DOORS 5 PM/SHOW 7 PM
LINEUP
- IOSIS
- Dameun Strange
- Mary Prescott + Erik Fratzke + deVon
…Channeling the universal sonic inheritance to materialize orbs of harmonic intelligence…
Who is deVon Russell Gray? A divinely guided multimedia social justice activist or a pantheistic audial alchemist? Central to his creative practice is the fundamental belief of starting from a place of "I know nothing" when approaching any new composition, performance, or creative endeavor. Embracing the idea that empty vessels receive new knowledge more efficiently, he constantly seeks a transformative death/rebirth process to expand his artistic horizons. Among other known knowns about this artist, Gray absorbs tremendous inspiration from the natural world, finding solace and reflection in the great outdoors. He cherishes moments of indulgence in eating, drinking, and merriment, and he possesses a deep appreciation for activities such as moon gazing, leaf peeping, and immersing himself in the world of cinema. In his downtime, he reluctantly participates in the commonplace mixed economy, feeling frustrated by its limitations and yearning for something different. In his uptime, he creates exceptional art. In terms of recent accomplishments, Gray's improvisation trio (featuring Nathan Hanson on saxophones, Davu Seru on percussion, and Gray on piano) released their debut album, WE SICK, on Innova in 2023. Additionally, Gray made his mark as a composer with the lead single on Lara Downes' latest album, Love At Last (Pentatone), which reached number one on the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. Most recently, he received his second composer fellowship from the McKnight Foundation, an esteemed recognition administered by the American Composers Forum.
Mary Prescott is a Thai-American interdisciplinary artist, composer, and pianist who explores the foundations and facets of identity and social conditions through experiential performance. In “21 for ‘21: Composers and Performers Who Sound Like Tomorrow,” the Washington Post described Mary’s work as “a bright light cast forward ... uncompromising,” and “masterfully envisioned.” Mary is an awardee of the McKnight Composer Fellowship, the National Performance Network Creation and Development Fund, and many others. Find more information at her website.
Erik Fratzke is a composer/performer/educator based in St. Paul, Minn. Best known as the bassist of Happy Apple, he also leads his own quartet, Fake Accent. He is also a member of Craig Taborn’s Junk Magic and Cory Healey’s Beautiful Sunshine Band. As a guitarist, Erik is a member of The Dave King Trucking Company, the avant-metal group Abhorrent Expanse, Scott Miller’s Fifth Column Ensemble, The Gang Font feat. Greg Norton, and the instrumental rock group Zebulon Pike. His compositions have been performed and recorded by the new music group Zeitgeist. Erik has performed and/or recorded with Tim Berne, Ethan Iverson, Adam Levy, Michel Portal, Rhys Chatham, Airto, Benoit Delbec, and Yoshida Tatsuya (Ruins).