Means of Production

Means of Production is a CD-R label which I use to release examples of my own projects with which I’m especially happy. The covers are lovingly printed on a laser printer and hand-cut.

The releases are available at shows from me and the other artists, and on-line and in-store from the good folks at Weirdo Records, 844 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The catalog follows:
 

Ouroboros/Grau Garten: @ XFest 2012 (MoP 011)
This documents Grau Garten’s first post-Josh Baker show, at XFest 2012 (in Lowell, MA). (Josh relocated to Portland, Oregon in early January 2012.) For this set, we collaborated with Dave Seidel and Greg Kowalski performing as Ourboros. Ouroboros started, playing a short but shapely set, and then Dave signaled to us, and Grau Garten joined him, one at a time (first me, then Marc, then Dei). 5-inch CD-r, 40 min.

 

Grau Garten: Kitchens and Livingrooms of Somerville and Jamaica Plain (MoP 009)
Grau Garten grew out of duo work that Manchester, New Hampshire-based guitarist Marc Bisson and i began in the fall of 2010. In early 2011, bicycle wheelist (!) Josh Baker and video artist Greg Kowalski joined. These recordings, made in a kitchen in Somerville and a livingroom in Jamaica Plain, document Dei Xhrist’s first two shows with the group in the late fall of 2011. In the first one, she is “phoning it in”, as it were, connected via cell phone from Manchester, NH. 5-inch CD-r, 58 min.

 

Ricochet: the waste land (MoP 008)
Ricochet is my duo with vocalist Noell Dorsey. We have been playing together since 2010, and in October 2010 Matt Samolis made this nice recording of us. Personally, i just love the sound of this group. 5-inch CD-r, 38 min.

 

Kobold: Piece of Mind (MoP 007)
This is an at-long-last release of a recording done back in October 1995! Kobold was a quartet I had started in about 1993 with bassist Craig Schildhauer and drummer Laurence Cook. Trombonist Tom Plsek joined in about 1994 and the group as such played around town for the next four years or so, until I effectively dropped out of the scene in about 1999. Having run into a Laurence at a party in January 2012, I was inspired to make this recording available and have the group play again, which we did on April 2nd, 2012 at Weirdo Records. 5-inch CD-r, 55 min.

Extras: Kobold is mentioned in this review of the 1998 Autumn Uprising festival.

 

Loup-Garou: March of the Honeytones (MoP 006)
Three improvisations recorded live at Weirdo Records in Cambridge, Massachusetts in June 2011. Loup-Garou (French for “werewolf”) is Walter Wright and Setheyney Loub-Pen, both playing analog synths in this case. I sit in with them frequently, and in this instance brought with me synths, my toy piano and sopranino saxophone. We were all amplifying through the tiny and cute Honeytone amplifiers, hence the ‘product endorsement’.

After we played the show on this recording, I got a copy to Walter who had it mastered by Brian Redmond at The Space in Lowell, Massachusetts. I prepared the package for release to coincide with Walter’s 70th birthday party last October (2011). Happy birthday, Walter! 5-inch CD-r, 31 minutes.

 

Duck That: @ P.A.’s Lounge (MoP 005)
A nice set of five pieces recorded live at P.A.’s Lounge in Somerville, Massachusetts back in August 2010. This evening, Duck That was booked to open for J. Graf (Metalux). I’d hurt my back and did’t bring any saxophones, just game calls and percussion. A challenge, but a very fun evening. 3 inch CD-r. 15 minutes.

 

Steve Norton: Battery Steele • Six Improvisations (MoP 004)
Six soprano saxophone improvisations played into an incredibly reverberant, 400-foot, concrete hallway on an island in Casco Bay, Maine. There is a much longer story here. 5-inch CD-r, 27 min.

 

Katt Hernandez/Steve Norton: Modern Antique (MoP 003)
Katt and I had never improvised together before. She asked me to join her in a set at the February 2010 Opensound (Somerville, MA) and here are the results, which I found very surprising and exciting. 5-inch CD-r, 20 min.

 

Duck That: Highly Qualified (MoP 002)
A set of nine tracks recorded at Duck That rehearsals in October 2009 & January 2010. Our rehearsal space is tiny and produces dry, detailed recordings. We’re really happy with these! With Josh Jefferson and Angela Sawyer. 5-inch CD-r, 33 min.

 

Grizzle/Jefferson/Norton: 3x3 Altos (MoP 001)
This is a set of alto saxophone trio improvisations by David Grizzle (a/k/a Dave Gross), Josh Jefferson and me, recorded May 2009 at a house concert at Lou Cohen’s place. The trio had never played as such before, but I think this went beautifully. It’s short (only 20 min.) but sweet. 5-inch CD-r.

 

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