Artists Space

Abasement #67

Concert
January 15, 2024, 7pm

Free, no RSVP required

Performances by Bassett-Lubelski duo, Time Trout, Ron Ward & The Dream Lovers, Sydney Spann. DJ Jackson Walker Lewis. Visuals by Wavefield.

Magazine cut-outs featuring faces are overlayed on a pink background. Other cut-outs contain hand-written text that reads "Abasement 67" and lists the performers and date of the concert. Thin white lines are scribbled over the composition.
Flyer by Joe Frivaldi. [Magazine cut-outs featuring faces are overlayed on a pink background. Other cut-outs contain hand-written text that reads "Abasement 67" and lists the performers and date of the concert. Thin white lines are scribbled over the composition.]

Abasement is a monthly music series featuring four performances, a guest DJ, and a projectionist. Beginning in 2015 at Max Fish bar in New York's Lower East Side, the evening brings together artists and bands working in free improvisation, jazz, noise, minimalism, and experimental composition. When Max Fish permanently closed due to Covid, one of the few experimental music venues in Manhattan temporarily ceased to exist. Artists Space is pleased to continue hosting Abasement.

Color image of a performer standing on stage in front of a circular table. The performer bends over slightly to play music from a laptop and soundboard. Their face leans into a microphone while looking stage right at a music stand placed next to the circular table. A blue light emitted from a projector covers the whole stage and casts shadows of the performer and their setup onto the back wall.
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of a performer standing on stage in front of a circular table. The performer bends over slightly to play music from a laptop and soundboard. Their face leans into a microphone while looking stage right at a music stand placed next to the circular table. A blue light emitted from a projector covers the whole stage and casts shadows of the performer and their setup onto the back wall.]
Color image of performer using their left hand to control a soundboard resting on a circular table while their left hand grasps a microphone. Next the performer is an empty music stand. The performer
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of performer using their left hand to control a soundboard resting on a circular table while their left hand grasps a microphone. Next the performer is an empty music stand. The performer's serious face peeks out from their long brown hair. To stage left, audience members hold their hands up in applause. The performer is illuminated by the colorful light of a projector, which casts red and blue light on the wall behind the performer.]
Color image of a performer standing in the midground of the image with their back towards the audience. They are dressed in all black including a black beret. Both of their arms are raised with a bend at the elbows. In their right hand, they hold a straight object, perhaps a conductor
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of a performer standing in the midground of the image with their back towards the audience. They are dressed in all black including a black beret. Both of their arms are raised with a bend at the elbows. In their right hand, they hold a straight object, perhaps a conductor's baton or drumstick. They grasp an oblong object in their left hand as well. Speckled purple, green and blue light is projected onto the performer and the back wall, their shadow with their arms raised appears on the back wall. In the center foreground of the image there is a microphone on a stand and to the right side, a black speaker on a stand.]
Color image of three performers on stage. In the left foreground, a blurred figure in a black polo leans over, their arms stretched out, presumably towards an instrument placed on a table. In the midground, a tall performer dressed in all black with shaggy silver head and sunglasses is caught mid-motion with a pair of macarenas in their left hand. Behind the silver-haired performer, we catch a glimpse of a drummer in a black hat, their face turned down towards the cymbal they are about to strike. Behind all three performers, the back wall is illuminated in a white light. 
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of three performers on stage. In the left foreground, a blurred figure in a black polo leans over, their arms stretched out, presumably towards an instrument placed on a table. In the midground, a tall performer dressed in all black with shaggy silver head and sunglasses is caught mid-motion with a pair of macarenas in their left hand. Behind the silver-haired performer, we catch a glimpse of a drummer in a black hat, their face turned down towards the cymbal they are about to strike. Behind all three performers, the back wall is illuminated in a white light. ]
Color image of the audience. In the foreground, audience members are seated in chairs and in the background, folks stand and watch the performance. Almost all of their eyes are attuned towards the stage, which is out of frame to the right. Many of the audience members wear smiling, joyful faces as they watch the show. The audience sits in the dark of the seating area, small specks of bright white light reflecting from a disco ball scatter on their bodies and the walls behind them. 
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of the audience. In the foreground, audience members are seated in chairs and in the background, folks stand and watch the performance. Almost all of their eyes are attuned towards the stage, which is out of frame to the right. Many of the audience members wear smiling, joyful faces as they watch the show. The audience sits in the dark of the seating area, small specks of bright white light reflecting from a disco ball scatter on their bodies and the walls behind them. ]
Color image of a musician on stage, seated in a chair, holding an instrument that appears to be a guitar across their lap. To their right, a microphone is positioned close to an amp. Their feet control several pedals placed on the floor. Their long blonde-brown hair falls down over their chest and back as they gaze down in deep focus at the instrument in their lap. Behind the musician, a diamond-shaped, geometric pattern, outlined in bright pink is projected on the back wall. 
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of a musician on stage, seated in a chair, holding an instrument that appears to be a guitar across their lap. To their right, a microphone is positioned close to an amp. Their feet control several pedals placed on the floor. Their long blonde-brown hair falls down over their chest and back as they gaze down in deep focus at the instrument in their lap. Behind the musician, a diamond-shaped, geometric pattern, outlined in bright pink is projected on the back wall. ]
Color image of two performers on stage, both seated in chairs. The musician on the left plays a violin while the musician on the right plays a guitar that is placed across their lap. Each musician has several pedals placed on the floor that they control with their feet. Two amps flank the pair of musicians. The musicians and the entire stage is cast in a light pinkish purple light emitted from a projector. A design of overlapping circles with a triangle in the center are projected onto the back wall.
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of two performers on stage, both seated in chairs. The musician on the left plays a violin while the musician on the right plays a guitar that is placed across their lap. Each musician has several pedals placed on the floor that they control with their feet. Two amps flank the pair of musicians. The musicians and the entire stage is cast in a light pinkish purple light emitted from a projector. A design of overlapping circles with a triangle in the center are projected onto the back wall.]
Color image of three performers on stage. In the right foreground, a performer with medium length dark hair and glasses vocalizes into a microphone. Blurred in the left background are two more performers. The one standing closest to the vocal artist plays a tenor saxophone instrument while the musician behind him plays a guitar. The entire trio and interior is cast in a cobalt blue light emitted from a projector. 
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of three performers on stage. In the right foreground, a performer with medium length dark hair and glasses vocalizes into a microphone. Blurred in the left background are two more performers. The one standing closest to the vocal artist plays a tenor saxophone instrument while the musician behind him plays a guitar. The entire trio and interior is cast in a cobalt blue light emitted from a projector. ]
Color image of a four-person band on stage. The left-most musician wears a green baseball cap, black tee-shirt and jeans while playing a guitar. Slightly behind him to the right, a musician in a black tee shirt and blue jeans is seemingly playing an alto and tenor saxophone at the same time. To the right of the saxophonist, a musician with grey hair, mustache and beard plays the drums. To the right of the drummer, closer to the front of the stage, a singer stand upright, vocalizing into the microphone with their eyes closed. The singer grasps a sheet of paper in their right hand. The entire stage and back wall is illuminated by bright bluish-green light emitted from a projector. 
Abasement #67. Performance documentation, January 15, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Color image of a four-person band on stage. The left-most musician wears a green baseball cap, black tee-shirt and jeans while playing a guitar. Slightly behind him to the right, a musician in a black tee shirt and blue jeans is seemingly playing an alto and tenor saxophone at the same time. To the right of the saxophonist, a musician with grey hair, mustache and beard plays the drums. To the right of the drummer, closer to the front of the stage, a singer stand upright, vocalizing into the microphone with their eyes closed. The singer grasps a sheet of paper in their right hand. The entire stage and back wall is illuminated by bright bluish-green light emitted from a projector. ]

The music of the Bassett-Lubelski duo explores drones and wavering frequencies with violin, guitar, and electronics. Their music — including albums on Feeding Tube, Kye, Golden Lab, and Sloow Tapes — is meditative yet playful, inviting and encircling, and elegantly shows just how much mind damage you can do using only a guitar and a violin. The pair have deep roots in the East Coast sub-underground; Marcia’s solo projects and work with groups (Un, Double Leopards, Hototogisu, GHQ, Zaika, etc.) have been exploding minds since the mid 1990s and the same is true for Samara, except her history reaches even further back with bands like The Tower Recordings, Hall of Fame, Metabolismus, Thurston Moore Group, and too many more to name. Her solo work, both as a violinist and singer-songwriter, is also completely spellbinding but operates on a very different level than what this duo can build.

Time Trout is a quartet combining elements of free jazz, avant-funk, and spoken word. Members of the group have played or collaborated with a long list of artists including Alice Donut, Trevor Watts, Charles Hayward, Elliott Sharp, Percy Jones, and Emergency Group. The Wire magazine called their debut album, “Stuck Like Jane Austen” (on the London-based OTORoku label) “a masterpiece in spontaneous strangeness” and ”the product of incredible musical intelligence.” Members: Viv Corringham (voice), Marcus Cummins (sax, ocarina), Dave Mandl (bass), Stephen Moses (drums).

The Dream Lovers were formed in 2001 by Bill Bronson after the Gunga Din, Swans, Congo Norvell and the Spitters. They played their first show opening for Suicide and Mikal Karoli (Can) at the Cooler closing weekend in that year. Along with Josh Elrod, Nick Zinner, Maria Zastrow, Lita Hernandez, Meeghan Palmer and Tim Bradlee, they self released a cassette with this lineup. From 2002-2004 the group subtracted most of those members but kept Meeghan Palmer and added Frankie Macias. They recorded two full length CD's and produced several super 8 films, performing mostly at Bar IV, Tonic, Sin-e, Rothko and in Brooklyn. The next stage of the group lost Frankie but added Drew McDowall (Coil) and Robert Lanzarotta. Fast forward many years and the group is still active. The current incarnation recorded an album length of material in 2016 with: Bill Bronson Electronics and guitar, Ed Bordonada percussion, Ron Ward (Speedball Baby etc) Words and vocals, Jon Spencer (Pussy Galore et al) Production, guitar, James Chance (Contortions et al) Organ and Sax, Bradford Reed (King Missile et al) Electronics, Grasshopper (Mercury Rev et al) guitar, electronics. Live performance will include Bill, Ron and Ed.

Sydney Spann, originally from Baltimore, MD, is a sound artist and musician based in New York. They work with synthesis, electronics, and voice to intervene within a personal archive of field recordings, culminating in studio compositions and live performances. Their recent LP “Sending Up A Spiral Of” was released with Recital and follows full-length albums on Reading Group and She Rocks! They have performed at the High Zero Festival of Experimental Free Improvised Music, Bar Laika by e-flux, Performance Space New York, Center for Performance Research, Cafe OTO (London), KM28 (Berlin), and other venues throughout the US. They were a 2022 Artist in Residence at ISSUE Project Room and hold an MFA in Music/Sound from Bard College.

Jackson Walker Lewis is a New York based DJ/Producer/Instrumentalist/vinyl collector who has dj’d internationally across 4 continents. His current project, along with Shanny Wise, is ‘Fcukers’. The duo recently remixed Budgie & Lol Tolhurst ft. James Murphy - Los Angeles for the UK label play it again sam, and released their debut double-singe Mothers/Devils Cut last year.

Wavefield is a DIY collective arts space in Brooklyn focused on intermedia and video art. https://linktr.ee/wavefield

Abasement has been curated by Joseph Frivaldi and Robert Mayson since 2015.