Heathen Shame’s unrelenting onslaught
By SUSANNA BOLLE | March 10, 2008
Vladimir Ussachevsky |
Wednesday, the mighty HEATHEN SHAME, one of Boston’s most ferocious bands, unleash their high-decibel mayhem at the Piano Factory in the South End on a bill with the Kentucky noise trio HAIR POLICE. Heathen Shame comprise guitarists WAYNE ROGERS and KATE BIGGAR of the ultra-loud psych band Major Stars and trumpeter GREG KELLEY of the ultra-quiet improv duo Nmperign. Think of Major Stars minus drums, bass, vocals, and any semblance of restraint. Then add a trumpet. It all adds up to an unrelenting onslaught of blistering solos and synapse-frying feedback. UPDATE: The March 12 Heathen Shame show has been Cancelled.The trio are known for intense performances, so, no surprise, they’re best experienced live. Perhaps their most (in)famous gig was the no-holds-barred set at the 2005 No Fun Festival in NYC. “I think we’ve had about four or so after which we thought, ‘Best Shame show ever!’ ”, says Kelley. "Generally, if all our equipment works, it’s a keeper.”
For auditory excitement of a decidedly different sort, Friday and Saturday at Harvard University's Paine Hall, the FROMM PLAYERS will perform two free concerts of electronic music from the last half-century as part of a “60 Years of Electronic Music” two-day event. This is a rare opportunity to hear electro-acoustic works by the likes of Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, Helmut Lachenmann, and Vladimir Ussachevsky. You can listen to Ussachevsky’s Wireless Fantasy, a haunting tribute to the pioneers of radio, here.
UPDATE: THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED: HEATHEN SHAME + HAIR POLICE + CRANIOPAGUS | Piano Factory, 791 Tremont St, Boston | March 12 | 617.905.4668
FROMM PLAYERS | Harvard University, Paine Hall, Cambridge | March 7-8 | 617.496.8081
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