Irene Trudel on WFMU, East Orange, NJ (91.1 & 90.1 FM)
Mondays 3-6 pm
Tune in to WFMU's live stream or hear an archive of the show.

Playlist for October 15, 2001:

A chamberful of beautiful Clogs.

Live performance by Clogs

Padma Newsome (viola/violin/compositions), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Rachael Elliott (bassoon), Thomas Kozumplik (percussion)

Clogs are Padma Newsome's group, but not really. Quoting from their label - Brassland- 's website Clogs are described as "...a democracy, the work of four musicians, all classically trained. You could use words like "ensemble" or "quartet" and keep a straight face when discussing Clogs, but that doesn't really get at it. The SF Weekly writes, "At once familiar and alien, comical and disquieting, soothing and overwrought, the Clogs' music walks a fine line between radiance and darkness that is rarely achieved outside Hindu culture-and even more rarely in a nightclub setting."

As a group they have performed throughout the United States and Canada in some of the most respected venues for improvised music including Tonic and the Knitting Factory in New York, Casa del Popolo in Montreal, the Empty Bottle in Chicago, and Cafe du Nord in San Fransisco. They have shared the stage and toured with some of contemporary music's most interesting peformers including Evan Ziporyn (Bang on a Can All-stars), Erik Friedlander (Masada String Trio), and Sony recording artist, Mia Doi Todd. Clogs' have also picked up fans in the alternative and popular music markets, getting airplay on college and non-commercial radio and performaing live on stations such as Jersey City's WFMU, Chicago's WNUR, Montreal's CIBL and CISM, and the Los Angeles based internet station, Dublab.com.

Clogs music blends the sounds of contemporary classical music with traditional rhythms and harmonies of folk music from various cultures, and the raw energy of rock music. Their structures use episodic forms, variations, and micro-minimalism and are often spatial and open-ended. Clogs write their own compositions, allow them to evolve in rehearsal, and improvise in the live setting. Their music led one critic to proclaim, "few new CDs in any genre will do as much to challenge the way you listen to music." (Philadelphia City Paper) Clogs are more influenced by the quiescence and brevity of Erik Satie and the raw primitivist energy of Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky than they are by the music of any of their contemporaries, but The New Yorker writes that, "fans of Sigur Ros, the Rachel's, and other post-rock ensembles who know how to listen in respectful silence to a live performance will have no trouble appreciating the softly evocative compositions."

•  
• CD: "Yeri Ali"
•  
• CD: "Mysteries of Life"
• "Lullabye for Sue"
• CD: "Thom's Night Out"
•  
•  

Clogs' latest CD, "Thom's Night Out," is available on the Brassland label. It's available through the Brassland website and through http://www.triagemusic.com

Hear an archive of the show!

Want to join my irregular playlist mailings? Have a comment? Send me a note:
Irene's Mail Page

© 2001 wfmu.org

Back to Irene Trudel's Playlists

Back to Other WFMU Playlists

To the WFMU Main Page

Back to top