Cuneiform Records AUGUST 2025 Newsletter

CUNEIFORM RECORDS AUGUST 2025 NEWSLETTER:  New Releases & Concerts   read this newsletter online    LAPTOP/ COMPUTER: navigate email via colored links or scroll down   MOBILE:  scroll email  or read online if images don't open ~~~~~~   COMING OUT AUGUST 29, 2025 LED BIB – HOTEL PUPIK JAZZ Award-winning UK Jazz stalwarts LED BIB, now a quartet (drummer Mark Holub, bassist Liran Donin,  saxophonists Pete Grogan & Chris Williams) release new studio album [UK] ~~~ OUT NOW! RELEASED AUGUST 1, 2025 HAPPY FAMILY – FLOWING YET CUNNING / FORT OF RESPONSIBILITY  NEW MUSIC / CLASSICAL MINIMALISM Japan's Happy Family surprise and delight with a new single of tracks composed by Kenicho Morimoto, feauring Morimoto on piano and Takahiro Izutani on guitar. [JAPAN] ~~~ OUT NOW! RELEASED JULY 25, 2025 SIX DIGITAL RELEASES: BALLOONS FOR THE DOG – WICKED FORMS OF OLD SNOW ROCK / ART ROCK / NEW WAVE Previously unreleased studio recordings from 1977-1981 by Balloons for the Dog, New Wave / Art Rock band from Washington DC's avant/art rock scene  [USA] ~~~ SWRM – LIGHTS OFF DARK SYNTH POP / ART ROCK / MINIMAL WAVE / ELECTRONIC Newest release by the electronics / percussion / vocals duo SWRM, composed of Providence RI musical legends Alec K. Redfearn and Matt McLaren (both of Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores and Barnacled) [USA] – Albums on Cuneiform Records by Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores and the Seizures ~~~ MIRIODOR – LIVE '97 ROCK / AVANT-PROGRESSIVE / ROCK IN OPPOSITION Previously unreleased 1997 live recording of long-standing Quebecois ensemble Miriodor at Salle Multi de Méduse, performing tunes from their acclaimed album Elastic Juggling [CANADA] – Additional Miriodor albums on Cuneiform Records ~~~ TINN PARROW & COMPANY  – MY GYMNASIUM MUSEUM ART ROCK / NEW MUSIC / CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION Debut release by Tinn Parrow & Co., solo project of Ann Arbor-based multi-instrumentalist Lawrence Bond Miller (Fourth World Quartet, Miller Twins).  [USA] – Laurence Bond Miller's albums with Fourth World Quartet and Miller Twins on Cuneiform Records   ~~~~~   KRAKHOUSE – BASTARDS OF PROG ROCK / COMEDY / EXPERIMENTAL Debut release from Krakhouse, progressively conceptual  genre-defiant solo project of New York composer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Jesse Krakow (Time of Orchids, Shudder To Think, The Shaggs, Fast ‘n Bulbous, Dr. Nerve) [USA] – Jesse Karkow albums with Time of Orchids and Fast 'n' Bulbous on Cuneiform Records ~~~ ROSA ENSEMBLE – ODDMENTS NEW MUSIC / CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL / POST-GENRE Dutch group Rosa Ensemble, whose collaborations blur lines between artistic mediums, focus here on an album of new music that evolves and dissolves borders between musical genres, exploring vistas within and beyond classical and rock, jazz and pop. [THE NETHERLANDS] ~~~ OUT NOW! RELEASED JUNE 27, 2025  HEAT ON – HEAT ON JAZZ Debut release of Chicago powerhouse instrumental jazz quartet Heat On, led by composer/drummer Lily Finnegan, with Fred Jackson Jr. & Edward Wilkerson Jr. on saxophones and Nick Macri on bass. [USA] ~~~~~~ SNEAK PEEKS WITH SOUNDS COMING OUT SEPTEMBER, 2025 RVOLUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE – SERPENTINE JAZZ Ken Field's long-running New Orleans-influenced jazz party combo - the REVOUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE - return for a new album filled with great music and great fun. [USA] ~~~ SNEAK PEEKS OF WHAT'S COMING OUT LATER IN 2025 A LIST OF UPCOMING JAZZ , ROCK, & EXPERIMENTAL/ ELECTRONIC RELEASES ~~~~~ CUNEIFORM ARTISTS ON TOUR: LIVE CONCERTS & TOURS   ~~~~~ ENJOY A WORLD OF MUSICAL ADVENTURE with  CUNEIFORM RECORDS ONLINE:   • EXPLORE Cuneiform Records'  SOCIAL MEDIA //  BANDCAMP PAGE // YOUTUBE CHANNEL //  SOUNDCLOUD PAGE ~~~~~ • Purchase music from 100s of labels at WAYSIDE MUSIC, our sister store, estab.1980 ~~~~~ • Missed seeing a CUNEIFORM NEWSLETTER? Access prior issues at cuneiformrecord.blogspot.com/    ~~~~~                                                                                      read this newsletter online Photo above of the Everglades (Everglades National Park, Florida) return to top COMING OUT  AUGUST 29, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS LED BIB HOTEL PUPIK Bio information: LED BIB Title: HOTEL PUPIK  (Cuneiform Rune 541) Format: CD / LP / DIGITAL Release date: August 29, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: JAZZ  AWARD-WINNING UK JAZZ GROUP LED BIB CONTINUES EXPANDING JAZZ TOWARDS NEW FRONTIERS, WHILE EXPLORING NEW SOUND-WORLDS AS A QUARTET    listen to / share "IRON ORE" on Soundcloud from LED BIB'S HOTEL PUPIK   Before we get into the specifics of Led Bib’s brilliant new record, Hotel Pupik, let’s try a small thought experiment. Imagine, if you will, that you’re in possession of a gigantic LP record, one big enough to contain all of the 104 pieces that the British group has recorded over its 22-year career.      Got that?   Now let’s imagine that you’re dropping the needle at random. You might wind up with a track like “Call Centre Labyrinth”, from Led Bib’s 2009 Mercury Prize–nominated release, Sensible Shoes. With its skronking yet carefully harmonized horns, Saturnine keys, and massively fuzzed-out bass, it’s beautifully brutal. Lift the tonearm and repeat; now you’re on to “Clatter”, the opening track from the group’s 2005 debut, Arboretum. The sound might be less polished, the energy even more brash, but Led Bib’s singular blend of jazz adventure and 21st-century drive is already fully present.    So now let’s try one more track. But what’s this? Female vocals? Pensive and poetic lyrics? By chance, you’ve hit upon “To Dry In the Rain”, from 2019’s It’s Morning, a radical departure for the band. Singer Sharron Fortnam’s wistful soprano nudges Led Bib into something that might reasonably be called soulful jazz-prog—which makes sense, given that Middlesex University in North London, where drummer Mark Holub formed the group, is only a short distance away from Canterbury, and this track would sit comfortably alongside efforts from such U.K. icons as Robert Wyatt or Hatfield and the North. It’s an anomaly in the Led Bib catalogue, yet Pete Grogan and Chris Williams’ saxophones still swirl and joust, while bassist Liran Donin keeps the steady pulse around which all the other elements coalesce.   Led Bib’s ability to retain its core identity while surveying a wide swath of musical terrain is remarkable, and on Hotel Pupik the group faced its biggest challenge yet: the departure of keyboardist Toby McLaren, a vital part of the ensemble since its inception. At first, successful evolution seemed like a distant hope, especially as Led Bib’s first post-Covid quartet gigs  without McLaren were problematic. “They weren’t easy ,” Holub admits. “I think we were trying to play as a quartet, but in the same way that we’d always played. And it just felt like there was something missing.”   And what were the missing elements? Nothing more than time, and luck.   photo by Oliver Brunbauer    Hotel Pupik—the place, not the latest Led Bib record—is housed in the outbuildings of a ruined castle on the outskirts of Scheifling, Austria.  Overlooked by steep hills and nestled in a grove of deciduous trees, it’s a complex of dwellings and open, loft-like spaces; in the summer artists are invited to experiment there, attracted by the promise of free accommodation, attractive scenery, and a supportive environment.  Holub—an American who has been living in Vienna for the past several years—had already been an artist in residence at Hotel Pupik and thought this could be a great place to develop a Led Bib quartet edition. After discussing with the band, they put together an application for the project with Arts Council England and somewhat to all their surprises, the application was accepted.    “The idea,” he explains, “was that we would take a week and just play, and really try to reassess the sort of language we’re using.    “Obviously it’s connected to what we’ve done before; it’s not completely alien to the catalogue,” the drummer adds. “But it was really a thing of going ‘’We were 22, 23, 24 years old when we met. Now we’re 44, 45, 46.  What will we do now?’”   And, more particularly, “What will we do without a keyboard player?”   Holub notes that Led Bib considered adding a new member, but decided not to mess with the obvious and intimate chemistry between the four remaining players and the social bond created through twenty plus years of working together.     “It did force us to rethink what we’re doing, in a really positive way,” Holub notes. “When you break up with a girlfriend or a wife or whatever, somehow you have to reassess who you are without them. It’s like ‘We’ve been together for so long, your identity is intrinsically linked with that person, or in this case, with the band. Who am I if I’m not with that person?’ Who am I as a musician, if I was never in this band? ‘How much are the choices that I make in Led Bib, sonically, to do with the other people in this band and our experiences together and how much of them are to do with what I would choose myself?’ So in some ways doing this record was a way of imagining that we’d never played together before. Where would we go if we were to start again?’       photo by Heimo Wallner   All of these questions have been satisfactorily answered on Hotel Pupik, the record. The leisurely pace of the week-long session allowed Led Bib to explore a huge range of ideas and emotions, and while only a small part of what was recorded was used, the group took a similarly relaxed approach to assembling the final product. Over weeks of Zoom chats and email exchanges, Led Bib shaped Hotel Pupik into what Holub calls, with deliberate emphasis, “a record”.   “We were thinking about classic rock albums, like [Pink Floyd’s] Dark Side of the Moon,” he explains. Creating something where the album itself is a story, and in this case, really considering the LP format of 20 minutes to each side.     The closest Hotel Pupik comes to classic rock is on kickoff track “Iron Ore”, a Liran Donin composition that strikes a perfect balance between avant-jazz freedom and metal bombast. It’s great fun. From there, the record diverges, scrolling through the memorably melodic “A Tin Teardrop” and the birdsong-laced atmospherics of “Dawn Chorus”, before arriving at the intellectual exfoliation offered by the one-two punch of “Pure O” and the title track. “Pure O” begins with quiet contemplation before leaning into a fierce passage of sustained high harmonics from the horns; this, in turn, leads into “Hotel Pupik”, a long and beautifully sustained collective improvisation created on the last day of the Austrian sessions.   “It’s not free improv, like capital-F free improv, or Derek Bailey improv,”  Holub says. “It’s improvising within the sound-world that Led Bib occupies. but there wasn’t a lot of structure in the sense of ‘This is how this tune’s going to go.’ Previous Led Bib material was almost always about a more traditional jazz way of working: head, solos, head. That tended to be what we did, and the solos were always free but somehow related to what we had played before. While some things we played at the session were done in this way,what ended up on the record is mostly not, the compositions are somehow evident throughout, rather than just at the beginning and end. So, to us, it feels quite different.”   Different, yes, but also fresh. That Led Bib feels renewed is especially evident on Hotel Pupik’s final track “Till Next Time”. It’s a surprisingly sweet and gentle benediction that clearly offers the promise of more—and more from this band will be a very good thing. photo by Heimo Wallner CREDITS: Pete Grogan – saxophones Chris Williams – saxophones, effects Liran Donin – bass, effects Mark Holub – drums Compositions by Liran Donin (1, 5), Chris Williams (3), Mark Holub (2, 4, 7), and Led Bib (6). Recorded by Oliver Brunbauer at Hotel Pupik, Scheifling, Austria, June 3 – 7 2024. Mixed by Chris Janka at Janka Industries Studio, Vienna, Austria, October 7 – 8 2024. Mastered by Chris Janka at Janka Industries Studio, Vienna, Austria, November 11, 2024.   ~~~  photo by Oliver Brunbauer                                                                                BUY /  listen to on Bandcamp:                                                                                                     BUY /  listen to HOTEL PUPIK in High Definition 24/96 on Bandcamp:       return to top Listen to & buy additional LED BIB albums on Cuneiform Records Click on album art to hear samples & buy "Led Bib strut their genre-defying music…it packs a powerful punch. … This is engaging, urban, 21st-century music that has seen the band dubbed "the future of jazz". That is only partly true. Rather, their musical concept is the future of jazz because instead of the music being defined by the past, ...Led Bib show what it can become. Their attractiveness is in their openness to new lines of input. Pete Grogan is a northern soul freak while Chris Williams, who hails from Israel, adds sinewy, Middle Eastern melodic lines to his work. The whole band are into Metallica, while Holub, from New Jersey, is into Bob Dylan and the old downtown sounds of New York City jazz. The result is music that's teeming with references, hand-holds that audiences can grab so the music doesn't pass them by. There's the energy of rock, but even rock, like jazz, has become a term too small to contain the music within it. Both terms are now limiting, leaving music free to break out of the rigid formatting… This is Led Bib music, and…the old nostrums of the punk and post-punk critics, who sneered at instrumental virtuosity, suddenly seemed out of date.... Enter Led Bib, with powerful saxes and dynamic live drumming, and audiences find it exciting and new. …in an ailing music business the underground music scene and bands like Led Bib are showing that Britain really has got talent.” – Stuart Nicholson, “Bold urban virtuosos who play down the ‘j’ word”, The Observer     THE GOOD EGG                                                                                                             “Part free improv, part art-rock, the band’s uncompromising formula puts them in the vanguard of the new school of British jazz.” —The Sunday Times “We need bands like Led Bib to make the world safe for dangerous music.” – Observer Music Monthly “Proof that groovy dirty jazz isn’t just the preserve of downtown New Yorkers” – BBC Radio 3 “In-your-face urgency of a live album and the punch of a much bigger band...It's Led Bib's best album so far.” —The Guardian   THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD “London quintet Led Bib is one of a succession of new millennial British bands…who are tearing up the jazz rule book with an enthusiasm which renders the description “iconoclastic” inadequate.…the band continues its mission of taking jazz by the scruff of the neck, punching it in the face and watching the blood flow. …paradigms need regularly to be challenged and subverted, lest atrophy set in.” – Chris May, All About Jazz   “…raw collisions of free jazz, avant funk, brooding sax and sheer noise…Best listened to with the volume up and the neighbors warned…this infectiously witty group…sounds like a gale of fresh air.” – John Fordham, The Guardian   BRING YOUR OWN  “A whole range of new colours and harmonies have been woven into the originals, and their headlong rush is inflected with unexpected turnings and digressions - though interestingly this multiplies the energy, rather than lessening it." –The Telegraph "…deliciously mutilated (4 stars)" – Uncut ”Gritty, raunchy jazz from a group who deserve to be checked out.” – The Wire SENSIBLE SHOES “…an electrified 21st century Fire Music.” – Daniel Spicer Jazzwise  "Splattering you against the wall with their broadsides of punk-jazz" – John Fordham – The Guardian   "They represent a new generation of jazz musicians, blessed with the technical know-how of a music college degree and the sexiness of rock n' roll." – Blues and Soul  "One of ‘25 Live Acts you MUST see this Summer’ (placing above Bjork, The White Stripes and The Arctic Monkeys) – Observer Music Monthly    "Anyone intrigued by the sonic possibilities explored by Ladyland and Polar Bear or the leading lights of the New York Downtown scene should check it out.” – The Scotsman   return to top !! OUT NOW !! AUGUST 1, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS HAPPY FAMILY FLOWING YET CUNNING / FORT OF RESPONSIBILITY Bio information: HAPPY FAMILY Title: FLOWING YET CUNNING / FORT OF RESPONSIBILITY  (Cuneiform Rune 4038) Format: DIGITAL Release date: August 1, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER:  NEW MUSIC / CLASSICAL MINIMALISM JAPAN'S HAPPY FAMILY DELIGHT WITH A NEW SINGLE OF STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL TUNES COMPOSED BY KENICHI MORIMOTO, WITH MORIMOTO ON PIANO AND TAKAHIRO IZUTANI ON GUITAR – a tantalyzing taste of new directions the Happy Family quartet explores in their next album –     HAPPY FAMILY shares its news: SINGLE RELEASE We are excited to share two new piano versions of upcoming Happy Family tracks. These interpretations offer a raw and intimate glimpse into the core of our latest compositions—currently being developed into full-band arrangements through ongoing rehearsals. CONCERT IN TOKYO: December 13, 2025 We're also thrilled to announce an upcoming headline show in Tokyo. Happy Family will perform a solo live set on Saturday, December 13, 2025. at Silver Elephant in Tokyo. For more details and updates, please visit our official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HappyFamily.music ABOUT THE SINGLE FLOWING YET CUNNING / FORT OF RESPONSIBILITY "Flowing Yet Cunning" The moment the "flowing" 7/8 phrase at the beginning of this piece came to Kenichi Morimoto, he felt confident it would become a strong composition. From there, the rest of the music unfolded almost unconsciously, with little deliberate effort involved in the writing process. The result was a beautiful piece that didn’t quite resemble anything in his usual musical vocabulary. The contrast between its "flowing" beginning and its unexpectedly "cunning" nature is what gave rise to the title. "Fort of Responsibility" Kenichi Morimoto, who works mainly in the legal field, once came across a thought-provoking statement in a professional journal—a response to the growing claim that experts in specialized fields will soon be replaced by AI. The author argued that the key difference between human beings and artificial intelligence is not just intelligence, but the human ability to take responsibility for decisions and actions. Inspired by this idea and encouraged by what it suggested, Morimoto turned to the piano. The result was this composition, completed in just seven days—the shortest writing time of his career. Released August 1, 2025 BUY / listen on Bandcamp to: FLOWING YET CUNNING / FORT OF RESPONSIBILITY   CREDITS Kenichi Morimoto - piano Takahiro Izutani - guitar   1 "Flowing Yet Cunning" written by Kenichi Morimoto 2 "Fort of Responsibility" written by Kenichi Morimoto mixed and mastered by Takahiro Izutani   ~~~   "We already have...a full album's worth of brand new material...composed by Kenichi Morimoto...The upcoming album will centre around his piano and focus on expressing the 'beautiy' of Happy Family. ....Before, Happy Family had two sides of musical direction: comical, fun melodies, and the dark, heavy side of music. Now, we are thinking about how to make a great, beautiful kind of music. That's a new perspective [facet] of ourselves." – Takahiro Izutani, quoted in Daniel Spicer's article "Happy Family," The Wire  496, June 2025   Happy Family photograph by Ryohei Obama for The Wire Read the full 4-page (pp. 26-29) article on Happy Family by Daniel Spicer in The Wire (#496), June 2025 return to top SIX DIGITAL RELEASES !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED  JULY 25, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS BALLOONS FOR THE DOG          //          MIRIODOR           //         TINN PARROW & COMPANY .      .      ROSA ENSEMBLE                     //    KRAKHOUSE            //                       SWRM      .    .  return to top   !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 25, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS BALLOONS FOR THE DOG WICKED FORMS OF OLD SNOW Bio information: BALLOONS FOR THE DOG Title: WICKED FORMS OF OLD SNOW (Cuneiform Rune 3400) Format: DIGITAL  Release date: July 25, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: ROCK / NEW WAVE / ART ROCK   Balloons for the Dog  were  a widely acclaimed New Wave / Art Rock band active in the Washington DC area from the late 70s/early 80s.  Wicked Forms of Old Snow features the sole single released in their lifetime as well as previously unreleased studio recordings from 1977-1981.     listen to / share "Peaches & Dogma" on Soundcloud from Balloons for the Dog's WICKED FORMS OF OLD SNOW   "Balloons for the Dog is surely one of the finest rock groups in Washington, and its music has the potential for breaking into the commercial mainstream" – The Washington Post, Nov. 18, 1979 ~ ~ ~   "They were too weird for punk, too raw for art rock, too theatrical for pop, too melodic for noise. Balloons for the Dog emerged from the humid chaos of suburban Maryland, outside Washington DC, in the late 1970s — part band, part brotherhood, part Dada experiment in the shell of a rock group. No one quite knew what to do with them. Least of all themselves. Balloons for the Dog, 1978 with Dr. Bennett   The songs were brilliant, biting, often absurd—sometimes operatic, sometimes just plain unhinged. Fronted by two shapeshifting vocalists—Georgy Jett, who had literally just walked across Africa, and his foil Mr. Leo, Bill Kitsoulis’s brother and spiritual instigator—they conjured a world filled with talking dogs, gray-car girls, metaphysical porters, insects at war, and “the dick.” It was half satire, half sacred incantation, and all of it was real.   I know because I played with them.      Georgy Jet  Leo Stalin   One night, I saw Balloons open for some ridiculous prog-punk band whose entire vibe collapsed the moment Leo tore off his shirt and the band launched into a song that sounded like Bowie covering Beefheart in a broken church. I interviewed them soon after. They joked, they pontificated, they argued. I loved them immediately.   Bill Longhorse, the composer and guitarist, was the band’s gravitational center—reluctantly, hilariously, masterfully. He was into Mahavishnu, Stravinsky, and Sun Ra, but also found space for fart jokes and musique concrète. The band practiced obsessively. Their gigs were chaotic. Their amps sometimes caught fire. They once played three nights in a row for an audience that never outnumbered the band. Bill Longhorse   But none of that mattered. Because what they were making—loud, brave, unsellable—was alive. Even now, decades later, you can hear it: the wild sincerity, the harmonic mischief, the deep yearning underneath the noise. As Georgy recently wrote, the greatest gift was the chance to transform, to become someone else, to be free. The music let him do that.   In time, Balloons became Baltek, then Leather Balloons, then myth. Some of us moved to New York. Others stayed behind. We got jobs, got older, kept going. But these songs—these glorious, vicious, deeply strange songs—never stopped haunting us.   Balloons for the Dog, 1980 lineup with Henry Cross   This release isn’t a resurrection. It’s a recognition. A way of saying: yes, this happened. This mattered. And maybe, still does."   – Marc Farre, reporting from Northern California, 2025   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   BUY / Listen to BALLOONS FOR THE DOG on Bandcamp: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   ALBUM CREDITS Bill ‘Kitsoulis’ Longhorse : Guitars, background vocals Leo 'Steel' Stalin : Lead & background vovals, chainsaw George ‘Georgy Jet’ Liebensfeld : Lead & background vocals Eric Bindman : Violins (electric & acoustic) Dr. Brian Bennett: Bass, keyboards, background vocals (1977-80) Henry Cross : Bass (1980-81) Al Williams: Drums (1977) Don ‘DXR Mavro’ Fontaine : Drums (1978-81) Produced by Bill Longhorse & Dr. Bennett All music ©1977-81, Bill Longhorse, except: Tracks 12, 13 & 16, ©1977, Chris Kitsoulis & Tom Cox; and track 10 ©1975 Chris Kitsoulis & George Liebensfeld Donald Cortez Fontaine (DX Mavro) Recorded at La BS Studios, Greenbelt, MD., 3340 engineering Dr. Bennett except: Tracks 1, 2 (Tuna), 13 & 14 recorded at Track Studios, Silver Spring, MD, engineer Bill McCullough; tracks 3 & 11 recorded at Catch a Buzz Studios, engineer Tom Scott; and track 18 recorded live at the Childe Harold by Drew Melton. Layout by Chester Hawkins. Photography provided by Eli Duke under a Creative Commons 2.0 license. Eric Bindman Dr. Brian Bennett    Henry Cross return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 25, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS SWRM LIGHTS OUT Bio information:  SWRM Title: LIGHTS OUT (Cuneiform Rune 3397) Format: DIGITAL Release date: July 25, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: DARK SYNTH POP / ART ROCK / MINIMAL WAVE / ELECTRONIC   SWRM is the duo of Providence singer/ songwriter/ bandleader Alec  K. Redfearn (analog synthesizers, vocals) and Matt McLaren (drums), renown for their numerous releases and tours with long standing bands  Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores and Barnacled.  In Lights Out, SWRM’s debut release, they forge an alchemical blend of psych, space rock, minimal wave, drone and more. listen to / share "The Hunt" on Soundcloud  from SWRM's Lights Out "SWRM's music blends elements of early electronica, dark folk blues, Balkan music, psych-rock, free jazz, Krautrock, and post-hardcore, with a focus on dark and futuristic sounds. " – Tommy Allen, Myrtle SWRM photo by by Courtland Townes III   SWRM is the sonic fusion of decades spent exploring the outer edges of sound. Hailing from Providence, the duo, Alec  K. Redfearn and Matt McLaren of Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores and Barnacled forge an alchemical blend of psych, prog, space rock, minimal wave, post-punk. Alec and Matt have been making music together since the early '90s, and SWRM is the culmination of that longstanding collaboration, a genre-melting project that channels their favorite music and literature absorbed over the years, whether by design or osmosis. SWRM plays synth-songs with a twist.  With a sound that’s as volatile as it is immersive, SWRM is experimental, hypnotic, and always evolving.   Born from years of sonic experimentation and a break from traditional instrumentation, Lights Out, SWRM’s debut release, is a raw, analog-driven exploration of rhythm, texture, and tone.   On Lights Out, Alec plays bass and leads simultaneously on Moog Matriarch and Sequential Circuits Trigon 6, abandoning sequencers in favor of expressive, hands-on playing. Matt augments a live drum kit with repurposed household objects and harmonica, infusing songs with animal energy. What began as a departure from Alec and Matt’s work with The Eyesores has come full circle, reconnecting with the band’s emotive timing and dynamic feel through new electronic tools. The result is a compelling blend of psych, prog, space rock, minimal wave, post-punk. Released in digital format on Cuneiform Records – the label behind most releases by Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores –  Lights Out  includes a booklet filled with Redfearn's dark and piercing folk lyrics and art.    RIYL (Recommended If You Like): Neu!, Faust, Suicide, Gary Numan, Silver Apples, Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores buy / listen to Light Out by SWRM via Bandcamp     LIGHTS OUT album credits: Alec K. Redfearn – Vocals, Moog Matriarch, Sequential Circuits Trigon 6, Korg ms20, Eurorack modular synth and field recordings Matt McLaren – Drum kit, percussion, harmonica and neyanban Guest vocals by Mary Sullivan of Yawni Recorded & mixed by Jared Mann at Distorted Forest, North Smithfield, RI Cover photo and illustrations by Alec K. Redfearn Cover Model & costume design by Reed McLaren Graphic design by Maeve Wiley ~~~   Alec K. Redfearn photo by by Courtland Townes III   Matt McLaren photo by by Courtland Townes III     “Alec has traded in his electrified accordion for a double stack of synth which he expertly juggles live on stage with his vocal duties. Matt McLaren provides the beat, with complex solos that surprise like Tonya Harding landing a triple axel.”   – Jason O’Toole ~~~ "Gone mad, they've all gone mad the fuse is lit dead brains and chaos reigns down in this pit mob rules and mystery schools won't save your soul we spin, spiraling in a fiery hole"  – Alec K. Redfearn, excerpt from "Everything Happens" ~~~ SWRM photo by Bill T Miller SWRM photo by Matt Westfield return to top ADDITIONAL RELEASES BY ALEC K. REDFEARN ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS click on album covers to hear samples / BUY discs click on video stills for YouTube videos ALEC K. REDFEARN & THE EYESORES Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores photo by Jayna Aronovitch  "This is wonderful stuff -- brave and experimental, yet warmly human. Make room on your folk revival shelf for something that may be influenced by folk, but is in no way a revival." – Splendid THE OPPOSITE DIGITAL / CD / LP   THE OPPOSITE HD DIGITAL " the world of The Opposite...songs that are part folk tale, part rock, alluringly different, darkly mysterious but sort of infectiously accessible! ....the album’s lyrics...dreamlike imagery not unlike the psych-rock of Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd. The music takes a similarly sweeping canvas, influences stretching from bands like Suicide, Can and Faust; synth-pop pioneers Tangerine Dream and proto-Darkwave groundbreakers Gary Numan and John Foxx; with the droning effect echoing the likes of the Velvet Underground and Chrome." – Velvet Thunder     SISTER DEATH                                                                                  THE BLIND SPOT                 "The Blind Spot (is) an ambitious song cycle that incorporates choral arrangements and a soprano vocalist, lending a true requiem-like feel to this meditation on loss and addiction. Redfearn is in top form here, directing the magic collision of spiralling waltzes with the drone of a specially built hurdy-gurdy. Despite the dark theme, the music is still exquisitely pretty, with segues between songs as integral as the compositions themselves." – Exclaim!  “From harsh nightmare riddles, to sweetly swooning tranced-out droning somnambulant reveries, psychedelic folk, prog-rock, old-time country, acidic cabaret, dark circus music, and sinister dream fragments … well worth investigating” –Dream Magazine Sister Death video:   THE SMOTHER PARTY                                                              THE QUIET ROOM ...their experimental Balkan/East European folk-inspired music is not only cleverly conceived, but executed with wit, style, and just a hint of darkness… They offer experimental future folk with elements of real dirt and sweat - and a touch of mania. Highly recommended.” - Bill Tilland, All Music Guide "gorgeous amalgam of 20th Century Americana, cabaret and theater music, Eastern European folk, noise rock and minimalism, a bracing textural snap. …wonderful ensemble interplay…” - Richard Moule, Signal to Noise EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF AND GOD AGAINST ALL  BENT AT THE WAIST “…homespun intimacy…by a band that tends to shun brightness and gaiety. …Led by accordion and winds, with occasional guitar and frequent detours through contrasting textural and mood breaks, Alec Redfearns’s music turns up a clever American twist on the Art Bears/Zamla axis, unafraid to admit having absorbed influences from klezmer and Balkan traditions as well. …place them next to Hamster Theatre and Non Credo on the most approachable side of current American R.I.O. music.” –  Michael Ezzo, Exposé MAY YOU DINE ON WEEDS MADE BITTER BY THE PISS OF DRUNKARDS   Redfearn and his squeezebox lead us along dark paths into the misty night, where the darker side of human nature bubbles a little closer to the surface...… There's a musical similarity to some of the Dark Cabaret artists...but Redfearn has a distinctive take on it. The music combines folk, country, jazz, gypsy, and rock in an eccentric but totally organic way. The instrumentation is as distinctive as the music, with Redfearn's accordion usually present (sometimes with effects pedals), organ, french horn, guitar, drums, and percussion."-Jon Davis, Exposé ALEC K. REDFEARN & THE SEIZURES EXTERMINATING ANGEL   "Interesting brand of vaudevillian rock with plenty of dark overtones." – Creative Loafing Charlotte                                          Video: Exterminating Angel (Cuneiform reissue of 2010 Corleone disc) return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 25, 2025 CUNEIFORM RECORDS MIRIODOR LIVE '97 Bio information:  MIRIODOR Title: LIVE '97 (Cuneiform Rune 3402) Format: DIGITAL  Release date: July 25, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: ROCK / AVANT PROGRESSIVE / ROCK IN OPPOSITION Previously unreleased live concert recording by Miriodor, Canada's premier exponent of Rock in Opposition / post-genre music, recorded at Quebec City's Salle Multi de Méduse during 1997's  "Soirées de Musique Fraiche"  Miriodor perform new, live versions of music from their recent album  Elastic Juggling / Jonglieres Elastiques, released by Cuneiform Records in 1996 to global acclaim. listen to/ share "Le Dresseur de Chenilles" on Soundcloud, from Live '97 Released by Cuneiform Records on February 13, 1996, Elastic Juggling / Jonglieres Elastiques, Miriodor’s 4th album, brought international recognition at a time where the band was undergoing internal changes.   This was the album that really got the band the attention of fans of ‘Rock In Opposition’ and ‘progressive’ music. Miriodor’s audience got bigger and so did the attention of the specialized press. The band unique music style made them truly stand apart and earned them a reputation.   Acclaim for Elastic Juggling came immediately from the North American music press: “Their sound is rooted in the chamber rock one might associate with bands like Univers Zero and Henry Cow (circa Western Culture), with touches of folk and other elements. There are wild mood swings and time changes, odd angularities and dissonant incongruities that together make for some great listening. Fans of seventies Crimson, UK, Zappa, Gentle Giant, and Van Der Graaf should find plenty of interest here.” - Peter Thelen,  Exposé, 1996-03-01   Acclaim also came from abroad: “Miriodor have established themselves as prime Canadian exponents of the complexly classical French twist on the RIO sound, notably with a side-step from Art Zoyd and Univers Zero, with many a unique twist of their own…a dynamic, intricate and beautifully crafted blending of rock-fusion, classical, folk and avant garde musics. “Elastic Juggling” is all the fun you’d expect it to be!”                                                                                                                – Alan Freeman, Audion [UK], reviewing Elastic Juggling   Elastic Juggling was also a milestone in the band’s history, marked by the closing chapter of a long and very fruitful association with Sabin Hudon (saxes, accordion) and the opening chapter of another very productive association, this time with Bernard Falaise (guitar, bass), who remains with the band to this day. This is in fact the only Miriodor album where these two worked together.   In addition, Elastic Juggling is Miriodor's only ‘concept album’ with many pieces relating to the circus world, albeit a demented one. Several circus characters are portrayed, with pieces like ‘Three Clowns’, ‘Tight-rope walker’, ‘Igor, the Motorbike Bear’, ‘The Caterpillar Tamer’, ‘The Knife Thrower’, ‘Strong Man Ring a Bell’, and there’s even one about a fortune teller, ‘Mrs X’. The cover shows the band as three clowns with a huge variety of instruments.   For performing live renditions of Elastic Juggling repertoire, Miriodor's lineup undertook some changes. In 1995 and early 1996, the live band consisted of Rémi Leclerc (drums), Pascal Globensky (keyboards), Bernard Falaise (guitar), Bernard Poirier (guitar, bass, clarinet) and Stéphanie Simard (violin). By mid 1996, the live crew was composed of Rémi, Pascal, Bernard, Stéphanie, plus Nicolas Masino (bass, keyboards) and Sabin Hudon on one occasion.   Miriodor are extraordinary live performers, and their concerts are legendary, astounding existing fans and enthralling newcomers. The band's 1997 concert at the Salle Multi de Méduse, released here as Live 97, will be sure to please all with Miriodor's live, tight-as-a-knot, fired-up performance, including alternate and extended versions of Elastic Juggling material. BUY / listen to Live 97 by Miriodor via Bandcamp  ALBUM CREDITS Bernard Falaise : Guitare Pascal Globensky : Claviers Rémi Leclerc : Batterie, Percussions Nicolas Masino : Basse, Claviers Stéphanie Simard : Violon Design: Sylvie Morisette Photos: Marc Tessier Maquillage:  Alexandre Lafleur Stereo soundboard tape recorded in Quebec City, Quebec Canada on January 17th, 1997 Mastered by Ian Beabout at Shed Sound Recordings "There are musical genres, such as punk, bluegrass and reggae. Then there are musical movements, which are revolutionary, methodical and unifying. The Rock In Opposition (or RIO) movement is a faction of progressive music which was pioneered by the English avant-rockers Henry Cow, the French ensemble Art Zoyd (which merges free jazz, progressive rock and avant-garde electronica) and Univers Zéro, the instrumental progressive Belgian band. On this side of the Atlantic, the premier practitioners of the RIO movement are the members of Montreal, Canada group Miriodor (who blend jazz, classical, rock and other international influences), which formed in 1980 and issued their first LP in 1984. Miriodor has had a fruitful and long history with the forward-seeking Cuneiform label..." – Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition return to top Listen to & buy additional MIRIODOR albums on Cuneiform Records Click on album art to hear samples & BUY “Avant garde, quirky, diverse and interesting and with a never far from the surface self-deprecating humor, Miriodor… combine traditional progressive rock with jazz, chamber music, modern classical and RIO styles… every album is quite enchantingly different. Unlike some of their avant-garde contemporaries however, they never completely leave melody alone ...Having witnessed their live performance in New Jersey last year I can also tell you that they are as tight as a gnat’s ass on stage. – Richard Barnes, Classic Rock Society [UK] Elements                                                                                                            "What fun!! What a feast for the ears, a scintillatingly transparent trip through, around and atop the whims and whiles of that almost-always-too-serious labyrinth we might call neo-RIO! [that’s Rock in Opposition....] Canada’s Miriodor is certainly that but so much more than that, and if any further proof were needed, this tenth album brings it in technicolor! ...A bit of Gentle Giant’s rhythmic and contrapuntal “modernist” intrigue, some of Albert Marcœur’s or Matts/Morgan’s sonic zaniness, some Henry Cow or Samla Mammas Manna dissonance and more than a nod to the fabled Canterbury groups, even some raucousness a la early Present: all infuse this gorgeously recorded disc, but none of that really comes close to capturing Miriodor’s cheeky transparency. ...The musicianship is second to none, and that fact just adds to the album’s categorical difficulties. As with their prog/RIO colleagues, Miriodor offers up music of narrative grace and often heart-stopping beauty that always seems to cock just a bit of a snook at its multivalent points of origin, and so much the better. Prog needs more of this sort of thing!" – Marc Medwin, Dusted   Signal 9 "4 stars. Over the course of 52 minutes, Miriodor constructs some of their heaviest sounds to date but there is also a dose of off-kilter humor and moments of beautiful, contemplative material. Each piece twists and turns with evocative melodies, unsettling production effects, rhythms which alternate and oscillate, and auditory contrasts that can sometimes be jarring for the uninitiated. ...for those who prefer edgy music which lies far apart from conventions, than its time to listen to Miriodor." – Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition   Cobra Fakir                                                                                                   "...the precision and crispness of Miriodor's writing and arrangements never make the album seem overloaded or merely clever. Everything has a melodic, thematic, or rhythmic purpose, or at the very least sets a mood, from unsettling and mysterious to circusy and cartoonish. ... Absolutely nothing is extraneous..." –Dave Lynch, AllMusic "Imagine Gentle Giant and King Crimson combined at their most eclectic and not allowed out of the studio until they have come up with something that is breathtakingly brilliant, and you may be close to what this is all about. ... this is one of the most important albums ever to come from the wonderful Cuneiform stable and here is something for everyone into RIO, prog, avant music, jazz and/or they have an open mind as to where music can take them. ... this is a compelling piece of work.” – Kev Rowland, Maly Leksykon Wielkich Zespolow Avanti   "4.5/5 stars. The seventh release from this French-Canadian band...offers more musical wizardry and unanticipated surprises interspersed throughout these seven vibrant works. The core quartet is augmented by a horn section on select tracks. Here, multilayered dream sequences engage polyrhythmic and complex theme-building exercise that aim to taunt a willingly receptive mind's eye. ... Miriodor's meticulously designed and mind-bending arrangements instill the best of many progressive musical worlds. This unit seldom ceases to amaze." – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz   Parade / Live at NEARfest                                                                                                       “Miriodor…were one of my most highly anticipated bands…they didn’t disappoint. Female sax and violin players took the front-center stage, flanked by the men on bass, guitar and keys, with an octopus on drums. They are a band of paradoxes: masculine and feminine, angular and accessible, emotional and sterile, fluid and …solid. The sax and violin harmonies were to die for. It was cool how the band would construct convoluted complexes of sound, and slowly peel layers off to reveal simple, quiet little fragments.” – Mac Beaulieu, “NEARFest 2002”, Expose      Mekano "Miriodor ...operate in a distinctly European Rock in Opposition vein, and their wide-ranging soundtracks for the mind feature frequent key changes and constantly mutating melodies, rhythms and moods. …what makes the current band so impressive is the graceful, almost effortless way they execute all their complex musical moves, with scarcely a trace of irony or self-conscious cleverness.” –  Bill Tilland, Alternative Press   Rencontres                                                                   "…a brilliant but austere kind of instrumental prog rock with all the hallmarks of the RIO (Rock in Opposition) school, sometimes close to jazz-rock…” – R.R. Acid Dragon   “…violin and wind instruments add a richness to the sound, much in keeping with the complex nature of the material.. At times rather similar to Van Der Graff Generator but… inspiration from Camel circa ‘Snow Goose’… this CD will appeal to the stronger hearted progressive fan, especially if you like more improvisational type styles.”   – Terry Craven, Wondrous Stories    Jonglieres Elastiques “one of Canada’s most unique and inspiring groups…Miriodor combines marching bands, traditional jazz, sound effects, classical and folk melodies and progressive (in the true, not inferred, sense of the word) rock, to construct an instrumental voice that is as original as it is infectious. The carnival of sound romps and rolls with joyous abandon… Miriodor has constructed a sonic landscape full of wild imagery and eccentric personalities that’s not to be missed.” – Ian Danzig, Exclaim! “Grooves are established then quickly discarded, tones examined and found lacking, atonal chording is the norm. Intricate, disparate, clever; still, it’s all quite lyrical and never really darkly aggressive. The playing is outrageous. Everyone absolutely honks, pushing themselves right to the edge.” Louis Hesselt-van-Dinter, Music Uncovered    “..[a] mind-boggling quilt of avant-garde chamber music and blistering prog-rock sounds…Riffs pass from hand to hand faster than the ear can follow; before you can count out one time signature another has taken over; sneaky little syncopations go wriggling in and out of dense thickets of counterpoint. …the music here spins the listener through a kaleidoscopic array of tone colors…the overriding mood of Jonglieres Elastiques is upbeat zaniness, with a sense of wacky fun reflected in the circus theme of the titles and packaging….”                                          – Michael Dawson, Progression   3rd Warning                                                                                                 “Occupying a realm somewhere between the convoluted chamber rock of European bands like Univers Zero and the spry fusion of vintage Jean-Luc Ponty, with hints of Van Der Graaf Generator and Soft Machine along the way, Miriodor mostly just sounds like Miriodor. With its nimble counterpoint and whirlwind changes of rhythm and testure,the Canadian band’s sound remains unique and forward-looking. ...Cuneiform has produced a disproportionate number of the best modern progressive releases of the last few years, and 3rd Warning is one of the label’s finest yet.”  – Michael Dawson, Goldmine Miriodor  “The Choice of 1988: Montreal Record = Miriodor (Miriodor); Montreal Record Art= Miriodor (Miriodor) ; Promising Artists= Miriodor.  Ignore the fact that the cover is beautiful, Ignore the fact that the music is a wonderful marriage of jazz and keyboard atmospherics. What do you have left? One hell of a hunk of high-quality vinyl. One of Montreal’s best offerings of 1988.”    – Montreal Music Annual 1988 “"French RIO, from a band who effortlessly mesh chamber jazz with progressive rock via lots of technology…Miriodor are one of the few ensembles who can glean warmth and exuberant energy from their synthesizers, technicians with heart and a surfeit of playfulness. ”   – Darren Bergstein, i/e PRESS COMMENTS ON MIRIODOR LIVE   "Another outstanding effort from one of the best live bands I have seen in the past few years – their understated mastery of their instruments as close to perfection as it gets...” – Progmistress, Fire of Unknown Origin, 2013 "The intensity of their music demands a live and captive audience such as NEARfest [2002] provides and the swirling cacophony of poly melodic and rhythmic dementia is best witnessed with the eyes also. …The visual aspects of their...performance...are best likened to the music – driving, focused, intense, and at times – flying! .... The sound of the performance was also impeccable as each instrument’s voice was clearly delineated within the mix. …Miriodor is an ensemble that just loves to mess with the well-tuned progressive mindset and reveal yet another entire universe of endless musical possibility – please come mess with us more often.”                  – by Roger Rossen, MusicStreetJournal.com return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 25, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS   TINN PARROW & COMPANY MY GYMNASIUM MUSEUM Bio information:  TINN PARROW & COMPANY Title: MY GYMNASIUM MUSUM (Cuneiform Rune 3403) Format: DIGITAL Release date: July 25, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: ART ROCK / NEW MUSIC / CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION  Debut release by Tinn Parrow & Co., the solo project of Ann Arbor-based multi-instrumentalist Laurence Bond Miller (Fourth World Quartet, Miller Twins).  A collection of 22 works, My Gymnasium Museum is an ultra-imaginative magnum opus, an impressive, eye opening musical gallery of Miller's creative compositions. listen to / share "Next Stop: Babylon Berlin" on Soundcloud, from Tinn Parrow & Co.'s My Gymnasium Museum Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Laurence Bond Miller comes from a family of siblings who each pursued creative musical careers.  As with musical brother Roger Clark Miller (Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Dream Interpretations/ Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble, The Anvil Orchestra, Mission of Burma, etc) and identical twin brother Ben Miller (Destroy All Monsters, God Knows Who, Solo Multiphonic Guitar, Sensorium Saxophone Orchestra, etc), Laurence has spent an entire life time devoted to his own original music.   As his career progressed, Laurence’s music broadened its scope, welcoming musicians from various backgrounds and creating music theater performances in collaboration with actors, video-makers, opera singers, free improvisors, set designers, stand up comedians, and a plethora of other creatives.   Eclecticism – musical and artistic – has always been Laurence Miller’s underlying rule of thumb. Pigeon holes need not apply, and yes, maximalism ~ on occasion ~ has invariably prevailed. Laurence has been a defining member or leader over 50 years in the following, distinctive groups: Sproton Layer, The 4th World Quartet, Empool, Destroy All Monsters, Nonfiction, The Empty Set, Larynx Zillion’s Novelty Shop, The Mister Laurence Experience, Exploded View, Laurence Miller and The Love Maniacs, Tinn Parrow and his Clapfold Platune, etc.    CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS:   MY GYMNASIUM MUSEUM  began in the fall of 2023, broadly speaking, essentially pulled from the inspiring heels of Cuneiform Record’s June 2023 release of MILLER TWINS’  Early Compositions (1973-76). A mammoth 30 piece collection, Early Compositions (1973-76) was recorded November 2022 thru April 2023 by Laurence with twin brother Ben and a few other close colleagues. The MILLER TWINS album in fact rode in on it’s own coat tail connection to two albums by THE FOURTH WORLD QUARTET released two years prior by Cuneiform Records: 1975  and Grand Bland Vapid Rapids. Brother Roger Miller was an integral member of the THE FOURTH WORLD QUARTET’s 1st incarnation, receiving rave reviews. [Point of fact;:The Fourth World Quartet could be argued as to have led, if not indirectly, to Roger's group formation BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC, a group whose entire catalog is also on Cuneiform.]   MY GYMNASIUM MUSEUM brings to life new compositions that Laurence had written specifically for his new ‘little big band,’ Tinn Parrow and his Clapfold Platune, while also reinventing a few old gems he’d written decades earlier. As for the new material, some pieces evolved over the course of this two year multi-track recording process.   Tinn Parrow and his Clapfold Platune currently performs blistering versions of many Laurence compositions found on Miller Twins Early Compositions. Clapford Platune bandmates helped lay down additional tracks along with brothers Ben and Roger and additional hand picked talent from the surrounding Detroit Metro area.   Laurence is pleased as punch he picked up the ‘clarinet family’ once again and made My Gymnasium Museum a reality, after hibernating without for nearly five decades. He thanks Steve at Cuneiform and all those who took the time to take-the-time, creating this ultra-imaginative magnum opus. BUY / listen to MY GYMNASIUM MUSEUM on Bandcamp       BACK STORY / LAURENCE MILLER MUSICAL BIO:   British Invasion and Psychedelic Rock unwound itself in a tizzy as The Beatles began to break up. Hendrix and others died.  Syd Barrett evaporated quickly. Local inspirations MC-5, SRC, and other promising bands were also coming to their own demise. Rock as ‘new music’ became progressive at best, leaving little left but Classic Rock to soon melt into the coming dread of Disco. The tail end of Don Van Vliet was still percolating but no, Laurence’s attention was soon paid to the likes of; Out to Lunch, Escalator Over the Hill, Erik Satie, Charles Ives, Waiting For Godot, Henry Cow, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, and other artistic expressions in aleatory creation.   Always pushing the envelope, the original music of Laurence’s youth veered far from the mainstream. As stated, the last echoing cries of the '60's Revolution had long since died and what little counter culture was left had now became nothing short of a disturbing fashion. The Bee Gees soon took center stage as Kings of Disco, and even Hillbillies were smoking pot and dropping acid.   MARSH CRABBITTS AND HIS CLAPFOLD PLATUNE was a small horn-based band Laurence formed in late summer 1972 with a focus on clarinets and saxophones. Its loose, cock-eyed marching band sensibilities took hold rapidly with good fun ahead. Homemade compositions were drawn up using hallucinogenic free-form notation for solo interpretation. Eighteen years of age with absolutely no training on how one goes about composing scored music.   Although some of Laurence’s Clapford Platune bandmates were schooled, none were particularly proficient on their instruments. Laurence was known to exclude ‘learned’ musicians, instead choosing to play with best friends. They may not have had the chops but they were clearly willing to openly explore.   This original Clapfold Platune managed a few gigs at Ann Arbor’s new Earthworks Pioneer II Free School and a couple random outdoor performances on Ann Arbor’s University of Michigan campus. They were also part of a pack that lead the city’s 1st Ozone Parade with chief cohort and friend, David Swain. A photograph of them in fact made the front page of The Michigan Daily. The Platune’s best gig of all was at the end of their short lived career:  a triple bill show at Ann Arbor’s The People’s Ballroom in August 1973, for Ann Arbor Community Television’s first video production ever. That video production converged with David Swain’s free-form jazz band The Cruzonics, renamed for the occasion as “The Psychic Research Jazz Ensemble – ESP through Drugs”.   In the fall of 1973, Laurence moved to Boston with twin brother Ben Miller, David Swain, and Patrick Powers, where he attended The School of Contemporary Music. Laurence continued composing and rehearsing in various bands the three formed along the way but it was soon discovered the school experience was not what they had hoped it would be. Contemporary my ass.   Moving back to Michigan in fall 1974, Laurence enrolled in Thomas Jefferson College, one of four arts colleges in the Grand Rapids area, with brothers Ben and Roger. It was in this arts & music curriculum that the short-lived FOURTH WORLD QUARTET was formed, and where Laurence’s compositions began taking on a more sophisticated tone. Roger left the quartet after recording 1975, replaced by composition teacher Denman Maroney. A slightly jazzier version of the band soon developed. Denman also co-ran a class at Thomas Jefferson College called ‘Sound & Movement’ where modern dancers and the 4thWQ experimented in free-form improvisation, further honing the quartet’s group chemistry.   The Fourth World Quartet gave up the ghost that summer though, sadly, with Laurence choosing to stay on in school that fall. Hopes were high in his forming yet another free-tonal swing band, but no thank you. Not this time, Charlie. By March 1976, Laurence threw in the towel, put his clarinets down, and moved back home to Ann Arbor.   Laurence then hooked up with his brothers and a host of other eclectic musicians August 1976, this time on a creative journey into existential-Dada-noise entitled EMPOOL. Now on electric guitar and using a shit ton of footpedals, Laurence employed original analogue reel-to-reel soundscapes via sound effects vinyl and other prerecorded homemade chaos. Empool’s mad concoction dissolved in spring of 1977 when Cary & Niagara’s DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (with Ron Asheton/ Stooges and Michael Davis/MC5) merged in and took over. The rest is history.   Laurence continued writing, recording, and performing his own original music over the decades since, regardless of rhyme or reason. The music entertainment industry continued to allude him as did any solid concept in marketing deals.   No one put a gun to his head, true, nor were there any class projects or commissioned works to be had. Priorities were  simply to document and catalog it all with one finger always hovering just above the record button ~ begging to be pushed.      MY GYMNASIUM MUSEUM ALBUM CREDITS: Laurence Bond Miller: Vocals, Clarinets (Bb, Alto, Bass, Contrabass), Accordion, Spinet Piano, Air Organ, Electric Organ, Synth Keyboard (variety of patches), Electric Archtop Guitar, Electric Ebow Guitar, Wholetone four-stringed Electric Mosquito Guitar, Theremin, Bagpipe Chanter, Bass, Drums, Maracas. Eric Bernreuter: Trombone Brian Delaney: Guitar Johnny Evans: Tenor Saxophone Tim Holmes: F-Mezzo + Alto Flute Jeanette Ingalls: University Archive Graduate Jennifer Ingalls: Librarian Melinda Ingalls: Spinet Piano + Electric Piano Kyle Kipp: Stand-up Bass Ken Kozora: Cornet Ben Miller: Alto Sax + C-Tenor Sax Roger Miller: Cornet Jack O-Brien: Cello John Woodford: Euphonium Bonus Cut "Ozonic Reenactment" from The Ann Arbor Ozone Homecoming Parade documentary film by Terry Serris © 2024 credits: David Swain – alto sax, Ben Miller – alto sax, Laurence Bond Miller – Bb clarinet All compositions by Laurence Miller Except: "Lunge & Reel" co-written with Roger Miller and Ben Miller // "The Equestrian Statue" by Neil Innes // "Norwegian Wood" and "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" by Lennon & McCartney MY GYMNASIUM MUSEUM was recorded & mixed at Midvale Muzique in Ypsilanti Michigan, December 2022 thru October 2024 with most tracks recorded from November 2023 thru July 2024. Cover Image: 'Night in the Industrial Hub' ~ painting by Avishek Ghosh 2023 Additional Image: Victorian Museum Gym with Tinn Parrow ~ photography by Melinda Ingalls & Laurence Miller * My Gymnasium Museum was conceived in the absolute spirit of this millennium's Clapfold Platune. return to top ADDITIONAL RELEASES BY LAURENCE BOND MILLER ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS MILLER TWINS Early Compositions 1973 - 1976 "5/6 stars.  ...multi-instrumentalist brothers Ben and Laurence Miller ...This never sounds like just two people, but always a full band as we normally have bass, guitar and proper drums. This is even more remarkable when one realises there a few tracks where it is just Laurence, such as on “Makeshift Hub Cheeny” where he provides vocals, clarinets (Bb, alto, bass), organ, ‘air’ organ, bass, drums...stringed instruments, keyboards, woodwind and percussion. ...The layers are always complex, and ...have dual melodies and harmonies. ...One can only hope that this trip down memory lane will lead to yet more releases from the duo in this format as this is a very enjoyable album indeed and anyone into RIO and Avant will find a great deal here to love. For fans of The Muffins and Henry Cow."  – Progressor.net 2024   THE FOURTH WORLD QUARTET "The resulting series of ... sessions, collected here for the first time, reveal how the amalgam of volatile styles the brothers ingested during their varous sonic encounters fused together and caught fire...Although The Fourth World Quartet was a short-lived project, this remarkable discovery reveals a group who were knocking over some serious creative barriers." – Edwin Pouncey, Jazzwise  Grand Bland Vapid Rapids                        "Amazing early work from the Fourth World Quartet – an obscure new music ensemble from early 70s Michigan – but one whose members would go on to form Mission Of Burma and Destroy All Monsters! Here, the sound is completely different than those later groups – a mix of compositional structure and free improvisation – served up by Roger Miller on piano, Benjamin Miller on guitar and alto, Laurence Miller on bass clarinet, and Jack Waterston on alto – a reed-heavy lineup who make some wonderful soundshapes next to Roger's more dynamic piano!"   – Dusty Groove         1975                                                                                                                                                                 1975 [HD]                          The Miller Brothers | Blurring the Lines INTERVIEW BY THE MILLER BROTHERS WITH PSYCHEDLIC BABY MAGAZINE May 9, 2024   return to top   !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 25, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS   ROSA ENSEMBLE ODDMENTS   Bio information:  ROSA ENSEMBLE Title: ODDMENTS (Cuneiform Rune 3399) Format: DIGITAL  Release date: July 25, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: NEW MUSIC / CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL / POST-GENRE The Rosa Ensemble is a boundary-pushing Dutch ensemble known for defying borders between musical genres (classical, rock, jazz, pop) and artistic mediums (music, theatre, visual art). In Oddments, the group – currently a five-piece ensemble which includes some of the finest musicians on the Dutch contemporary music, jazz and improv scenes  – narrows their focus to create an album of creative music, their first release on Cuneiform Records. listen to/ share "Nachtmuziek" on Soundcloud, from Rosa Ensemble's Oddments     The Rosa Ensemble was established in 1997 in Utrecht, Netherlands and initially focused exclusively on contemporary classical music.   However, it soon broadened its scope, both musicially / stylistically, by welcoming musicians from various backgrounds, and also physically / structurally. The ensemble expanded its activities beyond music concerts, creating multi-media, music theater performances in collaboration with actors, videomakers, opera singers, free improvisors, set designers, stand up comedians, and a plethora of other ground-breaking creatives.   Throughout their extensive history - including more than 30 major projects / productions in the Netherlands and a dozen releases -  pinning them down to a single musical identity has been difficult. Like mercury, Rosa fluidly transforms: from contemporary music to ambient and pop, from cabaret to jazz and classical to rock. However, a spirit of experimentation and boundary-pushing has become integral to the ensemble's essence. The Rosa Ensemble has performed such diverse projects as works by Captain Beefheart (Selling Hoovers in Mojave), and collaborated with Spinvis, Hans Dagelet, Eric Vloeimans and Jan Jaap van der Wal.  The Rosa Ensemble's latest release, Oddments, is also their first on American label Cuneiform Records. It features music composed for a new Rosa Ensemble quintet that brings together notable musicians from both the Dutch contemporary music scene and the realms of jazz and improvisation.  Compositions by Floris van Bergeijk, Jeroen Kimman, and Wilbert Bulsink are performed.   ~ ~ ~ ~  "The Rosa Ensemble operates in between: in between composed and improvised, in between music and theatre, in between light and serious, in between acoustic and electronic, traditional and experimental, classical and popular." – LAST.fm rosaensemble.nl   BIO INFORMATION: ROSA ENSEMBLE   John Dikeman [soprano, tenor and bass saxophone] is an American saxophonist currently residing in Amsterdam. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources, John’s playing runs the gamut of improvised music and technique. He is currently active as a member of numerous groups including Cactus Truck; Universal Indians often featuring Joe McPhee; the trio Dikeman, Parker, Drake with William Parker and Hamid Drake, Mofaya, and numerous other collaborations including projects with Luke Stewart, Luis Vicente, Steve Noble, Sun-Mi Hong, Jaimie Branch, and Marta Warelis. Peter Jessen [double bass] can be heard playing (and often singing) on nearly every Rosa Ensemble’s production of the last decade and a half. He’s a versatile musician who is equally at ease in the orchestra pit as in the post-punk or folk-pop bands he plays in. Koen Kaptijn [trombone] is truly Holland’s contemporary music trombone mastodon; he has played with every important ensemble and has been involved in close to a thousand (!) world premieres. Next to all that he is known for his absurdist performance qualities in many a music theatre production. Lastly he is an in-demand sound-designer, tinkering with a personal setup of very noisy electronics.   Jeroen Kimman [electric guitar and 19tet baritone guitar] is a thoroughly unclassifiable guitarist and composer. Although his background may lie in jazz, he has been playing guitar (or pedal steel, banjo, and mandolin) in the widest range of settings, from math-rock (Brown vs Brown, released on Cuneiform) to impro-country (Sleep Gunner), from playing with the major Dutch ensembles and orchestras to all sorts of dabbles with jazz, mariachi, opera, music theatre, and whatnot. As a music producer, bandleader and composer, he somehow has found a way to organically blend together all these influences under his Orquesta del Tiempo Perdido moniker.  Brown vs Brown Mei Yi Lee [percussion] is a virtuoso percussionist/music performer with over 15 years experience collaborating in different fields of arts such as music theater, dance, contemporary music and multimedia art. Passionate about being involved in interdisciplinary art and delivering new experiences to audiences, as a performer she dedicates herself to experimental collaborations with directors, composers and artists from other media.  Floris van Bergeijk studied (and now teaches) composition in Utrecht, The Netherlands. He has worked in many different forms of the performing arts, be it music for the good ol' concert hall, theatre, film, music theatre or even opera. Under the moniker MURW Van Bergeijk produces electronic music ranging from noise to techno to more abstract and timeless works, and in his compositions for ensembles and/or orchestras Van Bergeijk is constantly searching for a way to experiment with the listening experience in new and unexpected ways. Never shunning the past and always curious about the unknown future, the musical narrative is a driving force in all of his compositions. Wilbert Bulsink is a composer and musician living in Amsterdam and Vienna. He writes music for a wide range of situations, varying from the classical concert hall to new constellations. He is known for an uncanny inner musical imagination, and is very uncompromising in a need for experimentation, stretching the limits of form and sound. He teaches music at the conservatory of Zwolle, The Netherlands.   BUY / listen to Rosa Ensemble's Oddments via Bandcamp   ALBUM CREDITS: John Dikeman [soprano, tenor and bass saxophone] Koen Kaptijn [trombone] Mei Yi Lee [percussion] Peter Jessen [double bass] Jeroen Kimman [electric guitar and 19tet baritone guitar] Compositions: Floris van Bergeijk (2,4,7,8,10,15,18) Jeroen Kimman (1,5,6,9,11,13,17) Wilbert Bulsink (3,12,14,16)   Mixed and produced by Jeroen Kimman and Floris van Bergeijk Engineered and recorded by Jasper Schonewille Mastered by Alex Geurin return to top !! OUT NOW !! RELEASED JULY 25, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS   KRAKHOUSE BASTARDS OF PROG Bio information:  KRAKHOUSE Title: BASTARDS OF PROG (Cuneiform Rune 3401) Format: DIGITAL  Release date: July 25, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER:  ROCK / ART ROCK / EXPERIMENTAL  “Krakow sits in that strange category of lo-fi twisted pop…deceptively simple and naïve but clever enough to put together compelling mini-melodies with amusing and childlike lyrics.” – Ampersand Etcetera.   “…a fuggin’ avant musical weirdo.” – Bettawreckonize listen to / share "WE GO BLAM BLAM" on Soundcloud from KRAKHOUSE' BASTARDS OF PROG Debut release from KRAKHOUSE, the genre-defying solo project of New York composer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist JESSE KRAKOW (formerly of Time of Orchids, Shudder To Think, The Shaggs, Fast ‘n Bulbous, Dr. Nerve).  Conceptually progressive (and progressively conceptual),   BASTARDS OF PROG  is a fun-filled, evocative musical collage containing  a  THREE ACT treatise on PROG ROCK – and, unbelievably, more...    Bastards Of Prog, the debut album from Jesse Krakow's KRAKHOUSE, is comprised of eighty four lo-fi/high-IQ absurdist experimental-comedy songs. Divided into three acts, it consists of original compositions by Krakow, with additional collaborations between Krakow and Dot Wiggin-Semprini of The Shaggs, plus covers of songs by Captain Beefheart, Sisqo, and Alan Smithee.   As the title suggests, it’s a celebration and a deconstruction of what people have come to know and love (and/or hate) about the “prog” or “progressive rock” genre. Krakow says “All the cliches about “prog” being pretentious, absurd, bloated and self-consciously “far out” are valid, but if we apply those same measuring sticks to other art forms then ANYTHING can be “prog”, no matter how it sounds, looks like or tastes. Progress is about moving beyond one’s limitations, and in my opinion the people who do so don’t (just) play “prog”, they play music, they play sports, or they play the role of best supporting actress. Whatever it is that they do, they bastardize the medium of their choice.” Jesse Krakow by Anne Husick   Inspired by Weird Al”, The Mothers Of Invention, Minutemen, Ween, professional wrestling, four-track cassette recorders, WFMU, Andy Kaufman & The Muppets, the music on Bastards of Prog is often silly, the songs often short. The adult language and subject matter is matched by adolescent humor, which are both enhanced by the raw, DIY production. Yet in Krakow’s mind, the comedy, brevity, and sonic fidelity shouldn’t distract the listener from the seriousness of the musicianship or the ambitousness of the arrangements, nor should it ever.   “Much like words “iconic” and “literally””, Krakow says, “the word “epic” has been bastardized to where it doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s just something people say when they’re sick of going “that’s awesome” (“This salad is epic.”) As such, a thirty-minute song about overwhelming lonliness and a thirty-second song about uncontrollable flatulence are equally “epic”, even if one was recorded at Carnegie Hall by a symphony orchestra and the other was recorded in a sleeping bag on an out-of-tune ukelele. Both of them can be extremely moving – and “proggy” - especially if you listen to them back to back. One of them might be unintentionally distorted, but that’s where the differences end. They’re exactly the same. That’s where it starts getting fun.”   And that’s what Bastards of Prog is. Two and a half hours of avant-fun.    Jesse Krakow photo by John Huntington   The album features guest performances from Eric Slick (Dr Dog), Southern California cult heroes The Crazy Muchachos, chamber outfit l’ensemble des fromages, The Gregory Elementary Jazz Band, and Krakow’s two young sons. It addition, it contains over 100 pages of lyrics, thesis statements, Top Ten lists, and a chapter from his upcoming novel.   Jesse Krakow is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, sideman and music director. He was a founding member of the NYC experimental rock band Time of Orchids, a touring bassist for Shudder to Think, guitarist for The Shaggs, and Professor at Bootsy Collins’ Funk University. He was awarded a Fellowship from The Brooklyn Philharmonic, hosted the weekly radio show “Minor Music” on WFMU, and created the “Fuck This Gig” podcast. He has worked with Ruins, Fast ‘n Bulbous, Doctor Nerve, PAK, John Zorn, Kate Pierson, Nona Hendryx, Nina Persson, Jello Biafra, Paul Rudd, Julee Cruise, Gilbert Gottfried, Roddy Bottum, R Stevie Moore, Chris Butler, The Losers Lounge, and the all-male Madonna tribute MANDONNA.   “I don’t know what Jesse Krakow is smokin’, but it’s resulted in some truly bizarre music.” – Sea Of Tranquility   “Krakow and his band are the rare type of satirists who can make you laugh without anyone in particular being laughed at.” – HiLoBROW BUY / LISTEN to Bastards of Prog on BANDCAMP  ALBUM CREDITS: All songs performed & produced by Jesse Krakow, except: Track 13 – all instruments by The Gregory Elementary School Jazz Band Tracks 36, 81 + 84 – drums by Eric Slick Track 45 – vocals, guitar, percussion + pillow by The Crazy Muchachos Track 50 – all instruments by l’ensemble de fromages Track 72 – lead vocals + acoustic guitar by Kevin Gomber Track 76 – saxophone + drum programming by Jacob + Shane Krakow Track 84 – disapproval by Yoel Rekts All songs written by Jesse Krakow, except: Track 11 by Don Van Vliet Track 13 by Alan Smithee Tracks 22 + 23 by Dot Wiggin-Semprini + Jesse Krakow Track 45 by Cheeko Snukums + Francis Nickleberry Track 49 by Mark Andrews/ Tim Kelley/ Bob Robinson/ Desmond Child/ Draco Rosa/ Jesse Krakow (It also features a sample from “Parade of Seasons” by Chuck Stern/ Jesse Krakow/ Eric Fitzgerald/ Bodie, from the Time of Orchids album Namesake Caution, released in 2007 (on Cuneiform) Track 72 by Kevin Gomber Track 76 by Shane Krakow/ Jacob Krakow ~ ~ ~  excerpts from  Bastards of Prog: A Companion Piece by Jesse Krakow  [full essay included on the pdfs enclosed with your purchase]   "At the risk of being pretentious - and believe you me this is gonna get pretentious - the term “prog” comes from the word “progressive”, which is a conjugation of the word “progress”, meaning “forward moving”. It expresses the idea of newness, of new ideas heretofore considered, in a word, wild. In many cases, the word “progressive” can be used to define one’s political stances, sexualities, or thought processes. Then there is the word “regressive”, which means the exact opposite, to move backwards. One can regress emotionally, professionally, spiritually, or creatively in infinite ways. Unsurprisingly, those who identify as progressive people – typically called “progressives” – do not get along with those who identify as regressive people – never referred to as “regressives”. They are fundamentally opposite, and in this case opposites definitely do not attract.  Over time, “prog” has become a term solely used for a certain type of music that used to actually be called “progressive”, while “progressive” music has remained just that, which I suppose might make it “regressive”. I sometimes wonder if something can be both prog and progressive, and then I wonder why I’m even thinking about these things at all when I could be thinking of something important, which is the calling card for any self-respecting prog fan. Can you be “prog” and not be progressive?...."    return to top ADDITIONAL RELEASES FEATURING JESSE KRAKOW ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS click on album art to hear samples/ buy   TIME OF ORCHIDS "Dense and complex...haunted sonic cinematography and elliptical poetry." - Time Out NY NAMESAKE CAUTION "Channeling a vision that is part post-rock darkness, occasional jaunts into Syd Barrett era Pink Flord, heaping amounts of Beach Boys styled breezy pop, the cacophony of Mr. Bungle or Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and just enough bits of avant-garde that you hear in...Thinking Plague as well as Yes styled symphonic prog...Namesake Caution is avant-indie rock for a new generation, music so hard to classify that it will equally frustrate as much as satisfy. Instrumentation at times is dense, as the mix is loaded with fluttering keyboard textures, jangly guitar patterns that occasionally burst forward with metallic fury, lazy drum licks, and plenty of melodic vocal layers. ...The vocals ...weave all sorts of catchy, memorable, and alluring harmonies...with the dense, often times intricate instrumentation being the icing on the cake. ...Namesake Caution is a pretty fascinating listen...Cuneiform Records...should...market these guys to the Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, and Mr. Bungle fanbase." – Pete Pardo, Sea of Tranquility   FAST 'N' BULBOUS photo by Lars Klove "They are the big brass band [Captain Beefheart] never had.... The group attacks Van Vliet's songs with the same idiosyncratic precision that he drilled into his own musicians." – Rolling Stone PORKCHOP BLUE AROUND THE RIND                                                                WAXED OOP "...a perfect fit for hungry Beefheart fans the world over...Fast 'n' Bulbous have painstakingly retooled the Captain's best-known works as big-band instrumental compositions. The results are fairly staggering...this collection is a masterful reinterpretation of rock's Grand Surrealist's best work. Brilliant!" – The Big Takeover "[They] recast Captain Beefeart's tunes and make the case for him as a composer the equal of Thelonious Monk." – Nashville Scene return to top !! OUT NOW !!   RELEASED JUNE 27, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS HEAT ON HEAT ON Bio information: HEAT ON Title: HEAT ON (Cuneiform Rune 542) Format: CD / DIGITAL Release date: JUNE 27, 2025 www.cuneiformrecords.com FILE UNDER: JAZZ  Chicago drummer, composer and curator Lily Finnegan’s introduces Heat On, her powerhouse multigenerational quartet, with a blisteringly hot, self-titled debut album, Heat On   listen to / share "RSJ" on Soundcloud from Heat On   In a jazz era that bristles with young talent, releasing an album that’s sure to be shortlisted for best debut recording of the year is impressive. But Chicago drummer and composer Lily Finnegan’s consistently enthralling project Heat On achieves something considerably more significant. Embraced by the Windy City scene in recent years, she’s returned and amplified the affection with her first album. Slated for release by Cuneiform Records in June, 2025, it introduces her powerhouse, multi-generational inside-out Heat On quartet featuring legendary Chicago tenor saxophonist Ed Wilkerson Jr., Chi-town alto sax great Fred Jackson Jr., and consummately versatile Nick Macri on upright and electric bass. “It is a love letter to Chicago,” Finnegan says. “I’m clearly inspired by the music, energy and ethos here. Chicago is about creating good music and art for itself. It’s about dealing with the whole spectrum of sound. Even the more angular, dissonant music comes back to deep grooves. The free things can still have a dance and melody.”     photo of Heat On by Leah Wendzinski A regular collaborator with Chicago heavyweight Ken Vandermark in Edition Redux with pianist Erez Dessel and Beth McDonald on tuba, Finnegan is also part of saxophonist Sarah Clausen’s trio, punk band Cucuy, and duo with violinist gabby fluke-mogul. Adding to those overlapping circles she’s collaborated with James Brandon Lewis, Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Macie Stewart, Fay Victor, Sylvia Bolognesi, Shanta Nurullah, Dave Rempis, Katie Ernst, Jason Stein, Devon Gates, Lia Kohl and many others. Finnegan’s affirmation of freedom and groove, dissonance, dance and lyricism runs throughout Heat On, a project inspired by Chicago legend Jack DeJohnette and his quartet with David Murray and Arthur Blythe. She was introduced to his classic 1979 ECM album Special Edition by drummer Allison Miller, “which made me interested in drums, bass, alto and tenor configuration,” she said. “Jack’s playing is so multi-directional and his songs are journeys. I want to structure my music like that, with moments of pocket, swing and groove.”   photo of Edward Wilkerson Jr. by Leah Wendzinski Her freedom-in-swing approach is evident from the opening track “Green Milk,” a harmelodic blast that quickly pivots away from the angular Ornettish feel into an extended dialogue between Jackson and Wilkerson, who at 71 is at the peak of his powers. Best known as the founder and director of the cutting-edge octet 8 Bold Souls and the 25-member performance ensemble Shadow Vignettes, Wilkerson has been at the center of the Chicago scene for half a century. On Heat On he swoops, swaggers and croons with complete authority, adding an eloquent new chapter to his discography. Finnegan is out front on “RSJ,” initials that reveal its source of inspiration, the late, great drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson. It’s a piece that showcases her potent connection with Macri, whose inventive, persistently bouncing lines provide a springboard for the horns as they phase in and out of sync. Rapidly shifting gears with “Inverted Spoon,” the music turns slow and oozy rising and falling as the saxophonists ease across each other (and the rumbling arco bass foundation). Like on the following track “Rimrock,” which simmers at medium tempo churn driven by Finnegan’s confident brush work, the structure emerges from the horns’ harmonies.   photo of Nick Macri by Leah Wendzinski The album’s centerpiece is Finnegan’s three-part suite “Beltline,” which opens with Macri and Finnegan laying down a persuasive tide of funk over which Jackson and Wilkerson ride and glide. “Part 1” maintains relentless momentum, while “Part 2” turns brooding and introspective, trading forward motion for lapidary free-form disquisition. The wending “Part 3” gets back on the road, seeking and finding several intriguing paths. The album closes with “The Great,” a post-bop workout “influenced by some specific, hard hitting DeJohnette songs,” Finnegan says. “It’s high energy music with a groove, but the lines fall off the edges. The goal isn’t necessarily to be super clean.” Part of what makes Heat On such a revelatory project is the frisson created by the intertwined tandems of rhythm section and horns. Finnegan and Macri, who met through Vandermark, have often found that they share similar aesthetics, “connecting over their love of punk and rock and free improvised music,” she says.   photo of Fred Jackson Jr. by Leah Wendzinski Finnegan connected with Jackson on a gig with Chicago storyteller and sitar player Shanta Nurullah and was enamored with his big Texas sound. A protégé of clarinet great Alvin Batiste, he moved to Chicago in 1999 and has played a central role in the ACCM’s 21st century resurgence. Finnegan thought he’d make an ideal foil for Wilkerson, who’s also a longtime member of the AACM. “I was a big fan of 8 Bold Souls,” she says. “They’ve got different styles but blend really well.” photo of Jackson, Wilkerson & Macri by Leah Wendzinski  For this release, Finnegan's first album, she designed a spacious set of music based on brief motifs for bass and saxophones, looking to create an extended listening experience. Harmonies take shape via interaction between Jackson and Wilkerson as they create counterpoint lines. Song form and free improv, groove and thrash, “there’s room for a lot of different sounds,” she says. “From my punk background I write music in little pieces. I’m interested in through composed pieces, but with wide-open stretches for improvisation." In many ways the project embodies the intergenerational nature of the Chicago scene, and Finnegan is both proud and humbled to be joining that history and lineage. “Ed was open to doing the album and it was a huge honor to have him record my compositions,” she says. “He was really supportive and great to work with. Ed, Fred, and Nick are musicians playing as their life-long endeavor. This is what they’re here to do. I’m interested in making this a sustainable life-long endeavor for myself, and I hope to keep the excitement and curiosity as I go.”   photo of Lily Finnegan by Leah Wendzinski Born in Chicago and raised in nearby Evanston, Finnegan started playing drums as a tween. Drawn at first to punk and alternative rock, she started delving into jazz in high school, making connections between “Improvised, free music and punk at the end of high school,” she recalls. “I was drawn to music about liberation and bigger topics, and less concerned about fitting in to a genre box.” At the University of Wisconsin–Madison she started with sociology rather than music, but ended up spending as much time playing drums as with her books and graduated with a double major. During a summer in Boston she connected with drum star Terri Lyne Carrington, who recruited her to Berklee’s master’s program. She earned the degree in the thick of the pandemic via a full scholarship to the Global Jazz Institute, a 20 person cadre led by Danilo Perez. She was also part of the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, where she was mentored by Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, and Carrington (working on her “Music for Abolition” thesis, as well the Visualizing Abolition Exhibit at the University of California Santa Cruz).  “I’ve been blessed with great mentors, people who’ve supported me being curious about all these different styles and histories,” she says. “Allison Miller is another one.” Returning to Chicago in 2021 she connected with Vandermark through Kris Davis. He invited her to join a new band he was starting, Edition Redux, and she got a front row view into his compositional process. “There are so many different ways to write and organize music,” she says. “It’s been three years since I met him, and we’re working and playing a lot.” Building on her Berklee thesis project, “Music and Abolition: Creating a World Without Policing- Music’s Role in Imagination, Experimentation, and Collectivity,” Finnegan has continued to study and observe the way power structures, history, and social movements have shaped the Chicago scene. This is not a passive process. She’s one of the curators of the Option Series, a showcase of contemporary approaches to improvisation and composition held at Experimental Sound Studio. Finnegan is also a member of the cooperative Catalytic Sound, as well as a festival organizer.   photo of Heat On by Leah Wendzinski Clearly, Finnegan contains multitudes. From punk rock to free improv to post-bop jazz tunes, “the variety of projects help me connect with the different sides of myself,” she says. “I feel taken in many directions, and happy to be organizing events and shows. I did some touring with James Brandon Lewis in the fall, filling in for Chad Taylor. It feels like the beginning of everything.” With Heat On, Finnegan takes a major first step, celebrating the Chicago legacy that inspires and informs her bountiful music. ~~~ CREDITS: Edward Wilkerson Jr. - tenor saxophone Fred Jackson Jr. - alto saxophone Nick Macri - upright bass and electric bass Lily Finnegan - drums composed by Lily Finnegan photo by Leah Wendzinski   ~~~                                                                               Buy /  listen on Bandcamp:                                                                                                     Buy/  listen to HEAT ON in High Definition 24/96 on Bandcamp:       return to top ! SNEAK PEEKS WITH SOUNDS! COMING OUT SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS REVOLUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE SERPENTINE Ken Field's long-running New Orleans-influenced jazz party combo - the REVOUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE - return for a new album filled with great music and great fun. [USA] listen to/ share "PRESENT" on Soundcloud, by REVOLUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE from SERPENTINE credits: Ken Field - alto saxophone and flute Tom Hall - tenor saxophone Dave Harris - trombone and tuba Phil Neighbors - drums Blake Newman - acoustic bass Jerry Sabatini - trumpet return to top SNEAK PEEKS OF DISTANT TREASURES   COMING OUT IN 2025 & BEYOND ON CUNEIFORM RECORDS (Listed in alphabetical order. Sound samples to come out in future newsletters) ~~~~~ JAZZ ~~~~~ GHOST RHYTHMS – MISSING TIMES  (New studio album by young French avant progressive ensemble) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ JANEL LEPPIN / ENSEMBLE VOLCANIC ASH – TBC (Third studio album by composer / cellist/ bandleader Janel Leppin's Washington DC-based jazz group, Ensemble Volcanic Ash) [USA] ~~~~~~ DENMAN MARONEY – MEAN TIMES (Previously unreleased live recording from 1995 at The Knitting Factory by composer Denman Maroney on sampled hyperpiano, with Herb Robertson on trumpet, Ellery Eskelin on tenor saxophone, Mark Dresser on bass and  Phil Haynes on drums ) [USA] ~~~~~~ GARY LUCAS AND LUKAS LIGETI – LUKAS & LUCAS (Improvised duets by American guitarist Gary Lucas and Austrian drummer Lukas Ligeti)  [USA/AUSTRIA] ~~~~~~     ROCK ~~~~~~ CHEER-ACCIDENT – TBC (A new studio album and a DVD of live performances by Chicago's fave longstanding alt-rock / post-pop group) [USA] ~~~~~~ FRENCH TV – THE SPANISH CAPER (A double album by French TV: one album of new compositions, and one of covers of '60s and '70s "deep-cuts" that had influenced the band. This double feature will be the band's 16th & 17th album(s)! ) [USA] ~~~~~~ MIKE JOHNSON – GARDEN OF LOSS (Mike Johnson, leader/ composer/ guitarist of Thinking Plague, releases an album under his own name featuring orchestration - strings, brass reeds, etc - combined with rock instrumentation.) [USA] ~~~~~~ GILLES LAVAL – 100 GUITARS SUR UN BATEAU IVRE  [100 GUITARS ON A DRUNKEN BOAT] (100 electric guitars, conducted by Gilles Laval. Designed for public performances) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ NEBELNEST – LIVE AT PROGDAY 1999 (Hard hitting, French instrumental, zeuhl / dark symphonic rock ensemble)  [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ NEBELNEST – unreleased fourth album  (Previously unreleased 4th album by this hard hitting, French instrumental, zeuhl / dark symphonic rock ensemble) [FRANCE] ~~~~~~ TRINARY SYSTEM – THE HARD MACHINE (Current rock band of Roger Clark Miller (Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble, Mission of Burma)  [USA] ~~~~~~ return to top CUNEIFORM ARTISTS ON TOUR 2025 - 2026 CALENDAR IMPORTANT REMINDER: In an evolving (and now endemic) COVID-19 world, and with adverse weather "events" happening in increasing frequency, these dates are ALL tentative. Please check with venues, close to the concert date, to confirm. We're ecstatic that live concerts are happening worldwide, but we remain aware that emergent variants - as well as severe weather - can unexpectedly affect schedules. See also the Tours Page at Cuneiform Records.   CHEER–ACCIDENT Cheer-Accident celebrate Vacate,  released in Cuneiform Records 40th Anniversary year.                  "...one of the most impressive concerts I saw was the Dragon Drop/Cheer Accident/Free Salamander Exhibit show in Indianapolis. ...Cheer Accident blew me away... The music was innovative and powerful and brave and everything I’d hoped it would be."- Proglodytes "Cheer-Accident are the quintessential Chicago post-rock band... They've been exploring head-scratching, creatively fucked-up time signatures and sideways guitar shenanigans for 20 years now, leaving a pronounced influence on the Windy City's art-rock scene. Their playful musical approach is a ripe aesthetic of absurdist humor." – Pitchfork _______________________________ August 1 - The Healer - Indianapolis, IN August 2 - Martyrs - Chicago, IL   Listen to & buy Vacate  Chicago XX   //   Putting Off Death         No Ifs, Ands or Dogs //  Fear Draws Misfortune      "Tons of weird rock records have streamed out of Chicago over the past two decades, but none have blended pop smarts and avant-garde impulses as skillfully as this marvelous brainteaser..." – Time Out New York HAPPY FAMILY Japan instrumental ensemble  Happy Family celebrate their longstanding collaboration (37 years!) and Cuneiform's 40th anniversary by releasing two recordings on Cuneiform in one year - the album 4037 and a single – and an upcoming cncert at Tokyo's Silver Elephant. Flowing Yet Cunning/  Fort of Responsibility 4037 December 13 - Silver Elephant - Tokyo Japan Listen to & Buy Happy Family                        Tossco   Minimal Gods           HEAT ON HEAT ON is a Chicago powerhouse, multigenerational jazz quartet led by drummer and composer LILY Finnegan featuring saxophonists Ed Wilkerson Jr. & Fred Jackson Jr. and bassist Nick Macri. The Chicago band has been doing a number of shows, celebrating their new album Heat On, released by Cuneiform in June. Heat On September 27 - Hyde Park Jazz Festival - Chicago, IL HENRY KAISER Grammy winner Henry Kaiser is widely recognized as one of the most creative and innovative guitarists, improvisers, and producers in the fields of rock, jazz, world, and contemporary experimental musics. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– THE HENRY KAISER MONTHLY SOLO SERIES, presented exclusively on the CUNEIFORM RECORDS YouTube Channel  When Covid pandemic lockdowns began in 2020, Henry Kaiser began curating & presenting a weekly series of pre-recorded music videos exclusively on Cuneiform's YouTube Channel for music lovers isolating at home. These "live" concerts are taped beforehand and not streamed - Henry discusses the process in a Guitar Moderne interview, "The New "Live"".  Many videos in the series depict duets and larger bands, despite the program being called the "Henry Kaiser Weekly Solo Series".  While many depict new or recent performances, other videos in this series are vintage footage of performances not available elsewhere (The Valentines' 1994 concert in the Fukuoka Dome). Over time, the series converted to monthly and currently, a quarterly release schedule.  All 52 videos from the Henry Kaiser's Weekly Series, the entire two year Monthly Series and all current quarterly videos are archived & available on Cuneiform's YouTube Channel.  We invite you to visit and follow Cuneiform Record's YouTube Channel to see the videos that Henry regularly presents. A must see: the WINTER 2024 video is HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY #4: BARITONE GUITAR SPECIAL, featuring Henry's awesome guitar work along with Special Guests: Luciana Bass, Jim Clark, Janet Feder, Sandy Ewen, Vanessa Gould, Sandor Nagyszalancy, Anthony Pirog, Gregory Stephen, Sid Stephen, & Carl Weingarten. Just released, the SUMMER 2024 video , HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY SHOW #6 : You Can't Get There From Here, features Morgan Ågren  Jennifer Burnes,  Jaya Drats, Trey Gunn, Killick Hinds, Michael Manring,  Ed Petterson, Damon Smith, Jim Thomas, and Bill Walker. In addition to his video series, Kaiser occasionally presents special videos:  some focusing on current events and guitar legends, and some providing free guitar lessons, focusing on tunes associated with legendary guitarists. For instance, his September 2022 guitar lesson video, focusing on the whole tone scale and Sonny Sharrock, is titled The Whole Tone Scale! Sonny Sharrock’s DICK DOGS lesson with Henry Kaiser.  His video for 2025's 1st quarter, HENRY KAISER QUARTERLY SHOW #8 : The Backwards Guitar Solos Lesson, is both instructional for players and highly entertaining for non-musicians. Besides his work as a musician, Kaiser is also a scientific diver and underwater videographer in the U.S. Antarctic program. Several of his Solo Series videos on the Cuneiform channel feature Henry's stunning underwater videography in addition to his guitar playing, as in this stunning video from May 2020:  HENRY KAISER : Cuneiform Weekly Solo #2 : Under The Ice Again . Because all videos are archived on the Cuneiform Records' YouTube Channel, you can watch anything in the series at any time.   Listen to & buy: Albums by Henry Kaiser & Friends  on Cuneiform A Love Supreme Electric [Vinny Golia / John Hanrahan / Henry Kaiser / Wayne Peet / Mike Watt]: A Love Supreme Electric: A Love Supreme and Meditations  Yo Miles!: Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith: Sky Garden & Upriver     Five Times Surprise [Henry Kaiser / Anthony Pirog / Tracy Silverman / Jeff Sipe / Andy West]:  Five Times Surprise Henry Kaiser & Ray Russell:  The Celestial Squid Henry Kaiser: Lemon Fish Tweezer; Fred Frith & Henry Kaiser: Friends & Enemies     Healing Force [Vinny Golia • Aurora Josephson • Henry Kaiser • Mike Keneally • Joe Morris • Damon Smith • Weasel Walter]: Healing Force:  The Songs of Albert Ayler                       V.A.: 156 Strings: Nineteen Totally Original Acoustic Guitarists LED BIB “This is the sound of a band having fun… like a hot chainsaw through butter." — The Wire "You’ll be hard pressed to keep the lid on this explosive tour de force of ensemble intelligence" – The Independent "One of the UK’s most adventurous groups" – Jazzwise Described as “a lean, mean, improv-rocking jazz machine” by Time Out, Led Bib’s ability to blend groove, improvisation, thrash and everything in-between means that live shows by these UK 2014 Mercury Prize nominees have become renowned for carrying along their audiences with an infectious energy.  Following the August 2025 release of their new studio album, Hotel Pupik, on Cuneiform, the band will tour the UK. HOTEL PUPIK September 14 - Lancaster Jazz Festival - Lancaster, UK September 15 - Puzzle Hall Inn - Halifax, UK September 16 - The Cube - Bristol, UK September 17 - Peggy's Skylight - Nottingham, UK September 18 - Hare & Hounds - Birmingham, UK September 19 - Moth Club - London, UK September 20 - Rose Hill - Brighton, UK     Listen to & buy: The Good Egg // The People in Your Neighbourhood      Bring Your Own  //   Sensible Shoes      JANEL LEPPIN A composer and cellist who’s honed a singular synthesis of composition, orchestration and improvisation, Janel Leppin is an avant-jazz luminary. Besides performing as half of the experimental duo Janel and Anthony, which she co-leads with her husband guitarist Anthony Pirog, she leads the seven-piece chamber-jazz Ensemble Volcanic Ash, as well as performing and recording with other jazz, rock, and experimental  groups. In June 2024, Cuneiform released Ensemble Volcanic Ash's second album, To March Is To Love "An Absolute Virtuoso - 4 Stars" - Downbeat Magazine, reviewing the first EVA album "Leppin is a rarity..ahhh-vant garde at its finest." - Capital   JANEL LEPPIN RESIDENCY May 19, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY May 20, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY May 21, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY May 22, 2027 - The Stone - Stone Residency - 55 West 13th St - NYC, NY   Listen to & buy: Janel Leppin Ensemble Volcanic Ash  To March Is To Love                 Ensemble Volcanic Ash Janel & Anthony New Moon In the Evil Age,   Where Is Home          ROGER CLARK MILLER Roger Clark Miller is a guitarist, pianist, bassist, composer, singer, percussionist and occasional cornet player. His career officially began in 1979 when he co-founded the influential post-punk band Mission of Burma on guitar and vocals. He formed Birdsongs of the Mesozoic on piano in 1981, and from 1983-1989 he began his Maximum Electric Piano work. Miller joined the Alloy Orchestra in 1998 - "the best [orchestra] in the world at accompanying silent film" says Roger Ebert – which continues today as The Anvil Orchestra. In February 2025, he releases his second album of solo looping-based music structured on dreams on Cuneiform - Curiosity for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble. Boston Globe: "Less a recital than a musical minefield... Miller is a man in constant motion, a one-man symphony."     Roger Clark Miller performing Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble   August 29 - Dromedary Festival - Catskill, NY September 6 - Union Hall - Newfane, VT October 9 - Revolution Gallery - Buffalo, NY October 10 - Concert House - Toledo, OH October 11 - Elastic Arts - Chicago, IL October 12 - LoLoBees - Bay City, MI October 15 - Ziggy's - Ypsilanti, MI October 16 - Trinosophes - Detroit, MI October 17 - Fuse Factory - Columbus, OH October 18 - Government Center - Pittsburgh, PA   Roger Clark Miller performing with The Anvil Orchestra [new music for silent films] September 13 - Hamilton College - Clinton, NY September 14 - Hamilton College - Clinton, NY October 3 - BAMM - Bethel, ME October 24 - AFI Silver Theater - Silver Spring, MD October 30 - The Ross Theater - Lincoln, NE October 31 - The Ross Theater - Lincoln, NE   Listen to & buy: Roger Clark Miller Curiosity for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble   Eight Dream Interpretations for Electric Guitar Ensemble           --------- The Fourth World Quartet, 1975 ---------- Birdsongs of the Mesozoic Dawn of the Cycads // The Fossil Record       THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND "Twenty-first century big-band music doesn’t get more exciting and impressive than this." – Jazz Times An astounding 18 piece jazz ensemble of five woodwind players, four trumpeters, three trombonists, two keyboardists, guitar, violin, bass and drums, led by arranger, composer & saxophonist Ed Palermo, one of America's most singular arrangers who draws on jazz, pop and rock tunes for his top-notch band. There are a number of ensembles performing the music of Frank Zappa, one of the greatest American composers of the 20th century, but no one does it with the ease, skill and originality that Ed and his band do! –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Don't miss seeing the ED PALERMO BIG BAND live!  THEIR SHOWS SELL OUT, so buy your tickets well in advance. ~~~~ August 23 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542 October 25 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542 December 20 - The Falcon - 1348 Rte 9W - Marlboro, NY 12542     Listen to & buy Ed Palermo Big Band albums on Cuneiform: The Adventures of Zoyd Zundgren // The Great Un-American Songbook Vols. 1&2  // One Child Left Behind // Oh No! Not Jazz!!  // Eddy Loves Frank. //  Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance                               ANTHONY PIROG "[Palo Colorado Dream] covers a sprawling musical terrain–avant jazz, atmospheric soundscapes, earthy Americana, math-rock...with an arsenal of effects hardware and studio production techniques..." – JazzTimes "One of jazz’s most reliable conduits to a living, breathing audience is electric-guitar heroism, and Anthony Pirog, from Washington...seems poised to become a hero of the instrument." – The New York Times ________________________________ Anthony Pirog [featured with  The Messthetics] September 14 - Union Craft Brewing - 1700 West 41st St - Baltimore, MD   Anthony Pirog with Dave Chappell at Danny Gatton tribute August 29 - The 6th Annual  Danny Gatton Birthday Celebration with Dave Chappell - The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA Anthony Pirog with Dave Ballou & Devin Gray September 27 - with Dave Ballou (trumpet) and  Devin Gray (drums) - Tonal Park - 7014-C Westmoreland Ave - Takoma Park, MD [$20 cash at the door]   Listen to & buy: Anthony Pirog: Pocket Poem  // Palo Colorado Dream .       Janel & Anthony    New Moon in the Evil Age //     Where Is Home            in other groupings: Location Location Location: Damaged Goods Five Times Surprise: Five Times Surprise The Spellcasters, Music from the Anacostia Delta   Janel Leppin/ Ensemble Volcanic Ash To March Is to Love  //  Ensemble Volcanic Ash            TOMEKA REID QUARTET 2022 MacArthur Award winning cellist Tomeka Reid's all-star Quartet  (Jason Roebke-bass,Tomas Fujiwara-drums, 2019 MacArthur Award recipient Mary Halvorson-guitar, Reid-cello) plays material on tour from 3+3, its 2024 release on Cuneiform Records and Old New (2019). Both releases have been prolifically reviewed and featured on Best of Year jazz lists worldwide. In 2025, they tour northern Europe. Reid was recently named THE top Miscellaneous Instrumentalist (cellist) in Downbeats' 2024 Jazz Critics Poll.   "as transportingly good as jazz gets." – All About Jazz The Wire - July 2024, Issue 485 TOMEKA REID QUARTET September 24 - Opus Jazz Club - Budapest, Hungary September 26 - Kulturzentrum Leibnitz - Leibnitz, Austria September 28 - Nova Express - Mechelen, Belgium September 30 -  Jazzclub Unterfahrt - München, Germany   Listen to & buy: 3+3 //  Old New         REVOLUTIONARY SNAKE ENSEMBLE Since 1990, Boston's fun & fantastic Revolutionary Snake Ensemble has expanded the parameters of brass band with influences ranging from free jazz to New Orleans second line to contemporary funk to experimental. In August 2025, the band releases a new recording on Cuneiform Records:  SERPENTINE September 13 - Harwich Cranberry Arts & Music Festival - 100 Oak St - Harwich Center, MA 02645 October 4 - Regattabar - 1 Bennett St - Cambridge, MA 02138 [new release show for 'Serpentine'] February 21 - Scullers [Mardi Gras show] - 400 Soldiers Field Road - Boston, MA 0213   Listen to & buy: Forked Tongue   SCHNELLERTOLLERMEIER ""The Best Music of 2015: A Banner Year for the Bold: …here are a dozen albums...that I savored repeatedly for their musicality, clarity of statement and courage. …“X” by Schnellertollermeier marries brutality to avant-garde rock and jazz. A classic power trio from Switzerland, the band plays with punk fury and dazzling technical dexterity to create booming, bone-rattling music that stalks, confronts and astonishes." – The Wall Street Journal Brutal-jazz power trio Schnellertollermeier doesn't compromise. Their fresh and uncompromising mix of jazz, punk, rock, sound and free improvised music, combined with great musicianship, interplay and intense energy, has awed audiences at festivals of jazz, rock, pop and experimental music worldwide.    [We’ve been working on new music. We’re excited and are very much looking forward to this!] August 29 - Konzerthaus Schüür - Tribschenstrasse 1 - Lucerne, Switzerland   Listen to & buy: 5                                     Rights             X SWRM SWRM, the duo of Providence singer/ songwriter/ bandleader Alec  K. Redfearn (analog synthesizers, vocals) and Matt McLaren (drums), celebrate SWRM's debut album Lights Out, coming out July 2025 on Cuneiform Records, the longtime label of the band Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores.     October 31 - Halloween with SWRM! - Myrtle - East Providence, RI   THUMBSCREW Following the release of Wingbeats, their 8th album on Cuneiform, all-star jazz supergroup Thumbscrew (Michael Formanek, Tomas Fujiwara, Mary Halvorson) prepare to embark on a European tour.  "Thumbscrew are one of the essential contemporary jazz groups"– Brian Morton, The Wire “Thumbscrew...are likeminded souls with decades of experience among them. Encapsulating a rare chemistry, their music offers a virtual masterclass of communal interplay.” – Point Of Departure August 9 - Anfiteatro ao Ar Livre (of Gulbenkian) - Lisbon, Portugal   Listen to & buy:   Wingbeats                   Multicolored                                     Midnight                                                                             Never Is Enough // The Anthony Braxton Project       Theirs  //   Ours         Convallaria  //  Thumbscrew      To set up press and radio interviews with Cuneiform Artists while on tour or at home, please contact: promo@cuneiformrecords.com return to top SPEND 2025 WITH MUSIC & VIDEOS ONLINE !     CUNEIFORM RECORDS has a treasure chest of interesting music to serve as soundtrack, inspiration and solace during these evolving and challenging times. Our mammoth catalogue of over 500 releases by artists from around the world includes many of avant music's most esteemed icons as well as young rising stars, and is available for purchase in digital and physical formats at the CUNEIFORM RECORDS BANDCAMP store, and in physical formats at one of our sister companies, WAYSIDE MUSIC as well as in RECORD SHOPS worldwide (see our DISTRIBUTORS).  Your purchases of our CDs, LPs, and digital downloads supports or indie musicians, indie labels, and small businesses.    • VISIT the official CUNEIFORM RECORDS WEBSITE  for extensive information on the artists and recordings on our label,  upcoming concerts & much more.   • WATCH VIDEOS on Cuneiform Records' YOUTUBE CHANNEL Cuneiform Records has an extremely active YouTube Channel which you should bookmark as a favorite:  free music videos, videos of live shows, & samples from 500+ adventurous releases!   And we began expanding our video content during the pandemic, most notably with an ongoing video series curated  and produced by guitarist Henry Kaiser.  • PURCHASE & LISTEN to releases on CUNEIFORM RECORDS BANDCAMP PAGE  Discover new music on our Bandcamp Page, and support artists & our indie label by purchasing music.   • PURCHASE music from100s of LABELS from around the world at  WAYSIDE MUSIC, our sister store.  At our internet store, WaysideMusic.com (established in 1980!), you can purchase hard-to-find CDs and LPs from ALL your favorite labels!  • ENJOY and SHARE SAMPLES of music by releases of countless Cuneiform artists on the Cuneiform Records' SoundCloud Site. • VISIT, LIKE & FOLLOW  Cuneiform Records' Official FACEBOOK PAGE.  • JOIN the Cuneiform Records FACEBOOK GROUP:  FANS Of Cuneiform Records.  • FOLLOW @CuneiformRecord on TWITTER (now X) • LICENSE music from Cuneiform for movies, ads etc via our sister site TheMusicOutpost.com. • SIGN UP for the CUNEIFORM RECORDS NEWSLETTER if you're not already one of our subscribers, and  get BOTH this monthly newsletter in your email box AND receive notices for Cuneiform's weekly "$5 Friday" offers – Cuneiform selects a special album from its archive each weekend,  to be sold in download format via Bandcamp, that weekend only,  for half price. • VISIT our TOURS PAGE for upcoming concerts WORLDWIDE by our artists.   • ACCESS PRIOR ISSUES of the CUNEIFORM RECORDS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER at cuneiformrecord.blogspot.com/     Cuneiform Records' Monthly Newsletter announces and gives in-depth info on ALL of the label's NEW RELEASES - both physical and digital formats - and also provides TOUR / CONCERT info from its artists.   ~ ~ ~   PHOTOS OF AMERICAN FLAG FLOWN UPSIDE-DOWN AT SUMMIT OF EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA Left: Photo of upside-down flag on summit of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park by Brittany Colt, February 23 2025 The American flag flown upside down is an official / US flag code signal of dire distress or extreme danger for the country and/or person flying it.  On February 23, 2025, a group of rock climbers from the thousands of National Park Service & federal/public land employees fired by the Trump administration & DOGE mounted an upside-down flag at the summit of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Our nation – long respected for its devotion to democracy & the rule of law – and our national parks & public lands – America's national treasures – are in danger. return to top CUNEIFORM RECORDS SOCIAL ONLINE Cuneiform YouTube Cuneiform Website Facebook FanGroup Facebook Page Cuneiform Twitter Cuneiform SoundCloud Cuneiform Bandcamp Instagram Email Cuneiform return to top Cuneiform Records' Monthly Newsletter is compiled by Joyce (Joy) [Nalewajk] Feigenbaum, DIRECTOR OF THE MUSIC OUTPOST – PUBLICITY FACEBOOK PAGE: MusicOutpostPublicityAndLicensing TWITTER: @TheMusicOutpost     STOP WARS         return to top Copyright © 2025 Cuneiform Records, All rights reserved.   Washington, DC // Silver Spring, MD Our mailing address is: Cuneiform Records P.O. Box 8427 Silver Spring, MD 20907 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Subscribe to the Cuneiform Records Newsletter. Read this email online   return to top