Artists Space

Abasement #71

Concert
August 5, 2024, 7pm

Performances by Excepter, Geologist, Family Underground, and Michael Foster with Strings. DJ Natasha Pickowicz. Visuals by Ed Bear.

Magazine cut-outs and ink drawings are collaged together on a colorful background, with blue, pink, yellow and beige paper. Cut up pieces of beige paper are scattered throughout the image, and feature typewritten text listing the performers and event details.
Flyer by Joe Frivaldi. [Magazine cut-outs and ink drawings are collaged together on a colorful background, with blue, pink, yellow and beige paper. Cut up pieces of beige paper are scattered throughout the image, and feature typewritten text listing the performers and event details.]

Abasement is a music series featuring 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.

Close up of two musicians sitting side by side and looking down. The musician on the right plays the guitar and the musician on the left plays the violin. The wall in the background is purple tinted.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Close up of two musicians sitting side by side and looking down. The musician on the right plays the guitar and the musician on the left plays the violin. The wall in the background is purple tinted.]
Three musicians sit on stage together. From left to right the instruments they are playing include saxophone, violin, and guitar. There are cords around the stage and a plant behind the performers.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Three musicians sit on stage together. From left to right the instruments they are playing include saxophone, violin, and guitar. There are cords around the stage and a plant behind the performers.]
Close up of a solo musician sitting on stage playing a string instrument in their lap with a bow. They are looking to the side and they are covered in red light. The wall behind them is blue-tinted with patterned image projections.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Close up of a solo musician sitting on stage playing a string instrument in their lap with a bow. They are looking to the side and they are covered in red light. The wall behind them is blue-tinted with patterned image projections.]
The audience faces the stage in the background, next to a projected graphic of an psychedelic-style eye and a red exit sign. The backs of two musicians are blurred in the foreground. The musicians are lit with soft blue and green lights. The room is dimly lit, and audience members are also tinted with multicolored lights.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [The audience faces the stage in the background, next to a projected graphic of an psychedelic-style eye and a red exit sign. The backs of two musicians are blurred in the foreground. The musicians are lit with soft blue and green lights. The room is dimly lit, and audience members are also tinted with multicolored lights.]
Three musicians sit on stage and play various electronic instruments. They are bathed in red, blue, pink, and purple light projections and a large scale image of a web. In the foreground audience members are lit with red and yellow lights.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Three musicians sit on stage and play various electronic instruments. They are bathed in red, blue, pink, and purple light projections and a large scale image of a web. In the foreground audience members are lit with red and yellow lights.]
A musician standing on stage playing a small wooden instrument. They are looking down and wearing a headlamp. In front of them are multiple electronic instruments and cords. The wall in the background is scattered with white dots reflected from a disco ball.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A musician standing on stage playing a small wooden instrument. They are looking down and wearing a headlamp. In front of them are multiple electronic instruments and cords. The wall in the background is scattered with white dots reflected from a disco ball.]
A solo musician standing on stage faces the audience and plays a small wooden instrument. They are bathed in red and pink light. They are looking down and wearing a headlamp. On the stage there are also multiple electronic instruments, cords, and a plant. A green image is projected on a side wall above the audience. The wall in the background is scattered with white dots reflected from a disco ball.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [A solo musician standing on stage faces the audience and plays a small wooden instrument. They are bathed in red and pink light. They are looking down and wearing a headlamp. On the stage there are also multiple electronic instruments, cords, and a plant. A green image is projected on a side wall above the audience. The wall in the background is scattered with white dots reflected from a disco ball.]
Two musicians standing on stage use electronic instruments. In the foreground there various more cords and audio instruments on stands. Both musicians have microphones and one is wearing a woven hat. The wall behind them is projected with images of trees, and a red light illuminates the left side of the frame.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Two musicians standing on stage use electronic instruments. In the foreground there various more cords and audio instruments on stands. Both musicians have microphones and one is wearing a woven hat. The wall behind them is projected with images of trees, and a red light illuminates the left side of the frame.]
Portrait of a musician with long blonde hair holding a microphone with their eyes close. There are microphones and stands to their sides. The wall behind them is yellow with images of architectural columns.
Abasement #71. Performance documentation, August 5th, 2024, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman. [Portrait of a musician with long blonde hair holding a microphone with their eyes close. There are microphones and stands to their sides. The wall behind them is yellow with images of architectural columns.]

Excepter is a New York experimental electronic band. Founded 2002 by former No-Neck Blues Band member John Fell Ryan. Brought NNCK ethos of extended low technique free improvisation and street theater into the sound world of techno hardware: synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines, dub effects. Releases on Fusetron, Load, Kill Rock Stars, Paw Tracks, Blast First Petite, Escho. Turned accolades like Pitchfork Best New Music and cover of The Wire Magazine into reasons to go further underground.

Brian Weitz, also known by his stage name Geologist, is a musician best known as a member of the experimental pop group Animal Collective. He provides electronic sound manipulations and samples for the band. Solo he does that and plays a lot of hurdy gurdy too.

Family Underground is a Copenhagen-based duo of improvisors and noisemakers. Known for their innovative and unconventional approach to music, exploring the realms of sound-collage, immersive sound and noise and composition/improvisation. Family Underground's work delve deep into the crossroads of the cultural world and the immediate surroundings. The groups somewhat 24 years of existence has garnered a bagfull of releases through the International underground .

Michael Foster with Strings is a tribute to the soloist-with-strings tradition of Charlie Parker, utilizing repertoire as a jumping off point for unhinged collective improvisation. This iteration of the ensemble will include Webb Crawford (guitar/banjo), Zosha Warpeha (hardanger fiddle), and Anna Abondolo (bass).

Natasha Pickowicz is a NYC based chef, cookbook author and music lover.

Ed Bear is an interdisciplinary artist, musician, and engineer. Their work with robotics, sound, video, transmission, and collective improvisation recalibrates social relationships with material technology and waste. As an educator and designer committed to an equitable, open-source world, they research material reuse as social practice. Bear founded Kin Circuits in 2020, a consultancy elevating maintenance, care, repair, and reuse in the face of unsustainable consumption and alienating technologies.

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