Since getting started in the late 60s, Gong has been one of the world’s premier psychedelic entities. Over its long and varied history, the group has changed personnel and style, incorporating space rock, progressive rock, and jazz fusion into a unique blend.
Kathy Moore has played in projects with many local greats including Shawn Smith, Thaddeus Turner, Krist Novoselic, and many more, acting as an expert support system, riding shotgun. But when she takes the lead and fronts the show, she brings her prog-punk aesthetic center stage — and this is very much the case in her latest creative incarnation: the Kathy Moore Super Power.
Over the years, Kathy Moore has played in many different bands, both her own and those led by others. For her Cascadence 2025 performance, she’s assembled an all-star lineup of musicians who haven’t worked together in this configuration.
On the drums, she’s recruited Luca Cartner. Kathy says, “The first time I played with Luca Cartner, he just walked up on the stage and played one of my original songs with so much creativity and energy and it was thrilling. He’s a drummer that great drummers think is a great drummer.” Cartner teaches at the Seattle Drum School, and one of the many projects he’s involved with is a band called Plash.
On woodwinds, we’ll have the inimitable Jessica Lurie. She’s attracted notice in such groups as the Tiptons and The Living Daylights. She’s been described as “a Balkan John Coltrane or klezmerized Sonny Rollins” but that’s only part of her scope — she’s been pushing boundaries for a long time.
Here’s a taste of what she does with her own group.
When it comes to picking a bass player for your band, you can’t do much better than Julie Slick. Kathy says. “Long before I met or played with her, Randal, myself and Andy Stoller would see her at the Triple Door with one of my favorite guitarists in the world Adrian Belew. First time I saw Julie play my jaw was on the ground. My jaw is probably still on the ground. Julie Slick is a virtuoso bassist and composer known for her wide array of unique tones and substantial melodic invention. Throughout her career, she has developed a distinctive voice through international performances and recording with acclaimed first class musicians in both the progressive rock and jazz communities.”
Here’s a fun video that shows her somewhat ridiculous technique in a very artistic setting.
Longtime Seaprog attendees might remember her from her appearances with EchoTest and Troot at our 2018 festival. She’ll also be treating us to a solo set at our Seaprog Presents show at the Substation on June 13.
Judging from the level of talent she’s assembled, Kathy Moore’s Super Power is indeed pretty super, and powerful!
The talented graphic designer Mike Strassburger has designed the official poster for Cascadence 2025. We really love the look of it.
Mike has been creating graphics for music events in the Seattle area for a long time, and you can see more examples of his work on his web site: https://mikestrassburger.com/posters/#posters
And don’t forget what this is all about: Cascadence 2025 is set for June 14.
