Michael Columbia at Rozz-Tox -- August 28.
Friday, August 28, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Touring in support of their acclaimed July 31 release Mirrors, Shapes, Objects, the multi-instrumentalist trio of veteran genre benders David McDonnell, Christopher Kalis, and Dylan Ryan bring their outfit Michael Columbia to Rock Island's Rozz-Tox on August 28, the musicians hailed for drifting effortlessly between the Soft Machine-style soprano saxophone leads, interlocking riffs of Discipline-era King Crimson, and psychedelic-hypno-funk rhythms of Can.
As stated at WaysideMusic.com: "Born out of the stylistic free-for-all that was the Chicago independent music scene of the early 2000’s, Michael Columbia has continually experimented with its sound, evolving to meet the creative whims and urges of its practitioners. Originally formed as a tangent of David McDonnell’s work with the Elephant 6 group Bablicon, Michael Columbia’s records have consistently defied expectations. Their latest offering, Mirrors, Shapes, Objects, operates in the overlapping zones shared by free jazz, experimental, and post-rock. The unaffected blend of electro/acoustic textures and ambient swells suggest that the group may have at last arrived at an aesthetic equilibrium.
“A multi-instrumentalist trio of veteran genre benders, David McDonnell, Christopher Kalis, and Dylan Ryan first played together over a decade ago in the Chicago/Philadelphia-based post-rock collective, Icy Demons. Since then they have all consistently moved forward with their own respective musical identities, releasing records and performing with dozens of artists in the free jazz, indie, and electronic scenes in Chicago as well as on both coasts. Those varied experiences only serve to make the Michael Columbia more compelling.
“As the title suggests, the structures of the pieces are occasionally non-conventional, but as with the Canterbury scene, there dwells within the nimble musicianship clearly defined vocal sections where improvisation takes the back seat to vocals and lyrics. Michael Columbia seems keen to keep the record focused, opting for more songs in the same amount of time and embracing a new-wave/progressive sound, coaxing the listener to ponder what kind of songs Bennie Maupin, Laurie Anderson, and Connie Plank might conjure up for a Michael Mann soundtrack circa 1982.”
The Friday-night concert at Rozz-Tox will also feature a set by Jack Lion, whose members unearth the early ’00s interest in connections between jazz and electronic music and refashion it for this current era. Striking a balance between jazz composition, down-tempo break-beats, and hazy atmospherics, they have made their mark as one of Iowa City’s headiest and most adventurous bands.
Michael Columbia and Jack Lion perform in Rock Island on August 28, admission to the 8 p.m. all-ages concert is $10-15, and more information and reservations are available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.
