WHERE “ECHO FUTURISM” AND “POST-POETRY” COHERE: FANOPLANE’S IMPROVISATIONAL ALBUM, LIVE AT THE BLACK CAT! (2025)

 

The houses DOT DOT DOT !

Live Album Follows a Fabulous Night

It would have been enough just to take the stage at the legendary Washington, D.C. music venue, the Black Cat, on October 11, 2024, as the warm-up act for nationally-touring trio Xiu Xiu, which Fanoplane did, myself included. It would have been enough to receive a rowdy welcome from the evening’s young audience—three or four hundred deep—who encouraged us to pursue numerous soaring expressions during our set. I, for one, encountered a rare feeling of joy during the performance, and that, alone, would have been more than enough, except we made a recording of the show, entitled (what else?) Live at the Black Cat! Fanoplane released the record at another iconic Washington, D.C. music venue, Comet Ping Pong, a few months later in February, 2025.

I always alight upon jazz saxophonist John Coltrane as the bandleader who delivered the finest live recordings (at the Village Vanguard) but in fairness there are more candidates in jazz and other genres. Several factors can distinguish a live album, including the unpredictable heights of the musicianship as influenced by the setting, the obvious engagement of the concertgoers, or even an important social context. To my surprise, there exists another album with the same title as ours, save the exclamation mark. “Scream,” anyone? Said punk band released Live at the Black Cat in 1998. Unlike John Coltrane, Scream, and virtually any other musicians, however, Fanoplane does not rehearse any songs. We have no repertoire. We improvise everything. Now, I will not weigh Live at the Black Cat! against any other records, but I will try to build towards our “creative thesis” as a group. What makes us tick?

Gerry Mulligan agitates against “free jazz” (1962)

Complete Freedom Without Order

Speaking of jazz, a music critic by the name of Ralph Gleason hosted a nationally-televised show, Jazz Casual, in the 1960s. Running for several years and more than 30 episodes, the show presented many of the jazz greats in a format that blended performances and interviews. In 1962, “cool jazz” saxophonist Gerry Mulligan appeared on Jazz Casual, leading a quartet that played four songs. The brief clip (above) comes from the show’s interview segment. When asked about “freedom” in his music, Mulligan responded cautiously by saying that “attempts at […] complete freedom are chaotic” and that jazz is attractive, in part, because it is orderly. Mulligan concluded the thought by saying, “you can’t truly have freedom unless you’ve got order to begin with.” Hmmm. Hmph.

To be sure, Fanoplane is not a jazz band, but I have frequently returned to Mulligan’s statement about “freedom” and “order,” because it offers a compelling choice between two opposing mindsets: (1) Freedom within order or (2) Freedom without order. Pick a side! Mulligan was likely agitating against certain “currents” in jazz that began to take shape in the late 1950s, perhaps best epitomized by an important 1960 album—Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation—by Ornette Coleman. Jazz of course began as an inherently improvisational form in New Orleans as championed by the incomparable Louis Armstrong, among others. Ornette’s improvisations may have sounded quite different than those pioneered by “Satchmo” but, in their own way, I believe they hearkened back to a similar principle.

Fanoplane at Comet Ping Pong in February 2025 (photo by Mike Zito) 

You could argue that all professional music has some order to it by virtue of the training, rehearsals, and performative experiences that the musicians have likely undergone. You could argue that the instruments themselves present a certain kind of order since they are physical entities that must be played competently enough to communicate with an audience. Indeed, we in Fanoplane observe certain customs whilst onstage, foremost among them, listening to each other. I am fond of saying that we are a cooperative, hence, we cooperate. Surely, this is a bit of structure. As are the stage, the lighting, the monitor, the green rooms, and the complimentary cans of grape soda and/or craft lager that have been very kindly placed in the very same green rooms, ahhh.

And yet, I would argue that Fanoplane otherwise presents “complete freedom without order.” Our album Live at the Black Cat! offers powerful evidence that the multivariable aspects of our performance could resonate with an audience that had no way of developing any advance expectations for the music they would hear. We often roll in a deep groove with powerful refrains but we have no idea, really, what will happen once the music begins. We are an improv group made up of eight bandmembers, each of whom improvises. I have taken the liberty to assemble the following phrases—“echo futurism” “noise bop” “post-poetry” “free punk” and “avant electrics”—which you could shake together in a paper bag for 30 minutes or so, and then, perhaps, you might approximate some sense of Fanoplane’s creative gestalt.

Have Yourself a Listen

Live at the Black Cat! (and all associated credits) can be found at Bandcamp, where it can be downloaded for “name your price.” You can also listen at Apple Music and Spotify. Any proceeds go to the “band fund” which helps us exist, promote, and create future ruckuses. The co-leaders of the group are Ted Zook and Bob Boilen; the rest of the bandmembers are Doug Kallmeyer, Jerry Busher, Patrick Whitehead, Brie Anderson, Maya Renfro, and myself. Check us out. You could start with Track 4 aka “The Houses…” which I am “mouthing” at the top of this post if you please or go in order. Either way, and in the words of the immortal Duke Ellington, we want you to know that we all love you maaaaadly.

Want more Fanoplane? Check out Praise Poem

Fanoplane at the Black Cat in October 2024 (photo by Mike Zito) 

PRAISE POEM FOR THE IMPROVISATIONAL COLLECTIVE FANOPLANE (OF WHICH I AM A MEMBER.)

 
L to R: Brie Anderson, Patrick Whitehead, Bob Boilen, Yours Truly,
Ted Zook, Jerry Busher, and Doug Kallmeyer. Photo by Mike Zito.   

On October 11, 2024 the improvisational band known as Fanoplane found itself chilling in the green room at the Black Cat, a storied music venue in Washington, D.C. The mini-fridge in said enclave bore the stickers of the many bands who had waited there on other nights in anticipation of their sets. We helped ourselves to a tidy assortment of red grapes and green apples. We quipped that we had made “the big time.” It felt quite nice to be there.

Perhaps owing to our unconventional sound, the venue had chosen us to open for Xiu Xiu, an experimental rock group with a national following. The foundation of “our unconventional sound” revolves around two key details: we have no repertoire and we frequently feature a large mixture of instruments. We rehearse, but we have no songs. Fanoplane invents new pieces every time it takes the stage. Co-led by Ted Zook and Bob Boilen, the personnel may vary from show to show. It may present with two members, or, as with the Black Cat appearance, it may perform as a septet, or still other combinations.

In addition to Ted (electric cello) and Bob (electronics), the musicians on October 11^th included Brie Anderson (guitar), Patrick Whitehead (trumpet), Jerry Busher (drums), and Doug Kallmeyer (bass). For my part, I did (I always do) words. My affiliation with these extraordinary musicians dates back several years to previous incarnations of related improv bands, including Lost Civilizations and Heterodyne. While these groups have performed at several other iconic venues—including Baltimore’s An Die Musik and DC’s Velvet Lounge—the Black Cat would have to be the “biggest” space with the largest audience: as many as 300 people watched us take the stage. 

This 360-degree video produced by Bob Boilen (an excerpt from the show) can be rotated
by dragging your mouse or finger. I personally get a little crazy between 10:30 and 10:45.

Those in the audience impressed me. They were young and open-minded; individuality abounded. They had not paid to see us, no, they had come for Xiu Xiu, and yet, they pressed up to the stage and wanted to groove, they wanted us to groove, they wanted the band to discover them amid the groove and stay close, just like that, interlinked. The audience spurred us forward. They gave the warmup act their full attention and allowed themselves to be surprised by our mayhem.

Despite my frequent appearances with Fanoplane and its ancestor bands, I can’t predict exactly know how a song will begin. Perhaps our beloved co-leader Ted Zook will saw across his basscello, but the budding moments may spring out of the entire collective sort of testing out their instruments. We all make eye contact, nod our heads, and then we realize that the new piece has commenced. None of the musicians seeks to dominate the proceedings. Fanoplane bandmates know when to drop down a bit, and conversely, when to step into a “lull.” Everybody plays—and everybody listens. It is a cooperative, so we cooperate. 

Oi.

Similarly, my role as “words” may be to suggest a new idea or a thumping new beat but just as often I will adapt my delivery (and my choice of material) to the established cadence and/or tone. As much as I enjoy my contributions the group, I equally cherish listening to the other bandmembers. Thus, we “shape” a performance.

On October 11^th, I’d say that Fanoplane discovered a few new things, none more heartening than our connection with a vibrant young audience. We also found a foothold within a certain system of vivid overlaps and speculative forays, or to put it another way, our seven selves meshed musically, transformed into separate shapes altogether, before untethering entirely from our own expectations. As if we were clouds, then people, then rain.

Want more Fanpolane? Check out Where “Echo Futurism” and “Post-Poetry” Cohere

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE “THUNDERDOME” VIDEO SHOOT.

 

Have a watch, then learn about the mayhem, below. 

As I recall, the video shoot lasted from about 3 p.m. until 5 a.m. We got Chinese takeout somewhere in the middle. It was warm in November (2019). It rained. By the morning, it was much cooler. The script called for the official Joy on Fire cat, Funz, to participate at the very end. The fabulous director, Damien Davis, asked us a famous question: “Will Funz cooperate?” (You’ll have to watch the entire video to find out.) Damien and Chris work together; it was Chris who recruited Damien for the video and the results speak for themselves. “Thunderdome” debuted on NPR’s All Songs Considered, hosted by Bob Boilen, Nov. 17, 2020.

Everything took place in John and Anna’s living room, in Trenton. We assembled a collage. (Can you identify my two additions, Paul Celan and Clarice Lispector?) I did my best work as a purveyor of Air Bass. All of us wore sunglasses, except Anna, until the song’s final sequence, when she appears (movie magic!) in shades. The music in “Thunderdome” never stops walloping. To the best of my ability, I’d describe the lyrics as equal parts interpersonal and societal outcry. “We Are Full of Anger and Decency.” Hasn’t that been obvious, lately?

The final still photo is just a gratuitous pancakes image. It was taken after Joy on Fire played a week earlier at Silvana, in Harlem. We wound up later at the Seinfeld diner. So I did what anybody would do under those circumstances. Sensibly, I ordered the blueberry flapjacks. Thanks for having a look, if you’ve had a look, and thanks for any thumbs-ups, if you’ve given us any thumbs-ups. It is our dream that Tina Turner will come across our video and have herself a fine little chuckle. What’s love, but a second-hand emoticon?

key to the still photos, in order: damien davis; chris olsen; john paul carillo, anna meadors, and chris; john; the wall collage; anna, john, and chris; me and funz; chris; damien, anna, and chris; me and pancakes.

this post is part of a double-issue focused on joy on fire music videos. for a look at our anti-gun protest video “uh huh” click [here].