The Bands, etc.

Split Red
"Split Red is band from Philadelphia that combines the attitude of the Stooges with Beefheart-ian vocals into songs with Minutemen-style hooks that get stuck in your head. The band equally embraces heavy riffs, up-beat grooves and twin guitar skronk that goes off the rails into a shred maelstrom. Split Red is a collective of members from Philly's experimental and rock scenes, featuring members of Cuddle Magic, Shot x Shot and Electric Simcha." - Deathwaltz Media | Links: Facebook

Electric Simcha

"Electric Simcha mixes old-world Hasidic melodies with the best of West Philadelphia’s burgeoning underground rock scene to create a new, raucous, Eastern European tinged, violent party sound, a wedding set that could easily be heard on any Orthodox or Hasidic bandstand transformed by a loud and fast, hardcore punk aesthetic influenced by bands like Black Flag and the Minutemen. Instrumental melodies on trombone and guitar alternate with nigunim, wordless devotional melodies, that Hasidim sing over and over to stoke the holy spark of spiritual enlightenment within. Electric Simcha cranks it up for the times, igniting that spark and making it explode with spiritual ecstasy.


Electric Simcha’s Dan Blacksberg has played trombone with just about every klezmer band on the East coast that’s had one, as well as many in Europe. He’s a regular with Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All Stars and is a member of Alan Bern’s Klezmer/Gypsy music supergroup The Other Europeans. He’s been a featured performer and teacher at festivals and workshops everywhere from Toronto to Charlottesville to Weimar, Germany to Krakow, Poland. Nick Millevoi (guitar), and Travis Woodson (bass) are perhaps most familiar from the art-rock group Make a Rising, but along with drummer Julius Masri have played with numerous other groups in Philadelphia’s avant-garde rock, jazz, and noise scenes." - crossroadsconcerts.org | Links: Bandcamp

Make a Rising

(I joined in late-2008/early-2009; I am on the New I Feeling EP) "Make a Rising started around 2003. My brother and I had been in a band with Brandon Beaver called HiroshimaNagasaki that was sort of inspired by Daniel Johnston’s Fun album, and the catalog of ’67-’75-ish era Beach Boys. It was a fun time, but ultimately felt limited. We’d been seeing and listening to too many exciting things to be satisfied with bedroom psych/pop. We eventually  gave up on that project and rallied to try something that would push us as songwriters and musicians. I think the three of us had reached this line in our lives that we all were excited to cross. So those early rehearsals were crazy and full of possibilities." - Jesse Moynihan via makearising.com | Links: Website

Live Like a King

"LIVE LIKE A KING (EST. 2009) is the brainchild of Travis Woodson. Heavily influenced by jazz legend Ornette Coleman and groups from the 70's RIO movement such as Henry Cow, Samla Mammas Manna and Etron Fou Leloublan at the time of its conception, he decided to write a series of compositions without much concern of what the music will sound like style-wise, but mainly what was in his head. One problem arose midway through the process of writing the material: Who is going to want to play this? That problem was quickly solved with the help of a few of Philadelphia's regal musicians that were willing to hash out these perverse ideas; the first incarnation of LLAK was David Fishkin (EXTREME FISHKIN, Gun Muffs), Dan Scofield (Shot x Shot, Inzinzac), Eli Litwin (Gun Muffs, Normal Love, Intensus, Inzinzac) and Matthew Stein (Illuminea, Hope and Feathers, Racket Shop)." | Links:  Website

Sonic Liberation Front
I've performed live with SLF at places like the Institute of Contemporary Art of Philadelphia, and the Painted Bride. I also contributed some sounds on the album, Jetway Confidential, released on High Two Records. Links: Website

The Bottomfeeders
I played guitar in this heavy low-end, Free Funk-Rock group led by Daniel Peterson (Bobby Zankel's Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, Truth and Consequence). I can be heard on their self-released album, It's an Uphill Climb to the Bottom.

Various Fishkin Projects
EXTREME FISHKIN!!!, Adult Content, and the Above Average Band.

Machuco's Trabuco
Latin-Jazz outfit led by Edwin "Machuco" Estremera.

Papa Shango Curse
I played guitar and synth with drummer Tony Catastrophe. Links: Audio

Jay Tholen
I've played guitar and synth on few of his releases, such as Master Sequence, Your Sonic Resonance, Fruiht Taguer, and Mud Pies or Bread and Wine. Links: Website

"Jay Tholen is an artist and musician from a rural unincorporated town in Florida. His style, though grounded in the realm of electronic music, borrows many elements from the prog/art rock movement of the late 60's and early 70's. Consequently, the warm analog tones of vintage samplers and synthesizers permeate his discography. Ever submissive to his inner nerd, Jay never hesitates to include throwbacks to whatever dorky musician/film/book he is currently enamored with."