Session 15 - miRthkon
I'm delighted to manifest the maniacal musical mischief of miRthkon on our communal video wall this coming Weds, August 22 at 8 PM. miRthkon are simultaneously one of the most intense, musically competent, and humorously delightful bands that have ever existed. Hailing from Oakland CA, miRthkon sprouted from guitarist Wally Scharold's compositions while a conservatory student at Oberlin, sharpened through later studies with Fred Frith at Mills. They've been active since 2005. I'd class their style with Zappa - if Frank had grown up listening to metal as opposed to Doo-Wop. The changes come fast, the compositions are daring but funny while nodding at pop, and the playing is very very *tight*. For those in the know, my "patriotic" side is proud to consider them one of the very few American bands now playing in the true "rock in opposition" style - contenders might be Thinking Plague or Nick Didkovsky's Dr. Nerve, but these guys are a little closer to Carl Stalling's Warner Brothers' scores.
I saw miRthkon play in a tiny loft in Soho last weekend - they were every bit as amazing as I could have hoped. The musical twists and turns keep coming - tracks end like you're speeding down a winding road coming up on an abrupt cliff that you didn't know was on the other side of that bend that you didn't see coming - it just leaves you laughing right up to the edge.
I'll be screening their brand new DVD called "Format," which is centered around a performance they gave at CalProg 2010, but filled with hilarious interludes. Much like Zappa's 200 Motels, but cleaned up slightly, with the emphasis on the music. In brief, this one is entertaining!
They are at: http://www.mirthkon.com/
Enjoy the trailer for this DVD here: http://vimeo.com/18453120
Fun for the whole Media Lab family, while keeping the musical bar up where it belongs here!
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Joe
Paradiso (Summer 2012)