Shane Parish (USA)

Shane Perlowin

Shane Perlowin is a voraciously eclectic guitarist, composer and improviser, based in Asheville, North Carolina. Though involved in a large variety of ongoing musical enterprises, he is most widely known for his avant-noise-rock project Ahleuchatistas, which has released six albums on different labels, including his very own Open Letter Records, famed saxophonist/composer John Zorn’s Tzadik Records, and Cuneiform Records. In 2010, Perlowin self-released his debut solo album The Vacancy in Every Verse, which features looped ambient textures, fiery noise, solo acoustic guitar, and a guitar/bass/drums trio. He also comprises 50% of the creative force in the post-rock/psychedelic/folk/noise band Doom Ribbons, which released its debut album, The Violence The Violence, in 2011 on Open Letter, with the vinyl LP appearing on Family Night Records. Perlowin’s solo acoustic guitar music is rooted in the American finger-style tradition of John Fahey and Mississippi John Hurt, but mixed with his own idiosyncratic twists, drawing influence from 20th century atonal classical music, traditional Chinese music, African music, and avant-garde jazz. His solo electric work, is a mash-up of improvisations and pre-conceived notions, blown-out crunk, lo-fi garage rawness, ethereal soundscapes, sinister noise, pointillism, impressionism, nostalgia, garbage, and global themes. It is performed with prepared guitar, toys, loops, fingers and picks. Nailing down a genre or two to summarize all this music is difficult since the amount of music informing his compositional style and his approach to the guitar is enormous. The playing reflects an affinity for the history of the instrument and an ear toward its future development.

On three pieces Perlowin plays tempo-shifting acoustic fingerstyle guitar, but otherwise he sticks to electric, occasionally complementing his spindly solos with delay-pedal loops whose heavily processed post-Bill Frisell curlicues provide the fertile soil for his fleet, squiggling lines and abstract, acidic sound puddles. -Chicago Reader Impressive and engaging — and strikingly exquisite. -Columbia Free Times Diverse and inventive. -Chattanooga Pulse That Perlowin can achieve such a fastidious balance of conceptual sound and warm, organic tone is a testament to his immense talent. -Mountain Xpress There's noise and fire in their playing, but most of these tunes are also studded with signposts, demanding close attention and clear execution. -The New York Times (on Ahleuchatistas) It's the kind of musical tug-of-war that sounds as jagged as it is graceful... -National Public Radio (on Ahleuchatistas) Powerful...explosive... -Pitchfork (on Ahleuchatistas)