Japan-based Omodaka is a collaborative project between core members Soichi Terada and Kanazawa Akko, and a revolving door of visual artists that fuses computerized monoliths, traditional Japanese folk and dissident stills and art pieces to create offbeat electronic paradigms. Since starting in 2001, the avant-garde collective has released seven EPs and a batch of singles on Terada's Far East ...

From Crosscut, a review of a performance of a Heiner Goebbels piece. Heiner Goebbels is a well-known European avant-garde composer whose works have rarely been performed in the U.S. This is too bad, if “Song of Wars I Have Known,” a stunning hour-long chamber work, is representative. The Seattle Chamber Players heard a Goebbels’ piece at

The trumpet-sax-tuba-fronted jazz sextet Ingo Bethke announces the release of their debut self-titled album. The CD features seven originals and a re-interpretation of a traditional Israeli folk song. The compositions range in style from straight-ahead swing, to carefully- arranged big-band-like tunes, to explosive avant-garde jazz...

From New York’s Roulette: Maria Chavez Sat Mar 13 – 8:30 PM Born in Peru, avant-turntablist Maria Chavez currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. With a collection of new and broken needles that she calls “pencils of sound” and a selection of records, she creates electro-acoustic sound pieces. Chavez made her New York City debut in a duet

Fred Hess has never met a re-harmonized chord, or a free exploration, or a wide-open dissonant voicing he didn't like. On his 14th album as leader, you'll meet all of the above, and then some. The multi-faceted tenorist/arranger from Denver -- where he's Director of Music Composition at Metro State College -- has been itching for years to express his avant-garde inclinations in the ...

Boundary-pushing avant-indie crew Animal Collective and video artist Danny Perez took over the iconic rotunda of New York’s Guggenheim Museum last night, bringing their signature weirdness to a capacity audience of 1,500 people. Billed as an “immersive environment for visitors to come and go through,” the unique performance titled Transverse Temporal Gyrus was part rock

Ventura, CA -- In these days of contrived and over commercialized music it's refreshing to discover a group like The Outer Bridge Ensemble. Known as eclectic modern creative jazz that grooves with a soulful attitude, the Outer Bridge Ensemble weaves uncommon genres together like tango, funk, klezmer, punk, avant-garde, Indian music and classical music while maintaining solid and deliberate gr...

While most bands utilize social media such as Twitter to connect with fans, Portland, Ore.-based indie trio Nurses are taking Internet pursuits to a whole new level. Last Tuesday the avant pop band performed the first-ever live concert via Chat Roulette, the always-interesting, often-creepy international video chat site. Nurses played a 45-minute set in front of 15 computers in the living room of ...

-- When he's not wrecking axes in Wilco, avant garde guitar hero Nels Cline leads his trio the Nels Cline Singers, among various other side projects. On April 13, Cryptogramopone will release Initiate, the Singers' new double album.  Members of Deerhoof and Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda guest, and the second disc was taped live at San Francisco's Cafe du Nord. -- On March 9, Fat...

Japanese avant rock legends BOREDOMS will be bringing their legendary multi-drummer Boadrum performance to London's Forum for one night only this May 11th. Tickets are on sale now from atpfestival.com