Confirmed performers for the Liminal Festival include:
Wes Phillips (pop/experimental): Carrboro, NC
Wes Phillips is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music stretches traditional pop song boundaries. A bassist, guitarist, drummer, singer and keyboardist, Wes’s album 15 Songs was recorded entirely by himself playing every instrument. A former member of Raleigh supergroup Ticonderoga, and having performed in a solo version of himself, Wes now plays with a full backing band.
Organos (pop/experimental): Carrboro, NC
Organos is the solo project of Maria Albani. It is the organic, minimalistic, and oddly melodic result of what happens when a bass player that never faces the crowd at shows starts writing songs. Albani plays with Schooner, has played with Pleasant, Un Deux Trois, and Tennis and the Mennonites, and is the co-creator and curator of Minus Sound Research Artist Collective. Organos’ first EP “Limbs” will soon be coming out on Pox World Empire. This is the project’s fledgling live performance.
INVISIBLE: Rhythm 1001 (experimental/performance art): Greensboro, NC
Rhythm 1001 is a one-of-a-kind analog drum machine made up of repurposed electronics and a variety of non-traditional percussion instruments. As pegs are placed in a spinning wheel, patterns become beats as mechanical mallets bang and tap objects and drums. Usually accompanied by thrift store enthusiast Bart Trotman on throw-away keyboards and found sound tape samples, this will be a solo performance of Rhythm 1001 by creator Mark Dixon.
Billy Sugarfix (pop/performance art): Carrboro, NC
From the lips of Billy himself: “My name is Billy Sugarfix. I live on top of the highest mountain in Carrboro, NC. From the tower of my castle, I can see three planets as yet undiscovered by mainstream scientists. On extrememly calm nights when the moon is in a gibbous phase, I can pick up signals from these distant spheres. The first one tells me to write and perform pop songs with pretty melodies, the second planet tells me to write silly songs and use nothing but a chipmunk voice to sing with, the third planet tells me to get a bunch of electronic gadgets and make noise. So, dear friend, if you’d like to help me figure out which far away world I should try to please, I would welcome your heartfelt advice.” Billy will be performing on theremin, music bottles, loop pedals and other surprises – and in costume.
Felix Obelix (pop/classical/experimental): Carrboro, NC
Felix Obelix is the songwriting project of Wendy Spitzer (Lemming Malloy, The Physics of Meaning, ex-Eyes to Space). Her music is a jerky blend of rocksy whatnot, avant-garde whosit and old-fashioned multiple-meter mathematical moxie: the twisted hits from unpopular Big-Note piano books that never were. Song topics lie squarely in the land of dread. The inevitable march of time, finding meaning in life before death, the sticky mess of memory — these are all handled with a wry ear for irony, but with ample heart too. Felix Obelix is comprised of Wendy on bass/vocals, Jay Cartwright on accordion, Billy Sugarfix on drums, Dylan Thurston on xylophone/glockenspiel and Lawson Bennett on organ.
Make a Rising (pop/prog/experimental): Philadelphia, PA
Tunneling its way out of the West Philadelphia nether worlds, Make A Rising is a band that mixes almost every conceivable genre. The quintet’s debut record is a swirling mix of violin, keyboard, guitars, drums, saxophone, trumpet, bells, whistles, and assorted noisemakers – all swelling together for subversively addictive pop gems. With orchestral crescendos combined with off-kilter vocals and fast-changing tempos, Make A Rising is the sound of chaos, bliss, bravado, nerves and naivety – avant chamber rock at its most dynamic – like Daniel Johnston singing Beach Boys songs interpreted by Naked City.
Jay Cartwright (pop/experimental): Durham, NC
Jay Cartwright, a Durham resident, has been playing accordion for sixteen years, nearly half his life. He plays in various ensembles around the Triangle, including street band The Scene of the Crime Rovers, participatory sea-chanty collective Oyster Destroyster, and indie rock groups Felix Obelix and Fictional Detectives. For his solo shows, he plays and sings his favorite songs, everything from folk ballads to seventies rock classics. {photo credit Perception Crisis}
Bee vs. Moth (rock/avant-garde/jazz): Austin, TX
Bee vs. Moth is a multiple-genre, weirdo instrumental rock band from Austin, Texas. Our mission is to bravely explore the little-traveled and oft-neglected territory between Ornette Coleman’s doom metal band and Mr. Rogers’ dude ranch. Along the way, we’ll tromp through a few Latin tunes, knock over some perfectly good chords, and spill improvised solos on our nice, clean shirts. Or as our friend put it, “You guys sound like Sonic Youth meets the Tijuana Brass.”
The Lisps (pop/vaudeville/experimental): Brooklyn, NY ****CANCELLED****
The Lisps are a New York-based assemblage of 21st century humans. They are most accurately described as the public/performative version of all the relationships you’re struggling with. Their pop songs and live show hark back to the days of vaudeville antics, but put through an avant-garde wringer. They released their debut full-length album, “Country Doctor Museum” in January of 2008 and celebrated with a sold-out album release party at the beautiful Joe’s Pub in NYC. This year, the Lisps put on their musical “FUTURITY” which is the classic American tale of a Civil War soldier who is an aspiring science ficiton writer.