Sound Observations featuring Keith Rowe Loren Conners Sachiko M Sean Meehan

On June 1 and 2, 2007, Nameless Sound and Signal to Noise will present Sound Observations, featuring four of the most innovative artists in creative music in performances at The Rothko Chapel and The Menil Collection.

Friday, June 1 at 7:30pm Keith Rowe (UK) - guitar solo Loren Connors (New York City) - guitar solo at The Rothko Chapel 1409 Sul Ross, Houston, Texas

Saturday, June 2 at 7:30pm Sachiko M (Japan) - sampler with sine waves Sean Meehan (New York City) - snare drum at Richmond Hall, The Menil Collection 1500 Richmond, Houston, Texas Contextualizing the abstract in sound and environment, Sound Observations will feature some of the premiere international artists in creative music performing in two of Houston's most distinctive and renowned art environments. The performing artists were specially chosen to address the aesthetics of the work. Sound Observations will offer an opportunity to experience the art and the music in ways that will shed new light on their qualities, giving a new context by which to understand their nature.

An important innovator in contemporary music, British guitarist Keith Rowe has been called "the godfather of electro-acoustic improvisation". Rowe has been a major influence, with a radical approach to his instrument and performance in general. Starting his career playing jazz in the early 1960's, Rowe was deeply influenced by abstract painters (Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack) and contemporary composers (John Cage and Morton Feldman). Searching for his own method, Rowe took inspiration from Pollack and laid his guitar flat on a table. Taking inspiration from Cage, he prepared the instrument with various objects, turning it into a source of pure sound making. Rowe was first known as a founding member of AMM, a group that made pioneering electro-acoustic music for over 40 years. His importance continues (and increases) as he collaborates with dozens of artists from a new generation who are deeply influenced by his work. Keith Rowe is currently working on a CD titled Four Rooms, which includes his response to the experience of The Rothko Chapel.

A prolific artist with a deeply personal vision, guitarist Loren Connors has been honing a singular voice of dark beauty since his first self-released recordings in the late 1970's. The solitude expressed through his work suggests a life closer to that of a painter than a musician (Like Rowe, he cites Mark Rothko as a major influence). Connors' music is brave in its steadfast dedication, yet fragile in its humanity. His distinctive style is avant-garde in its abstraction, yet simple in its purity and connection to the blues.

A key member of Tokyo's young and influential "Onkyo" music scene, Sachiko M may be the extreme of minimalist musicians. Active since 1994, Sachiko M was involved in the "plunderphonic" sampling movement (a musical movement that uses collaged samples of pre-existing work to form composition). In 1998 (in a drastic departure from that approach), she originated the revolutionary method she uses to this day: manipulating high frequency sine-wave pitches (or "test tones"). With the 2000 release of Sine Wave Solo, Sachiko M became the focus of intense interest and debate on the international scene. Her importance continues, as she is active in dozens of projects and collaborations around the world.

Cutting edge musicians have been talking about percussionist Sean Meehan for several years. Trends are finally catching up to him. The New Yorker became active in the late 1980's at the Amica Bunker Series, a crucial experimental music series at ABC No Rio, a legendary squatted artist space in New York's Lower East Side. Though he is in demand, Sean Meehan keeps a quiet profile and chooses to perform when the occasion suits him. He allows the development of his music to have a natural life, which is in keeping with the Zen-like approach of the performance itself. Meehan has minimized his playing down to a few quiet elements. One of those elements is the gentle and beautiful droning of a cymbal's overtones. It doesn't loudly demand your attention. But more and more listeners are being lured by its radiance and subtlety.