Saturday, January 27, 2007

Airway - Live at the Lace ,LP 1978, USA (NWW list!/LAFMS label)





2 track LP on LAFMS recs from 1978 by Airway.Two long improv freak outs of distorted garbled greatness.Guitars,drums,sax,mandolin,bass and "vocals" all get a heavy dose of electronic treatments.
It was recorded live at Lace Gallery in downtown Los Angeles, April 27, 1978. This incarnation featured Vetza (vocals), Tom Recchion (drums), Rick Potts (electric mandolin), Dennis Duck (sax), Juan Gomez (electric guitar & bass), Chip Chapman (processing mix & microsynthesizer) and Joe Potts (tapes processing & mix).
The first pressing came with color xeroxes of autopsy photos on both sides (the credits state that the model is Vetza, which is incorrect; the 'model' is a real autopsy subject!).
"Airway was a musical ensemble based within the Los Angeles Free Music Society.
Airway was initially a solo project of Le Forte Four member Joe Potts. The first release was the Airway 7", which featured subliminal messages to coincide with an art exhibition in Tokyo. In August 1978 Airway made their live debut at the Lace Gallery. This lineup featured Potts and Chip Chapman on electronics, Vetza on vocals, Rick Potts on mandolin, Dennis Duck on saxophone, Juan Gomez on bass, and Tom Recchion on drums. They attempted to create subliminal messages beneath a wall of noise by using tape delay. Recordings from the performance were released as Live At Lacy by the Los Angeles Free Music Association.
Throughout 1978 the group performed more concerts with differing lineups, but always with Joe Potts' subliminal message experiments. The project disbanded in 1979. Airway reformed in 1998 for a performance at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, which featured 18 musicians. Recordings from the performance were released as Beyond the Pink Live.
Their sound influenced the Japanese noise band Hijokaidan"
More LAFMS releases (DooDooetes,Le Forte Four, etc) coming soon!

6 comments:

  1. So, I just woke up. Brewed up some morning coffee (we went with espresso, this morning). Did my morning stretch and yawn. Powered up the P.C. and....it's going to be a GRRREEEEAAAAT day!

    Thank you, so much, for this. This is one of 3 "A" NWW Artists I had not been able to track down. The other two are: Pekka Airksinen
    & Archaïa. (A not so subtle hint, I know)

    And, I noted you were thinking of posting other LAFMS artists on their list, which I am also in search of. I do have a 43 track comp entitled LAFMS Emergency Cassete. But, mind you, I got this from some other blog a while back (and my apologies for not remembering who shared it, as it is quite awesome).

    Any other "A" items you're looking for beyond those noted above can be provided via upload if desired. (though I am guessing by your shares, that I am not going to be add much to your collection). Nonetheless, I thought I'd offer. It is the very least I can do.

    THANKS, again and again and again....

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  2. The LAFMS emergency cassete must have been downloaded by me since i've posted this about 10 days ago.
    thanks for your good words
    keep on

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  3. See, there it is then. I am literally downloading SO many un-freakin-believable items that I can not keep up. My apologies for not giving credit where credit is due.

    And, if I may, I'd highly recommend that post, as well. The hits keep coming!!!!

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  4. Wow! The Airway record. Yer on a serious roll over here, rocker.

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  5. please note, this is NOT the original Airway but the remixed and edited version from the LAFMS box set. The original (and supposedly much superior) version is just about to be reissued on CD by the Harbinger Sound label - see http://www.harbingersound.org...
    GREAT BLOG though, keep up the fine work

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  6. Airway just played at Otis Art school in February, their first show in 10 years since the Beyond the Pink performance. They were a ten-piece for this show. More information here: www.lafms.com

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