The Sun City Girls saga came to a sad end with the death of drummer Charles Gocher in 2007. But the band’s bizarre, inspiring spirit lives on in the recent work of SCG co-founders Rick and Alan Bishop (as well as a recommended live show just unleashed from the vaults).
Sir Richard Bishop :: Oneiric Formulary
First up, we’ve got Sir Richard Bishop’s latest effort for Drag City. In comparison to Tangiers Sessions, his austere solo guitar meditation from 2015, Oneiric Formulary is a more colorful and eclectic collection. Sir Richard gleefully jumps all over the place over the course of the album 40+ minute runtime; the compositions feature acoustic and electric guitars, crazy concrete sounds, Fripp-y drones, unidentifiable keyboards and wild Early Music instruments. Somehow, it all fits together in fine fashion – it’s a stellar portrait of an artist with a restless imagination and a keen sense of adventure.
Clandestine Quartet :: One for the Fossa, Two for the Wolverine
Next, there’s One for the Fossa, Two for the Wolverine, the fantastic debut long-player from the Clandestine Quartet, a collective featuring Richard on guitar and Alan on bass, plus underground legends Chris Corsano (drums) and Michael Flower (amplified Japanese banjo). Kicking off with an awesomely free-floating 20-minute drift, the album showcases each player’s distinct sensibilities equally. There’s no star here, just four masterful musicians egging each other on, traveling further and further into the cosmos. It’s a total blast to listen to them blast off. Here’s hoping this band isn’t just a one-off …
Sun City Girls :: Live at the Sky Church – September 3rd, 2004
Finally, dig Live At The Sky Church, an LP/DVD release that captures Sun City Girls at their most unhinged and subversive. Recorded in Seattle in 2004, it’s not something you’d put on during a dinner party – this shit gets genuinely terrifying at certain points. It’s a true testament to the virtually occult power of SCG that their stuff still sounds extremely dangerous all these years later. You’d be hard-pressed to find any band that went deeper into the mystery – and yet they still came out of it cackling maniacally. Turn it up and let the weirdness overtake you. words/t wilcox
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