Member Since: 10/30/2005
Band Members: Mary Halvorson (guitar, vocals) + Jessica Pavone (viola, vocals)
Sounds Like: "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
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***************"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
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"They listen as though they're hotwired into each other's brain, their taut structural discipline prompting a domino effect of great ideas." - Philip Clark, The Wire May 2006
Record Label: Lucky Kitchen, Skirl Records
Type of Label: Indie