The new single “Menacing Sky” is out today!
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 I’m pleased to announce that my newest full length album “Sans Fixer” has just released on Silber Records. This is my first new collection of released material since 2018’s “Intone Drone” and probably one of my favorite releases since 2014’s “Crickets were the Compass”. While it’s hard to shake common threads I feel that this record is a pretty big departure from the rest of my solo stuff and I hope that some of that is evident while you listen. You can stream and buy at all of the usual outlets. Here’s the link to the labels release page: https://silbermedia.bandcamp.com/album/sans-fixer Thanks to Brian John Mitchell for releasing this on Silber Media! Special thanks to We Never Sleep for the collaboration on the last track on the album!
US composer and musician CHVAD SB has an extensive career that goes back to the early 1990’s, with tenures in multiple bands along the way. He released his first solo album back in 2012, and six more releases have followed since. “Intone Drone” is his latest solo album, and was released through US label Silber Records towards the end of 2018. As one might expect from the title of this album, drones are rather central here. This is a one song album, clocking in at just over 63 minutes, and while this may sound rather massive and challenging, not to say monumental, this is a case of a skilled creator of sounds managing to establish and maintain a distinct mood and atmosphere throughout, with effective and efficient use of subtle details to maintain tension and interest. Continue reading House of Prog – Chvad SB “Intone Drone″ (2018)
tickets for sale on eventbrite Experimental Groundbreakers Controlled Bleeding Straddle the Primal and Cerebral Controlled Bleeding bandleader and guitarist Paul Lemos isn’t the type of artist you can pigeonhole. Since founding Controlled Bleeding in Boston in the late ‘70s, Lemos has led the band through a dizzying array of musical styles including post-punk, fusion, power electronics, and industrial, to name just a few. Not unlike King Crimson or Swans—acts whose names function as institutions that host revolving casts of players—Controlled Bleeding can appear to be an entirely different band depending on which album or period you focus on. Last year, after a lengthy hiatus following the deaths of longtime creative partners, drummer/keyboardist Chris Moriarty and singer/keyboardist Joe Papa, Lemos released his first album in 14 years under the Controlled Bleeding banner, Larva Lumps and Baby Bumps. Anchored by the talents of new collaborators Chad Bernhard and Mike Bazini, both drum programmers, sound sculptors, and keyboardists, the album was the result of a gradual (but initially unintended) five-year build towards reactivating the band. In a career defined by exploration, Lemos and company are still pushing themselves to discover new sounds. On their appropriately-titled new remix album Carving Songs, 15 like-minded artists including Merzbow, Justin Broadrick of Godflesh and Jesu, and Child Bite reimagine Larva Lumps for a varied but surprisingly cohesive take on an already-eclectic album. Of course, it wouldn’t be Controlled Bleeding if the project didn’t also put fresh twists on the idea of the definition of the remix itself. Lemos spoke to us from his home on his native Long Island, his base for over 35 years. Continue reading Bandcamp Interview and Feature, Controlled Bleeding (2017)
Controlled Bleeding will be performing on the main stage on the 27th. Tickets can be purchased at EVENTBRITE US composer and musician CHVAD SB has been active for around a quarter of a century at this point, perhaps primarily best known as a band member in a number of different set-ups, but he also has a few solo productions to his name. The curiously named “Phenomenalism, Cartesian Doubt and Bomb #20” dates back to 2016, and was released through US label Silber Records. The back story to the creation of this album is Chvad’s stated admiration of the earliest electronic movie scores, dating back to the 1950’s. Furthermore, this isn’t material that has been composed or otherwise created in a normal manner, but rather music made by way of a programmed, self-playing modular synthesizer using feedback loops. The main work, as such, was apparently to fine-tune the programming. A task that took a few good months, then in addition to setting up this equipment in the first place I’d suspect. Continue reading House of Prog – Chvad SB “Phenomenalism, Cartesian Doubt and Bomb #20″ (2018) From QRD #74: QRD – What was your first guitar & what happened to it? Chvad – My first guitar was my Opa’s 1960-ish Sears Silvertone. I beat it up a lot over the years, but I still have it. I get really emotionally attached to instruments. I can’t see ever parting ways with it. QRD – what’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier? Chvad – My “go to” guitar is a black walnut Carvin custom shop guitar based on their SCB6 body style. It’s fitted with two Carvin Humbuckers. Prior to that I’d been using a Schecter Damien FR for the past 8 or so years. I have two pedal boards I use to keep things lighter to carry. The FX chain is as follows: Pedalboard 01: Earthquaker Devices Dream Crusher (fuzz), Fairfield Circuitry Randy’s Revenge Ring Modulator, Tech 21 Boost R.V.B. (reverb), MXR Fullbore Metal (distortion), WMD Geiger Counter (distortion), Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone (fuzz), Dentone Swamp Thing (tremolo) & a Death by Audio Ghost Delay. This chains into pedal board #2: Morley Volume Plus, Earthquaker Devices Tone Job (EQ), Red Panda Particle (delay), Strymon Brigadier (delay), Pigtronix Infinity Looper/Nose Expression/expansion pedal, Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master (reverb & delay), Tech 21 Sansamp Classic. My amp is a Peavey Studio Chorus 210. When I’m recording I usually go direct from the Sansamp. If I’m doing a more drone oriented show I’ll also go direct. If I’m working on heavier material live, I’ll use the amp. It’s the only amp I’ve ever had. Continue reading QRD Interview with Chvad SB (2015) North Carolina’s ethereal auteurs Silber Records bring us Structures, a hauntingly charming guitar drone from Chvad SB. The album encompasses two 20+ minute pieces of sculptured sonic hegemony, that swirl, glisten, crackle and shout with stunning effect. The album is minimalist and engaging, with lots of edge to tread and spark to admire. Love this one, and an absolute must have. Stream and buy Structure at the link below. Review by FZP A deep electronic drone, punctuated by little ripples of organic sound. It’s the sound of quiet unrest, the slow etching of shadows cast by the light of a full moon. It reminds me a lot of the meanderings of early Pink Floyd records, but spooled out ever so slowly. There’s a contemplative quality, but one that is constantly interrupted and reset by the need to cross gaps and fissures. It produces a meditative effect, but one defined by interruption more than unity. The record is Structure, from Chvad SB. Review by; olneyce Every now and then along comes a record that is just so beautiful….so heartstoppingly gorgeous…that you can almost feel the endorphins being released and a veil of bliss and contentment being drawn over the despair and despondency of the modern world. Well, this album is one of those. Chvad SB is a prodigious artist having produced some 80 releases (albums, singles, film scores, compilations & remixes) and is also known for being a contributor to experimental legends Controlled Bleeding. Of his prior releases the only one with which I am au fait was his last album ‘Phenomenalism, Cartesian Doubt and Bomb #20’ – a sci-fi based ‘self-playing construct’ that is a masterpiece of electronic abstraction. On ‘Structure’ however Chvad has produced an album of guitar drones and sublime slide guitar that is pure radiance. There are just the two tracks on the album, both hovering around the twenty minute mark. The first, ‘Column’ opens with a drone that positively resonates with a slight oscillation. More layers of gentle drone are added and this in itself is a thing of beauty but then enters the guitar. Gentle strums add another dimension to the drones and the result is evocative, emotive and utterly, utterly beautiful (I know, I know…I keep using that word). For those of a spiritual bent, this is transcendent….lifting the listener up and over the humdrum drudgery of everyday life and into a much better place. Absolutely spellblinding. The second track, ‘Pillar’ takes a slightly different path…percussive knocks add an almost primal edge to more captivating drones but again these herald more of that almost transmundane guitar. The guitar is maybe a tad more strident and, at times, veers into more sedate spaghetti western twang. As the track progresses the presence of synths becomes more obvious, adding rich washes of dystopian colour that complement the guitar and the drones nicely. ‘Structure’ is a majestic album, rich in texture and conjuring soundscapes with what, in today’s world, is a simple palette. It is an enchanting forty minutes which you spend in a blissful reverie. The ‘Structure’ title is no red herring…it is in the structure of these two tracks that the secret lay..no note is out of place and it sounds as though every sound has been carefully plotted using some form of arcane mathematics…and the fact that Chvad is no slouch with a plectrum helps. This, in short, is superior music making. It is released by Silber and as a download only found on their Bandcamp page here. Review originally published here: Stately with its epic sprawl, Chvad SB’s “Structure” feels utterly mesmerizing. Featuring a mixture of ambient, drone, with a nod to a spaghetti western twang, the whole thing simply consumes the listener whole. Physicality dominates the two extended pieces as they explore true dream worlds. Texturally rich, Chvad SB ensures that every single element positively glistens in the air. Without needing to say a single word, a narrative begins to form throughout the album. Gestures are amplified beyond belief within this sweeping symphonic style. Angelic with its origins, “Column” introduces the album with a tremendous amount of heart. Featuring a post-rock sort of style, the way the piece unfolds gives it a strong emotional core. Over the course of the track the buildup happens with the utmost of grace. Rather beautiful, the glistening textures and patience feel reminiscent of Eliane Radigue’s careful compositional tact. Quite soothing, the multifaceted, multilayered approach works wonders as the cyclical nature feels hypnotic. Seemingly more static than it actually is, the track transports the listener to a wholly different universe. The organ swell further emphasizes a force of nature sort of spirit, ebbing and flowing with ease. Going for a more minimal take “Pillar” ends the collection. Far eerier, “Pillar” refuses to let up, as it flirts with noise and almost pure cacophony. Industrial in tenor, the song is the harsher of the two with the guitar distortion a particularly fine touch. Chvad SB sculpts a true piece of art with the powerful emotionally charged experimentation of “Structure”. Review originally published here: The two track single (available on bandcamp) runs for roughly three quarter of an hour of immersive soundscape. The opening track Column sits around an extended note from which half-caught inflections almost imperceptibly surface akin to, invisible to the naked eye, imperfections in glass. Pillar, my pick of the release, is a blurry flow of frequencies which clear to reveal, again, an extended single note, circled by detuned melodics of guitar. As is usually the case with drone – be in no hurry having hit play as Pillar lasts the better part of twenty two minutes. Apparently this is Chvad SB’s 80th release in about 27 years, which with some artists might imply that they’re knocking them out without much thought. And on the surface, the bold simplicity of the layered drones, strung-out notes and heavily processed guitar noodling in the two 22-minute pieces that make up “Structure” could imply that it didn’t take long to formulate. But scratch a little deeper and you find that, like strong minimalist art, the exceptional balance and control of this release is what makes it really strong. Supremely long synthetic tones, some imitating strings, others their own form of steady tubular or sine wave beds, loop and loop. Six minutes into opening track “Column” we begin to hear the first elements that could be described as notes, playing out glacially slowly like the melody of a slow ice melt, before with admirable patience we are finally introduced to the reverb-soaked electric guitar sounds, which strum away with a surprisingly happy tone. “Pillar” is a more echoey affair, with a hall-like ambience and gentle waves of electrical hum and interference sounds being cut through by spontaneous percussive tube hits and single strained guitar notes. Hints of American twang just creep into the guitar work at the end. It’s yet another really strong bit of guitar drone from the very prolific and consistent Silber label. Review by; Stuart Bruce Originally posted here: http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=10217
The Boost R.V.B. features 6 knobs for controlling tone, two ¼” instrument jacks for input and output, a switch for turning the pedal on and off and an input for a DC power supply, and like most pedals, it can also be powered with the standard 9-volt battery. The switch is a buffered bypass switch that is easy to open and close and doesn’t create any kind of “pop” or “click” when engaging the signal. Although not a “true bypass” pedal the Boost R.V.B. doesn’t mute or adversely affect the guitar tone in any perceptible way (Tech 21 supplies an interesting document on pedal bypass types HERE). The knob controls are all pretty standard for a reverb pedal like this, with flexible mix and EQ settings, but it’s worth making special mention of two of the knobs. One of them, “Feedback,” creates an internal feedback loop of the reverberated signal, and opens up tons of interesting effects. If pushed too far you can actually create a monstrous feedback signal that quickly spirals out of control. It’s an awesome feature that allows for some pretty imaginative applications and I like the fact that Tech21 didn’t limit the amount of feedback that could be applied, instead leaving that choice up to the consumer. It is an interesting option both for those seeking more tame and musical applications and for those with more experimental purposes in mind. The other control worthy of special mention is the “Level” knob, which is responsible for the “Boost” in the pedal’s name. The knob adjusts the overall volume of the pedal’s output, allowing you to cut through a mix for big solos, if you’re interested in using the pedal for that. Personally, I just keep the in/out level at unity but this extra flexibility may be helpful for some players. Despite the fact that this is a mono pedal, it excels and creating the illusion of space. A lot of reverbs sound like a muted decaying white noise carrying a hint of tone… they’re cloudy, muddy and in general sound very poor to me. The Boost R.V.B. doesn’t suffer from these shortcomings. I tested several pedals in the sub-$200.00 price range for my purchase and the Tech21 Boost R.V.B., a solidly built pedal meant to last, was by far the most pleasing to my ears. Review by; Chvad SB
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