Artist profile: The Pornadoes

Pornadoes promotional photo
Pornadoes promotional photo

The Pornadoes is one of guitarist Jason Goessl’s other projects — quite different from Trimtab, which blew away the Seaprog 2013 audience. This band starts out with instrumental surf guitar music, and takes it several steps beyond, into realms both impressive and just plain fun.

Personnel:

  • Jason Goessl — Guitar
  • Ethan Sobotta — Bass
  • Tom Zgonc — Drums

Links to artist websites:

Links were good as of when the artist performed. Some may no longer work.

Performances:

  • Seaprog 2014 — Day Two

Artist profile: The Mercury Tree

Mercury Tree promotional photo
Mercury Tree promotional photo

This experimental Portland trio, formed in 2006, specialize in creative overuse of their effect pedals. Their latest material includes extensive live looping work, creating huge enveloping layers of sound. At best, they fuse the oddball rhythms and technicality of progressive music with a genuine sense of melody and emotion.

A lot has changed with The Mercury Tree since they played Seaprog 2014. They’ve released an album called Permutations, toured extensively around North America, and morphed into a marvelously cohesive trio. They’ve also been exploring the world of microtonal tuning, utilizing custom instruments built for 17 notes per octave. And they’ve done it without losing sight of what it means to write good tunes.

Personnel:

  • Ben Spees — Guitar, voice, keyboard
  • Connor Reilly — Drums
  • Aaron Clark — Bass, backing vocals (2014)
  • Oliver Campbell — Bass, vocals (2018)

Links to artist websites:

Links were good as of when the artist performed. Some may no longer work.

Performances:

Artist profile: Tempered Steel

Tempered Steel promotional photo
Tempered Steel promotional photo

Tempered Steel features Ffej, Frank Junk, and Dennis Rea playing amplified, electronically processed thumb pianos. The trio’s seamless improvisations conjure everything from phantom harpsichords and subterranean percussion to as yet uninvented stringed instruments and vintage musique concrète. Recommended to partisans of Harry Partch, John Cage’s prepared piano music, and Konono No. 1. And if you watch closely, you might catch one of the rare uses of an electric toothbrush in music.

Personnel:

  • Frank Junk — Electrified thumb piano
  • Ffej — Electrified thumb piano
  • Dennis Rea — Electrified thumb piano

Links to artist websites:

Links were good as of when the artist performed. Some may no longer work.

Performances:

Artist profile: Super Z Attack Team

Super Z Attack Team promotional photo
Super Z Attack Team promotional photo

Super Z Attack Team started as a spin-off from the band Zhongyu, a studio-oriented project formed by multi-instrumentalist and composer Jon Davis. With the unusual instrumentation of Stick, bari sax, and drums, the trio incorporates electronics into music that straddles rock energy and the jazzy spirit of improvisation. They relish the intersection of planning and chance, always focusing on maintaining a groove, regardless of what meter they use.

Personnel:

  • James DeJoie — Woodwinds, voice, electronics
  • Randy Doak — Acoustic and electronic percussion
  • Jon Davis — Chapman Stick, electronics

Links to artist websites:

Links were good as of when the artist performed. Some may no longer work.

Performances:

Artist profile: Spontaneous Rex

Spontaneous Rex promotional photo
Spontaneous Rex promotional photo

Spontaneous Rex is an experimental jazz and avant-rock band based in Seattle. The band focuses on originals and covers that range from modern jazz to fusion; from electronic music to progressive rock, creating their own signature style. The band is a quartet of piano/keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums. The four met while studying music at Cornish College.

Personnel:

  • Jake Sele — Keyboards
  • Matt Williams — Guitar
  • Joe Eck — Drums (2014)
  • Nick Lonien — Bass (2014)
  • Moe Weisner — Bass (2018)
  • Kyle Doran — Drums (2018)

Links to artist websites:

Links were good as of when the artist performed. Some may no longer work.

Performances: