performances by
Mincemeat or Tenspeed (http://www.myspace.com/mincemeatortenspeed)
Serpents of W.I.S.D.O.M. (http://www.myspace.com/serpentsofwisdom)

Friday, April 23rd
COPY GALLERY (http://www.copygallery.org)
319 N. 11th St, Philadelphia, PA

7-10pm FREE!!!!!

video by JFR/FINGERED

shot and edited by Harrison Owen

from the new album, ‘Presidence’  - available now on Paw-Tracks

JOHN FELL RYAN
Selected Millennial Works, Words, and Visions

January 15 - February 15, 2010

Fingered Gallery

309 Jefferson Street #1R Brooklyn NY 11237

by appointment only - (646) 508-3048 / info@fingeredmedia.com

John Fell Ryan lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his band, Excepter, whose new album will be released by Paw Tracks on Presidents Day, February 15th, 2010.

from Sweet Pea Review….

“In the early years of the Twenty-First Century, as attention fell upon various Brooklyn bands who circumscribed the borough’s Indie rut with divers methods of effacing the divide between popular and experimental musics - namely, Black Dice, Animal Collective, Oneida, Gang Gang Dance, Sightings, Mouthus, Double Leopards - one group, Excepter, stood apart with their deeply-evocative, yet disarmingly-blunt, music and, in turn, the rigorous and meticulous presentation of said music. The band uses electronics and vocals, with on occasion other instruments - an ostensible approach that would not necessarily distinguish the group. But beneath the surface, any other effort at analysis has proved to be hopelessly arcane. We could say Excepter is many things - “things” in this case being our proscribed music-cultural movements, aesthetic styles, and methods of instrumentation and composition - of which we would include: Improvised Electro-Acoustic, Noise, Industrial, Experimental Electronica, Dub, House, Electro, Techno. Any way, in contemporary music Excepter are simply incomparable. Though, one could hazard to explain the connections between Excepter and certain other collectively-improvising (and -branded) groups who in their genre-obvliousness easily eclipse the excessively-conservative, academic-minded experimental scenes of the 1990’s, all the while avoiding the new century’s vogue for Noise as music and “noise” as conceptual bugbear: for example, Supersilent, Polweschel, Thuja, Charalambides, Jackie-O Motherfucker, Pelt, The Vibacathedral Orchestra. Excepter also drew the inevitable attention that came from its leader, John Fell Ryan, once having been a member of The No-Neck Blues Band - an exemplary group who have bridged the gap between Rock and Improvised music better than any other, making such categorizing null and void (ideally, that is) and clearing the space in which these other similar groups could either make their mark, radically change their methods, or achieve a signifiance beyond the purview of even the artists themselves. Moreover, Excepter (as well as Animal Collective) engage with the human voice - and, thus, popular-music and other song-composing traditions - to a greater extent than the rest of these artists.”

1. Blues Control Local Flavor - This was my summer jam.  Such an amazing little album - starts out rocking, moves to nice n super mellow, and then just beautiful and weird grooves to the end.  They asked me to do a video for the mellow ‘Rest on Water’ which I shot while up in Maine.  But track 3, ‘Tangiers’ might be my favorite of the year - and the fourth and final 20 minute track (or side B) is Future Days in Heaven.  Catch their next show in Brooklyn at Death By Audio on January 9th. 

2. Excepter Black Beach - The Motion Picture - We shot this while out in California in the spring of ‘08  - but it came out in October this year.  A small section of it, the ’single,’ is up online (castle morro) - but you really need to see the whole thing to catch the vibe - sink into the sun, ride the waves.  Excepter plays Monkeytown on New Years Eve.

3. Light Asylum ‘Shallow Tears‘ - the NYC ballad of the year, and probably next year, too, from the most exciting up and coming Brooklyn band.  This song moves your heart, but the rest of their work seriously moves your ass.  Can’t wait to see them at Glasslands on January 12th. 

4. David Byrne live in Prospect Park - I missed a lot of great shows this summer, but none could’ve been better than this one.  Free, outdoors and on one of the first beautiful nights of summer  - it was billed as the music of David Byrne and Brian Eno - the best from Remain in Light and Fear of Music, and a few from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and the new one they did, plus a few non-Eno favs.  A lifelong Talking Heads fan’s dream come true - Stop Making Sense Part II, live.

5. Pet Shop Boys live in Boston - paired with Byrne, the perfect bookend to my summer.  Yes, it would’ve been better in New York, but I’m so glad my friend Sarah and I drove down from Maine that night to see this - yes, we both were a little teary-eyed when they played ‘Kings Cross.’  Again, lifelong fan, finally saw them, totally worth it.  And the new single  is pretty good.  If only Dusty Springfield had been there.

6. New York Eye & Ear Festival II - Yes, I saw two mega icons of music this summer, but I also heard an incredible collection of new New York talent at this four day follow up to the first NYEE fest, impeccably curated and produced by Todd Pendu.  So many bands, I lost count - 70?  80?  Highlights included:  Nymph, Blondes, Love Like Deloreans, Liturgy, Mike Wexler, Led Er Est, Living Days, Magic Markers, Martial Canterel, and so many more.   NYEE Fest III coming at the end of May 2010!

7. Psychic Ills Mirror Eye - These guys were out on the west coast, so they couldn’t play the NYEE, but hopefully they’ll be on the bill in May.  This was my winter jam of 2009.  I spent new years eve day of last year in their studio shooting the video for ‘Mantis‘ and much of January and February editing it and the follow up, ‘Eyes Closed,’ for which I used footage I shot at Angkor Wat a few years ago.  Looking forward to hearing a number of new releases they have planned for 2010.

8. The Fresh & Onlys - From San Francisco.  Hands down, best new band at SXSW.  I could listen to the song ‘Peacock & Wing’ ten times on repeat….. pop bliss.

9. Salem - From Hell?  or that place called Heaven located in Hell.  My friend Lauren introduced their music to me early last year with the warning:  you will listen to this and nothing but for the next month and be completely devastated.  Thanks Lauren.  The holiday celebrations don’t begin until January 5th, 2010 - Salem performs at the Glasslands (w/ Gatekeeper!).  Buy yourself a christmas present ticket now.

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Carrie Ahern Open Installation Dance Performance: Sensate. November 18 - 22.

Last night I walked into Sensate mid-way through the second of three cycles and was immediately entranced and enveloped by its world, an other world both deep in the past and far into the future - the vocals and electronics recalled Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna, the haunting soundtrack for the monolith’s discovery on the moon in 2001 while the dancers quivered and shook, primordial ooze - all physical sensation and biology.  An impressive initial reaction, for sure, but what kept me involved for the next hour and a half, and what I believe makes the piece a complete success and so unique that anyone with an interest in dance or performance must come and experience it, is the perfect, full, and flowing use of the space.  The Brooklyn Lyceum has a huge main theater, with a back balcony, and a smaller performance space above, separated by windows.  Sensate uses both spaces simultaneously, with both the performers (five dancers and the vocalist) and the audience moving freely between the two - creating new, ever changing formations.  Two different soundtracks bleed into each other, and both dance areas can be viewed from either space, though I constantly aware that something else was going on elsewhere and therefore actively explored the space and its infinite perspectives.  The piece is on hour in duration, but is run through three times with out stopping each night and the audience is encouraged to come and go, or stay, for as long as they choose.  

Open Installation Dance Performance. November 18-21: Wed-Sat enter anytime between 7:30-10:30pm Sunday Nov 22 enter anytime from 3-6pm $20 / $15 with student or performing arts ID

http://www.brooklynlyceum.com