Music
Press
"The trio of Whitney Ota (Yankee Yankee, proprietor of Unit Structure Sound Recordings, host of White Lodge Black Lodge on CJSW), Stew Elton (of No River), and Andrew Hume (of Seizure Salad and burrito-making fame) has been ripping it up all over town this year. They’ve got a very natural, uncontrived approach to the guitar/bass/drums format, improvising freely, stretching out loose-limbed, primal bass & drum interplay and splashing various guitar heroics all over the top. This night will be in honour of two new releases from this unit, a cdr on Bug Incision and a tape on USSR." - tubbydog
"The trio of Whitney Ota (Yankee Yankee, proprietor of Unit Structure Sound Recordings, host of White Lodge Black Lodge on CJSW), Stew Elton (of No River), and Andrew Hume (of Seizure Salad and burrito-making fame) has been ripping it up all over town this year. They’ve got a very natural, uncontrived approach to the guitar/bass/drums format, improvising freely, stretching out loose-limbed, primal bass & drum interplay and splashing various guitar heroics all over the top. This night will be in honour of two new releases from this unit, a cdr on Bug Incision and a tape on USSR." - tubbydog
"This one took a few listens to sink in, but it’s absolutely pummelling me right now. It looks unassuming enough — just bass, guitar and drums, and no track titles — but the 7 improvised-sounding instrumental tracks here all hover around 10 minutes each and get the most out of such a minimal setup. The use of tons of effects pedals helps too. Sometimes they bash away at a midtempo dub-inspired rhythm, others they set the controls for infinity and hammer straight on. Even when tumbling through drum solos or mountains of feedback, the group never loses focus. They take things down a few notches for the last couple tracks, but not too much. One of the better acid-rock releases I’ve heard lately." - paul simpson/foxydigitalis
"This one took a few listens to sink in, but it’s absolutely pummelling me right now. It looks unassuming enough — just bass, guitar and drums, and no track titles — but the 7 improvised-sounding instrumental tracks here all hover around 10 minutes each and get the most out of such a minimal setup. The use of tons of effects pedals helps too. Sometimes they bash away at a midtempo dub-inspired rhythm, others they set the controls for infinity and hammer straight on. Even when tumbling through drum solos or mountains of feedback, the group never loses focus. They take things down a few notches for the last couple tracks, but not too much. One of the better acid-rock releases I’ve heard lately." - paul simpson/foxydigitalis
" From the teenage emergencies of Aaron Levin:
The scorched ferocity barely tethers Burnt Monument‘s searing atonal bliss to our malignant reality. Revelling within the distorted chaos of a guitar-driven daily dance, Burro decimate every squalid soundscape in their pursuit of tautolic wretchery. It’s the ultimate display of damaged purity; a cacophony of annihilation; a treatise on the fundamental nature of obliteration. Ultimate Shred™. " - aaron levin/weird canada
" From the teenage emergencies of Aaron Levin:
The scorched ferocity barely tethers Burnt Monument‘s searing atonal bliss to our malignant reality. Revelling within the distorted chaos of a guitar-driven daily dance, Burro decimate every squalid soundscape in their pursuit of tautolic wretchery. It’s the ultimate display of damaged purity; a cacophony of annihilation; a treatise on the fundamental nature of obliteration. Ultimate Shred™. " - aaron levin/weird canada
Discography
Burro
Burnt Monument
bim-53, winter 2012
- Bug Incision records
Burro
Macy's Trip
winter 2012
- Unit Structure Sound Recordings
Photos
Bio
Burro is a vertible meeting of the minds of some of Calgary's finest wayward musicians. Whitney Ota first came to Bug Incision's attention at a performance some years back at the Discord series at Emmedia. He was playing sax and guitar (always a winning combination) in a duo called Wild & Majestic. One post-gig chat and a handful of cdr releases later, it was obvious that we'd be working together down the line. Ota also busies himself running Unit Structure Sound Recordings, a fine imprint which (as well as housing the sister release to this album: Burnt Monument) has also released some of his other projects: the kosmiche-y solo vehicle called Yankee Yankee and more texturally-inclined duo Dundas (with Mr. Elton). Stew Elton is and essential part of the Bug Incision universe, operating as the man who books the dates at Weeds Cafe, where so many BI performances take place. He also plays in the band No River, and has recorded a devasting solo EP called Bound, which is floating around out there somewhere. Andrew Hume (along with running buddy Britt Proulx) made his mark on Calgary's werid music scene with his duo Seizure Salad. They played tons of shows, and released a nice handful of tapes, both mediums covering lotsa ground and seeming to have no problem doing so. An "experimental" band at its fullest potential.
-Chris Dadge
Links
