| cerberus shoal | ||||||
| In
May of '97 Cerberus began collaborating with another Portland-based group
called tarpigh. The two groups along with two other Portland musicians,
Shannon Systems and Dave Jonson, agreed to work on two soundtracks for Tim
Folland's abstract shorts, "Elements of Structure" and "Permanence".
On a Sunday in the middle of May they recorded at the Cerberus Shoal house
(Tank 28) with volunteered equipment and time from engineer/producer Steve
Drown and local pro audio dealer Fraser Jones. While watching the films,
the group improvised the twenty-minute "Elements of Structure"
and the thirty-minute "Permanence". As a result of the project's
success, a bond was created between tarpigh and Cerberus Shoal. The music
also proved to stand on its own. Though there was never any intention of
releasing the music separately from the films, it was decided to make a
record out of the soundtracks. In the fall of '98 the California-based label
Audio Information Phenomena released the soundtrack record "Elements
of Structure/Permanence". Just weeks later Cerberus was about to depart for a six-week summer tour when Mulder took his leave. So again Sutherland, Mulkerin and Rogers were stranded with music written and ready to go but one player short. The three were desperate and therefore resorted to testing their newly formed friendship with tarpigh by inviting them to hit the road for the summer. Though the notice was incredibly short, two weeks to be exact, Thomas Kovacevic (guitar, oud, zamponya and vocals) and Tim Harbeson (trumpet, keyboard, shakuhachi and accordion) were able to uproot their lives and join the caravan. Eric LaPerna (conglomerate, percussion), the third member of tarpigh, was not able to join the tour, but his spirit was in the van as this new Cerberus Shoal left to tour the U$A. So whether it took place that fateful night in South Portland or somewhere on the road, perhaps Arkansas, Cerberus Shoal and tarpigh decided to join as one. That summer tour ended around the middle of July '97 and upon return a new six-piece began writing and rehearsing. This group went on to tour and record for approximately three years, making music as art, expression and a way of life. Three records were written and recorded: "homb", "Crash My Moon Yacht" and "Mr. Boy Dog". The first was released by the Baltimore-based label Temporary Residence in December 1999, the second was released in the U.S. by Maine's North East Indie and in Europe by France's Pandemonium Records in September of 2000 and the third by Temporary Residence January 2002. Currently though, all three records reside comfortably on North East Indie. NEXT |
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