The Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet at Rozz-Tox -- May 4.
Apologies to readers of the April print edition of the Reader: The Staghorn/Aseethe show scheduled for April 19 at Rozz-Tox was canceled immediately after that issue went to print. The timing was unfortunate, but ultimately a coincidence rather than an oversight; I had been in contact with a band member about the show as late as the day before publication. Any insinuation that the show was canceled because of the article is unfounded and likely a fabrication of the author.
The month of May, though not intended as such, will make a solid recompense. There are a number of fine performances scheduled at Rozz-Tox as detailed on their Web site, but the arrival of the Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet on May 4 is unique even by the standards of that most eclectic of QC venues.
Bill Orcutt is an accomplished guitarist and composer based in San Francisco. In 2022, he released Music for Four Guitars, a collection of instrumental pieces as efficient and effective as its title. At a time when many guitarists making “serious” music express themselves in long-form soundscapes and murky drones, the half-hour record is startling in its compactness and, for lack of a better word, accessibility. The songs themselves are all just under two minutes or not far over, the apparent product of both Orcutt's interest in the early American minimalist composers as well as the key, seminal influence of electric-blues godhead Muddy Waters. It makes for a compelling listen that you can play around your family or roommates without pissing anyone off or putting anyone to sleep.
The songs and guitar sounds bring to mind a far less sinister Red-era King Crimson or a more focused version of Neil Young's Dead Man soundtrack – or a cleaner Crazy Horse, for that matter. The guitar lines are biting and angular, but there's a human warmth permeating the entire album, the barest essence of a blues influence without sounding remotely like the blues. Other parts bring to mind what I call the “doodly-doodly” sound so common – vital, in fact – in the “math-rock” subgenre. A guitarist friend described it as “slow tapping” or “repeated arpeggio patterns,” but onomatopoeia seems to me to be the best way to describe it. Orcutt's work is original but reflects familiar sounds of the past and present.
Bill Orcutt has also achieved the remarkable feat of recording an album with four guitars and no other instruments, while keeping a defined and tangible rhythm and also not cooking up a murky soup of mid-range frequencies. It may surprise listeners to find themselves nodding their heads in the absence of bass, drums, or other traditional pieces of a rhythm section. But does it transfer to a live setting? Yes, it certainly does.
Orcutt has enlisted Wendy Eisenberg, Ava Mendoza, and Shane Parish to bring his compositions to life, evenly mixing the taut pieces with expert improvisation that lets his work take on new forms. Four Guitars Live, recorded last November in Copenhagen, is a fine testament to the ability of four sensitive and experienced musicians to work in a limited setting without stepping on each other's toes, and, on the longer cuts, to add their own voices and create something entirely new. Listening to the album is not likely to spoil the live experience, and could be considered a good preview for those who are weighing whether or not to attend. All four musicians on the live album will be at Rozz-Tox on the fourth.
Bill and Ava will be opening the May 4 show at Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL) with a half-hour duo set starting at 8 p.m. Doors are open at 7. This show is all-ages; tickets are $25. For more information, call (309)200-0978 and visit RozzTox.com.
