BSI to be reborn on June 1

I was active in the DC experimental music scene in the mid to late '80s: Played a bunch of shows at venues that no longer exist (DC Space, BBQ Iguana) and a few that DO still exist (DC Arts Center, Takoma Park planetarium, WMUC, the Alternatives Festival in Dupont Circle). It was a vibrant and creative time for local noise bands and avant garde improvisers.

After moving to upstate NY, live performances dwindled (Syracuse isn't much of a "psychedelic noise" town), so I retreated to the home studio. I played just one show during that period: a collaborative effort with NYC's Changes to Blind, at the Last Exit in Troy, NY (another great venue lost to history). Moved to Tucson, and by 2001, all music had stopped. Even coming back to DC didn't break the inertia.

Fast-forward to 2008.

An epiphany struck: The first cassette I did as Blue Sausage Infant (Trance Warfare) was born in the winter of 1988. Jesus, that's...twenty years, innit? Suddenly, the prospect of BSI having a 20th anniversary seemed profound enough to kick up the noise once again.

It's evolving every day, but the new sound of BSI is louder and stranger; more disorienting, blissful, self-indulgent, and FUN than it ever was before. This is music for swaying on the floor like an idiot while drooling on your shoes and letting your pupils dilate until they swallow the room in a pool of sticky black shadows. And that's before the fleet of jellied owls begin vomiting fire into the air and making tiny constellations and galaxies with the burning embers.... dig?

Dig!

Anyway: The rebirth will be June 1st at The Electric Possible, which is a monthly series of experimental music events at George Washington University. El Possible has been going on consistently for five years already, on the first Sunday of each month. See the poster above for show details (click the dirty space koala for magnification).

Also on the bill is Violet, who has been a comrade of BSI since the early days. In fact he's the only one from that circle who's been making music all this time. The Violet sound can be lo-fi loops and drones, or blistering walls of distorted noise...but always very satisfying. I haven't seen Field Shaman yet, but what evidence I've heard online is very promising. This could be a new Golden Age for DC experimental music.

So be brave. Descend into the bowels of Georgetown on Sunday, June 1st. The consciousness expansion begins at 8pm sharp.

There. Shameless self-promotion now concludes. Samples of older, less relevant BSI can be found here.