Michael Evans Sounds — the collision of sound and theatrics

Michael Evans is an improvising drummer/percussionist/thereminist/composer whose work investigates and embraces the collision of sound and theatrics. As well as being a drumset player, his work with unusual sound sources includes found objects, homemade instruments, the theremin and various digital and homemade analog electronics. His work with the theremin varies the quality of its sound through set-up and technique. On the theremin he has performed with dancers and in group settings playing experimental, jazz, rock, ersatz lounge and chamber music. In 2000, he was photographed playing a Moog ether wave theremin for the front of Bob Moog’s Big Briar catalog. He has performed in multiple performances of the NYC Theremin Society’s Issue Project Room concerts during 2005, 2006 and 2007. He has studied movement/sparring/drumming with Professor Milford Graves, drum technique with Joe Morello, tabla with Misha Masud, kanjira with Ganesh Kumar and Haitian/Afro-Cuban hand drumming with John Amira. He has studied musicianship with Helen Hobbs Jordan, composition with Richard Cameron Wolf, Blue Gene Tyranny and the theremin with Pamelia Kurstin.

He was selected for a composers fellowship to Music/Omi 2001. Music/Omi is part of the International Music Colony @ the Art Omi International Arts Center, in the upstate city of Ghent, N.Y..

During the summer of 2003, he participated in Baltimore’s High Zero Festival. An ongoing, yearly improvisational festival featuring musicians from the USA and abroad.

In Berlin, Germany he participated in an impromptu performance series entitled “Purgatory”, presented by Alexander Hacke(Einsturzende Neubauten).

During the spring of 2004 he participated, along with his partner, the dancer/choreographer Susan Hefner, in Birmingham, Alabama’s ImprovFestival produced by LaDonna Smith.
He and Susan debuted their “Fulminate Moon” duo performance as a part of the Roulette series, at Location One Gallery in Soho, NYC on April 22nd, 2005.
Susan and Michael, along with LaDonna Smith took part in performing in Brooklyn’s Improvised And Otherwise Festival: A Festival of Sound And Form on May 6th, 2005.

During August of 2005, the duo of percussionist Samm Bennett/Michael Evans toured Japan.

In August of 2006 (he also will be teaching/performing during the summer of this year, August 2007) he taught a week long drummer’s workshop to children and performed at the Electric Eclectics festival (Festival Of Modern Music And Irritainment) in Meaford, Canada.

During December of 2006, he and Susan Hefner presented their duo of movement and sound, Cymbalic Logicians during the Chocolate Factory’s Fresh Meat Festival in Long Island City, NY.

Recently on May 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2008, he and Susan Hefner yet again presented their new duo performance of movement and sound, Domestic Noise at the Chocolate Factory Theatre in Long Island City, NY.

He has worked with a wide variety of actors, comedians, film makers, musicians, performance artists, and dancers including Ron Anderson, Jeff Arnal, Audio Artists, Claire Barratt, Samm Bennett, Jac Berrocal, Carla Bley, Naval Cassidy, James Chance, Martha Colburn, Combustible Edison, Lol Coxhill, EasSide Percussion(ESP), Roger Ely(the Devil’s Chaueffeur), Nicolas Dumit Estevez, Ken Filiano, Fast Forward(Gobo), Chris Ferris, Michael Gira (Angels of Light, Swans), Gisburg, Gilbert Godfried, God is my Co-Pilot, Alexander Hacke(Einsturzende Neubauten), Susan Hefner, Steve Horowitz’s Code Ensemble, Jarboe (Swans), Pamelia Kurstin, Skip LaPlante’s Music for Homemade Instruments, Gen Ken Montgomery, Neil Leonard, Aimee Mann, Karen Mantler, Sean G. Meehan, Donald Miller, Eric Mingus, Gordon Monahan, Joe Morris, Anders Nilsson, Evan Parker, Andrea Parkins, Maxime De La Rochefoucauld, William Parker, Yvette Perez’s Birdbrain, Gino Robair, Lary Seven, Elliot Sharp, Moe! Staiano, LaDonna Smith, David Simons, Toronto Dance Theatre, Stephen Vitiello, Christopher Walken, Jason Willet, Peter Zummo’s Noisy Meditation Band and John Zorn.

He continues his ongoing collaborations with: Jeff Arnal(MEJA duo), Anders Nilsson & Ken Filiano(Fulminate Trio), Peter Zummo’s Noisy Meditation Band, EasSide Percussion(ESP), Lary Seven and composes music for and performs with Susan Hefner and Dancers.

Recorded examples of his work can be found on EasSide Percussion’s ESP release on Avant records, MESuperstar on A.T.M.O.T.W. records, Karen Mantler’s Farewell and Pet Project releases on XtraWatt records, Just Drums 2 - The Project(a compilation of 35 drummers) on Fever Pitch records and MEJA(Michael Evans/Jeff Arnal) on C3R records.
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