The Blonde Beast vs. DJ Dionysus
The Blonde Beast vs. DJ Dionysus is the name that I've given to a few of open-stage performances I participated in with my friend, Travis Armbrust, in the Fall of 1997.
Contents
History
It was some time in the Winter of 1997 that Travis and I witnessed an open stage performance by a group called Negro y Azul at The Union in Athens, Ohio. It was total chaos on stage. One person recited spoken word poetry while another danced around the stage and another played a saxophone and another wrapped himself in plastic wrap. Most importantly, one of the members used a small sound module to create sound effects and beats, which would be employed in our own performances.
Performances
The Swindlefish Saloon Show #1
The first performance was at The Swindlefish Saloon in Athens, Ohio. We signed-up under the title "Slay the Shepard, Run with the Wolves!"[1] which came from the main sample that we used during the performance. The sample amounted to Travis growling that phrase in a demonic voice and carrying the final word on and on until it resembled a monster's scream. Our instrumentation while on stage included empty wine bottles and a lead pipe, and my Akai S-20 filled with samples that varied from the fore mentioned demon scream, to a coat zipper that created the primary rhythm, and other assorted items. We were allotted 30 minutes to perform and were essentially booed-off the stage by the friends of the funk cover band that followed us.
The Swindlefish Saloon Show #2
The second show was the first that used the title "The Blonde Beast vs. DJ Dionysus" and resembled the previous show combined with the following show. I had the show recorded through the sound booth, but the recording was of such low quality that it was unlistenable.
The Front Room Show
Our final performance was performed at Ohio University's Front Room on October 3, 1997. Unlike the previous shows, the Akai S-20 was used to create a musical soundbed, rather than simply produce a barrage of sound. Travis pulled much of his performance from a sketch book, while playing his harmonica and megaphone ("post-modern harmonica"). The recording of this show was used to split-up my Maximum Strength collection.
Appears On
- Maximum Strength (1999) (The Front Room show from 1997.)
- Union Point Sessions (2003) (Instrumental backing track used for The Front Room show.)
References
- ↑ The open-stage MC commented on the fact that I used the name "Shepard" rather than the word "Shepherd" on the sign-up sheet.
