Bone Caster - Romance the Serpent (2026)

Friend of the blog Brad Schumacher is back with a new project and a new album. After three albums of noise and post-industrial as Night Grinder and numerous contributions to a variety of other projects (including The Man and the Scientist and Low Forest), he is now Bone Caster. Romance the Serpent comes out on May 15, accompanied by custom video game levels for Wizordum that align with the music. He’s hosting a play-through on the day of release at 6:00pm MST here.

The new album explores dungeon synth, much in the vein of his recent collaborative projects Journey to the Ruin of Xilmys by Dweller and Carapace by Keepers of Kozamir (both 2024), but that’s just the start. The primary instrument is synthesizer, but there is plenty of guitar riffing, drum machine, and fuzz bass. The production is detailed and enveloping, in which each song is a new level, leading the listener into new worlds of torments and treasures.

Opener “Bioluminescent Butterfly” suitably begins with inviting introductory music, but the path soon leads into darker hellscapes. “A Tremulous Draught” has some Night Grinder-style noise, and “Cognitive Drift” recalls the anguished throes of The Cure’s The Top (1984) or the spookier corners of Siouxsie & the Banshees. “The Warlock” starts with pastoral fingerpicked guitar from Jim Fitzpatrick (Cup Collector, Falsetto Boy), but then goes metal.

For most of the album, Brad’s vocals are heavily treated and transformed into a goblinesque growl, recalling Skinny Puppy. Near the end, in “Tower to the Moon” and “Smoke and Mud”, the vocals start to clear (and Josh King (Low Forest, Joshua and the Ruins) joins the fray), as our troubled narrator reaches closer to relief and resolution. The closing “Epilogue: Moss-covered Stone” returns to the ethereal peace of the opening moments.

Romance the Serpent mystically invokes the feeling of playing D&D or an old fantasy RPG. It’s an intense ride. Take the journey yourself on May 15 at Bandcamp.

2023 in Review

Well, it’s been another year without a lot of activity here. Seeing live music and writing about music have continued to be low on my list of priorities. I had to travel quite a bit for medical reasons and then spent a month in the hospital. I saw a few friends’ shows in addition to the two I reviewed here, but the real musical highlight for me was performing with my choir and with my band (Soltero/Anfängerfehler). Both shows were a lot of fun and quite successful, and I’m looking forward to more shows next year. Soltero also put out two new singles, both excellent. I didn’t contribute directly to the studio versions, but I have played the latter live with Tim.

I haven’t quite kept up with new releases as much as I’d like, but I still of course found plenty to enjoy. Here are my favorites of 2023:

• Big Thief - “Vampire Empire” / “Born for Loving You” - This double single is as good as the best parts of last year’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. The first song is strong and angry, the second sweet and rolling. Some people were mad that “Vampire Empire” wasn’t as good as the version first heard on Colbert’s Late Show, and while the studio version did cut the line “I’m the fish and she’s my gills”, it flows better, has bigger dynamic range, is much tighter, and stays in tune.
• boygenius - the record and the rest [EP] - Three talented singer-songwriters team up for a collaborative album and another EP? I’m in. They remind me of case/lang/viers or, yes, obligatorily, CSN. Honestly about half the album drags a bit, but the other half is so good I don’t mind it. The EP appears to be leftovers, but “Afraid of Heights” is one of their best. The harmonies are outstanding, the production good but predictable.
• The Church - The Hypnogogue - Album #26 is the concept album? Why not. It’s not really as proggy as sole remaining founding member Steve Kilbey claims, but it is as good as his and the band’s mysteriously psychedelic best. It isn’t a pop album like Of Skins and Heart (1981) or Starfish (1988), but nor were any of their albums in the last 15 years or more. The concept is farcical and vaguely sci-fi, yet if you didn’t know what it is, you could easily mistake it for prescient social commentary, which is exactly what Kilbey claims it’s not. I don’t believe him. In any case, it’s great.
• Cup Collector - assorted releases - This has been Cup Collector’s busiest year so far, and the six releases (totalling 11 tracks at just under two hours) reveal a wide reach of experimental instrumental music. He’s either started using synthesizers or he’s perfected the technique of simulating a synthesizer via guitar effects, layers, and reverb. The Hourglass, “Life Form”, “The Fourth”, and Your Shining Heart are calming, warm, and pleasant. “A Shepherd’s Howl” starts off like the extended acoustic improvisations released under his birth name (James David Fitzpatrick), but then switches to his classic electric guitar tones. “‘Love’ Spray Painted on a Tree Trunk” (from The Fourth) is a blend of synth exploration and field recording, which also recalls his “solo” work, albeit more abrasively. The Elder EP is the real surprise, featuring three pieces ranging from (what sounds like) noisy sequencers to melodic layers of arpeggiated guitars.
• Low Forest - Entrovert and Ambivector - Old friends Josh King and Brad Schumacher (with drummer Halston Rossi) have made a high-concept space rock double-album, in which one album is the rock and the other is the space, and of course they’re synchronized such that they’ve created an interactive listening experience in which you can try mixing the two parts together yourself. Separately, both albums stand on their own, but their combination is spine-tingling. I hear a lot of Hum’s Inlet, creative use of synthesizers, and concern for political, social, and environmental catastrophe.
• Pale Blue Eyes - This House - This trio have mastered the art of turning grief and sadness into propulsive, upbeat synthpop. There are bits of goth rock and shoegaze in the mix, but the genuine lyrics of working through loss and difficult emotions to embrace community and make the most of what’s available are what seal the deal. It’s even better than last year’s Souvenirs.
• Perlee - Speaking from Other Rooms - I enjoyed the Slow Creature EP (2020) and they’ve grown considerably since then. Now they really sound like early-era Beach House or even Slowdive at times. They’re not just a derivative of dream pop masters, though; they bring their own folky touch, Saramai Leech has a great voice, and instead of just melancholy, I hear optimism in their belief that love is more powerful than whatever divisions the pandemic created within us. Cormac O’Keeffe’s voice ain’t bad either, and it’s especially lovely when they sing together.
• Slowdive - Everything Is Alive - We can now celebrate that their reunion was not just a fling with one new album (too bad about Lush) – it’s for real, and this album is just a hair behind 2017’s self-titled album. It seems they’re starting to acknowledge Pygmalion (1995) again in that there are more electronic elements. They shifted the balance more towards atmospherics over crafting pop appeal, and it gels beautifully.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

• Beach House - Become EP - These five songs are outtakes from last year’s Once Twice Melody, and while I often joke/admit that their songs tend to sound the same, I agree that they didn’t fit the album. They’re all fairly good, but they’re a step back in the direction of Thank Your Lucky Stars (2015). As with Once Twice Melody, though, I really miss the full power of Victoria Legrand’s voice. She can still bring it on stage, but why is it absent from the records?
• Elk City - Undertow - Some parts feel dry and formal, but on half the songs they cut loose and build up some great jams. The weird synth parts and the bits that remind me of Stereolab (often occurring simultaneously) are the highlights. Is it just me or do I see a lot of commentary on social media in the lyrics?
• Ian Fisher - Ghost Father - A collection of songs written for a production of Hamlet at the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, mostly featuring just electric guitar and voice. The songs are weighty and reflect a suitable obsession with death. The instrumentation is stark, but the vocals are strong and nuanced. This isn’t a standard album, so to speak, and it was only released via Fanklub.
• Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - An abrupt change of pace wherein Mitski goes orchestral and to Nashville. There’s less power and drama but more directness and emotional clarity.
• Sufjan Stevens - Javelin - Sufjan has a knack for delivering emotional wrecking balls without hitting you over the head with them. Without context, these songs sound like his typical wistful acoustic-synthetic fare, but the resemblance to Carrie & Lowell (2015) is more than just superficial. On the day of the album release, Sufjan dedicated the album to his partner, Evans Richardson, who died in April. Musically, the album doesn’t cover new ground, but the lyrics are personal and piercing. It’s certainly better than The Ascension (2020), which I didn’t get at all. I wish he would sing again with more dynamics instead of this breathy, hushed voice, but he somehow managed to get Pleasure Activism author adrienne maree brown to sing on most of the album, which certainly adds texture and novelty.
• The Veldt - Illuminated 1989 - This is their original debut album, produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. How was this shelved!? It’s not quite as heavy as Afrodisiac (1994), and maybe the guitars are a little too indebted to the Cocteaus, but is that really a complaint? This would’ve been a shoegaze classic, and maybe it will be yet.

And here a few other 2023 releases that I have opinions about:

• Belle & Sebastian - Late Developers - I know that these songs are supposedly more than just outtakes from A Bit of Previous (2022), but that’s what they sound like. That album was fine, but this album has all the same faults and just about nothing else. Their steady march into clichéd dance-pop is completely boring. Even Murdoch’s lyrics are getting stale.
• John Cale - Mercy - As weird as ever, but this time with notable collaborators on almost every track. It kind of works, but also sounds really formless and directionless. It’s too similar to his other latter-day work and I’m finding myself less and less excited by his bizarre stylistic mashups.
• Love & Rockets - My Dark Twin - This double-disc companion piece to Sweet F.A. (1996) is broadly split into three sources: early and alternate versions of album tracks (all inferior and superfluous), extended jams (good vibes but absurdly overlong; I’m amazed that two of them were actually released back in the day on the Glittering Darkness EP (1995)), and actual outtakes (mildly enjoyable). Ash’s outtake songs could’ve easily fit on the album, but J’s are an entirely different style, much more similar to his solo album Urban Urbane (1992). I get why they didn’t make the cut – they don’t fit the mid-90s alternative guitar groove – but I like most of his usual socio-political commentary anyway. And hearing the band jam with Genesis P-Orridge is honestly pretty cool.
• Wilco - Cousin - Mostly notable for being coproduced by Cate Le Bon. (A woman! Gasp!) She did seem to bring out an exploratory, experimental approach to sound design, but the songs themselves are a bit too drab and plodding, much like the run of albums before last year’s Cruel Country. “Evicted” is the only song with enough of a melody and pop sensibility to stand out above the crowd.

The Man and the Scientist - The Invisible Hand Is a Hoof (2016)

Artist: The Man and the Scientist

Album: The Invisible Hand Is a Hoof

Release Date: 15 July 2016

Label: Self-released (via bandcamp)

Tracklisting:
01. Anubis

02. Bar-D-Que

03. The Sound of a Bumble Bee Keistering Pollen

04. 60/60 Vision: Right Eye

05. Toad Spokes

06. God Likes America As a Friend

07. Reverse Mechanics

08. Eavesdropping on Your Own Funeral

09. Happy Birthday Forever

10. 60/60 Vision: Left Eye

11. Do You Guys Give Up, or Are You Thirsty for More?

12. I Like to Count to 4 As Much As the Next Guy

13. It's All for You Damien [hidden track]

The Man and the Scientist is the collaborative project of Brad Schumacher (Night Grinder, The Least Comma, Street Justice, etc.) and Josh King (Tornado Head/The Everest Ruin, The Last Glacier, The Oust, and so on). They've worked on a series of other projects together as well, including some (full disclosure!) that have included myself (e.g., Baal's Beacon). Both enjoy building their own instruments and both have deep roots in noise and experimental music. However, Josh has a deep catalog of singer-songwriter, rock, and jazz-oriented material, while Brad has operated in a variety of post-industrial affairs.

Their earliest performances and albums as a duo (Pornucopia, 2007, and Duke Brunch, 2007/2008) were primarily oriented around pure, experimental noise. Guitars were only present as inputs into noise rigs, just like the copious use of contact mics. Caves, recorded in 2009, espoused a more placid, practically ambient sound, with relatively clean guitar as a primary instrument. Their most recent album, a collaboration with Falsetto Boy/Cup Collector/Jim Fitzpatrick (Top Teeth, 2014, credited to Falsetto Man & the Scientist), married drum machines and synth-like noise with improvisational guitar and bass.

The Invisible Hand Is a Hoof takes this wide array of sounds and styles and brings them together. "Anubis" starts off the album with a heavy, aggressive, almost metal sound, recalling Brad's earliest punk days and the most intense moments of The Last Glacier. "Bar-D-Que" is a brief jolt of thick layers of static, noise, and radio garbage, which abruptly leads into another short blast of energy, "The Sound of a Bumble Bee Keistering Pollen". The percussion, consisting of a fast-paced metallic rhythm and what sound like tuned bells or bars, resembles Einstürzende Neubauten.

From there, the intensity takes a step down and the band explore ideas introduced from the members' assorted other projects. Unlike previous albums, in which the two core personalities were welded together to form one cohesive, overarching sound, this album reveals distinct, discernible elements of the specific interests of both members. The album has myriad sonic colors, although much of the album aligns roughly into two divisions.

Both "60/60 Vision" pieces, "Eavesdropping on Your Own Funeral", and "I Like to Count to 4 As Much As the Next Guy" are strikingly melody-oriented and almost peaceful. This isn't ambient music, though, as the sinister keyboard in "Left Eye", the chiming guitars of "Eavesdropping", and the dark synth tones of "Count to 4" make clear. Furthermore, while "Eavesdropping" has a light, pastoral mood, the title and theme are less comfortable. Part of the pleasure of these songs lies in the sophisticated bass work, which serves as a reminder that both Schumacher and King have gravitated towards the instrument in their recent work.

The opposite side of the spectrum is embodied by "God Likes America As a Friend", "Happy Birthday Forever", and the Home Alone-referencing "Do You Guys Give Up, or Are You Thirsty for More?". These are noisier songs, deliberately ugly and unsettling in places. "God Likes America" might go on too long after it makes its point clear, but the ridiculous sound collage of "Happy Birthday" is mildly hilarious after you get past the challenging listening experience. "Do You Guys Give Up" is a brutally self-aware statement to put near the end of a 56-minute noise album, but if you put the sparse soundscape in the perspective of Kevin McCallister booby-trapping his house against thieves, it too becomes more captivating. Even Brad's suppressed laugh fits the storyline.

"Reverse Mechanics" is the song most deliberately reminiscent of Brad's work as Night Grinder. The tense, hyperactive, squelchy drums and noise rig explosions would put the song right in line with Immediate Content (2014). On the other hand, "Toad Spokes" could practically be a b-side from Josh's Super Platformer (2014). The video game-like keyboards, the stilted rhythm, and even the bizarre spoken/rant section have the same sense of retro-futuristic otherworldliness.

The lone outlier is the final, hidden track, "It's All for You Damien". It consists simply of a conversation between the principals about a third person, a loud burst of noise, and then a conversation about shopping for electronics at Goodwill. It's not a particularly musical track, but if you've made it that far and can keep up with the humor, it feels like a coda, or a reminder of the human context that such unusual sounds and textures were born from.

The Invisible Hand Is a Hoof is the work of an experimental band that isn't done growing. It shares a few elements and a lot of the spirit of previous albums, but it is firmly a series of steps in a number of new directions for the duo. For fans of either member's other projects, it's a pleasure to hear them transform similar ideas into a different space for this project. This may be their most compelling album yet.

The Everest Ruin - Operationalization (2011)

Artist: The Everest Ruin
Album: Operationalization
Released: 10 July 2011
Label: Self-released (via bandcamp)
Producer: Brad Schumacher (Oo-De-Lally Audio) and Joshua N. King

Tracklisting:
01. A Tribute to My Independence
02. 8 Minutes to 11:30
03. Show Me How to Dance
04. Missouruh
05. The Good Book
06. When the Cattle Sleep
07. Eric
08. Baby Steps
09. The Fairest Maid
10. Beautiful Brown Eyes
11. Life Emulates Decay Emulates Life
12. There Once Was Love
13. Ticonderoga Wood
14. I Am a Crazy Person (80% About a Cat) [hidden track]
15. Being a Ghost Train
16. Pete's First Drink @ The Place 2 B
17. I Know How You Feel, Dustin Hoffman
18. By(e,) God [live 2008 in Shanghai] [bonus video]

Yes, as stated before in my review of the last time I saw him perform in my area, I know the musician behind The Everest Ruin personally and professionally. That isn't going to stop me from reviewing his new album as long as you trust that I can evaluate the music reasonably objectively. No matter what, though, I usually write about music that already means something to me, so of course I'm inclined to tell a story and try to convince you that you should listen to the music yourself. So if I write a positive review, what's the difference in providing free marketing for an artist I don't know personally versus one I do? In this case, at least I can tell some stories that might not be publicly available elsewhere!

Now that that's out of the way – where should I begin? Perhaps at the beginning. The album opens appropriately with "A Tribute to My Independence". Even if the track itself is not that special, it introduces the scene perfectly. The Everest Ruin is an independent musician, Josh King, working with an independent producer, Brad Schumacher, and using an independent distribution platform. The indie label goes beyond the logistics; this is not a predictable album and for a musician that is ostensibly a singer-songwriter, Josh throws many punches that put himself far outside the realm of your standard solo acoustic guitarist.

This independence is a credit and a risk. However, those labels do not apply in a predictable pattern: for example, for being indie, the production on the album is complex and nuanced. Brad lends his touch all over the album, sometimes delicately and sometimes deliberately. You can feel it in the vast space of songs like "There Once Was Love" and in the vocals of songs such as "I Know How You Feel, Dustin Hoffman". Even without knowing that Brad and Josh have performed and recorded together in past bands, you can immediately detect how smoothly they work together. This fact becomes gradually more obvious as the album progresses. You can hear snippets of Brad's studio banter, and his voice and percussion on "The Place 2 B", and most notably, his noise compositions on "8 Minutes to 11:30" and "Being a Ghost Train". His measured but expansive soundscapes lend those tracks the core of their strength and power.

But this attitude also carries a certain danger. Even if the sonic quality is pristine, the performances are often imperfect. Josh defends this in an extended document released with the album, claiming that this is a more authentic presentation of his work. However, this will certainly be difficult topic for some listeners. For example, the "Shenandoah" solo in "Missourah" will throw some for a loop, and the improvised nature of "Show Me How to Dance" means that it does falter at points.

But in a way, it works. It may be distracting, but it is funny to hear Brad shout "keep going!" after Josh misses a note. And the sloppy rhythm and guitarwork of "The Place 2 B" does, after all, fit the theme of the song. Perhaps there is a master plan, even if part of it is simply grounded in playfulness. Consider the almost obnoxiously ridiculous drum machine and sound effects of "Baby Steps" – it is clear that Josh knows the song is over-the-top, but whether it is in jest or not, some element of it remains valid.

Compare this to the subtle sigh at the start of "Eric", one of the most beautiful and sincere songs on the album, apparently written about an old friend from Josh's hometown. Eric is Josh's friend, not mine, and I don't think I've ever met him, but this song makes me feel like I know him well, and it reminds of people I miss in entirely different contexts. It was someone's decision to leave that sigh in the recording, but it actually fits the tone perfectly.

The playful aspect permeates the album in many places. "The Good Book" and "Ticonderoga Wood" are really stories set to music, and although they might not have the same relistenability as other songs, they are hilarious stories. These works may thrive best in the live setting, but these are good recordings. Similarly, "Life Emulates Decay Emulates Life" is a bleak view of post-collegiate life, but it is also quite funny – to the point that I almost break out laughing every time I hear the tease of "1979" shortly after Josh sings, "half-heartedly regurgitating lines that are over twelve years old". (The W-2 bit is a close second favorite line.)

Then there are the songs that have essentially no trace of humor, irony, or playfulness. Sometimes it feels almost like a different performer. The majestic, dramatic "Being a Ghost Train" is sandwiched between two fairly absurd songs. The melodramatic "When the Cattle Sleep" is an honest consideration of life after a lost love, and who cares if a couple notes are a touch off. And then there's the seriously impressive solo bass on "Beautiful Brown Eyes".

There are two forces at work on this album. One is a more pure, serious craft of songwriting, complete with strong melodies and careful arrangements. The other is a somewhat loose, jocular style of storytelling, featuring great lengths of absurdism and dramatic gestures. Both are important to Josh, or else he wouldn't alternate between these extremes so quickly – or blend them together, as with "I Know How You Feel, Dustin Hoffman". For fans of one or the other, I'd fear that the other half would get tedious, but despite my first impressions, I have to admit that somehow it works. It's hard to only like one side or the other, and they end up complementing each other far more than imbalancing them. (Except for "I Am a Crazy Person" – that one's really only for the hardcore.)

And this is certainly the first album I've ever bought that includes not just 14 pages of lyrics but also 5 dense pages of what amounts to essays about the background of the music. It's a good read, but far more than most musicians ever care to write!

Score: B+

P.S. There are a hundred little extra things I could say about this album – funny passages, stories I know personally, musical trivia, and so on – but it is probably better for you to find it on your own. A few good listens reveal a lot.

Cup Collector / Brad Schumacher - Live 2009.04.02 Sci-Fi Lounge, St. Louis, Missouri

Disclaimer: both of the musicians that I am about to write about are my friends. I still believe that I am capable of evaluating and commenting upon their work in a reasonably fair manner, but be aware, bias may creep in.

Both of these guys rock, by the way.

Artists: Cup Collector / Brad Schumacher
Venue: Sci-Fi Lounge
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Date: 2 April 2009

The Sci-Fi Lounge is a unique venue. In fact, I don't even think it was a venue a few weeks ago. It's more of a space, a place you can go to to just hang out. It is owned by a man named Coyote, and it is his collection of art, video and arcade games, music, toys, and books that are spread across the place. The cover charge is $2 (at least when there is live music), but that also nets you a free (non-alcoholic) drink or snack. The atmosphere is great, the people are nice, and the whole thing is rather user-friendly. The only downside is that the place has very limited hours – think I heard it's just open Tuesday and Thursday nights from 8pm-midnight. Coyote has a day job, after all.

Anyway, Cup Collector hit the stage precisely at 9:18 and the crowd went WILD. It was madness. Chairs were thrown about the building, drinks were knocked over recklessly, someone charged at the band and stole all the amplifiers, and then the power went out. We all went home and cried. End of review.

Just kidding. Cup Collector turned on his equipment and asked Coyote if he was too loud. He turned down some, turned to the meager audience and gave a big smile. His setup was his electric guitar, a looping pedal, some effects pedals, and two amplifiers. He turned towards his amplifiers and began playing a very droning riff, mostly consisting of different variations and voicings of the same base chord. Through looping some of these, he created a thick layer of a single massive chord. After a few minutes, he began using his guitar to create feedback hums over the looped chords. The total effect was beautiful, almost relaxing. After six minutes, he suddenly stopped the loops and his playing.

After a quick retune and capo overlay, Cup Collector started a second piece, this time based off of a series of fingerpicked riffs (or at least, that's my guess considering that his back was to us). Several of these were looped over each other to create a swarm of picking. The piece began to build up, and then some distorted undertones appeared in the mix. The sound got louder and more intense until he was adding layers of feedback on top of it all. He removed the layers slowly and faded into a return to quiescence. After completing the ten-minute piece, he cleared his equipment from the stage to make some room for Brad.

Brad Schumacher prepared his equipment for a while and apparently somehow destroyed his orange-painted amplifier in the process. Nonetheless, he still had a PA mixer, two orange-painted speakers, a television wired to display audio waves, his laptop, his guitar, and several pedals. He also had some sort of large sheet which some sort of rough outline of his set sketched out upon it. When he was ready, he played some distorted harmonics and thanked everyone present. He then proceeded to play something he "dreamed up a few days ago".

Brad opened with his programmed digital synthesizer on his laptop. After letting his guitar feed back, he scraped his strings a few times and went back to playing with his laptop again. The rawness of the noise came down a notch for a minute, but then he started pounding on his guitar to get some sounds out, and then he started using a whammy pedal to really freak out his guitar. This was matched by a rise in the digital synth upwards to very high pitches. The guitar sound turned very strange and mechanical as the whole soundscape turned dirtier and more tense. Eventually the noise level came down and turned into distant-sounding rumbles. Brad switched to a more electronic-sounding guitar effect, but then began using heavier distortion, some sort of gate, and his whammy pedal. The sum sound was a very thick, dark tonal freakout. Brad bent his guitar neck and used harmonics for more weird sounds, and faded out on synth washes and heavy chords. The whole piece lasted about twenty-two minutes.

This line-up of performers made for an interesting combination – they sounded different, yet they fit together well. Cup Collector is more of a drone sort of thing, but his fancy fingerwork means that there is more going on than a single protracted note – he kept my attention well by his fairly constant subtle changes to the soundscape. Brad's piece felt like an honest composition: there were distinct sections with different sounds, and he balanced his work well between his guitar and the digital synth. I have no idea how he created some of the sounds he made, and that fascinates me.

Both loosely fall into the ambient scene, and both were solo musicians focusing on their guitars, pedals, layering, and feedback, instead of vocals, melody, or rock stylings, but their approaches are somewhat different, and I was left in a different mood after each. Even when Cup Collector approached more intense ground, the atmosphere was more relaxing than abusive. Much of Brad's piece was darker, but the whole sum of his performance was more varied than just that; there was a process, a development, some sort of logical progression from start to finish.

It's rather a pity, though, that the audience was mostly just a few friends of each of performer. The musicians of the night fit the environment well, but I can't help but think that there are plenty of people that should have been there and would have loved it if they had been. The Sci-Fi Lounge is a cool venue that deserves some more attention. I hope a few more people start heading there – it may be tucked away a little bit, but it isn't hard to find and it's just off the Loop.

Score: A-