A COINCIDENCE IN OAKLAND

On September 17, 2023 the mysterious ways of the universe brought together Agnes Martian (from Oakland), Music for Connection (Arizona), Hair and Space Museum (also from Oakland) and New Age innovator and mentor Laraaji. This meeting of cosmically connected musicians and artists resulted in a massive jam session of sorts, which fortunately was recorded and documented and is now being released to the world- over an hour's worth of spellbinding musical journeys. All improvised. And like the forces that brought them together, all coincidence.

For those unfamiliar with the artists, Agnes Martian soundtracks an imaginary planetarium that charts undiscovered constellations of inner/outer space. The project was founded in 2019 by Benjamin Rodgers (guitar, synths) and Zekarias Thompson (saxophone). The duo collaborates with artists from various musical backgrounds, most recently with Philip Laurent. Their first album The Future Light Cone was released as a part of the Altered States series by Centripetal Force and Cardinal Fuzz.

Music for Connection is a free-improvisation collective organized by Gus Tomizuka exploring experimental and ambient sound collages. Collaboration is at the heart of their mission, and the group is often on the road creating connective musical narratives with different artists at each stop. Other members include multi-instrumentalist Grant Beyschau, who has worked with Centripetal Force as a member of both The Myrrors and Tambourinen.

New Age pioneer Laraaji is a musician, mystic, and laughter meditation practitioner based in New York City. His career has spanned more than 40 years and includes over 50 releases, several of which are collaborative in nature. His music and spirit serves as an inspiration and mentor for many in the ambient and sacred music circles.

Hair and Space Museum is the duo of Emily Pothast and David Golightly, who are also the co-founders of the band Midday Veil and the record label Translinguistic Other. HaSM projects are multimedia meditations on the generative, cosmic properties of sound. 

Along with the cassette, there is a companion Risograph zine that is focused on reflections written by Agnes Martian members Benjamin Rodgers, Phillip Laurent, and Zekarias Thompson, and Gus and Patricio of Music for Connection in the months following the impromptu recording session. The zine examines individual memories of this evening of spontaneous music making and discusses approaches to collective improvisation.

The album is being presented by Transitory Tapes, Working Name Studios, and (a very humbled) Centripetal Force in a 150 copy cassette pressing and is available now for preorder at the Bandcamp.

Agnes Martian and Music for Connection will celebrate the release of Coincidence on May 31 at The Green Room at Royal Coffee, located at 2523 Broadway Avenue in downtown Oakland.

ANNOUNCING DREW GARDNER'S 'CYGNUS A'

A busy 2024 at Centripetal Force rolls on with the announcement of Drew Gardner’s Cygnus A. The album is available for preorder starting today. The release date is June 7th. It will be available on vinyl, as well as digitally.

A majority of the music Drew Gardner has made over the years has been deeply collaborative, in contexts where his skills with improvisation can shine: with Elkhorn, Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders, and his own Flowers in Space band. Cygnus A, where Gardner is playing and multitracking all the instruments, marks a shift in his approach as well as his intention, drawing the audience closer for an inward listening experience.

Cygnus A is Drew's first proper solo album. Guitar playing takes a back seat on this release, allowing Gardner to showcase his talents on the zither (of the dulcimer/ autoharp family) and mriba (a kalimba type instrument). The results are as heady and cosmic as the other projects that he is known for, with Cygnus A being a more intimate listening experience. With an earthy yet cosmic vibe, this multi-instrumentalist solo foray explores themes of distance and nearness. The album title Cygnus A refers to a distant galaxy that is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky. Its broadcast from space comes from a supermassive black hole generating energy as it consumes material, causing electrons to emit radio waves as they spiral outward in magnetic fields.
“Pollux,” the album’s lead track, is named for the star of the constellation Gemini, the star closest to our own sun. Its reddish hue long helping travelers navigate the glove before the advent of modern technology.

Cygnus A is being presented in a 200 copy vinyl pressing.  Preorders are now live on the Bandcamp.

Drew Gardner will perform with his Flowers in Space Band at the Knitting Factory NYC on May 5. Emergency Group and Vague Plot are also on the bill. The band will then perform at this year’s Milwaukee Psych Fest on May 11.

Announcing ‘MORNING MEDITATIONS / EVENING ABSTRACTIONS’ FROM ELIJAH MCLAUGHLIN & CALEB WILLITZ

Today, Centripetal Force announces the release of Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions from the duo of Elijah McLaughlin and Caleb Willitz. Along with this announcement is the release of “Vesper” and Vesper Pt. 2,” the first tracks taken from the album.

McLaughlin, a Chicago-based guitarist who has released three well-regarded albums as bandleader of the Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble (Astral Spirits, Tompkins Square), and his long time friend and collaborator, Caleb Willitz, a recording engineer, producer, and sound artist, are in their element on Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions, as each musician is constantly feeding off the other’s creativity.

Willitz, who also worked with the likes of Jeff Parker and Bill MacKay, and McLaughlin set up the ideal conditions to invoke the best of their abilities, allowing for even the recording process itself to take on a more spontaneous spirit. The duo set up camp in Willitz’s studio to work without the restraints of time, a move that allowed total freedom to create adventurously. Utilizing a refurbished 8-track tape machine, the pair was only restricted by the 25-minute limit of their analogue reels of tape. With McLaughlin playing an electric guitar routed through stereo amplifiers and various effects and Willitz playing piano while simultaneously controlling a tape delay with a foot pedal, the two developed

ethereal and transcendental soundscapes that exist somewhere between free jazz, post-rock, and ambient music.

 For those familiar with Elijah's guitar work, there is the welcome expansion of his sound palette. Sonically the textures have expanded, thanks to the integration of analog synths, tape loops, acoustic piano, and horns. His partnering up with Caleb has this album exploring the worlds of minimalism, jazz, improvisation, and creative composition. Fittingly, these are the musical elements that have put Chicago on the map over the past decade or so, something reflected by the list of guest contributors on the album, including Charles Rumback, Edward Wilkerson Jr, Jason Stein, and Josh Johannpeter.

Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions is being presented in a 300 copy vinyl pressing. The album will also be available digitally. The release date for Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions is June 7. Preorders are now live on the Bandcamp.

McLaughlin and Willitz will perform with drummer Tommaso Moretti at this year’s Milwaukee Psych Fest on May 11. The duo’s record release show will be May 17 at Hungry Brain in Chicago, IL.

Gold Dust is Gearing up to Come Back

Stephen Pierce, leader of the Western Mass band Gold Dust, has been on a self-imposed social media exile for the past 10 months or so, but he popped up on Bandcamp today to give a couple of updates. One of the updates has to do with a wonderfully wild t-shirt design the band has unveiled (see below), as well as news of new material being written and recorded. Gold Dust may have been quiet since the middle of 2023, but folks who enjoyed The Late Great will soon be treated to a large dose of new sounds and musical directions. They have been feeding me a number of demos, and I can confidently say that folks will be excitedly awed. 2023 was a tough year for Stephen. I’m glad to have him back. Here’s what Stephen had to say:

Hey all. Been a while. I hope you’re well - it’s been a strange and interesting year for me, to say the least, and I’ve mostly disengaged with the digital world. I guess as good a return as any is to show up with a ludicrous new shirt design. It’s an improvement on a similar theme I used for my old band, Kindling, and we’ve done it on tie dye, as well as white on black.

Things have been rolling along excitingly over here. A lot of change. Been writing, recording… you know, all those things bands do.

Here are the shirts:

If you’ve been trying to get ahold of me via socials, I’m sorry to have missed you. Someone will start posting there again at some point, but it won’t be me. You can find me at stephen.e.pierce at gmail dot com. Thank you so much for your patience and kindness through this difficult journey this past year has taken me on.

SOMA To Tour With Grails in July

SOMA has announced that they will be opening for Grails this summer on a string of dates that will take them through the Northeast and into Canada. Silkscreened copies of the Robert Ryan designed tour poster (seen above) will be available at the shows, as will be copies of SOMA’s Burning is Leaning, which is expected to be in its second pressing. Follow SOMA on Instagram for updates.

Jun 29 Baltimore MD @ Ottobar

Jun 30 Philadelphia PA @ PhilaMOCA

Jul 01 New York NY @ Le Poisson Rouge

Jul 03 Boston MA @ Crystal Ballroom

Jul 05 Montreal QC @ Bar Le Ritz

Jul 06 Toronto ON @ The Monarch

Luke Schneider California Dates

Luke Schneider will be visiting California’s Bay Area later this month and playing a string of shows throughout the area.

The first will be in San Francisco on March 20 with Oakland’s Aux Meadows, whose Dust Kingdom on Perpetual Doom was a highlight of 2023. The show will be at Et al Gallery, located at 2831 Mission Street. Showtime is 7-9PM.

On Thursday March 21 Luke will celebrate the Spring Equinox in Santa Cruz with an extended sound bath composition. This will take place at Indexical and is being presented by Centripetal Force. Information and tickets for the Santa Cruz sound bath can be found here.

Luke will travel to Oakland for a show with the Danny Paul Grody Duo on Friday, March 22. The event will take place at The Green Room at Royal Coffee, located at 2523 Broadway in downtown Oakland. The Green Room have established themselves as a premiere venue for instrumental and experimental music.

On Saturday there will be an afternoon house show in San Anselmo. Details for this show are forthcoming.

Luke will be playing with William Tyler and The Impossible Truth on the West Coast between April 17 & 27. He will also have dates in the upper Midwest around the time of the Milwaukee Psych Fest.

Bandcamp Friday Recommendations for March

Bandcamp Friday is upon us once again. And while no one really knows what kind of changes are in store for the indie artist and labels who rely heavily upon the platform for exposure and sales, I ask that you support where you can on March 1st.

I put together a playlist of artists and releases that I feel deserve some of that support. It’s on the BNDCMPR platform, which I’m quite grateful is still around. You’ll find the links you need right there in the playlist. You can find it here. Enjoy!

Centripetal Force to Host First Santa Cruz Event

Centripetal Force is hosting their first event in Santa Cruz, CA in March. It’s going to be a sound bath, a celebration of the Spring Equinox with an evening of rejuvenation, community, and music. The event will take place Thursday, March 21 from 6-8 PM at Indexical, a non-profit arts and community space located in Santa Cruz’s Tannery Arts Center.

The evening will begin with some springtime signature mocktails and esoteric tarot card readings from Gatisa Noble. There will be the opportunity to connect with your intentions for this coming spring season with a meditation circle led by Eve Mannix.

The evening’s main event will be the ambient pedal steel guitar sounds of Nashville’s Luke Schneider. Luke will take take listeners on a meditative sonic journey.

Space is limited for this intimate event. Please bring a yoga mat, blanket, and eye mask (if desired). The goal is for you to be comfortable while lying down and taking in the sounds, so bring what you need. Centripetal Force Records is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. If you require an accommodation or service to fully participate, please contact centripetalforcerecords@gmail.com or 615 933 1955, at least 24 hours before the event. A limited amount of floor chairs will also be available. The space is wheelchair accessible.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Indexical is located at 1050 River St. #119
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

REPRESSES FROM PRAIRIEWOLF AND THE MYRRORS TO GO ON SALE MARCH 1.

On March 1st represses of Prairiewolf’s debut album and The Myrrors’ Live at Exploded View will go up for sale on the label’s Bandcamp site. Demand for both releases has been high, and both records will be available at approximately 8:30 AM Pacific Time. Cardinal Fuzz will also have copies of The Myrrors release going up for sale on March 1st.

This is the third repress of the Prairiewolf album, with this edition being presented once again on Hot Springs Green vinyl. The band will have copies of the record with them at their upcoming Denver appearance with TENGGER, as well as their show with Color Green and Rosali. There will be an announcement soon regarding some additional out-of-state dates coming up in May.

Prairiewolf is currently in the studio putting the final touches on their second album, with hopes of having it released in the fall. Work is being done to ensure the album will be available in the UK and Europe.

The demand was high for last year’s Altered States edition of The Myrrors’ Live at Exploded View, so Dave at Cardinal Fuzz and I got the band to design a new sleeve. I’m not sure if there’s anything left in The Myrrors’ archive, so this may be it.

"With this incantatory live recording, Myrrors create a sound that feels drawn out of the soil. Drone calls, avant-squall, swells of devotional psychedla—whatever you want to call this music, it's entrancing and spiritually voluminous, rising and falling in majestic arcs, soundtracking an imaginary Herzog documentary playing exclusively in your mind's eye." — Jason P. Woodbury 

Both releases are limited and will go quickly. Combine with other new releases of the day (Patrick Sansone & Jack Silverman) and save on shipping.

Announcing SOMA's 'Burning is Learning'

The fourth release on Centripetal Force for this first quarter of 2024 stands quite uniquely on its own. It's a collection of sacred hymns, spellbinding dirges, and a little bit of mystical meandering. It's as heady as it is heavy and as ancient as it is modern, like an old spirit awakened anew. 

Burning is Learning is the second album from SOMA (Sacred Order of Mystic Apogees), a group of multi-instrumentalists from New Jersey with deep roots in the DIY music scenes of the area. They consider their music to be eclectic and sacred, with much of their musical approach grounded in traditions most associated with Pakistan and India. The drone of the harmonium is omnipresent, as is the ambience of the tanpura (a sitar-like instrument) and the reverberations of the mridanga (a percussion instrument). Devotion is at the core of SOMA's ethos, and the group holds various spiritual traditions and devotional practices that inform their sound and style, most clearly heard in the many call and response (kirtan) mantras found throughout the album.

"Shivranjani" is the first track to be released from Burning is Learning.

In quite appropriate New Jersey fashion, Burning is Learning was recorded by Phil Caivano of Monster Magnet and mastered by fellow Monster Magnet alum John McBain (QOTSA, Wellwater Conspiracy). Noted tattooer and painter Robert Ryan is responsible for the album's front cover, and Kevin Craig designed and created the back cover. A limited number of preorder editions of the album will come with artist prints of both pieces. 

Burning is Learning is being presented in a 200 copy vinyl pressing. The album will also be available digitally. The release date for Burning is Learning is March 19. Preorders are now live, on the Bandcamp.

SOMA’s record release show will be April 7th at Jack’s Music Shop in Red Bank, NJ.

Front cover by Robert Ryan

Back cover by Kevin Craig