Home to historical psychedelic luminaries the 13th Floor Elevators and Shiva's Headband among others, the New Year's weekend will see Austin playing host to an entirely different axis of psych and progressive music. German percussionist, improviser, and theatrical force Mani Neumeier - late of the seminal Krautrock ensemble Guru Guru - will be performing the kickoff show for the 2012 Church of the Friendly Ghost concert season. Neumeier will be featured in the duo Guru Mania with guitarist Jürgen Engler (Die Krupps), as well as directing a large ensemble improvisation and sitting in with local lysergic warhorses ST37. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Jacob Green (Gary Wilson, New Music Coop) will also be performing with members of Pataphysics and Brekekekex koax koax. more ›

The improvised music world at large hasn't really caught on to Terrence McManus, a New York-based guitarist who builds and modifies his instruments to help create a muted field of sounds and non-gestural phrases, both roiling and understated. Though the guitar is often thought of in a principally soloistic role, McManus' philosophy tends toward emphasizing ensemble and collective orchestration - his master classes spotlight concepts of interactive, free/open, and ensembles within ensemble playing. more ›

Roll up your sleeves and sling on them jorts. Time to talk music. more ›

We're a literate city that loves music, but we're understandably skittish about combining the two. Over the years, a natural divide has yawned open between spoken word and live music - the two don't seem to need one another the way they did in the '50s. However...that doesn't mean they've stopped wanting one another. Billed as "A Night of Instrumental Expression and Poetic Thought," the "Lyr·i·cism" show at the Salvage Vanguard - presented by The Church of the Friendly Ghost and its members Bradford Kinney and Derek Rogers - is a four-hour program which fuses visuals, poetry, prose, and music. 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 ›

As you might already know, Zilker Park's Dinoland opened last weekend. What you might not have known is that Ghostland Observatory is a "Hadrosaurus Sponsor," meaning they contributed at least $10,000 to the exhibit. more ›

While every performance the Church of the Friendly Ghost puts on is assuredly special, this Wednesday evening they will host three diverse acts at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre sure to satisfy your every experimental, avant-garde whim. more ›