April Performances

The utmost thanks to everyone involved with the Heart of the Ghost Spring tour! It was truly an incredible experience to play with and meet such amazing people every night! We still have some copies of the cassette left which you can pick up from the "Store" tab of this website, if you are so inclined.

I have three fun gigs coming up at Rhizome in the next month:

First, I will be joining Mark Cisneros and Luke Stewart again as Low Ways Trio on an eclectic bill with Andras Fekete and Mia Zabelka. There will also be a live score to Samuel Beckett's "Film" performed by Tim Carless which I am very excited to see. More info can be found here:

Low Ways Trio w/ Zabelka/Diamond/Fekete, Samuel Beckett's "Film (Live Score by Tim Carless), Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC

Later in the month, I will be performing solo in a day long pre-show for Avant Fairfax's new festival of experiemental music. There are some wonderful local luminaries on this bill and it will be a rare opportunity for me to try out some new solo material that I have been workshopping. More info on that can be found here:

Solo at Avant Fairfax Pre-Show #1 w/ Bushmeat Airways, Tag Cloud, Echolalia, and more, Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC

Lastly, Heart of the Ghost returns to D.C. the following day on a bill with Hardhealth and the Cunningham/Bucko Jr./Adams Trio. There's no event for that up just yet but the "Shows" section of the site will be updated just as soon as there is.

In the meantime, thanks to the wonderful Van Ficken for documentation of my most recent solo set at Perfect Church in Richmond, VA this past Friday:

Thanks, as always, for reading and I hope to see you at a gig!!

Heart of the Ghost Release!!!

I am very psyched to announce that Heart of the Ghost has released our first cassette on my own imprint, Pidgeon Records!! Eternal thanks to Mattson Ogg for recording this.

Cassettes are available through the store section of this site & you can get 20% off an order of multiple tapes by entering MULTIPASS at checkout.  

Thanks for looking & see you at a gig!!!

Saint Patrick's Day in New Haven

Before Jarrett, Luke, and I head out for tour, I'm psyched to be playing a stacked & eclectic bill in New Haven with Wendy Eisenberg, Zach Rowden, Nikole Jewell, and Kodak Fire. I'll be up there doing some more recording with Nagual & Stefan Christensen and we will be performing on this bill. It's always a treat to play Elm City so if you live in the area, come on out! You can find the event in the "Shows" section of the site.

See you at a gig!

Heart of the Ghost goes on tour!

I'm very psyched to announce that Luke Stewart, Jarrett Gilgore, and I will be going on tour the end of March.

We'll be traveling through select parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. If you're in one of the areas on the poster below come check us out!

Also, we'll be playing the always-fun Rhizome DC on March 1st (this coming Thursday) with John Dikeman and his ensemble. Info on that in the link below:

Heart of the Ghost w/ John Dikeman/Jasper Stadhouders/Adam Shead/Tony Piazza, Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC 

Very psyched! See you at a gig!

Nagual/Tongue Depressor Split Cassette OUT NOW!!

I'm very psyched to welcome the Nagual/Tongue Depressor split cassette into the world!

Nagual is David Shapiro & myself. This cassette showcases some rare duo improvisations. These improvisations are unlike much of what we have released thus far.

Tongue Depressor is Henry Birdsey & Zach Rowden. Their side is a real treat. It edges into Henry Flynt-like territory with both performers playing violins but these two have the edge of two young contemporary improvisors.

You can grab copies if you follow the "Store" tab on the left hand side. Tapes will ship out the next day. Take a peek through the other releases available there as well!

David & I will also have these cassettes when we play on a bill with Zach from Tongue Depressor on Saint Patrick's Day in New Haven.

If you live in New England, you can follow the link below to find the gig:

Nagual + Stefan Christensen w/ Wendy Eisenberg & Zach Rowden, Nikole Jewell, Kodak Fire, Never Get To Be Cool, New Haven, CT

Thanks & see you at a gig!

Upcoming Spring shows thus far...

This Spring has brought some really cool gigs my way!

This coming weekend the two concerts I am playing center on fabrics:

First, Low Ways Quartet will be performing in front of one of Janel Leppin's amazing weavings at Black Cat.

That will be this coming Friday. You can get more info from the link here: Low Ways Quartet at Weavings by Janel Leppin, Black Cat, Washington, DC

This Sunday I'll be performing music composed by Dave Scanlon to accompanying some quilts & quilting patterns. This ensemble is packed with high-level local improvisors so be sure not to miss the gig this Sunday.

Info can be found here: Quilt Music (Emma Banay & David Scanlon) performed by Luke Stewart, Sarah Hughes, Layne Garrett, Steve Korn, Nate Scheible, and Ian McColm, Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC

Unrelated to fabric:

Also at Rhizome on the 21st, one of my favorite people, David Shapiro, will be traveling through town on a tour supporting his solo fingerpicking material under the name Alexander. However, that night we will be doing a Nagual set along with Du.0, James Ilgenfritz's Trio (with Brian Chase of Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's fame) and Ami Yamasaki.

More info on that here: Nagual w/ Du.0, Ilgenfritz/Chase/Lee, Ami Yamasaki, Rhizome, Takoma Park, DC

If you can't wait for a gig, check out this really fun video of Nate Scheible and I performing in a secret part of Rock Creek Park last Summer. Thanks to Jason Coile for the beautiful footage & Nenet for the idea to film it!  I hope you dig it! See you at a gig!

February Gigs!

Hi all,

I'll be continuing to ring in the new year with two massively fun gigs in February.

The first is 2/4 at Rhizome DC. Heart of the Ghost (Jarrett Gilgore, Luke Stewart, and myself) will be on a bill with the mighty Ken Vandermark's new outfit as well as some incredible other acts including a duo between Brian Settles and Jeremy Carlstedt.

Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/102874990524087/

Following that, Low Ways Quartet (Mark Cisneros, Anthony Pirog, Luke, and myself) will be performing in front of some new textile weavings that the incredible Janel Leppin has created at the Black Cat. There are a huge number of other acts that night which you can check out in the attached poster.

That will all happen the night of 2/16 and you can purchase tickets here:

https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1629419?utm_medium=bks

There is definitely more to come (just not yet confirmed) so check in for more as the year progresses!

See you at a gig!

Happy New Year! (& January Gigs)

Happy New Year! Here's to hoping 2018 brings good things.

The first two weeks of January will see me playing three fun gigs:

1/7/2018 - Boat Burning's Music for Massed Guitars at 9:30 Club

I'm very psyched to play this historic venue but even moreso because I will be in the company of 99 other guitar players. This is sure to sound colossal so check it out!

The next day I'll be playing Rhizome with Heart of the Ghost. We're on the bill with Freestore, some freaky jazz school comrades from Oberlin who I am very excited to see perform.

At the tail end of that week, I'll be playing solo on a bill with Nice Breeze and Jon Simler at Alexandria's own, Amma House. This is a fundraiser for Chethan Kenkeremath's Avant Fairfax revitalization efforts so it would be awesome to see some familiar faces supporting experimental music in Northern Virginia.

1/13/2018 - Solo w/ Nice Breeze, Jon Simler, Amma House, Alexandria, VA

Best tidings for the new year & hopefully see you at a gig!

-Ian

Spoke too soon...

In addition to playing with the mighty Aaron Martin at Rhizome on Friday, I'll also be joining Luke Stewart & Anthony Pirog in a trio format at Showtime this coming Wednesday. We'll be performing freely improvised music in the absence of Mark Cineros and his usual compositions.

Very psyched to be trying out this new trio formation in these last few gigs of the year.

Thanks for listening & see you at a gig!

Low Ways Quartet (Photo from Instagram)

11/17 at Rhizome with Aaron Martin

Very excited to re-announce that I will be playing duo with DC elder Aaron Martin at Rhizome on the 17th! We'll be joined on the bill by Atlanta's Whispers of the Night and a third performer TBA.

This will probably serve to one of the last few shows of the year for me: a preemptive end-of-the-year "Thanks" to everyone who comes out to shows, fills out bills, hosts gigs and generally supports the arts. It's so cool that people are psyched to see improvised music and the more experimental side of things. I'm profoundly grateful for all the wonderful opportunities this year and psyched for more to come! 

See you at a gig!

-Ian

Lipscomb/Gilgore/McColm Trio at Rhizome DC (Photo from Instagram)

RVA THX/November gigs thus far...

Thanks to Tashi Dorji, James Toth, and the folks at Black Iris in Richmond, VA for a great time last night! It was so wonderful to be able to take some leaps of faith in front of such an attentive audience!

Polaroids of James and Tashi that I took this past year

Two fun gigs coming up at Rhizome DC:

11/1 - Jarrett Gilgore, Jon Lipscomb, and myself open for Gaute Granli & Macho Blush who are on tour together

11/17 - I'm honored to be playing with DC elder Aaron Martin opening for Atlanta's Whispers of Night

Hopefully you can make it out to one of them!

See you there!

More October performances!

I have two more rad gigs to announce for the month.

First, I will be playing with the mighty Low Ways Trio at Showtime Bar (DC) tomorrow night (Wednesday 10/4). This is always an exciting group to play with and Mark's music is really terrific.

Secondly, we'll be celebrating the birthday of the inimitable Luke Stewart at Dew Drop Inn (DC) on October 12th as a double trio of Heart of the Ghost (Luke, Jarrett Gilgore, and myself) and Organix trio (Jamal Moore, Jeron White, and Trae Crudup). This is the first time these groups have ever collaborated and we're all excited to make all the talk we've had a reality. 

Psyched! See you at a gig!

Low Ways Trio at Rhizome DC (Photo from Instagram)

Fall gigs thus far...

I'm excited for some more gigs coming up the next few months!

As of now, these are what are confirmed but there may be more to come.

9/29 - I'll be playing drums with the mighty Low Ways Trio (Mark Cisneros, Luke Stewart, and myself). It's usually a quartet but Anthony Pirog is indisposed that night so this will be a fun time to re-approach that music with a new configuration.

10/14 - Nagual & Stefan Christensen return to blast New Haven with feedback improvisations at Orchard Street. New Haven is one of the meccas of guitar music right now and I'm so glad to be able to play & visit there so often.

10/17 - Jarrett Gilgore & I revisit some of Marian McLaughlin's gorgeous music and hopefully add some more tunes to our repertoire at DC9.

11/1 - The freakishly talented Jon Lipscomb will be coming back to the States and playing in a new trio with Jarrett and myself. Very excited about this collaboration and I hope some more comes of it.

Stay tuned & see you at a gig!

Xenga & Zach Rowden Record!

I just arrived back in Virginia from a weekend recording with Jarrett Gilgore and the mighty Zach Rowden. Henry Birdsey, a friend & skilled engineer/composer, was kind enough to engineer the recordings and give us some studio time. The session was fruitful & hopefully you will hear/see the result soon! 

Until these collaborative sessions are released, you can hear our music on a split I announced in a previous blog post or come see Jarrett & I play with Luke Stewart, Tashi Dorji, and Tyler Damon at Rhizome DC on September 9th. 

See you at the gig!! 

Photo by Henry Birdsey  

Nagual & Stefan hit the road...

I'm very excited to play three crucial dates with this trio. The new release looks excellent & we'll have some of our old march as well for sale. We're playing with some absolutely incredible acts & old friends. You really can't ask for more in this world. 

7/21 - Rhizome, DC w/ Developer, JRNLR, & Wasteland Jazz Unit

7/22 - Kung Fu Necktie, Philly w/ Fully Glazed & Stefan (solo) 

7/23 - 49 Shade, Brooklyn w/ Bebe Yama, Charmaine Lee & Zach Rowden, & Max Alper  

See you at the gig!!  

Xenga + Zach Rowden "Split" & Nagual drives North

In the intervening period since the site was under construction, Jarrett Gilgore, Zach Rowden, and I went on a wonderful & short Southern tour down to Atlanta and back. We all still have copies of the split we released for tour. I think it looks beautiful & I'm very proud of the design on this one. It's not up on the web yet but drop me a line if you'd like a copy.  

Xenga  + Zach Rowden's "Split" out now on Pidgin Records!!

Next up is a short tour with Nagual & Stefan Christensen this coming weekend. We'll have a new feedback-laden tape from C/Site Recordings with us (as seen above). Come say hey! 

Dates as follows:

7/21 - DC w/ Developer & Wasteland Jazz Unit at Rhizome DC

7/22 - Philly w/ Fully Glazed at Kung Fu Necktie

7/23 - Brooklyn w/ Charmaine Lee & Zach Rowden, Bebe Yama, and Max Alper at 49 Shade

See you at the gig!!

Nagual + Stefan Christensen's "II" out soon on C/Site Recordings!!  

More in July

A few new shows just got confirmed for the coming month:

Jarrett Gilgore & I will be performing as Xenga for Capital Fringe's music in the Courtyard series. We'll also be joining our friend Marian McLaughlin on her set just following ours. After performing with her at Normal's, we're excited to continue to work on such beautiful music! 

On the 19th, Heart of the Ghost (Luke Stewart, Jarrett, and I) will be opening for solo sax force, Jonah Parzen-Johnson. We've all know Jonah for a number of years & it will surely be a pleasure to play in support of his new music. 

More to come!!! 

See you at a gig! 

Early Summer

I just got off of a very brief stint playing drums behind Jesse and Drew of Elkhorn. It was a pleasure getting to join them in Philly and DC this weekend. The shows were really a blast: many thanks to all who came out!

You can check out some of their music here: https://elkhorn.bandcamp.com/

Sunday, Heart of the Ghost got back together to play the Takoma Park Jazz Fest. I'm honored to say we'll be backing up Chicago's Paul Giallorenzo at Normal's in Baltimore on Thursday night. The inimitable Susan Alcorn will be playing on that bill as well. Truly not to be missed.

Check out Paul's stuff here: http://www.paulgiallorenzo.com/

And Susan's here: http://www.susanalcorn.net/

This Friday night, New Haven's Dave Scanlon will be gracing Rhizome in DC with his intense and innovative approach to electric guitar. Xenga (my running duo with Jarrett Gilgore) will be opening in collaboration with Marc Miller. Also, DC's ripping-est new duo of Sarah Hughes and Nate Scheible will be playing. Really psyched for this!

Live Scrap

This page will serve as an attempt to keep up with real-time gig announcements, photos, and to throw some of the debris from touring and recording your way. Hopefully, it will be entertaining as well as informative. (No Promises)

Thanks for reading & dropping by,

See you at the gig!

-Ian