Search - White Out :: Drunken Little Mass

White Out is a sound terrorist collective of two, arising from the freedom charged excitement that is NY improv. drunken little mass marks the summit meeting between White Out and free agent, renaissance maestro Jim O'Rourke. The combustible duo of multi-instrumentalist Lin Culbertson on analog synthesizers, autoharp, flute, and treated voice; and Tom Surgal on drums, gongs and infinite percussion, join forces with O'Rourke, who contributes on both powerbook and guitar. The contents of this album are totally improvised, recorded in one take, with no overdubs or studio effects. The end result is impressive, the range of sound expansive, the interplay precise. Every note put forth was the combined effort of three performers working as one. drunken little mass is a volatile work. It is at times delicate, at times raging, sometimes both simultaneously. One moment the music might lull the listener with its psychedelic space drone minimalism. The next moment could induce electric shock with its soaring distortion attacks. Culbertson and O'Rourke toil bravely to create an electronic collage like no other; while Surgal tirelessly accompanies with his unique brand of free drum association. The CD also contains two duo tracks recorded live in concert. Just imagine Phil Wachsman commandeering Sun Ra's mothership, en route to El Saturn, with stowaways AMM and Popul Vuh duking it out for cosmic domination. Jim O'Rourke's credentials are so legendary they almost don't bear mentioning; suffice to say that he has worked with everyone from Takeisha Kozugi to Stereolab to Sonic Youth. Surgal and Culbertson have also performed with a wide array of other artists, including Mike Watt, Peter Brotzman, Charles Gayle, Beck, Cecil Taylor, Elliott Sharp, Nels Cline, Zeena Parkins and Thurston Moore. (The latter a long time collaborator of Surgal's with whom he has played on a series of recordings and at a number of international festivals, including Victoriaville, Carnegie Melon, Vels, and Taklos.) White Out has appeared in the Roulette concert series, the Skif II and CMJ music festivals, and were recent guest artists of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.