Seattle Subsonic

Midday Veil & The Arrington de Dionyso Experience @ The Comet

November 15th, 2010

As Wikipedia puts it:  ”The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή (psyche, “soul”) and δηλοῦν (deloun, “to manifest”), translating to “mind-manifesting. Psychedelic states are an array of experiences elicited by various techniques, including sensory stimulation, sensory deprivation as well as by psychedelic substances. Such experiences include hallucinations, changes of perception, synesthesia, altered states of awareness, mystical states, and occasionally states resembling psychosis.”

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The psychedelic experience  has pretty much become a staple  in our American culture. The shear longevity of psych/music has clearly  by now, left it’s mark in our DNA. Rocky Erickson, who came through Seattle recently, has been listed as the first person to actually use the term “psychedelic” to describe music… Anyways, for whatever reason I’m still a fan of the shit. Last Saturday, I made a point of going to the Comet to catch this much anticipated pychedelic line-up
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Starting the evening off, (after some fine krautrock DJing via Mamma Cassarole) was Arrington de Dionyso’s “Malaikat Dan Singa”. Before the music, (perhaps to set the mood, or perhaps to get the band high) Arrington delivered a squirt from a tincture bottle into the mouths of each of his band mates. To say Arrington Dionyso is a multi-talented front man with other-worldy stage presence that borders on demigod, would be an understatement. His voice is an absolutely hypnotic instrument. Using his very low tenor (sounding like a didgeridoo, but better)  he managed to pull a full room of people, very quickly, into the void with him. Their opening number, which began as a song consisting of singing in some strange eastern language, tranformed into a gorgeous jam not unlike something from “Can”. Dionyso frantically strummed an obscurely tuned guitar, while three drummers and two bass players  held down chunks of  pulsating  grooves around him. Wow!.. and this was before the man picked up his bass clarinet. Not since the mid-nineties, after experiencing  local legend Skerritt on  sax,  have I been this excited about a wind instrument. Malaikat Dan Singa very nearly set the Comet on fire last Saturday, and I just felt lucky to have been there. http://www.myspace.com/arringtondedionyso
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Moving onto Midday Veil, who immediately came on as aesthetically intriguing, using a fog machine/laser light/ plus projector as their psychedelic weapon of seduction. It wasn’t all smoke and mirrors though, as the sounds emulating  (particularly from David Golightly’s synths) emerged beautifully in waves until the the drummer found a beat for it. A nice build up for an array of melodies wrapped in Emily Pothast’s pretty and at times, fiercely “going for the jugular” vocals. Nice projection work, and overall drug-inducing experience! There were moments, it seemed, when I felt a little something more than the whiskey I was drinking. I don’t know, maybe it was a flashback.  It was the bands Eyes All Around album release that night, and a celebration indeed! http://middayveil.com/

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Unfortunately, after Midday Veil, I was kidnapped by drunken madmen celebrating a birthday, and was unable to return to the Comet for most of the headliners set. However I did catch Master Musicians of Bukkake’s  grand finale, and was taken back a little. There was this great wall of people, swaying to this massively loud, ethereal noise. Apparently there’s like nine people in the band, but the Comet, at this point was just a blanket of fog. I couldn’t see anyone playing music! Seriously. http://www.myspace.com/mastermusiciansofbukkake

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An enchanted evening to say the least.