The hop-frog kollectiv presents:
IN GOWAN RING

NICK CASTRO AND THE POISON TREE

& THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF HOP-FROG @ il corral
Thursday April 6, 2006 @ 8:30PM SHARP - $8 suggested donation
664 no. heliotrope dr (just south of melrose ), los angeles , ca 90004 562-209-0896

IN GOWAN RING

Variously labelled ‘Archaic Surrealism’, ‘Wyrd’, ‘Psychedelic’ or ‘Avant Folk’, In Gowan Ring extend roots into poetic-folk traditions while channeling a living, self-attuned imaginal experimentalism. In Gowan Ring have developed sonic confabulations for over a dozen years; Recording over ten full length albums, appearing on numerous international compilations, and performing throughout North America and Europe in veritable itinerant fashion. As well as composing original material found on albums, In Gowan Ring collect renditions of traditional songs and build many acoustic instruments featured in performances and recordings.

NICK CASTRO and THE POSION TREE

Beaming warmly from the underground enclaves of Los Angeles, CA like a lambent ray of soft sunlight, the music of Nick Castro is breathing fresh life and pristine wonderment into an old sound. Castro released a beguiling album called A Spy in the House of God in 2004 on his own imprint Records of Ghaud, and it caused quite a stir in the new acid folk circles. Imagine a melding of More-era Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett solo and a touch of Incredible String Band with modern fractured folk sound weavers like the Tower Recordings and maybe you are in the right sphere. For his follow up, Castro has assembled a cast of players calling themselves The Poison Tree, boasting amongst its ranks underground folk icons Josephine Foster and members of Espers. It is a heavenly match as evidenced on Further From Grace, a simply mystical sophomore effort illustrating with a feathery wallop that Castro is a major voice amongst the new insurgence of THC troubadours. -Strange Attractors

THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF HOP-FROG

The Master Musicians of hop-frog is a joint musical collaboration between members of the hop-frog kollectiv. This particular performance will feature the Indian Tabla & Dohl for percussion, the Turkish Saz and Chinese Ruan (Moon Guitar) for strings and various psychedelic electronics and vox.

the hop-frog kollectiv is a Los Angeles based collective focused on experimental arts, political dissent and fever dream realization and are the curators of thee Dung Mummy, experimental arts gatherings. the hop-frog kollectiv, formed in 2003 as a medium for experimental artists and musicians to share, create and exhibit their work and has since become a hub of activity for Los Angeles, national and international emerging artists. Through affiliations with the Radon Collective and other artists internationally HFK has been able to realize performances and exhibits in seven European countries and most of the USA while still maintaining a monthly performance space in Los Angeles.

Under the three core organizers Robert Douglas (Carl F. Off), Jeremy Morelock (e.loi) and Eric Baughn (Hermit the Flog), hop-frog has managed to engage nearly thirty artists, musicians, poets, dancers & activists in the LA area in supporting each other through the mutual admiration of each artists work and ideology. The projects and members are listed below.
The core members of the kollectiv have performed with Not Breathing, DJ Cheb I Sabbah, David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets, etc.), Steve Mackay and The Radon Ensemble (The Stooges, Violent Femmes) & Dame Darcy (Meatcake) under the names hop-frog’s drum jester devotional and The Master Musician’s of hop-frog. Hop-frog have not only toured with Backworld (feat. Joe Budenholzer of Current 93, Foetus, etc.) and Sorrow (featuring Rose McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade, Spell, Current 93, Death In June and Coil) on two separate occasions but members of hop-frog have played in both of these projects for the duration of the tours. The live performances from “the kollectiv” are especially intriguing featuring heavily effected traditional western instruments such as clarinet, violin, guitar, drums, analog and bass fused with eastern, tribal, toy and non-traditional instruments such as the saz, toy & real accordions, circuit bent keyboards, snake charmer flutes, christmas tree bells, the Dhol, broken cymbals and even a kitchen sink. hop-frog have performed on six occasions in Paris, France, all over the U.S., and just completed an intensive European tour in May, 2005

URCK Promotions
URCK Records, www.hop-frog.com - underevolution
distributor: www.ear-rational.com
hop-frog kollectiv mp3s
http://www.myspace.com/themastermusiciansofhopfrog
http://www.myspace.com/refrigeratormothers
http://www.myspace.com/hopfrogsdrumjesterdevoti