Brandon Seabrook at Rozz-Tox -- October 10.
Thursday, October 10, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
A New York City-based guitarist and banjoist whose music fuses a wide range of traditions including punk rock, jazz, pop, and metal, Brandon Seabrook headlines a special October 10 concert at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox, the artist revered for work that feeds off tactile sensations; rapid tremolo picking, and extreme physicality, as well as hallucinatory soundscapes, angular composition, and a massive dynamic range that can change in a nanosecond.
Described by Spin magazine as “an apocalyptic, supersonic general of the banjo," Seabrook, as stated at AllAboutJazz.com, "has made a name for himself in the New York avant-garde music scene as an explosive guitar and banjo performer, relentlessly committed to immediacy and precision.
"Seabrook honed his terror-inducing riffage skills at the New England Conservatory in Boston. He has since performed extensively in North and South America, Mexico and Europe, as a solo artist, bandleader and collaborator. He has been summoned by the likes of Anthony Braxton, Elliot Sharp and Joey Arias for his unpredictably spiked approach to improvisation and impeccable caterwauling. He has been profiled in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Magnet Magazine, Fretboard Journal, NPR and The Wire.
"Seabrook Power Plant, the nuclear trio deemed 'a manic clusterfuck of merciless banjo torture' by the Village Voice, is Brandon’s brainchild, blending the brutal energy of punk-rock with the intricate execution of through-composed avant-jazz. The band has released two albums to much critical acclaim. Time Out New York praised the band’s eponymous debut as 'not only one of the most baffling experimental releases of the year... also one of the best.'
"Brandon is an accomplished solo artist, named Best Guitarist in New York City by the Village Voice in 2012. In 2014, New Atlantis Records released his first solo album titled Sylphid Vitalizers. Noisey called the album a 'dissonant guitar army ... (with) mind-blowing prog-rock complexities – all at mind-numbing breakneck speed.' Brandon is currently working on two new albums with his noise-prog trio, Needle Driver, and a new sextet featuring immoral, percussive compositions under the name Die Trommel Fatale. This recent work is a poly-rhythmic exploration of the dark side of the drum, layering cello, bass, electronics, voice and guitar against dichotomous drummers."
Brandon Seabrook headlines his Rock Island engagement on October 10 with an opening set by the experimental guitar and sonic provocation of Ickcyst, admission to the 8 p.m. all-ages concert is $10 cash at the door, and more information on the night is available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.
