WE ARE SOME GRAVEN CATS

Arvo was interviewed for the Seattle-based site For The Love of Noise.  Some subjects include Bachelor's Grove Cemetery,  recent releases, the impetus behind Hello Walls, newer releases that aren't available yet, and a bit of the ol' new age philosophy. 

 Jacob An Kittenplan wrote a blazing review of the recent six tape set A BIRTHPLACE IS NOT A GRAVESITE over at Cassette Gods.  Thanks so much for taking the time!  (There are a few copies lingering, by the way).

Here is a nice leading quote...

I’ve probably listened to this entire compilation about 20 times through, and the implied constellations keep coming, with every listen. It feels kinda criminal that there are so few of these collections to go around, but I hope that somebody’ll maybe press it to 6xLP wax some day, when we move away from formula, in the interest of darker moods. 

Xerox manipulation by Bradley Kokay

 Blood Rhythms will be performing again in Seattle at Chapel in March.

 Two avant-garde/experimental/noise supergroups/ensembles and expert synth soundtrack music of the industrial variety.

FHTAGN is an experimental chamber ensemble started by Blake DeGraw in 2015. Since its inception, the group’s amorphous lineup has been joined by over 70 musicians from a wide variety of musical backgrounds. Primarily employing non-traditional means of scoring and conduction, FHTAGN has performed as a string orchestra, surround-sound choir, saxophone quartet, guitar orchestra, and many other formats, often employing large numbers and extremes in spatial dispersion.
“The combined sound of [FHTAGN] could be described as if Charles Ives had access to psychedelic mind-altering substances.” - icareifyoulisten.com
fhtagn.bandcamp.com
blakedegraw.bandcamp.com

Andrew Quitter began making experimental sounds as a teenager after receiving his first 4-track recorder in 1998. His main projects over the years have been Suburbia Melting (1998–2012) and Regosphere (2007–current). He has toured the country many times and released close to 200 recordings since 1998. He also started the label DumpsterScore Home Recordings in 2003, which has put out over 100 releases in the past 15 years. Around 2009, Quitter began expanding his tape collage techniques with the addition of thick drones sourced from analog synthesizers and organs, as well as elements of percussion and extended field recordings. This led to the first full-length album under his own name – Entering Saturn’s Return – released on the Ilse label in 2011. He has also composed several soundtracks and done sound design work for independent horror/sci-fi movies.
https://andrewquitter.bandcamp.com/
http://www.dumpsterscore.org/

Blood Rhythms is the collaborative umbrella moniker of Chicago transplant Arvo Zylo, who has been living in Seattle for a little over a year. Blood Rhythms began slowly in 2007 as a brass/drone ensemble; which is to say, as many blaring horns as possible, effected in a nonmusical repetitive style. Since then, things did evolve into a sort of synth and junk-metal collective. "Assembly", an LP out on legendary noise label RRRecords, is the culmination of what Zylo has done in post-production for five horns recorded in a meat locker, and Blood Rhythms has recently made their formal Seattle debut sharing members with FHTAGN, opening for Blevin Blectum this past October. Back in Chicago, Blood Rhythms has included as many as fifteen horn players, or at other times, five drummers, but more recently, the Seattle iteration of the project has focused on studio work, minimal trios and more dense sonic concepts.
www.nopartofit.com
www.nopartofit.bandcamp.com
www.soundcloud.com/nopartofit

Facebook Event Page 

Arvo's appearance with a 12 person guitar orchestra as part of what is collectively known as Fhtagn last month was recorded and can be heard here.   The material is more of a sound collage arrangement than the barrage of riffage that one might expect, and is inspired loosely by the life and death cycles of cicadas. 

Blood Rhythms' reworking of Arvo Zylo's 333 material on 333REDUX was aired on WZRD (by request!), alongside Chrome, Brume, Illusion of Safety, Bonzo Dog Band, Swans, Betty Davis, Joseph Hammer, The Residents, Chris Connelly, Carl Stone, and more!!!   Listen HERE. 

EaViL was aired in a special Xmas episode of Mid-Valley Mutations hosted by Austin Rich.   Also in this holiday edition were Vincent Price, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Walls of Genius, Bren't Lewiis Ensemble, Juice Machine and more!    

Speaking of, an excerpt of Blood Rhythms' first Seattle performance was aired on Mid-Valley Mutations, recorded during Mini-Mutations' Pacific Northwest tour in October.   Take note of Mark Hosler of Negativland's set!  And one more thing, in part of the tour recap, Austin said this of the Pussification compilation (and his involvement in it).

I’ve been a fan of Arvo Zylo‘s work ever since Bob Bucko Jr clued me in, so being invited to contribute a track to a No Part of It release was very exciting to me. “Pussification” contains music about or inspired by cats [edit: it is material featuring cats in some way], released by a wide range of artists, and being on a comp with Fhtagn and Forrest Friends just felt right for an early Mini-Mutations release. At one point, Arvo referred to me as, “The Mr. Rogers of Noise,” and I let that steer my inspiration while I made this track, which was recorded over an afternoon between prepping for this tour.

Our friend, noise artist / label head Jan Kruml and his cat are enjoying the new compilation, PUSSIFICATION.  In this particular case, FORREST FRIENDS.