Imaginario, Miami’s Mango Hill Records, and Colombia’s Palenque Records at the embedded links.

In other, less massive, good news, I have been lucky enough to be featured on a few releases in the past few months.

In chronological order:

Wheel of Misfortune was released by Dagoretti Records for their Lockdown Tapes series. These recordings of Jon Lipscomb, Jarrett Gilgore, and myself had been in limbo for awhile. Pete was nice enough to give a home to some of the most demented, angular, and truly electric improvisations that I’ve been a part of.

After “Wheel of Misfortune,” New Haven’s Stefan Christensen released a limited cassette of two live sets entitled Two Live II. Some of the recordings on this release are from the night we opened for Nadah El Shazly at the Statehouse. That entire concert was a splendid night and I was excited to have recordings to look back on. Only 50 cassettes were pressed so swing over to Discogs if you’re looking for a copy.

The next release, after much postponement (pressing plant fires, production delays, COVID-19) is Heart of the Ghost’s collaboration with Dave Ballou: Live at Rhizome. Again, I can’t thank Pete at Dagoretti Records enough for putting this one out. I’m immensely proud of the playing on this record and it was a deeply special experience to record at our “home” venue.

Lastly, Stefan Christensen, David Shapiro, and I were kindly included in a New Haven-centric batch of cassettes from experimental music mainstay Carbon Records. There are some of our standby feedback stylings as well as some new territory where I turned over to modular synthesizer to interface with David and Stefan’s rabid guitars. It was really a “Go Team!” moment to be included in that batch with Stefan’s solo tape and a tape from bass/tape whiz Zach Rowden.

Finally, due to the pandemic and the lack of live performance opportunities, I have happily turned to starting a small effects pedal business in my spare time. H/T Electronics has already been lucky enough to supply some notable and unique guitarists with fuzz boxes. What was initially a hobby is getting more serious (not TOO serious, don’t worry!). Contact and distribution information is available HERE. As I tweak and build circuits and as demand increases, a logo and a few production models may appear. There’s not timeline for this but, in the meantime, feel free to shoot me a line if you would like something built or are interested in completed pedals on the shelf!

As always, thanks for reading and, as always, with fingers crossed very tightly, I hope to see you at a gig!

Happy New Year!

Wow! Another incredibly late update!

Since the last post here, Center (a new-old band of David Shapiro, Stefan Christensen and I) released a tape on the stellar Sound Holes label from the UK. You can purchase that release HERE from the label. After the release, we did a short tour to Western Massachusetts and upstate New York. Huge thanks to everyone who set-up gigs, played with us, and/or hosted us! It was really a treat!

Center at the Low Beat, Albany, NY - Photo by Mike Griffin

The following week, Zach Rowden and I regrouped as Figured to play a local gig in New Haven at NG2BC in support of our newest release “Clehft.” Copies of that release are going quick and can be found HERE.

Figured at NG2BC, New Haven, CT - Photo by Conor Perreault

I ended the year of gigs by playing a stellar benefit concert at St. Stephen Episcopal Church in D.C. rejoining Low Ways (Luke Stewart, Anthony Pirog, Mark Cisneros and myself) as well as guesting on Blacks’ Myths set and backing up the incredible Janel Leppin on some of her material. All of these events were really a blast and thank you to everyone who came out and supported towards the end of this year. It’s been a great one for gigs!

Janel Leppin featuring Low Ways & Thomas Stanley at St. Stephen Episcopal Church, Washington, DC - Photo by Christopher Grady

Coming up, I will be hitting again with Low Ways for Anthony Pirog’s birthday extravaganza at the Black Cat in DC on the 21st of this month. Then, in March, Receipt PPL (Max Hamel & I) will be sharing a bill with bi-coastal improvisers, TONED. Later in March, I will join guitar duo Elkhorn for a number of dates with guitar maestro Glenn Jones. Needless to say, I’m thrilled about all these and grateful for the opportunities!

Happy new year and see you at a gig!

Figured's "Clehft"

Hi all,

It has been a long time since the last update!

I’m thrilled to share that much of that time has been spent working on a new group with Zach Rowden called “Figured.” We’ve been lucky enough to play shows over this Summer and early Fall with some stellar acts all over New Haven. As we delved into the rehearsal process, all of those sessions were recorded and we’re pleased to share our new tape “Clehft” as a result of those recordings.

This release is digitally available from my bandcamp which you can link to: HERE.

Additionally, we are taking pre-orders for the physical cassette copies which can be found: HERE.

Tapes will ship in late November after Zach and I return from our respective trips to Europe (his for a tour with his stellar group Tongue Depressor and mine for a residency in Spain).

More info soon and, as always, thank you for reading! See you at a gig!!

Figured at Crunch House - Photo by Terrance Regan

June Gigs: Stefan Christensen & Loose Trucks

Hi all,

Thanks to those in New Haven that came to see Nagual play with Frank Meadows, Tongue Depressor, and the mighty Mette Rasmussen + Tashi Dorji Duo. It was a really special night at NG2BC and it was a blast to dust off that material again!

Tomorrow, David Shapiro & I will be backing up Stefan Christensen on some of his solo material opening for an incredible musician: Nadah El Shazly. The gig is at the State House in New Haven and you can find more info in the “Shows” section of this site.

Flyer by Stefan Christensen

Later this month, New Haven’s outsider supergroup, Loose Trucks, will be opening for the esteemed Michael Potter. Hailing from Georgia, Michael Potter runs two stellar labels, Null Zone & Garden Portal, both of which I highly recommend checking out if you have a chance. Again, info on the gig can be found in the “Shows” section of this site.

Thanks for reading & see you at a gig!!

Heart of the Ghost in Baltimore & Richmond

Hi all,

Jarrett Gilgore, Luke Stewart, and I will be hopping in the car again to play Baltimore and Richmond on May 24th and 25th respectively. We’re super psyched to continue performing behind our new LP available from Dagoretti Records. You can pick up a copy HERE if you’re interested.

Links to the May shows can be found in the “Shows” tab or take a peek at the flyer below for general info.

I hope the Spring is treating you all splendidly and see you at a gig!!

Heart of the Ghost LP Release Tour & May Gigs

Hello all,

After a little while off the road, I would like to extend a massive “Thank You” to all involved in the Heart of the Ghost LP Release Tour this past month. It was truly an incredible experience to see so many good friends and improvisers along the way. Every show was its own fun & unique experience that I enjoyed immensely!

Once again, thanks to Dagoretti Records & Pete Larson for putting this document out into the world!

You can buy an LP from the label here: https://petelarson.bandcamp.com/album/heart-of-the-ghost-ii

Live in Columbus, OH

Photo by Adam Buffington

Live in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo by Pete Larson

Live in Brooklyn, NY with Jaimie Branch

Photographer Unknown

Heart of the Ghost will be hopping back out in May for two gigs. One will be at the Copycat building in Baltimore on May 24th and the other will be at Little Dumbo in Richmond, VA on the 25th. It would be wonderful, as always, to see some familiar faces. We will have copies of the record and some cassettes (as well as all our own individual merch).

Thanks for listening & see you at a gig!!

"Hole" Collective Art Opening & Heart of the Ghost LP Release Tour

Hi all,

Apologies for the slow updates: it’s been a madhouse over here!

I’m excited to announce I will be contributing a piece called Eraser no. 2 to Dylan Languell’s collective show, Hole, in Richmond, VA. All the pieces will be exhibited in a pit that Dylan dug out and the art will be incinerated at the end of the opening. This is an incredible happening and I am honored to be a part of it!

“Eraser no. 2” by Ian McColm

The next thing on the horizon is Heart of the Ghost’s LP Release tour starting April 16th in Columbus, OH. This is such a fun and inspiring group to play in. I’m thrilled we’ll be revisiting some of our favorite cities on this April run. You can see the full list at the “Shows” tab of this site or scroll down to read below. There will be more dates in May and later this Summer if we’re not playing your city on these dates. In the meantime, please take a listen to the LP at the Dagoretti Records Bandcamp. Scroll down for a sneak peek and the Bandcamp link!!

American Dirt by Dagoretti Records, released 24 March 2019

As always, thank you so much for reading and listening!!

See you at a gig!!

Resonancy Series

Exciting news!

Tomorrow I will be taking part in Neptunes Parlour’s Resonancy Series in Raleigh, NC! This series is ongoing throughout January & February and has featured some truly incredible percussionists. I’m really grateful to be a part of it and it should be a blast! If you live in the Triangle please come out & support the incredible booking that Kings & Neptunes offer!

See you at a gig!

Mix For ROOM

Hey all,

An extra fun end-of-the-year update!

The folks over at DC’s ROOM Collective asked me to contribute a mix of tracks I’ve been listening to recently to their Soundcloud. I had a blast doing this & I hope the result is to your liking!

A quick note: this mix is probably NSFW as there is a fair amount of profanity.

You can listen HERE.

Track list as follows:

(All times are approximate)

0:00 - "Akovita" - Ashpa

1:01 - "Still" - Geto Boys (Screwed & Chopped by OG Ron)

4:00 - "Fishface" - Ahnnu

7:02 - "Mere Exposure" - Says Things

9:57 - "Shop In Store" - Oval

11:16 - "Everything In My Heart" - Budgie

12:09 - "Backward 76" - Elaine Radigue

12:44 - "Details Suggest Fidelity To Fact" - Craig Leon

14:05 - "Aiyowa d'Moulay Abdeslam Rhaita Solo (Arcila)" - Maalem Abdeslam Sarsi el Mahet

15:12 - "Ping Island/Lightning Strike Rescue Op" - Mark Mothersbaugh

16:04 - "Gekkoh" - Susumu Yokota

19:04 - "Dump You In a Rivah" - Nickelus F

22:16 - "Shepherd" - Tommy Genesis

26:25 - "Deja Mort (feat. Jok'air)" - Alkpote & Butter Bullets

30:42 - "Dead To Me" - Kali Uchis

33:41 - "Finger Toe" - Tabukah 'X'

38:50 - "Drim Dram" - Booker Stardrum

38:56 - "300 Conejos" - Alejandro Jodorowsky

39:51 - "Cuplet" - Moondog

Thanks for listening & see you at a gig!

Happy New Year!

End Of The Year Gigs

Hi all!

It’s been a truly incredible few weeks over here!

My visit to Seoul for Audio Trading Manual’s Arts Incubator was a truly reinvigorating and inspiring experience! A profound “Thank You” to everyone I met in Seoul for their hospitality & kindness. I can’t speak highly enough of the composers, presenters, artists, and, generally, people that I met on this trip in November.

In other news, thank you to everyone who came to see Heart of the Ghost perform with my old friend Danny Kamins. It was a thrill to reunite on stage with Danny after 7-8 years since we last performed together and the sets from Amber Dunleavy & Arthur Harrison, Peter Redgrave, and Tee Tree Trio were a delight. It was truly a blast!

Heart of the Ghost & Danny Kamins at Rhizome DC (Photo by Chris Videll)

I have two fun gigs coming up for the end of the year:

First, this weekend I am rejoining Daniel Bachman & Forrest Marquisee on stage at Rhizome again to fundraise for Rhizome’s wonderful space and programming. Sarah Hughes, Jenny Moon Tucker, Thomas Stanley, and Khalid Thompson will all be sharing the bill that night and I’m excited to see sets from such local heavyweights.

Second, I will playing a solo set at Amma House’s Festivus celebration in Alexandria, VA. This is sure to be a fun night and Amma House is always a great time!

Thanks for reading/listening/paying attention this year & cheers to more of great music!

See you at a gig!

David Dominique's "Mask" East Coast Tour, Seoul Arts Incubator, & New Releases

Hello all,

Apologies for the radio silence. It has been a whirlwind of activity in the last two months.

I am currently on tour with the David Dominique Ensemble performing material from his new record “Mask” as well as some older tunes from “Ritual,” his previous record. Check out his music here: http://daviddominique.com/.

Tour has been a blast so far with uplifting performances in Williamsburg, Richmond, and Charlottesville, Virginia. We will be journeying up North tomorrow to perform at Westchester University just outside of Philadelphia. After that we continue on to Manhattan, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. There is more information about all of the upcoming shows in the “Shows” section of this site.

The David Dominique Ensemble at Little Dumbo, Richmond, VA. Photos by Phil McElhinney.

Immediately following this tour, I am excited to travel to Seoul, South Korea for the first time to participate in an Arts Incubator program in collaboration with Ensemble Mise-En. I will have the profound honor of having a new piece, “A Statistician’s Manual for Sound Earth,” premiered by Ensemble Mise-En as well as the joy of joining them onstage to perform it on modular synthesizer. I’m wholly psyched about this experience and very stoked to share this new work with such a powerful ensemble. Check out the photos below for a peek at the patch and the score of the piece!

There have been a few releases in the intervening period between this post and the last one:

First, Marian McLaughlin released her beautiful record, Lake Accotink, which I had the honor of playing on. You can hear and purchase her music here: https://marianmclaughlin.bandcamp.com/ .

Nagual & Stefan Christensen have also released a new 7” on the incredible label I Dischi del Barone. This release is a really cool document of some of the work we are doing and I am psyched to have a photo that I took as the cover. Grip a copy by sending me a message (copies will be up in the “Store” section in December if you want to wait) or at the label’s website: http://www.iddb.se.

Nagual will also have a track on the new Redscroll Records Black Friday sampler so head over to their site or go to the shop to grab that.

In addition to all of these, I recently self-released another short release on Bandcamp entitled “Is As It Was”. These are some fun rumblings from hours of recordings I have done with my current synthesizer setup. All proceeds go to Earth Justice. You can check out their work here: https://earthjustice.org/.

The release itself is available at: https://igmnoise.bandcamp.com/album/is-as-it-was.

Is As It Was by Ian McColm. Now available at www.igmnoise.bandcamp.com.

Thanks for reading & I hope to see you at a gig!!!!

August Wrapped Up & September Upcoming

Hi all,

It's been a wonderfully productive month over here! A week or two ago I spent 4 days on the road with Nagual (David Shapiro, Stefan Christensen & Myself) & Zach Rowden. It was a total blast: massive thanks to all the wonderful folks who set up gigs, played on bills and showed up to gigs!

Nagual & Zach Rowden at Willimantic Records (Photo by Michael Rogers)

We were touring as quartet behind our new cassette release that is now available in the "Store" section of this site, Pidgeon Records' Big Cartel (HERE) or on the Nagual Bandcamp page (HERE). After years of playing with Zach, it was really a fun time to bring him into this context and hear him contribute such heavy sounds.

Nagual & Zach Rowden available now from Pidgeon Records

I'll be rejoining Zach on a stacked bill at Rhizome on September 16th. He is touring with Henry Birdsey as Tongue Depressor and the mighty Cortex is rounding out the bill. I will be playing solo doing some modular synth material. I'm sure it will be a swell night and it would be rad to see some familiar faces. More info HERE.

There will be more news soon I'm sure but until then, see you at a gig!

Thanks for reading!

8 Miniatures for Modular & July Gigs

Hey all,

Yesterday, I released a digital-only record of new solo synthesizer material on Bandcamp called 8 Miniatures for Modular Synthesizer.  You can purchase it through Bandcamp HERE. All proceeds from the sales will go to Border Angels, a non-profit that provides immigration and consultation services as well as help prevent unnecessary deaths on the USA-Mexico border. You can find out more about their organization HERE.

This coming month I will be rejoining Jarrett Gilgore and Luke Stewart on the road for a few days playing at Rhizome DC, Charlottesville, VA and Raleigh, NC. At the end of the month, I'm honored to hop back onstage with Marian McLaughlin to perform music from her new record at Lake Accotink in Virginia along with Jarrett Gilgore and Ethan Foote. Finally, the last show of July, as of now, will be with Nate Scheible and two incredible dancers: Aquiles Halladay and Shay Turner. We will be performing at Rhizome along with Mishpokhe Klang and Bashful Slasher from New York. All the information on these shows can, as usual, be found at the "Shows" tab of this site.

Thanks for checking all this out & see you at a gig!

June!

Hi everyone,

May was a fun month of shows! This month I will primarily be dealing with recording projects. However, I do have one gig coming up this week with the mighty guitar duo, Elkhorn. Nate Scheible & I will be joining them in playing some old and new songs from their records. There are some other swell acts on the bill as well so roll through Rhizome on the 9th for some good, mellow tunes!

You can find more information here: Elkhorn w/ C Joynes, Krausbauer & Suzuki at Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC

Also, thank you to Renata Ocampo for this dreamy photo of Mark Cisneros and I playing duo at Dew Drop Inn recently! It was a fun gig and was great to see some familiar faces in the audience!

Photo by Renata Ocampo

Thanks so much & hopefully see you at a gig!

Final shows in May

Hey all,

It's been an awesome month of shows so far. Heart of the Ghost's most recent outing with Organix trio in Baltimore was really a blast and it's always an honor to share the stage with Jamal, Trae, and Jeron.

Next up Xenga (Jarrett & I) will be opening for Chicago's own Eli Namay and Sarah Hughes' Coy Fish at DC's favorite venue, Rhizome.

Here's some info: http://www.rhizomedc.org/new-events/2018/5/23/concert-eli-namay-xenga

Here's a nice photo of us playing in the courtyard at Capital Fringe:

Photo by Elena Lacayo

The final show of May will be Low Ways Trio sharing a bill with the ever-rockin Nice Breeze at Dew Drop Inn on the 31st of this month. More info on that here: Low Ways w/ Nice Breeze, Dew Drop Inn, Washington, DC

Thanks for listening and hopefully see you at a gig!!

Dusted, May Gigs & Nagual CD-R

It's been an eventful few weeks over here!

Firstly, I'd like to say a wonderful thank you to Bill over at Dusted for his great writing on Elastic Arts' Exposure Series. It's been a joy to read his writing & reminds me to extend yet another "Thank You" to the incredible hospitality of Dave Rempis, Paul Giallorenzo, and all the other incredible artists and volunteers involved.

You can read Bill's round up here:

http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/173582463676/exposure-series-2018-a-report

I'm also thrilled to announce that Nagual has a new release out on Miami's Hologram Label. Ultimate thanks to Chris for making these extended pieces a reality and for packaging the release so nicely! It's not up on Hologram's Bandcamp just yet. However, we have some artist copies that you can pick up in the "Store" section of this site.

Lastly, there are some really wonderful gigs coming up this month.

This Friday (5/11), I'll be playing with Brian Settles, Colin Chambers, and Mike Bowie at Jojo on U Street in DC.

I'm also thrilled to rejoin Nate Scheible on double-drum duty this weekend. This time, we will be joined by two dancers: Aquiles Holladay and Shay Turner. I'm excited to see how this quartet turns out. We're be opening for the mighty Mourning (A) BLKstar at Rhizome on Sunday 5/13.

The following Friday, Heart of the Ghost (Luke Stewart, Jarrett Gilgore, and myself) are opening for Organix Trio at Creative Alliance in Baltimore for their record release and we will be joining them after out respective sets for an expanded, sextet performance.

There's more on the calendar as well. Take a peek over at the "Shows" section of the site for more info!!

Thanks for looking and see you at a a gig!

Final gigs in April

It's been a really fun and diverse month of shows!

To wrap it up, I'll be playing with Mark Cisneros and Luke Stewart as the Low Ways Trio at Showtime Bar in D.C this coming Thursday (4/26). 

This weekend, I'm playing solo on Saturday as part of the day-long Avant Fairfax pre-show at Rhizome DC. You can find more info here: Solo at Avant Fairfax Pre-Show #1 w/ Bushmeat Airways, Tag Cloud, Echolalia, and more, Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC

Sunday, I'll be rejoining Jarrett Gilgore and Luke for our unofficial tape release homecoming show for Heart of the Ghost. We have less than 10 copies left of the cassette so I highly recommend you stop by if you want to pick one up. Here is the info for that: Heart of the Ghost w/ Cunningham/Bucko Jr./Adams Trio, Hardhealth, Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC.

Lastly, thanks to Sriram Gopal for this photo of the first meeting between Brian Settles, Luke and I at Jojo this past Friday. It was fun to stretch out a bit musically!

See you at a gig!!