PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS BY: Dennis PalmerDennis Palmer, a native of Chattanooga, is a visual artist, musician and storyteller whose work is directly influenced by his roots in the American South and currently the "lower channels" of cable T.V.
Palmer has exhibited in London and Los Angeles, and has received critical acclaim from both the European and American press ("...a good time was had by all!). Also, he has designed CD and record covers for Britain’s Incus Records in addition to many other U.S. labels.
He is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Chattanooga based Shaking Ray Levi Society, a non-profit coalition of visual and performing artists formed with the goal of promoting improvisation in both thought and performance.
Additionally, he has participated in the Allied Arts Artist-in-Residence program in Chattanooga, sharing the ideas of improvisation with school children of all ages. He has been an art specialist for the Allied Arts in the Hamilton County School System since the year 2000, and was president of AVA's (Association for Visual Arts Chattanooga, TN) board of directors in 1998/1999.
DENNIS PALMER MUSIC BIO
As a "syn-the-sist" and vocalist, Dennis Palmer's dedication to improvisation has been multi-dimensional, He has collaborated with the legendary and diverse talents of Derek Bailey , Fred Frith, Amy Denio, Davey Williams, Steve Beresford, Frank Pahl, Borbetomagus, Bob "tappy" Stagner, Gino Robair, Tony Oxley, Roger Turner, LaDonna Smith, Tom Cora and Japanese dancer Min Tanaka.
Palmer also has performed with Capricorn Record's Colonel Bruce Hampton, Drag City's David Pajo of Papa M., NPR commentator/Duplex Planet editor David Greenberger and folk artist Reverend Howard Finster.
He has had the distinction of performing at several major international festivals, including Derek Bailey's Company 1988/1994, and at the Festival International: Musique Actuelle in Victoriaville. He has played on the CBC for Sound Symposium Newfoundland and on the BBC program, Midnight Oil.
As part of the Shaking Ray Levis, he was in the first US group to be produced by Incus Records.
He has been featured in several publications, including the Penguin Guide to Jazz, Art Papers, Electronic Musician, The Wire and Keyboard.
His work on both analog and digital synthesizers has garnered critical attention. For example, Keyboard magazine describes his unique style: "Palmer makes his instrument speak in tongues. This is digital glosslalia, spoken in syllables one can almost touch, bright, tactile timbres that rattle around the ear like hailstones in a rain gutter." Atlanta's Creative Loafing states that Palmer " . . . remains, no contest, the world's most colorfully inventive synthesizer player."
Pitchfork "Rating 8.0" review of The Gospel Record by Derek Bailey, Amy Denio, and Dennis Palmer released by Shaking Ray Records.
GAZ-ETA review of The Gospel Record. "...these are seven of the most hilarious gospel covers you'll hear in your lifetime. Brought to you by Dennis Palmer [yes believers, the same one responsible for the Shaking Ray Levis madness that caught our pants on fire about a decade ago], it gently careens through the gospel catalogue with much sincerity and madness."
Reviews of ASAP WINGS featuring the Killick, Dennis Palmer and Bob Stagner.
SO CALLED DEVICES: XXX Synthesizers (analog & digtal), Electro-Harmonix 16 Digital Delay, MoogerFooger (MF101, MF102, CP251), The Stylophone, Yamaha SU10 & Roland Loop Station, Diabolical Devices Bent Circuit Casio SK1, Moog LP II & misc. Lo-fi electronics.
For more information on recordings please go to the Shaking Ray Records ON LINE STORE.
http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=QJZ-pXrgSIY
Behold, the HILLBILLY FUN RACK!! On Channel 3, circa 1986.
