I loved the concept for this show: the Brown Building’s proprietor and Make Believe DIY head Matty asked me to open for LA-based violinist Lina Tullgren; Amy Cimini on viola and I on cello would round out a sort of deconstructed string trio.

Imagine my surprise when Lina was listed in a duo with none other than Jesse Perlstein of Sontag Shogun! Real ones might remember I remixed “clstrs” off their album It Billows Up so it was a treat to get to share the stage — technically for the second time: back in 2018 Sontag Shogun played in town at Content Partners with Booker Stardrum and Peymaar, with whom I sat in on sax. I had invited a Tinder date to the show and ended up dipping out early to hit up Vallarta so, uh, Jesse and I didn’t meet then.

Well, we didn’t meet here either. Lina and Jesse are both based in LA and given the fires currently raging the show required some reconfiguration so we decided instead to turn the night into a benefit for Water Drop LA, filling the gap in the bill with local Sean Jones.

Before the show I found myself wracked with nerves. I’ve been on this cello wave for my last few shows but I’ve never sang live with it, which only compounded the sense of vulnerability inherent to any live performance. On top of that, last time I played the Brown Building the turnout was dismal and I secretly dreaded a repeat performance. We ended up at the venue ludicrously early which gave us enough time to scarf a massive carne asada burrito from Don Chamango up the street, and thankfully by the time we rounded the corner back to the Brown Building a solid crew had already assembled.

I opened the show with two new songs, one a track from an album Dave and I have in the works and then another new song called “Whatever!!” from my forthcoming solo record Folies Meurtrières. As mentioned, my nerves were fried in the leadup, so it came as a huge relief when afterwards people seemed into whatever it was I did. Sean called the set “somatic” and Amy not only compared the new songs to “industrial Arthur Russell” but even said it was “beautiful.” Not a word I hear often about my music!

Sean Jones played next. We had never played together before but we definitely will again. Sean’s solo bass was running through the most deliciously fried little Crate combo and two delay pedals, and the tone he coaxed out of that tiny thing was unbelievable, all washes of thick fuzz billowing through the room like waves crashing in slo-mo. Apparently we’re neighbors, so if we don’t record or play together soon it’s all fucked.

The last time Amy and I shared a bill had to have been one of the Necking gigs where I played bass. We run into each other in the strangest places; the last time we saw one another was two years ago at a Neil Young concert, and then the morning of this show we bumped into each other on the beach in Coronado while I was doing my usual run around island. San Diego: truly the biggest small town.

Amy played two of her pieces for viola through pedals, alternating furious tremolo bowing with gentle pizzicato sections, looped harmonics echoing over sub-bass frequencies and occasionally verging into walls of feedback. Amy’s sets are always a joy to watch unfold but this one was possessed of a singular balance and cohesion — not in the sense of uniformity, but the pieces flowed in such a natural way even the most surprising moments arose naturally from their surroundings.

No shows on the calendar for now, but there might be something to come in March…