Oakland Freedom Jazz Society: Tom Weeks's Ero Guro + Sung Kim (solo)
TOM WEEKS'S ERO GURO
Ero Guro is a compositional/performance outlet for the music of Oakland-based composer, improviser, and saxophonist Tom Weeks. The band focuses on extreme music; drawing from various African American musical traditions, the historical avant-garde, and the heavy metal and hardcore traditions; taking inspiration from sources ranging from transgressive Japanese art aesthetics to ancient Scandinavian literature. Ero Guro has recorded two full length records: the self-titled Ero Guro (2015), and Blood of The Wolf (2017), both released through Weeks' own Wolfsblood label.
This iteration of Ero Guro is comprised of:
Tom Weeks – Alto Saxophone and Compositions
Mike Srouji – Electric Bass
Robbie Pruett – Drum Set
Patrick Talesfore, Jr. - Drum Set
SUNG KIM (SOLO)
Sung Kim - solo handmade instruments
Sung Kim (b. 1975) is an improviser, sculptor, and instrument builder born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Washington, D.C. In 1989, Kim studied ceramic sculpture at the Corcoran School of Art. It was at Corcoran that Kim started building his own variations of the guitar. Kim received his BFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1999. In Chicago, Kim began to deviate from the guitar to explore other techniques, tonalities, and sympathetic resonance. He also began collaborating with musicians to explore his instruments in an improvisational context. Kim now facilitates his musical and sculptural endeavors by owning and operating an architectural woodworking design/build studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. As an instrument builder and improvising musician, he is also a former artist-in-residence at Studio Grand.
"My work as an instrument builder was born out of the necessity to create a voice for myself to articulate and to compose. My instruments are all works in progress and by treating them as such, I allow myself to constantly develop and build in an organic manner. Many of these pieces begin as individual components built as I develop solutions dealing with mechanics, playing techniques, and resonance. These components are then combined, modified, or discarded as needed."
DOORS 9:00 PM; SHOW 9:30(ish)
$7-15 sliding scale
Oakland Freedom Jazz Society takes place every Monday night at Studio Grand.