This Weekend

I’ve got two exciting shows this weekend. First up Friday night Megan and I will be doing a duo set at Johnny Brenda’s. We’re opening for our neightbors and friends, Turning Violet Violet for their EP release party.

Although I’ve been saying this for years, starting this October, I am going to start official recording of Pangaea: When the Continents Were One (my long awaited opera). That being said, I plan to seriously scale back playing live and immerse myself in the studio to work on this life long dream project. You may see some solo Ghost Darling shows or shows the hot new project with Joe Hallman, Attita Taylor and Johnell Lawerence in 2010 and 2011, but for me it’s studio, studio, studio (Phil Collins style). So Gemini Wolf shows for the rest of the year and 2011 will be scarce. This may be your last chance to catch us for a while.

I’m also planning a special treat of playing my Fender Rhodes for this show. When I was a young man, I had no problem lugging the 100 pound beast up and down club steps at 2am on Tuesday night. Now that I’m old, I’ve been sticking to mostly portable MIDI gear. However, since this maybe my last rock club show in quite a while, I decided to bring the (new) Rhodes out for one last show.

The second show this weekend will be the Gears of Sand showcase at One Thousand Pulses in North Jersey. It’s been over four years since I’ve played with Bill and Ben from GoS and I’m really looking forward to this gig. It’ll be a great night of new drone, ambient and electronic with some subtle visuals. I’ve been hearing great things about the 1000 pulses series and am looking forward to heading up to play.

Summer Shows

I decided to take a few weeks off from the website and music stuff to rest after our European Tour. All in all it was an amazing trip through London, Berlin and Paris. We met lots of great people, played some shows, hung out, saw some art and ate lots of food. There’s a video up on Gemini Wolf’s Facebook page taken by Yvan Oiry.Yesterday we spend our first day back in the studio. I was mostly working on the computer on some technical stuff. Megan did some vocals for an upcoming Joe Hallman project, but it was good to get back into the studio. Lots of new stuff on the horizon. This summer I have two Mikronesia shows, listed below: 

Friday July 23
Nazareth Center for the Arts
30 Belvidere Street, Nazareth, PA 18064
8:00 pm


Saturday August 7
One Thousand Pulses
9 Edward PlaceWoodcliff Lake NJ 07677

Also Gemini Wolf will be playing an opening set at Johnny Brenda’s on Friday August 6. We’ll be supporting our friends and neighbors, Turning Violet Violet for their EP release party. 

The other major project I have going on this summer is a new piece of music and sound art. Six member from NEXUS will be doing at show at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.

It’s going to be wide array of sculpture, art, prints, video and music. For my part, I’m creating four wind sculptures and will have a performance of a new work, Aeolus, which is a quartet for violin, flute, guitar and percussion to harmonize with the wind sculptures. The opening reception and concert will be Sunday September 19. The Schuylkill Center is out at the edge of the city, so we’ll be running a shuttle bus from NEXUS (at 1400 American St. in Fishtown) that will pick people up at 5:00 PM and bring people back at 9:00 PM.

European Tour

Getting excited and ready for our Gemini Wolf European Tour. We’ll be doing a short four city tour with some time in between shows to hang out and see the sites. We’ll be in London (with our old friend, Gemini Wolf violinist, Katie Goodrum), Berlin and Paris. Here’s a full listing of the shows if you happen to be in the area…

Jun 10 2010
Stomp Studios, London Fields Netil House
London, UK

Jun 12 2010
Madame Claude
Berlin, DE

Jun 16 2010
L’Espace B
Paris, FR

Jun 19 2010
Le Pavé d’Orsay
Paris, FR

Gemini Wolf Shows

We’ve got two shows in the next two weeks before we head out to do some shows in France and Germany this summer. 

Wendesday May 19
at Kung Fu Necktie
GROWING
You know the deal by now. Sick Brutal Drone from Brooklyn. Best dudes ever. 
GEMINI WOLF 
Gemini Wolf is psychedeltronic.
HELLO FROM THE CHILDREN OF PLANET EARTH 
Spacerock, Krautrock, Dub, Instrumental Hip-Hop, Synthgasms and Library Jams from Jeff Zeigler and Joe Patitucci
8pm. $10
128 N. Front Street (Front and Thompson) Philadelphia, PA (view map)

BENEFIT @ WORLD CAFE
Tuesday May 25
at World Cafe Live
Benefit for the Intercultural Family Services Music & Mentorship Program with
Ben Arnold, Gemini Wolf and Naeemah
7pm-10pm. $8
3025 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104

Formation Woods

Gemini Wolf will be hitting WXPN and Y-ROCK Philly local this Sunday to record a short set of music. We’ll have the horns from West Philadelphia Orchestra (three of them) and percussionist Shawn Hennessey in tow. That show should probably air in December.

Also coming up in Gemini Wolf land is a show at Glasslands on Dec. 10 in Brooklyn.

J Luv Dance Party

Gemini Wolf is excited to be playing an upcoming warehouse / art / dance party at FIDGET Space on October 16. It’s been a while since Megan and I have done a duo show and we’re excited to be getting back to our electronic / tribal roots. We’ll be playing some new songs, we’ll have some t-shirts, CDs and other goodies for sale and give away at the show. Here’s the offical press release from Jaamil (AKA J-Dub)

Contact: Jaamil Olawale Kosoko
Director: KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP
Mobile) 919 699 2519
kosoko.performance@yahoo.com

J-LUV’S HOUSE PARTY presented by KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP
in association with <fidget> will feature a wild collection of live dance, music, and performance art.

On Friday, October 16, 2009, The KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP will present its first annual J-LUV’S HOUSE PARTY performance series.  This special event will feature some of Philadelphia’s finest acts in music, dance, and performance art.  The event hosted by Jaamil Kosoko and Megan Mazarick as J-LUV and DIXIE CRYSTAL will take place at <fidget> Space, 1714 N. Mascher Street. Suggested Donation is $10-$15.  Pre- show party begins at 8pm with performances starting at 9pm.

J-LUV’S HOUSE PARTY will feature performances by Da*Da*Dance, Duane Lee, KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP, React/Dance, Megan Bridge, Megan Mazarick, and Melanie Stewart with live music by Gemini Wolf, Lillie Ruth Bussey, and Mendelssohn Club’s soprano vocalist Maura Caldwell. 

Founded in 2006, The KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP is a Philadelphia based interdisciplinary ensemble of performers: dancers, musicians, writers, actors, and visual design artists. Our artistic mission is to push performance further through innovative and culturally diverse live performance, literary publication, youth and community outreach, and teaching.  We aim to challenge, educate, and nurture our audiences through an on-going dialogue that consistently explores new, creative approaches and processes of creating community through artistic collaboration, peer mentoring, and audience diversification.

For more information please contact Jaamil Kosoko at 919.699.2519 or via e-mail at kosoko.performance@yahoo.com

For tickets please order online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/78212

Summer Dayz

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio and planning things for Fall 2009 and 2010 this summer. The heat and humidity has been bad the past couple of weeks, so it’s a good time to stay indoors and work on stuff. I’m focused on finishing up some recording projects that have been on the back burner with the Gemini Wolf release last month. Those include, an ambient album I want to record with my friend’s Juno 106 before I have to return it to him when he moves to Vermont, a “dubstep” album (we’ll see how that sounds in the end, I have about 30 tracks for this that I need to pair down) and the recording of the radio drama, Pangaea - Trinity Sun. My goal is to get all these items finished by the last week in September when I start my film scoring class at Berklee.

I’ve also got two exciting composition projects for 2010. I’ll be writing a piece for Nora Gibson’s new dance work that will be premiered at the New Edge Residency at the CEC in April 2010. I’m also very excited to be working with film maker J. Makary. This fall / winter, we’ll be collaborating on several short films in conjuction with her residency at the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks and Phlagraphika. The films that J. will create are using the Powel House as her muse with music that I’m writing now for the Janus Trio to perform as a score and in the film. There’s a lot of ideas flowing with all these desperate element, but we’re really trying to use music and film together in non-traditional ways. The premiere of this will be in March 2010.

In Gemini Wolf world, Megan and I took a much needed break from the band for the past month. We worked really hard with recording, mixing, promotion and rehearsing for the album release show last month for Synchronized Eyes. Now we’re getting back into the mix. We’ve got a few one-off duo shows this fall at Kung Fu Necktie (benefit for NEXUS) and a Little Berlin halloween show this fall. We’re also in the beginning stages of writing a new EP of songs that we hope to put out by the end of the year. We’re also slated to release a single with Mental Monkey Records in October and Megan is working on her first remix for composer Joseph Hallman.

The Philadelphia Fringe Festival will be upon us in a few weeks. I’ll be taking part in two shows. One of the shows, I won’t be performing, but my music will be used for the Michele Stortz piece Study349 at the Influx at Mascher show on 9/10 and 9/13. The second show I will actually be performing live with Zornitsa Stoyanova and her cast in Side By Side at the A.W.A.R.D. Show at the Arts Bank on 9/16. I’ll have more info about these shows as they approach in the next few weeks.

Thanks to everyone who made the Gemini Wolf CD Release show at Johnny Brenda’s such a success last weekend. We’ll have a video of the show up in a week or two. Until then please enjoy this amazingly trippy new video fror the Gemini Wolf song, “Sudseyfuss” from Synchronized Eyes created by Derek Moench.

Umm… Drop

From the Philadelphia Weekly

It’s the sirenlike vocals amidst Broken Social Scene-inspired synth melodies that first give you pause. But the slow morph into a bizarre Care Bear world of unnatural cheer and bliss that follows really catches the listener’s breath. And so begins Gemini Wolf ’s second full-length album, Synchronized Eyes. The morphing and melding of genres and influences continues on the album as the band laps influences from a pool that includes !!!, Fatboy Slim, the Faint and New Order. The addition of a string quartet and Afrobeat horn sections, however, turns Synchronized Eyes into a constant bag of surprises.?

Philly duo Gemini Wolf began as the project of Michael McDermott and Megan Cauley in 2005, though the two had played together previously for years. Since then, the lineup and sound has changed. The duo turned into to an all-out band on the first release, 2007’s Josiah , and then returned to a duo the following year. McDermott says, “I think we also had a little bit of a change in the direction of our sound and we wanted to document that,” resulting in the 10-song collection on Synchronized Eyes .?

This time around, the focus is more on the electronic aspect. “We didn’t want to make a total Warp Records-type album, where it’s just itchy beats with a female singing,” McDermott explains. That’s where the Afropop comes in.?

The album features a number of guest musicians, including members of local bands Shot x Shot, Normal Love and West Philadelphia Orchestra. Since McDermott and Cauley co-run the local label earSnake—which put out both Gemini Wolf and West Philadelphia Orchestra records—the decision to add a multitude of bright, brassy horns was a bit easier.?

“We tried to have more fun and funny and dancey songs, and less serious ones. I think people have enough things to be serious about right now,” says Cauley.



-Katherine Silkaitis, Philadelphia Weekly

Philebrity Post

Some nice reviews and articles are coming in about our show at Johnny Brenda’s Saturday night and our new album Synchronized Eyes. We we’ve had great reviews in the Philadelphia Weekly, The City Paper, The Metro and now on the biggest music / lifestyle blog in Philadelphia, Philebrity. Read the post below or check it out online with a free download of the track “Sugar”. (photo by: Melissa Hassey)

You could listen to Gemini Wolf’s new full-length, Synchronized Eyes, all week long and still not really be able to say what kind of band they are. We know because we just did this. But we know this much: Amidst the electronic pop and fizz banging up against the real-time instrumental and vocal vamping that brings it all together, somewhere along the line, Gemini Wolf full-on time travels. (We knew that blanket at right could do more than just fly over the suburbs.) “Sugar” invokes so many things we love it’ll be hard to get them down right here, but we’ll try: The intro vocal hook seems like it’s the too-long-in-coming response to Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You, Baby,” but then alternates into a Debbie Harry coo straight from the Autoamerican era; the wild saxes and loping instrumental passages are straight out of the Arthur Russell playbook; and that groove is straight-up “Houses In Motion.”


That’s some good company. Hope to see you at the show, spread the word

Sat July 18
Johnny Brenda’s
1201 N. Frankford Ave (Frankford and Girard)
Philadelphia, PA 19125
215-739-9684
Gemini Wolf, Pink Skull, The West Philadelphia Orchestra, Bilwa
$10 - Door Sales at 8pm
8:00 PM

Synchronized Eyes

Gemini Wolf’s second album Synchoronized Eyes is out today! You can purchase the album through earSnake.com, on  and other digital outlets. You can also purchase the CD (along with some other goodies) at their album release party at Johnny Brenda’s this Saturday (more info below). Also keep an eye out for reviews and features about the album and the show in the Metro, Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia City Paper this week!

The album release party will feature an extended lineup with percussionist Shawn Hennessey (from Leana Song) Gary Dann and horns from West Philadelphia Orchestra on several tracks. Gemini Wolf’s set will also have live video and visuals from Klip Collective’s Nico. As an added bonus a certain singer in Gemini Wolf is celebrating her birthday on Saturday!

Sharring the bill with Gemini Wolf are:

Pink Skull
All star local dj based group putting forth mostly mesmerizing instrumentals with some spoken musings. Synced video projections and the pounding pulse of drums and electronic tropicalia.

West Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia’s best and most daring musicians, from all different backgrounds (jazz, classical, experimental, indie), playing music, much of it Romani, from Romania, Hungary, Serbia, and Macedonia. The group has focused recently on creating original music that draw upon all our creative resources, whether it be the voices of Jack Ohly and Petia Zamfirova, the screaming sax of Elliott Levin, or the rhythmic wit of percussionist Gregg Mervine. ‘Overflowing joy’ is the best description of the WPO party experience.

and spinning all night will be Deejay Bilwa, fresh of his residency in Mexico with Perpetual Mvmt<>Snd.

Hope to see you at the show, spread the word

Sat July 18
Johnny Brenda’s
1201 N. Frankford Ave (Frankford and Girard)
Philadelphia, PA 19125
215-739-9684
Gemini Wolf, Pink Skull, The West Philadelphia Orchestra, Bilwa
$10 - Door Sales at 8pm
8:00 PM

New Website

After a years of a “frames” based website, I’ve over hauled my site. This new site uses a nice WordPress template Modern Clix, a theme by Rodrigo Galindez. I’ve modified the theme considerably and I’m using ASP.NET/SQL for the site.

In addition to a better, more modern organization to the site, the entire contents of the site are searchable. I’ve also tied in some other sites I update regularly (Twitter) and no so regularly (Flickr).

So now that the new site is up and running, I should be back to updating it more often. Next week is going to be very busy with the Gemini Wolf CD release and show. I’ll be posting on that next week. We’re expecting features in the Philadelphia Weekly and The Metro as well as some online blog type places.

nEW and oLD

This weekend, I’ll be doing sound design / live treatments for Jaamil Kosoko’s new piece VIRUS at the Drake Theater in Philadelphia for the nEW Festival. The shows are

Friday June 5 @ 7PM
Saturday June 6 @ 9PM

The Drake Theater
1512 Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA

Here’s a description of the piece from Jaamil

VIRUS
We live in a media infested world where we depend heavily on technology to survive. Electrical wires entangle themselves around the bodies of the dancers to represent the restrictive power of technology, while also making visible the invisible web of the past. The wires are both beneficial and detrimental; they provide inspiration for the future by acting as lifelines to past experiences, but also drain the psyche by not allowing the individual to become free of these experiences. The forces of technology and the past are not working separately but in tandem because technology provides a way for past experiences to be recorded. The performers are constantly negotiating these aspects of their personalities moving between the human and the robotic, the empathetic and estranged, the plugged in and the cut off.


Should be a cool performance, the theater looks and sounds great.

I spent the day yesterday recording

West Philadelphia Orchestra

six piece band version. This is the lineup that toured Mexico with last month with sax, trumpet, trombone, tuba, keys and drums. They did some Balkan inspired standards by Monk and Sun Ra as well as a couple of originals. It’ll be a fun project to mix / produce. It’s a lot more raw and loose than their full orchestral straight-up Balkan lineup I’ve seen live a few times. It’ll be interesting how far out we can go with the mixing. I always feel like jazz instrumentation albums are afraid to experiment too much in the studio. Most jazz albums just try and reproduce the exact sound of the instrument and mix, like your seeing the band at a club. I’m talking about blowing out some cones by putting a sub-bass filter on the tuba! Ya dig?

Gemini Wolf is also getting ready for the CD Release in mid-July. Here’s the spooky cover (pictured). We’ve been getting great feedback from people that have heard the album. The Philly CD Release show should be bonkers with Pink Skull, the aforementioned WPO, Bilwa and Neko at Jonny Brenda’s. Gemini Wolf is going to have a few special guests for the show too. You can hear some of the tracks streaming on our MySpace

Lastminutegar

Just a last minute heads up for folks in Philly… I’ll be playing with Gemini Wolf tomorrow night at the M-Room on Girard Ave. It’s part of a night of earSnake artists including Lillie Ruth Bussey, Shawn Kilroy, Paper Masques, Gemini Wolf and special guests Mixel Pixel.

Here’s the exact information:
Saturday May 16
M Room
15 W. Girard Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19123
9PM - $8
Gemini Wolf, Lillie Ruth Bussey, Paper Masques, Shawn Kilroy and Mixel Pixel. plus DJ Baby Cow Face

Then in two weeks (June 6 and 7) I’ll be doing two performances at the Drake Theater with Jaamil Kosoko. The performance is his new work VIRUS for which I’ll be doing sound design. Hopefully I’ll remember to post more information about it as the show gets closer. More information about the show can be found at the nEW Festival’s site.

Ride the Snake

I had a great time at the two shows two weeks ago, thanks to everyone involved. Pandar and I have been cooped up in the studio (despite the beautiful Philadelphia spring weather) finishing up the new Gemini Wolf record. This one is wildly different than our last one, Josiah. Although in some ways it’s more stripped down and electronic, in other ways it’s lusher and more organic with the additional of a string quartet, a horn section, vibraphone and more analog gear.

This week we’re getting back into the swing of live shows as we ramp up for our CD Release Party in July at Johnny Brenda’s. We’re pleased to announce that our old drummer, Gary Dann, back from his India/Nepal/Thailand adventure will be playing drums with us. You can check out all the details of the shows in the performances section. Both shows will feature an all earSnake lineup (except for Mixel Pixel at the M-Room show). Here’s the run down

Saturday April 25 - eckhaus @ Kutztown

Lastly, this Saturday and Sunday you can hear some Mikronesia original music for the new Ring Dance piece at Haverford College.

Bryn Mawr College Spring Dance Concert
Saturday April 25 and Sunday April 26, 7:30 PM
Marshall Auditorium at Haverford College
370 Lancaster Ave
Haverford, PA 19041.