Denton, 11.20.2024

I'm not going to lie: It's been kind of an ass kick since the election. While I'm not as freaked out as some of my friends (SSRIs help), it's clear to anyone with eyes who hasn't buried their head in the sand that what's coming is not good. Which means it's imperative that we push back in any way we can. Right now, that mostly means being aware of what's going on, and being prepared to use our presence, our voices, and our bodies to protect vulnerable ones (right off the bat, that'd be queer and trans folk, and anyone whose appearance might evoke suspicion from a soldier at a checkpoint who's been ordered to look for "illegals"). 

I was talking to Rachel Weaver at Molten Plains last night, expressing my admiration for the way she (and Sarah Jay and Sarah Ruth Alexander) combine creative work with environmental activism. She said that the skills that serve well in one arena can be equally useful in the other -- "mainly listening." It also occurred to me that those of us who play or support unpopular musics already understand what it is to operate on society's fringes and be supportive of one another. The same is true whether or not one is the target of real oppression, and it's worth remembering. 

Listening is the cornerstone of improvised music, and last night's Improv Lotto gave us the opportunity to observe four different examples, approaches, and outcomes. Improv Lotto originator Aaron Gonzalez was performing in a play at Dallas' Ochre House, so Molten Plains co-curator Ernesto Monteil made the selections of musicians for a quartet and three trios. 

First out of the hat was the quartet of Marissa Rodriguez on vocals and electronics, Rob West (Bobo) on guitar, Mallory Frenza (Smothered) on bass, and Dallasite Jess Garland on harp. West led off with some skronky atonal guitar, which proved to be the pacing item for the entire set. Rodriguez sang and read in English and Spanish, using some electronic treatments on her voice. I'd been looking forward to hearing Garland, of whom I've been a fan since hearing her with Dennis Gonzalez's Ataraxia, but the volume level onstage limited her to some washes of sound and inaudible single-note flurries. Frenza struggled to find a tonal center in between these elements, but ultimately, everyone was reduced to making their loudest noise, which was the only alternative to silence.

Next up was the trio of Kourtney Newton (Bitches Set Traps) on cello, Kristina Smith on accordion and vocals, and Michael Meadows on guitar -- another lineup where the volume differential between electric and acoustic instruments could have been problematic. The result was quite the opposite -- a sublime three-way conversation that several folks I spoke with afterward agreed was their favorite set of the night. Newton's a consummate improviser, with a wide array of techniques and effects at her disposal using just the acoustic instrument. On this occasion, she was more amplified than usual, but Meadows modulated his volume and used his harmonic-rich tone and array of effects in ways that complimented and supported his bandmates. (At times, it was a challenge to discern which sounds originated from which musician -- a measure of success, to these feedback-scorched ears.) At the center (both physically and sonically) was Smith's folkloric lament (she may have been referring to a text, because the music stand in front of her gave her the same aspect as everyone at the last Dennis Gonzalez Legacy Band show). A haunting and riveting performance by all.

The next trio brought together Paul Slavens (Ten Hands and KXT radio) on piano, Joshua Canate (Trio Glossia, Same Brain) on drums, and the aforementioned Sarah Jay on vocals and electronics. Jay set the pace early, using electronic treatments on her voice that included instrumental and percussive sounds. Canate responded to the latter with cymbal crashes and tom rolls, while Slavens split the difference between his two collaborators, interacting with one or the other at different times. (The collision of his virtuosic technique with Canate's thunder put me in mind of Cecil Taylor and Tony Williams in their one encounter on The Joy of Flying.) At one point, Canate traded sticks for brushes and Jay became more audible. Later, they couldn't remember whether it was choice or accident, but it restored balance to the set, which wound down to a satisfying conclusion.

The closing set belonged to Stacy Stacis on Omnichord, Oak Cliff OG free jazzer Gerard Bendiks (Swirve, Tidbits), and Michael Briggs (Civil Audio) on vocals and electronics. The sound check served notice this was going to be a loud one. Stacis performed with a balaclava over her head (no eyeholes), looking like what one observer described as "a black metal Pussy Riot," holding the Omnichord like a guitar. Bendiks added a second kick drum to the house kit and brought along an electric guitar, which proved in the event not to be audible. Briggs electronically manipulated his voice to sound like the encroaching void, which Stacis filled with stars and planets. At one point they reached what appeared to be a conclusion, but Bendiks -- who likes to stir the pot -- played on, using lots of negative space, until the others joined in, reached another crescendo, then brought it down again, just in time for a passing train to add its sounds. Finally, Stacis turned off her instrument, and the steady tone that had been in the background throughout the episode disappeared. Finis.

This year's Molten Plains Fest will be at Rubber Gloves (of course) on Saturday, December 14. The one-day event will feature eight sets by White Mountain Apache polymath Laura Ortman; a trio of violinist gabby fluke-mogul, guitarist Tom Carter, and bassist Aaron Gonzalez; the Kory Reeder-Ryan Seward-Andrew Weathers trio that recorded this year's Two Ballads from the High Plains; an unaccompanied dance duo of Sarah Gamblin and Carla Weaver; a trio of Zachary James Watkins (Black Spirituals) with Stefan Gonzalez (Trio Glossia, Young Mothers) and Joshua Canate; saxophonist Caroline Davis; a duo of Chicago-based bass clarinetist-vocalist Emily Rach Beisel and Austin percussion eminence Lisa Cameron; and a collaboration of Python Potions, Monte Espina, and Sarah Ruth Alexander. It will be a busy day for Alexander, as earlier in the day, she'll be performing with Sounds Modern at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (which will include a set by Bitches Set Traps). An embarrassment of riches to steel us for whatever 2025 has to offer.