(le) poisson rouge

After Three Mile Pilot began an open-ended hiatus in 1997, singer/guitarist Pall Jenkins and multi-instrumentalist Tobias Nathaniel embarked on a darker, more subdued journey as The Black Heart Procession. In the many years and albums since, the band's line-up has expanded and contracted, but at its heart and soul remains Jenkins and Nathaniel, creating timeless, heart-wrenching classics that are adventurous, eclectic, and consistently brilliant.

Formed in late 1997 in San Diego, the Black Heart Procession have been described as beautifully bleak and brooding indie rock with a dark side. Lyrically touching on the melancholy side of human nature, the five-piece band is appropriately named given its themes of isolation, depression, and heartache. The core members of Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel (Three Mile Pilot) also collaborate on-stage and in the studio with various musicians whose instruments include guitar, piano, percussion, and even saw. This uniqueness led to a 1998 record deal with Cargo Records, which released their first album, 1. The Black Heart Procession then toured the United States and Europe with A Minor Forest, and the group's follow-up, 2, was released through Touch & Go Records in 1999. The final piece to the trilogy, 3, arrived in 2000. Joe Plummer (the Magic Magicians, Modest Mouse) and violinist Matt Resovich (the Album Leaf) were added to the Black Heart Procession lineup for the recording of the group's fourth effort, 2002's Amore del Tropico. This cinematic songbook of love and deception was an exploration of lounge and blues, making it an epic set for the band. Two years later, the Black Heart Procession scaled back their usual sinister presentation for In the Fishtank, Vol. 11, a co-release with Dutch prog rockers Solbakken for KonKurrent's celebrated album series. Bassist Jimmy LaValle, who also plays with the Album Leaf, joined in 2005; the dramatic, torrid love affair that is The Spell followed in May 2006. The haunting set was recorded and produced at the Black Heart Procession's own SDRL studio in their hometown of San Diego.

Brooklyn band Bing and Ruth is an 11-peice ensemble led by composer and pianist David Moore. Described by the New York Times as "making the most of layered and atmospheric melody," the band utilizes clarinets, human voice, cellos, and a buffet of other acoustic instruments to craft expansive soundscapes and quiet microtonal textures. Formed among friends in 2006, they have released two records, the "Bing and Ruth" EP in 2006, and the full-length "Kentile Floors" in 2007. In it's young career the ensemble has garnered a reputation for unique and engaging life performances, and have played widely throughout New York area including two shows for the Wordless Music Series, the MATA Festival, the WFMU Festival, Stochastic Brooklyn, and the Darmstadt New Music Series at Issue Project Room. They have shared the stage with a variety of incredible performers among whom include Múm, Max Richter, and So Percussion. Additionally, the band has become known for their habit of performing in unique spaces not normally associated with music including an abandoned meat locker, a rural chicken coop, a vacant apartment, and a warehouse rooftop. David, along with Bing and Ruth, was recently commissioned to create two new multimedia works with filmmaker Sébastien Cros that saw their premier at the 2009 MATA Festival in New York City. The ensemble is set to release it's new LP "City Lake" on October 26 or Happy Talk.

Amen Dunes is Damon McMahon, who after living in China for the past few years is now back in New York. He is joined live by Parker Kindred on drums. The first record, “DIA,” was released on Locust Music in April 2009, and the “Murder Dull Mind” EP on Sacred Bones this past July.

“chilled out Dead C / outsider gospel” – Aquarius Records