July 20th, 2022 — 8pm
$10-$20, sliding scale
Kex

Bio: 

Casual Decay is the ambient electronic project of Jon Nasrallah. With deep roots in the diy punk scene, Nasrallah imbues his work with a sense of social alienation, the chaos of hardcore and the gravitas of post-rock for a uniquely heavy take on ambient. Inspired by both ecological systems and cellular activity, Nasrallah uses a variety of synthesizers and sampling techniques to approximate the dynamics of the natural world. Semi-random fluctuations of noise, rippling arpeggios and melodic waves combine sound design and composition into singularly integrated soundscapes. 

Socials:

Instagram – casual_decay 

Casualdecay.bandcamp.com 

BIO

Mike Gamble is an adventurous guitarist and multi-instrumentalist whose work with electronic modes of composition are integrated endlessly into his setup. Gamble has spent the last 20 years immersed in the creative jazz, experimental rock and improvised music scene primarily in NYC, with close ties to New Orleans, Burlington, Boston, San Francisco and now the Pacific Northwest. He has had the pleasure of recording over 50 albums and has been touring the states, Canada, and Europe with his critically-acclaimed guitar trio The Inbetweens, Mike Gamble Solo,, and alongside doom-metal originators Earth. His more recent collaborators include Bobby Previte, Todd Sickafoose, Nels Cline, Wayne Horvitz, Esperanza Spalding, Matt Chamberlain and Lori Goldston. 

Since relocating to Portland,  Mike Gamble has dived into the jazz and experimental, Pop, Indie Rock, and electronic/modular scene and gigs 4-7 times a week. He currently holds a position as an Audio Production instructor at Oregon State University, and a guitar teacher at both Willamette University and Reed College and is the Artistic Director of Portland’s long standing experimental music organization, The Creative Music Guild.

Quotes

“He has a brain that seems to work faster than other human brains – maybe more like a hummingbird or a spider. Music comes flying out. You just sit and listen to what he thinks of next” Todd Sickafoose

“Mike Gamble is dangerous in the best way”  Nels Cline

“Mr. Gamble knows his way around a drone, but he also puts a lot of shifting harmony and texture in his one-man sketches, some of which —  like “I’m on Your Side,” with its abstracted trip-hop beat —  come across as thoughtfully developed compositions” Nate Chinen NY TIMES

WEBSITE:

https://linktr.ee/mikegamble

https://mikegamble.bandcamp.com/

Rick Parker casts a broad net with his trombone playing augmented by electronics and synthesizers. His music has been described as “an expressive new-breed fusion, informed by a few generations of downtown experimentation.” (Nate Chinen, New York Times). He has released 8 CD’s as a leader/co-leader on labels including Fresh Sound New Talent, Chant Records and OutNow Recordings. Parker has performed and recorded with a wide range of musicians including Tim Berne, the Mingus Big Band, Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra, Frank Lacy, Lukas Ligeti and Michael Attias. As a bandleader, Parker’s music traverses multiple cultures and musical genres. His jazz quintet, The Rick Parker Collective, released two albums on Fresh Sound New Talent and WJF records. Parker also has two albums with Little Worlds, a collaboration that ventures into the music of classical composer Bela Bartok. 9 Volt, with Israeli guitarist Eyal Maoz, is a brash experimental jazz/rock trio, whose debut album on OutNow Recordings featured Tim Berne. In 2016 Parker entered into a collaboration with China based multi-instrumentalist Li Daiguo (cello, pipa, throat singing, beatboxing) with whom he has toured in both the US and China and released two albums. From 2014 thru 2018 Parker worked closely with electronic percussionist/composer Ravish Momin, with whom he released several recordings and toured extensively in Europe, Mexico, USA and Asia. His collaborations with electronic music producers has continued with tours with Daniel Brandt and the Eternal Something at the Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand, Eduardo Castillo’s Mardeleva in New York and Mexico and an upcoming recording with producer Le Fou. His most recent group, Bian Tai Quartet, features saxophonist Michael Attias, bassist Simon Jermyn and drummer Kate Gentile.

www.rickparker.net

Instagram: @rparkersounds

https://www.facebook.com/rickparker2

Videos

Shapes for Rick and Daiguo, Video by Brian Edgerton https://youtu.be/oHQU61aAhZY

July 6th, 2022 — 8pm
$10-20, sliding scale
Kex

ZEPHYR

Saturday

June 25th

4-11pm

Destination Universe

8430 SE Harney st

Seamless improvisations w/sound sight dance

and free vegan food.

Open to all!!

Tues June 21

7pm

They Gamble MetaOrchestra:

Machado Mijiga– woodwinds, Efx   

Noah Simpson– Trumpet, Efx 

Michelle Alany– Violin, Efx

Alexis Mahler– Cello, Viola, Efx

Andrew Jones– Upright bass, Efx

Alex Callenberger– Sound design, keyboards

Justin Peake– Drums, Glockenspiel

Devin Jane–  Projections Artist

Mike Gamble– Guitar, efx, Synth, Musical Director

Jamondria Harris– streaming dance and sound

Short narrative films and experimental videos composed and edited in real time and with improvised  sonic narrations /directed orchestrations.

Desert  Island

645 N Tillamook St

Portland, OR

To Attend:

Please email for a reservation

mike@creativemusicguild.org

$8-? Sliding Scale FEE

CMG Blue Butler SERIES
Nomad Trio / Alany.Peake.Jones
WED 6.29.2022

Venue: Blue Butler Studios
Cover Charge: $15-30 suggested
Vaxx Pass Required for entry/ Or recent negative test

Gordon Grdina has managed to place a finger in every corner of the jazz/world fusion room. —Pop Matters

Complex, intricate, idiosyncratic, and rockin’—those are the adjectives that best describe this cross-border collaboration between Vancouver guitarist Gordon Grdina, and New York’s Matt Mitchell piano, and Jim Black drums. Juno Award winner Grdina’s compositions give the nod to 20th century classical composition, rock, free jazz, and third stream, and this trio promises to explore those ideas at their highest levels.

Gordon Grdina is known for his incredible versatility and ability to bring a fresh and edgy vibe to any ensemble he joins or forms. His musical output is diverse, including 10-piece Arabic/avant-garde ensemble Haram, the intricate Square Peg feat. Mat Maneri, Shahzad Ismaily and Christian Lillinger, chamber improv trio Grdina/Helias/Shipp, and contemporary Persian-influenced ensemble The Marrow.

Jim Black is a legend in the downtown New York jazz and improv scene and a world-renowned drummer. He has been part of legendary groups Endangered Blood, Tim Berne’s Bloodcount, and Human Feel as well as leading his own groups the Jim Black Trio, Alas No Axis, and Malamute.

Matt Mitchell is a mainstay on the New York jazz scene playing with internationally acclaimed ensembles like the Dave Douglas Quintet, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble and Tim Berne’s Snakeoil. He also leads his own Quartet, Phalanx Ambassadors and Friction duo with Ches Smith.

gordongrdina.bandcamp.com

astralspirits.bandcamp.com

June 22nd, 2022 — 8pm
$10-$20, sliding scale
KEX HOTEL (BASEMENT)
100 NE MLK BLVD
June 8th, 2022 — 8pm
$10-$15, sliding scale
KEX HOTEL (BASEMENT)
100 MLK JR BLVD Portland, OR 97232