Showing posts with label a thousand cranes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a thousand cranes. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
TRAVIS PAINTS THE SUN
travis (fskd/a thousand cranes) will be showing 3 pieces at canvas art show. opens tonight (7-10pm)
3205 montrose blvd
houston tx
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
MOVIE TRAILER
travis kerschen of the bands A THOUSAND CRANES & FISKADORO has made a new film called 'tantrika'. the trailer is below:
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
BEEN ASLEEP, NOW I'M BACK
ok, i've been away for awhile sorta.. we did our FSKD block party gig which went well.. saw twisted wires/the wiggins play an incredible show at the avant garden... on sunday 22nd i played guitar with 1000 cranes at rudz.. next thing you know i've got strep throat!
but i shall not be stopped.
FSKD booked to play SHFL jan 10th w/ GIANT BATTLE MONSTER & BUBONIC BEARS.
it may snow here on friday. i cannot wait.
-rich kimball
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
LIVE REVIEW: FIRE
LORD JEFF
PRINCE RAMA OF AYODHYA
A THOUSAND CRANES
@ mango's 9-14-09 houston tx
(note: blackie was sick so he had to cancel)..
jen and i started our evening by wandering over to half price books on westheimer. she was checking out books on philosophies of indian cooking. not recipes or anything - we have a copy of lord krishna's cuisine by yamuna devi so we are good there - just the ideas behind it. don't let anyone tell you cooking food is just cooking food. if that were true we'd all starve to death. i was immersed in the photo book yes rasta by patrick cariou. i found the book deeply inspiring (go and read the introductory essay, you'll see). we were both sad that we left empty handed (i should have bought it) but we're on the punk rock budget these days. so went and shared some hummus and headed to mango's.
A THOUSAND CRANES were much different this night than our previous encounters with them. travis performed with members of prince rama in an epic set of improvised mystic song that had me thinking about pharoah sanders hanging out with rasta sects in the hills of jamaica. and i do not mean that in a dub way or anything - but the feeling of otherness, the realization that the world is nothing more than illusion or a cruel practical joke perpetuated by some vast corporate entity on the peoples of the world who fall for it hook, line and sinker. and there was fire. and there were strobe lights firing back at the audience and it looked like travis was leaving his body. optical illusion or seeing some sort of truth i'd never noticed before?
PRINCE RAMA OF AYODHYA was a band i'd heard about from travis and other people in this community since we lost our jobs and started hanging out. they are a trio living in boston (though maybe not for long) made up of sisters tanaka and nimai larson and (secret weapon) michael collins. they handed out small, loud percussive instruments to the audience before their set (actually we reached into a magic bag and pulled them out) letting the audience totally in on the performance. their music was this total maelstrom of drums & drones & spiritual celebration mixed with sci-fi synths. it was like seeing a performance by krishna devotees on mars. it was both stunning and inspiring and its still going on in my head as i type this 10 hours later or so..
LORD JEFF is from northampton, massachusetts near where jen went to boarding school (and a member of lord jeff's girlfriend went to the same school - small world). lord jeff were like booker t & the mg's with a taste for modern r & b (to the point of brilliantly covering i'm n luv (wit a stripper) - if only mike jones was there and we could have screwed and chopped it..) a total garage band writing deceptively awesome songs. this band should play every new years eve celebration until the world ends - i mean, i can't stand new years eve but i could get up for this.
perhaps the highlight of the evening was afterwards, just hanging outside mango's on this warm late summers night with all these people who'd just played and we'd just met. talking about how much public school sucked (or how awesome it was). or how much private school sucked (or how awesome it was). telling tales out of school about born to run, florida, suicidal tendencies, thurston moore, jim jarmusch and college hockey. dude, that is what punk rock is about.
-rich kimball
Monday, September 14, 2009
WHERE'S IT AT?
tonight at mango's -
A THOUSAND CRANES
PRINCE RAMA OF AYODHA
LORD JEFF
BLACKIE
do not miss...
-sharpe james
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
WHERE'S IT AT?
the weekend starts tonight with DEAD ROSES & THUNDERBOLT SUIT at rudyards.
tomorrow we have THE WIGGINS, HOW I QUIT CRACK & MUTATING MELTDOWN at mango's.
saturday is A THOUSAND CRANES, ANARCHITEX, ROOM 101, POLICE STATE AMERICA & THE DELTA BLOCK at super happy fun land (benefit show for sedition books).
-sharpe james
Monday, August 10, 2009
A THOUSAND CRANES: 10 QUESTIONS
interview with A THOUSAND CRANES by rich kimball
A THOUSAND CRANES are a band that we at the 423 gallery have been raving about for a couple months now. we recently asked travis kerschen of ATC 10 questions.
what is sacred music?
It uses the music as a vessel for communion with what is held sacred by the artist. The musician tries to make good music, but pays equal attention to trying to attain a sacred state within or externally. I am inspired by Vajrayana (from Tibetan Buddhism) and so I try to put myself in a meditative state while writing and performing the music, and the context of the music is on a sacred theme from that belief system (lovingkindness, interdependence, compassion, equanimity, peace, impermanence, etc.). What is sacred can be defined as what is held as an ideal state of humanness or worldness by an individual.
who/what/where does A THOUSAND CRANES find common ground?
A Thousand Cranes finds common ground in desire to use music to transcend, in noise/experimental music, in improvisation, in creative expression. We find common ground in conscientious living, music, arts of all forms, Houston, TX.
how does A THOUSAND CRANES succeed?
A Thousand Cranes succeeds by keeping up with the path we choose both in artistic creation and in every day life.
where does A THOUSAND CRANES fail?
We fail when we fall into the "ego" trap, and become concerned about our reputation or popularity or turn out at a show.
how has the houston music scene evolved over the years, and where is it at now?
It has evolved very nicely, thank you very much. From sharecropper blues to third ward blues to folk to tejano to rock and roll and psychedelic rock to funk and disco to punk to noise and experimental to rap and r&b. All these musical forms keep evolving, and the artists share a cultural background and musical lineage.
how does meditation factor into the music of A THOUSAND CRANES?
Many of the songs are created as meditations and when they are performed I try to put myself in a meditative state. The meditative state can sometimes be deep and trancelike, and sometimes it isn't. The meditations are generally buddhist themed.
who/what influenced you to make music?
Specifically, my family influenced me to make music. My family is very creative and expressive. As for bands or artists that have influenced me to make music, which haven't? And the artists/genres who influenced A Thousand Cranes, include Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Soweto music, Ali Farka Touré and Boubacar Traoré, Yoko Ono, Indian Jewelry, Mexican and Latin folk music (huasteca, huapango, huarache, son veracruzano, etc,) African music, South Asian folk music, reggae, Swarm of Angels, Philip Glass, John Cage, Rusted Shut, A Pink Cloud, hip hop, jazz, free jazz
tell us about your song 'wounded crane'?
"Wounded Crane" is a compassionate embrace of our dark side, our ugly side, our feared side, our fearful side. It is an acceptance of what it means to be completely human.
describe houston to someone who has never been to texas?
Houston is a subtropical humid city. It is large. It was built on marshes and bayous full of alligators, pumas, and all sorts of wildlife. It is the fourth largest city in the United States. We have the Houston Rockets.
describe america - on its present course- in 5 years time?
The powerful forces of capitalism and industrialization have been destroying the collective sensitivity to others in America for a long time. We appear to be approximating a third world country with the disparity between the wealthy and the poor. Our endless wars and imposed fixation on terror and security is pushing us into cultural neurosis and paralysis. On the positive side, it is destroying itself like all empires do. And with it's death it is possible for a healthier society to emerge. In 5 years America will see more bicyclists and people recycling more because of economic necessity. Middle class people will be more conscientious about what they are spending their money on.
A THOUSAND CRANES will be performing at a benefit for sedition books on saturday august 15th @ super happy fun land in houston. for more information visit the ATC myspace:
Saturday, August 8, 2009
LIVE REVIEW: CAN YOU HEAR AN EXPLOSION IN SPACE?
A THOUSAND CRANES
FISKADORO
@ notsuoh houston tx 8-6-09
a hot texas evening began with a video projection of dancing cranes and recordings of A THOUSAND CRANES soundtracking the piece. the images were washed out and mesmerizing. and occasionally playful or threatening. the same video then played while the bands played later in the night, adding an appropriate apocalyptic edge (given the respective histories of the names of the 2 bands) to the proceedings.
423 gallery house band FISKADORO took the stage and performed a sloppy but very well received 6 song set of synth informed dance punk. there was much dancing in the crowd and afterwards many kind words were given to the duo - some of the show goers found them reminiscent of the human league. and considering the band covered the human league song seconds this seemed appropriate. the bartenders said they sucked. you just can't please everyone.
A THOUSAND CRANES followed up FSKD with an incredible set of their sacred music. this had quite a different feel than the show a couple weeks ago at mango's. i really can't place why - but the mood was shifted in some way. it was just as awesome and inspiring but in another way that i cannot even articulate. jen kimball of FSKD suggested the music of ATC to be like trance music but only with the opposite effect. it was an inclusive, galvanizing performance that suggested a future of beauty and peace. ATC guitar player phil deserves a special mention for his tasteful use of guitar feedback which adds so much to the presentation.
after seeing A THOUSAND CRANES a couple of times in the past couple of weeks we wonder why the local media doesn't talk more about this band. i guess that is why this blog exists, to fix things that are being overlooked.
-sharpe james
Sunday, August 2, 2009
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