Charalambides formed in Houston in 1991 amid a flock of fearlessly exploratory (and often drug-induced) rock bands, when Tom, Christina, and Kyle Silfer put down their beers and picked up their instruments.
From their 2006 & 2007 kranky releases A Vintage Burden & Likeness onwards, Charalambides has renewed their concentration on song-as-mantra (with intermittent guitar solos).
But earlier recordings (like 2001’s Unknown Spin) whisper of interstellar voids full of silence, or howl with ecstatically-received gnosis (2004’s Joy Shapes).
Charalambides | Into The Earth
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=8KuJ_ND6S6A
Charalambides’ live shows sometimes (and unpredictably) continue this latter thread, which often startles fans familiar only with the band’s deceptively low-key reputation. In 2006, Charalambides hit the road in earnest, touring the US/UK and making appearances at that year’s Terrastock, Arthurfest and the Thurston Moore curated All Tomorrow’s Parties: A Nightmare Before Christmas.
“Charalambides are among the most beautiful and mysterious groups to have emerged from the American desert. …They have created a glowing template of humanist/mystical improvisation that has kneaded brain muscles from here to Kokomo.” – Byron Coley, The Wire
Tonstartssbandht | Black Country
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=C0343AZJuZA
Tonstartssbandht is Andy and Edwin White, two brothers from Orlando who reside in Montreal and New York City, respectively. All of their releases (often tapes) sound a bit disjointedly, but with an attention to the texture and grain of low-fidelity that carries from each excursion to the next.
Tonstartssbandht has a few “signature sounds,” not just one, and the brothers touch on everything from burnt psych-rock and beautiful ambient passages to sampler-based rhythms and classic vocal pop.
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Charalambides & Tonstartssbandht LIVE
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 | 21:00 CET
Marie Antoinette | Bogen 47, Holzmarktstr. 15-18 | 10179 Berlin/Mitte
wholly-other.com | tonstartssbandht.bandcamp.com
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