<p>Man, the Midwest is one fucked up place.
In the best way possible. Something about those wind swept plains inspires a kind of rawness that the hazed-out west coast and intellectualized east coast just can't. Perfect case in point is Trauma's It Ain't Happenin'. One half of Trauma, Christopher Riggs, is a mainstay of the Michigan experimental scene, with several releases on the best damn “jazz” label out there, Brokenresearch Records (seriously, check them out), some crossover work on Hanson, and releases on his own tape lable, Holy Cheever Church, which this cassette was put out on.
If Brokenresearch showcases the best Michigan free jazz, then Holy Cheever Church gives those same musicians a place to test the limits of their instruments. These are the maestros who could paint you a pretty picture, but are more interested in what your eye looks like on the other side of your head.
In a strict sense, what Riggs (guitar) and percussionist Ben Hall do on this top isn't “tape music,” but in the true sense of experimental sound, the duo push both boundaries of sonics, and their respective instruments. There's minimal sound interplay, with emotive crescendos that don't build steadily so much as creak along like the stuttering movements of a marinet, but more than anything, you'll be wrapping your head around how a drum and guitar duo can sound like human voices and chickens clucking.
Get your copy at Holy Cheever Church
Christopher Riggs at Myspace
Ben Hall at Myspace
