A few years back, Chris Forsyth hipped me to Robert Quine and Fred Maher’s 1984 LP Basic, an instrumental album of guitar and drum machine rock that sounds like it’s playing at the wrong speed. His new trio with baritone guitarist Nick Millevoi (whose recent Moon Pulses sounds like the record I wish U2 would make) and Mikel Patrick Avery on percussion and electronics more than winks at Basic with their debut, This is BASIC—at times its wonky, distortion saturated riffs recall that album for sure. But these guys are on their own trip.
Category: Chris Forsyth
Chris Forsyth :: Returns to Solar Motel
Sometimes a record amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Released 10 years ago, Solar Motel found guitarist Chris Forsyth sidestepping the avant-garde improv to embrace rock urgings. The resulting album struck a note—for listeners, but consequently, the artist himself. A decade later, it’s being reissued with extra music as Solar Motel (Expanded). Ahead of its December 8th release, Forsyth joined us to reflect on how the album changed his life—and his artistic point of view.
Transmissions :: Chris Forsyth
This week on Transmissions, Chris Forsyth returns to discuss the gleaming power pop and avant-rock of his latest, Evolution Here We Come. Featuring members of Tortoise, Garcia Peoples, the Sun Ra Arkestra, and The Dream Syndicate, it bounds forward with guitar-driven exuberance and sparkle.
Transmissions :: Chris Forsyth
Our guest this week is Chris Forsyth, guitarist, bandleader, composer, and DIY lifer. His studio albums evoke the punk psychedelia of Television, balancing ‘70s rock grooves the loose, exploratory feel of the Dead. But as good as his studio LPs are, it might be live recordings that best showcase his sound. His latest is called First Flight. On it, he’s joined by guitarist Dave Harrington, drummer Ryan Jewell, and bassist Spencer Zahn on stage at Nublu in New York City on September 20th, 2019.
The Ballad of Jerry’s On Front, or, Building a Better Machine
Forsyth digs into the genesis of his hometown project, Jerry’s On Front — a small storefront performance space in Philadelphia housed in a building he renovated over the past couple of years.
Chris Forsyth :: Dreaming In The Non-Dream
For the follow-up to 2016’s The Rarity of Experience , sprawling, expansive double LP, Chris Forsyth and his Solar Motel comrades take a more spare/skeletal path. For one thing, Forsyth handles all the guitar work […]
Checking Back Into The Solar Motel :: Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band, Sunwatchers + Nick Millevoi
Chris Forsyth’s Solar Motel adventure continues with The Rarity of Experience , a double LP that brings plenty of the six-string fireworks that have become the Philadelphia-based guitarist’s signature over the past few years. […]
Chris Forsyth :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band’s new double album, The Rarity of Experience , is out Friday via the increasingly trustworthy No Quarter Records. No surprise from Forsyth at this point: it’s […]
The Lagniappe Sessions: Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
Lagniappe (la ·gniappe) noun ‘lan-ˌyap,’ — 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus. This week the Lagniappe Sessions touch down with Chris […]
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band :: Intensity Ghost
After releasing the masterful Solar Motel last year, guitarist Chris Forsyth put together a group to take the LP to the stage. Pretty quickly, it became clear that the Solar Motel Band […]
Chris Forsyth :: Cortez The Killer / Little Johnny Jewel
Chris Forsyth’s guitar extravaganza Solar Motel was one of 2013’s most cosmic releases. As great as the LP is, Forsyth took things a whole ‘nother level with the live band he put together to […]
Chris Forsyth :: Solar Motel
Say hello to you new favorite guitar anti-hero. Granted, Chris Forsyth has been making music for quite some time now, but if there’s any justice in this world, Solar Motel will bring a legion […]
Diversions :: Chris Forsyth (Bootleg Mix)
Diversions , a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, catches up with our favorite artists as they wax on subjects other than recording and performing. 2013 isn’t quite done, but it’s safe […]
Chris Forsyth :: “The First Ten Minutes of Cocksucker Blues”
Even though Cocksucker Blues , Robert Frank’s legendary film of the Rolling Stones circa 1972, is routinely referred to as a “documentary,” that’s not quite accurate. Frank himself tips his hand right […]