Assuming that you have taken in more free week than the bathroom at the Mohawk, your circuit training for SXSW is almost complete: The 12 oz. Lone Star curls really blasted those biceps, all that moshing at Red 7 might have really worked those shoulders, and the pedicab dodging on Red River was some great cardio. However, it is now time for the cool down phase at the ever dynamic Church of the Friendly Ghost-- no drums, no seven dollar drinks, no problem. more ›

Church of the Friendly Ghost is going through a reformation of sorts - it seems that the organization has reached an impasse. Thoroughly exhausting the possibilities of serving as a platform for every knob twiddler and noise noodler this side of the Mississippi, the new director has seemed to have nailed their own artistic 95 theses to the door of the Salvage Vanguard. According to the 87th thesis, the Church will focus on more engaged multimedia events--think Waco Girls playing during an execution in Huntsville or Henna Chou playing a stringed instrument constructed out of Rick Perry's hair.

Nevertheless, while the programming this season might just re-define the word adventurous, COTFG is taking us on a quadraphonic journey into ourselves tonight. more ›

The Order of Hierophanous Intonement has summoned you. Far beyond the mortal confines of guitars, drums, and set breaks, the Order has constructed a Ouroborus of sound for the alteration of your consciousness. Just as the snake’s mouth continuously feeds on its own tail, so will the will music; for four hours, Austin’s finest lords of the drone will continuously--no breaks between sets--destroy any sense of reality that you might have harbored. more ›

The Statesman is reporting that Richard Patrick Fagerberg, the lawyer injured during SXSW when a "large mechanical arm and video camera" fell on top of him during an OMD show at Stubb's, is now suing. "Fagerberg, 41, has discontinued his criminal defense practice because he "no longer possesses the mental capacity or thought processes necessary to effectively represent his clients," the lawsuit states." more ›

Sometimes two things are just so much more satisfying when they come together. Peanut butter and jelly, shotgun art, metallic objects in microwaves are all agreed upon combinations. But combining jazz and comedy? Local boundary- and button-pushing institution Church of the Friendly Ghost will mash these two into unholy marriage with their Comedy/Beat Fusion show this evening. more ›

I once teasingly referred to an alto saxophone-driven performance art piece on Facebook as something that San Antonio-based CD-R label and chapbook press Kendra Steiner Editions should release, which sparked a little ire from my friend and KSE label artist Alfred 23 Harth. His point was valid - that as the imprint was just getting off the ground, it needed all the serious encouragement that it could get. In an age where basically anybody with a little cash and a desire to make something can self-release music in a physical or online form (and one doesn't even need a bank account - there's always Kickstarter), it does get somewhat difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. But Kendra Steiner Editions is definitely on a path to make a name for itself, releasing almost two hundred poetry chapbooks since 2006 by writers like Stuart Crutchfield, Misti Rainwater-Lites, Byron Coley, Doug Drahme, and imprint founder Bill Shute (many are out of print). Though his work is the most visible in the catalog, KSE isn't a vanity project, as it seeks to uncover lesser-known artists in poetry and sound with a dedicated do-it-yourself aesthetic, simple and to the point. more ›

While April is jazz appreciation month, the Church of the Friendly Ghost is starting celebrations early on Sunday night with a double bill of progressive-jazz guitar improvisation in the form of Zevious Trio and guitarist Miles Okazaki and his septet. Both outfits hail from the international hotbed of young, creative music - New York - and while Austin certainly gets its fair share of veteran jazz and free improvisation appearances, there aren't too many shows featuring up-and-coming inside-outside players who are putting together some of the most innovative music on the international scene. more ›

This weekend marks yet another varied set from our friends at Church of the Friendly Ghost, so despite all sorts of setbacks in the political sphere, one can mark the second full weekend in December at Salvage Vanguard Theatre with some good old-fashioned Austin homemade avant-garde activity. more ›

While the adventurous folks at the Church of the Friendly Ghost usually plot their musical upheavals with the Salvage Vanguard Theater as their setting, on occasion they'll take their performances elsewhere. Such is the case tonight, where the Church will be working with the Art Seen Alliance to bring new music to the United States Art Authority. more ›

Punk rock and experimental music go hand in hand, though for practitioners of each the ideals of their bed-fellowship might not be obvious. As in many cities, Austin's creative improvisers and noisemakers have, by necessity and love, had to put on their own concerts and release their own recordings, sometimes guerilla style, for little or no money. more ›

NMASS spreads over three nights and two afternoons beginning Thursday, June 17 and features about forty different artists taking over both the Salvage Vanguard and the United States Art Authority. more ›

We're always excited when locals The Church of the Friendly Ghost announce a new type of performance, whether it's their female-centric Ladyfriends series or a party celebrating YouTube's birthday. The ambitious minds working behind the scenes at the Church never stop, and they've got a big fish to fry this summer - a festival called N.M.A.S.S. (New Media Art & Sound Summit) to take place from June 17 - 19. Read more about the festival and how you can contribute after the jump. more ›

This Saturday evening the Church of the Friendly Ghost is presenting three experimental musicians performing solo sets and then working in tandem. Brent Fariss, Nick Hennies and Rick Reed have long histories working within an alternative musical framework here in Austin, but this concert will be the rare opportunity to see the three working together under the name Knob Jobs. more ›

This Sunday at the Salvage Vanguard Theater, The Church of the Friendly Ghost is kicking off their inaugural "Lady Friends" concert, the first of four events to showcase dynamic and fresh female voices in the Austin music scene. more ›

We'd also like to give you the chance to win tickets to the Church of the Friendly Ghost sponsored Fusebox event, entitled Modern Aural Sculpture Symposium South, or M.A.S.S.S for short. This two day symposium begins tomorrow, and features two lectures per day. All of the presentations will take place at the Acton business school on Riverside. more ›

Dear Austin fans of jazz, please don't sleep on this performance by Burton Greene and Perry Robinson. The organizers at the Church of the Friendly Ghost are tickled pink about this performance, which should tell you something: "Since 2003, in the course of organizing over 400 performances, this date with Burton Greene and Perry Robinson stands out as one of the most highly anticipated within our organization as well as the close community of musicians and great lovers of new music that we have become friends with over the years." more ›

The Church of the Friendly Ghost is planning a special performance at The Compound this Wednesday, featuring eclectic performer Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu performing solo. more ›

Who are The Visitations, and why might you care? If you've got any stock in the southern pop renaissance of Elephant Six, you probably will. more ›

Erring on the experimental this evening, The Church of the Friendly Ghost has put together a quite remarkable lineup of experimental artists that range from noise lovers to the more traditionally psychedelic. more ›

Today, we're picking Aaron Mace's brain. Mace has taken up the Church of the Friendly Ghost torch at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, continuing the tradition of providing space and support for some of Austin's most avant and experimental groups. Earlier this year, Pastiche columnist Adam Schragin interviewed Mace, and you can keep up with the COTFG through their email list. We recommend it: no active listener should ever stop taking the time to hear things that are new and challenging. We're so proud of Mace and his tireless contributions to the local scene, we just had to hear what he was listening to this year. He noted earlier this week, "One major common thread is that 4 of 5 here are what i consider "in miniature." That is to say collections of short songs that are perfectly short due to artistic refinement and ex-positive nature, and also short compared to other recordings typical of the genre." Sounds good to us, Aaron. more ›

Tonight at the Salvage Vanguard, the Church of the Friendly Ghost is hosting Eugene Chadbourne, an artist whose thirty-plus years of making music have swooped across blues, jazz, rock, and especially jazz. more ›

With 2008 slowly winding down, The Church of the Friendly Ghost is wasting no time at all. The spirited (heh) organization has five shows planned for the remainder of the year, and arguably the most exciting is happening tonight, bringing together three acts from the far ends of the experimental, folk, and punk canons. more ›

With the ravaging of our coasts by hurricanes and the continued downturn of world markets, it’s not uncommon to momentarily forget that we’re also in big trouble overseas, especially in regard to the un-winnable quagmire we call the War in Iraq. Local jazz musician Alex Coke first put aired his thoughts on the war and the act of terrorism that supposedly provoked it back in 2005, and called it Iraqnophobia. Some three years later we’re still as entrenched as ever, and Coke is joining with the Creative Opportunity Orchestra to perform this piece today at the Salvage Vanguard Theater as part of the Church of the Friendly Ghost’s ongoing concert series. more ›

Undoubtedly, the oddness of The Church of the Friendly Ghost is what caught my attention first. You’ve got that amazing name, for one thing, and it’s hard to beat seeing a show in a converted tiny chapel out on the southeast side. Over the years, the Church put on a multitude of fantastic performances, but what made the events so special was undoubtedly the community, a term that feels “It Takes a Village” trite but which nonetheless was a big part of what made the Church shows so unique. Many shows were potlucks, all were B.Y.O.B., and the atmosphere was much warmer and inviting than any club, at least. And the music – where else could a person see an acoustic evening featuring Carolyn Berk of Lovers and the super-solitary Josh Pearson of Lift to Experience one night, and then witness a local group of jazz musicians running through John Zorn’s game-piece Cobra on another? more ›

Editor’s note: Pastiche is a bi-weekly column exploring the diversity within the Austin music community. The views expressed in Pastiche are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook or beliefs of anyone else in the IST network. more ›

Fans of jazz and improvisational music will not want to miss a performance and album release event courtesy of flutist and reeds player Alex Coke, his associates at The Creative Opportunity Orchestra, and of course The Church of the Friendly Ghost. more ›

Photos courtesy Nari more ›

Come on out tonight to see what may be the biggest, most interesting event the Church of the Friendly Ghost has hosted at their year-long residency at The Salvage Vanguard Theater. While the Tuesday night events the Church has held so far have ranged from completely offbeat to downright accessible and everywhere in-between, tonight’s act is really special in that in should bridge both those worlds in an exciting, active, and large-scale way. more ›

Last week saw The Church of the Friendly Ghost’s weekly residency at The Salvage Vanguard Theater flirting with more accessible, poppy sounds, but today their craziest inclinations are out in full force, with a dollop of drone and a side heaping of experimental jazz. more ›

While it’s an established fact that The Church of the Friendly Ghost can be relied upon for the unusual, the unabashed, and the extreme – everything from noise bands to crazy projectionists to avant-jazz trios have showed up on the Salvage Vanguard’s stage these last few months – sometimes they like to surprise by pulling a sharp turn right into accessibility, charm and simplicity. And that’s what we can expect for Tuesday night’s show, four bands who stray from the beaten path enough to keep you interested but who are also mostly avant-garde tomfoolery-free. more ›