photo: michelle meywes
news
11/18/09
save the date!
the official record release party date for milkwork has been announced.
on 1/16/2010 at 9pm, contraphonic, inc. is holding it's annual winter of love 2010 @ the hideout in chicago.
pillars and tongues and the toby summerfield ensemble will be at hand to celebrate with me.
11/2/09
a little pre-holiday music for you. i've been doing a lot of listening and studying of xenakis recently. after spotting this excellent performance of his solo percussion piece, psappha, by percussionist steven schick on you tube, i decided to purchase a number of his scores to further confuse myself with his meticulous process.
10/29/09
jeff parker just sent a link to his friends on facebook about billy higgins:
http://www.echo.ucla.edu/Volume2-Issue1/chapman-berish/higgins-title.html
the interview is an excellent representation of his nature as a human being, his breadth of knowledge and wisdom, and his genuine love for the music he helped define and defy.
9/22/09
i am very pleased to mention that my upcoming solo performance, along side the debut of my new group, OXBOW, was written about in this week's chicago reader by mr. peter margasak.
here is the link.
i hope you can make it!
october 30th @
the hideout (chicago, il)
1354 w. wabansia
10pm $7
8/27/09
i just finished recording, sequencing, mixing and mastering a new record of my solo project, milkwork. i am extremely excited about the way it sounds. chicago's very own contraphonic records is going to be putting it out this fall, with a release date set for september 29th, just in time for my west coast solo tour.
oh yeah - my solo tour is looking something like this:
sept 30 wed. chicago, il
@ the hideout (along side my group, OXBOW with jason stein, james falzone, keefe jackson, jason adasiewicz and jason roebke)
oct 1 thurs. lebanon, il
@ mckendree university workshop and performance (afternoon)
oct 1 thurs. st. louis, mo
@ lemp arts (pm)
oct 3 sat. new orleans, la
@ allways lounge with an opening set by hellen gillet, me second, third set is the special all-libra cast: rob cambre, jeff albert, bill hunsinger and hellen gillet!
oct 4 sun. houston, tx
with hosts they, who sound @ the avant garden
oct 5 mon. austin, tx
@ the church of the friendly ghost
oct 7 wed. santa fe, nm
@ high mayhem
oct 8 thurs. flagstaff, az
@ the coconino center for the arts (eveningtime)
oct 9 fri. flagstaff, az
@ northern arizona university - workshop
oct 10 sat. phoenix, az
@ modified arts
oct 11 sun. san diego, ca
@ other ideas at kava gallery presented by trummerflora with percussionist nathan hubbard
oct 13 tues. santa barbara, ca
12:20-2pm @ UCSB lecture and performance in the college of creative studies
then an improvisation workshop (4-6pm) with the UCSB jazz ensemble
oct13 tues. santa barbara, ca
@ muddy waters cafe (evening performance)
oct 15 thurs. san francisco, ca
@ bluesix with aram shelton and friends
7/29/09
here it is - the final product!
the keefe jackson/frank rosaly 7" on my very own label, molk records! this 45rpm record is pressed on white vinyl and the covers are hand stamped and numbered by yours truly.
as you may or may not know, molk records is a shoestring operation. i don't have a whole lot of distribution as of yet. if you are interested in picking up a copy, you can order one through www.contraphonic.com. there you can purchase a physical copy of the record, or download an mp3 version. if you live in chicago, you can pick up a copy at the jazz record mart.
7/16/09
duo record woes/whoas!
the 500 keefe jackson/frank rosaly duo 7" lay in piles at my house, sans record covers.
the reason: UPS is the worst. ever.
i am praying to god that the covers come today so that i can get busy stamping them for mass consumption at the pitchfork music festival where they will be available at the contraphonic table - prior to the the official release of the record, i might add.
be the first! stop buy. oops. stop by.
the official release date is tuesday, july 21st!
on another front - i just completed a 2 day stretch recording solo at strobe studio (thanks jamie!).
the first day started off terribly - i woke up late, got stuck in traffic... and as i sat there steaming, i saw an 8 week old kitten who had been thrown out a window of a car in front of me. when i stopped the car to get him, he jumped up through the bottom of my car into my engine. luckily he didn't meet the fan. i turned off the engine and with help from an esteemed chicago minuteman (stranded vehicle assistance, not the racists), we grabbed him without harm. then i took the completely distraught kitten to the no kill shelter. they informed me it's "cat season", so he would be going straight to the pound. thanks for breaking my heart, assholes.
OK, frank rosaly!!! let's go make some music!
though most of the day was terrible, i played a piece that will be dedicated to the brief life of an innocent soul thrown out of a window.
day two was a lot better, and i feel like i actually made a solo drumming record that doesn't completely suck. now it's time to sequence, mix, master and bid to some record companies. when that fails i'll just put it out myself and make huge money*.
*in free jazz dollars huge money is over $20
6/23/09
i just found this bad boy. it cost next to nothing, but the shells are just like an old premier from the 60's. it sounds fantastic, and the navy blue and gold oyster finish is boss.
6/14/09
last night i had my first opportunity to see an outstanding percussionist from milwaukee, jon mueller, perform live with dan burke and fred lonberg-holm at the hideout in chicago. i really enjoyed the performance and immediately bought his newest lp/cd/dvd offering. after hearing the recording, physical changes, i can sefely say that what i saw at the hideout was a version of his extended piece called 'nothing changes'. attempting to describe what i experienced at the show would be an injustice to the experience and to the music - it was beyond excellent... and his new recordings are excellent. visit: www.rhythmplex.com for more on jon and his work.
4/30/09
david daniell and doug mccombs have a new record coming out on thrill jockey this fall. I am playing on a couple tracks, and just got a chance to hear an unmastered version. holy sh*t. it sounds fantastic. there is a track with johnny herndon and steven hess playing with dd and dm that is particularly beautiful. i'm super excited to be on this release.
4/27/09
the jeb bishop trio (jeb bishop - trombone, jason roebke - bass, me - drums) just finished a 2 day recording session at the strobe studio in chicago. we were able to record over 5 hours of material, which means we have to listen to all of it before we can sequence a record. *sigh*... listening to yourself playing can be taxing, but jeb wrote some great stuff, and once again jamie wagner did a great job behind the mixing board, so it'll be easy.
4/14/09
in collaboration with director & producers brian ashby, ben kolak, and courtney prokopas, i am working on the score for their feature length documentary Scrappers. please visit the scrappers website for more information. i will to be going into ESS studio in the coming months to complete the recording.
4/13/09
april is international duo awareness month. the dave rempis/frank rosaly duo, isa wiss/frank rosaly duo, jason stein/frank rosaly duo, matt schneider/frank rosaly duo (aka anchor), keefe jackson/frank rosaly duo all have recorded in the recent past and are in the process of completing recordings for mass consumption.
multi-reedist dave rempis and i have just finished our initial mix for a duo record we hope to have out in the fall of 2009 on 482 records. we will be supporting it with a short east coast tour this winter. bass clarinetist jason stein and i are also keen on releasing a live set with edgetone records we performed at strobe studio for their intimate strobe sessions series, a monthly intimate concert/recording session. isa wiss, a wonderful vocalist who is the current artist-in-residence as part of the chicago/lucerne sister cities program, recorded with me at boocoo in evanston, illinois a few weeks back. we were both very pleased with the result, so we are going back for another session to complete a full length release. the house engineer at boocoo, jason van hoose, did an brilliant job of capturing my drums. last month my duo, anchor, (along with supremely skilled guitarist matt schneider) recorded at strobe as well.
4/09/09
the keefe jackson/frank rosaly duo 7" masters have been received by rainbo records. i am hoping to get test pressings later this month for final approval. btw: this will be molk records first official release (unlike the prior seven releases, which have been available in very small, sexy quantities and sold exclusively from the bandstand). it's coming out on white vinyl, so if the musical material just isn't enough for you, the delicious creamy vinyl should help you make the right decision.
molk records' website should be up and running in the next month or so. you can be sure that i will let you know when it is initiated.
11/18/09
save the date!
the official record release party date for milkwork has been announced.
on 1/16/2010 at 9pm, contraphonic, inc. is holding it's annual winter of love 2010 @ the hideout in chicago.
pillars and tongues and the toby summerfield ensemble will be at hand to celebrate with me.
11/2/09
a little pre-holiday music for you. i've been doing a lot of listening and studying of xenakis recently. after spotting this excellent performance of his solo percussion piece, psappha, by percussionist steven schick on you tube, i decided to purchase a number of his scores to further confuse myself with his meticulous process.
10/29/09
jeff parker just sent a link to his friends on facebook about billy higgins:
http://www.echo.ucla.edu/Volume2-Issue1/chapman-berish/higgins-title.html
the interview is an excellent representation of his nature as a human being, his breadth of knowledge and wisdom, and his genuine love for the music he helped define and defy.
9/22/09
i am very pleased to mention that my upcoming solo performance, along side the debut of my new group, OXBOW, was written about in this week's chicago reader by mr. peter margasak.
here is the link.
i hope you can make it!
october 30th @
the hideout (chicago, il)
1354 w. wabansia
10pm $7
8/27/09
i just finished recording, sequencing, mixing and mastering a new record of my solo project, milkwork. i am extremely excited about the way it sounds. chicago's very own contraphonic records is going to be putting it out this fall, with a release date set for september 29th, just in time for my west coast solo tour.
oh yeah - my solo tour is looking something like this:
sept 30 wed. chicago, il
@ the hideout (along side my group, OXBOW with jason stein, james falzone, keefe jackson, jason adasiewicz and jason roebke)
oct 1 thurs. lebanon, il
@ mckendree university workshop and performance (afternoon)
oct 1 thurs. st. louis, mo
@ lemp arts (pm)
oct 3 sat. new orleans, la
@ allways lounge with an opening set by hellen gillet, me second, third set is the special all-libra cast: rob cambre, jeff albert, bill hunsinger and hellen gillet!
oct 4 sun. houston, tx
with hosts they, who sound @ the avant garden
oct 5 mon. austin, tx
@ the church of the friendly ghost
oct 7 wed. santa fe, nm
@ high mayhem
oct 8 thurs. flagstaff, az
@ the coconino center for the arts (eveningtime)
oct 9 fri. flagstaff, az
@ northern arizona university - workshop
oct 10 sat. phoenix, az
@ modified arts
oct 11 sun. san diego, ca
@ other ideas at kava gallery presented by trummerflora with percussionist nathan hubbard
oct 13 tues. santa barbara, ca
12:20-2pm @ UCSB lecture and performance in the college of creative studies
then an improvisation workshop (4-6pm) with the UCSB jazz ensemble
oct13 tues. santa barbara, ca
@ muddy waters cafe (evening performance)
oct 15 thurs. san francisco, ca
@ bluesix with aram shelton and friends
7/29/09
here it is - the final product!
the keefe jackson/frank rosaly 7" on my very own label, molk records! this 45rpm record is pressed on white vinyl and the covers are hand stamped and numbered by yours truly.
as you may or may not know, molk records is a shoestring operation. i don't have a whole lot of distribution as of yet. if you are interested in picking up a copy, you can order one through www.contraphonic.com. there you can purchase a physical copy of the record, or download an mp3 version. if you live in chicago, you can pick up a copy at the jazz record mart.
7/16/09
duo record woes/whoas!
the 500 keefe jackson/frank rosaly duo 7" lay in piles at my house, sans record covers.
the reason: UPS is the worst. ever.
i am praying to god that the covers come today so that i can get busy stamping them for mass consumption at the pitchfork music festival where they will be available at the contraphonic table - prior to the the official release of the record, i might add.
be the first! stop buy. oops. stop by.
the official release date is tuesday, july 21st!
on another front - i just completed a 2 day stretch recording solo at strobe studio (thanks jamie!).
the first day started off terribly - i woke up late, got stuck in traffic... and as i sat there steaming, i saw an 8 week old kitten who had been thrown out a window of a car in front of me. when i stopped the car to get him, he jumped up through the bottom of my car into my engine. luckily he didn't meet the fan. i turned off the engine and with help from an esteemed chicago minuteman (stranded vehicle assistance, not the racists), we grabbed him without harm. then i took the completely distraught kitten to the no kill shelter. they informed me it's "cat season", so he would be going straight to the pound. thanks for breaking my heart, assholes.
OK, frank rosaly!!! let's go make some music!
though most of the day was terrible, i played a piece that will be dedicated to the brief life of an innocent soul thrown out of a window.
day two was a lot better, and i feel like i actually made a solo drumming record that doesn't completely suck. now it's time to sequence, mix, master and bid to some record companies. when that fails i'll just put it out myself and make huge money*.
*in free jazz dollars huge money is over $20
6/23/09
i just found this bad boy. it cost next to nothing, but the shells are just like an old premier from the 60's. it sounds fantastic, and the navy blue and gold oyster finish is boss.
6/14/09
last night i had my first opportunity to see an outstanding percussionist from milwaukee, jon mueller, perform live with dan burke and fred lonberg-holm at the hideout in chicago. i really enjoyed the performance and immediately bought his newest lp/cd/dvd offering. after hearing the recording, physical changes, i can sefely say that what i saw at the hideout was a version of his extended piece called 'nothing changes'. attempting to describe what i experienced at the show would be an injustice to the experience and to the music - it was beyond excellent... and his new recordings are excellent. visit: www.rhythmplex.com for more on jon and his work.
4/30/09
david daniell and doug mccombs have a new record coming out on thrill jockey this fall. I am playing on a couple tracks, and just got a chance to hear an unmastered version. holy sh*t. it sounds fantastic. there is a track with johnny herndon and steven hess playing with dd and dm that is particularly beautiful. i'm super excited to be on this release.
4/27/09
the jeb bishop trio (jeb bishop - trombone, jason roebke - bass, me - drums) just finished a 2 day recording session at the strobe studio in chicago. we were able to record over 5 hours of material, which means we have to listen to all of it before we can sequence a record. *sigh*... listening to yourself playing can be taxing, but jeb wrote some great stuff, and once again jamie wagner did a great job behind the mixing board, so it'll be easy.
4/14/09
in collaboration with director & producers brian ashby, ben kolak, and courtney prokopas, i am working on the score for their feature length documentary Scrappers. please visit the scrappers website for more information. i will to be going into ESS studio in the coming months to complete the recording.
4/13/09
april is international duo awareness month. the dave rempis/frank rosaly duo, isa wiss/frank rosaly duo, jason stein/frank rosaly duo, matt schneider/frank rosaly duo (aka anchor), keefe jackson/frank rosaly duo all have recorded in the recent past and are in the process of completing recordings for mass consumption.
multi-reedist dave rempis and i have just finished our initial mix for a duo record we hope to have out in the fall of 2009 on 482 records. we will be supporting it with a short east coast tour this winter. bass clarinetist jason stein and i are also keen on releasing a live set with edgetone records we performed at strobe studio for their intimate strobe sessions series, a monthly intimate concert/recording session. isa wiss, a wonderful vocalist who is the current artist-in-residence as part of the chicago/lucerne sister cities program, recorded with me at boocoo in evanston, illinois a few weeks back. we were both very pleased with the result, so we are going back for another session to complete a full length release. the house engineer at boocoo, jason van hoose, did an brilliant job of capturing my drums. last month my duo, anchor, (along with supremely skilled guitarist matt schneider) recorded at strobe as well.
4/09/09
the keefe jackson/frank rosaly duo 7" masters have been received by rainbo records. i am hoping to get test pressings later this month for final approval. btw: this will be molk records first official release (unlike the prior seven releases, which have been available in very small, sexy quantities and sold exclusively from the bandstand). it's coming out on white vinyl, so if the musical material just isn't enough for you, the delicious creamy vinyl should help you make the right decision.
molk records' website should be up and running in the next month or so. you can be sure that i will let you know when it is initiated.
