Extra Life is a New York-based band led by guitarist/vocalist/composer Charlie Looker. Formed in 2007, Extra Life combines elements of medieval vocal music, aggressive math rock, dark romantic pop and modern classical composition. For years Looker was a core member of noise/chamber group Zs, and has also worked with diverse bands and artists such as Dirty Projectors, Glenn Branca, John Zorn, Seductive Sprigs, Period, William Parker, and the S.E.M. Ensemble. Extra Life also includes various combinations of the following musicians: violinist Caley Monahon-Ward (Snowblink), bassist Tony Gedrich (Stay Fucked), drummer Nicholas Podgurski (Yukon), and saxophonist/keyboardist Travis Laplante (Little Women).
Extra Life’s debut full-length CD Secular Works was released in 2008 on Planaria Recordings. The band did a four-week tour of the midwest and west coast, sharing bills with artists including Carla Bozulich, the Dead Science, Excepter, Magik Markers, These Are Powers, Kyp Malone (of TVOTR), the Oh Sees and Ocrilim. A split twelve-inch vinyl EP with Nat Baldwin will also be released in 2008 on the Shatter Your Leaves label, followed by east and west coast tours.
www.myspace.com/extralifetheband
www.planariainc.com
Mary Halvorson (guitar, vocals) + Jessica Pavone (viola, vocals)
“Thorny compositions that sound as if female teen punkers the Shaggs received doctorates in the music of 12-tone composer Alban Berg, and then rewrote their Philosophy of the World…. Carefully notated structures and interplay morph effortlessly into free improvisation that is intelligent and expressive, but never self-indulgent. Also featuring intense lyrics sung with their clear and melodic voices, the two women make transcendent chamber music outside of any genre.” - Elliott Sharp, Guitar Player Magazine, December 2007
“The guitarist Mary Halvorson and the violist Jessica Pavone have worked together in ensembles led by the avant-garde eminence Anthony Braxton, and separately in a wide array of upstart new-music groups. As an acoustic duo they produce something distinct and beguiling: an amalgam of experimental folk, rock and chamber music that feels both meticulous and raw. Their debut, “On and Off” (Skirl), presents a dozen pieces of modest scale but impressive metabolism. There’s a disarming openness to their interaction, never more pronounced than when the two are blending their voices in something like a campfire harmony. But this music isn’t clever or cute. Its core is steely, and its execution clear.” - Nate Chinen, The New York Times, August 2007
http://www.myspace.com/maryandjess