Nov 1st 2021

Ethan Adkison/Jason Jackson/
John Alan Kennedy/ Gavin Kenyon
&
Scott Ayers

Ethan Adkison (Houston) - double bass
Jason Jackson (Houston) - saxophones
John Alan Kennedy (Houston) - drums
Gavin Kenyon (Houston) - guitar
Scott Ayers (Houston) - guitar

THEY, WHO SOUND

They, Who Sound is free of charge.
Donations are welcomed.

Schedule

Every Monday
Concerts are held on every Monday at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
at Lawndale Art & Performance Center
4912 Main St.
Houston, Texas

Covid

Social distancing is encouraged at this event. Masks are required.
Singers and horn players who remove their masks to perform are vaccinated.

About They who sound

They, Who Sound

Nameless Sound and Lawndale Art Center join forces to present a weekly series of experimental sound-making, improvised music, noises, the sounding of art, the performance of art, and more. Two different sets every Monday night showcase the rich and vibrant diversity of international and regional creative offerings, with an emphasis on Houston’s vibrant local scene.

Always free of charge.

In 2008, trombone player David Dove organized a short series of concerts as a personal DIY project, independent from his work as Founding Director of Nameless Sound. Held at a midtown Houston bar, Dove had minimal expectations for They, Who Sound. It was casually organized as an opportunity for friends, colleagues, and various Houston experimental musicians to perform with each other and for each other (and for whomever else happened to show up on a Sunday evening).
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On the afternoon of the third concert, Dove and friends arrived to locked doors. The bar had cancelled They, Who Sound without notice.
Shortly after this auspicious beginning, the series was moved to Avant-Garden, a Montrose mainstay for diverse crowds and eclectic programming. Under the generous hospitality of owner Mariana Lemesoff (and key bar staff), the weekly series that was meant to last only a few months carried on for 9 years.
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In those 9 years They, Who Sound not only became the sounding ground for a growing circle of local and regional experimental musicians. It also developed a reputation outside of Houston, as many well-known international artists would play the series for their Houston tour stop, often collaborating with local artists. Sometimes They, Who Sound featured seasoned veterans, immediately following a young artist performing their first ever gig. Conversations after concerts were often as important as the performances themselves, and They, Who Sound became a place where new projects and collaborations were born. Though free improvisation might have been the most typical form of experimental music-making featured, there was plenty of space for jazz, noise, spoken-word, performance art, dance, film and sound art. It wouldn’t be fair to say that Houston didn’t have an active and creative scene of experimental musicians before They, Who Sound. But the current scene in Houston does feel quite different than it did in 2008.
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In 2018, Nameless Sound officially took on They, Who Sound as a weekly series of concerts in partnership with Lawndale Art Center. For Nameless Sound, it is an opportunity to provide a stage and shed light on Houston’s diverse, vibrant, and totally unique experimental music scene. We intend for it to continue as a meeting place for Houston listeners and experimental musicians, and as a lab for new developments. And you will continue to hear well-known national and international artists sharing the stage with vital regional and local talent. For Lawndale, it represents something of a return to roots. In the 1980’s, Lawndale’s original location was the site for some of the most memorable experimental music and underground rock events in Houston. Anthony Braxton, Pauline Oliveros, Cecil Taylor and the Art Ensemble of Chicago all performed there, as did Black Flag, The Minutemen and the Replacements.

So join us at Lawndale, where every Monday you’ll hear two distinct performances of experimental sound-making, improvised music, noises, the sounding of art, the performance of art and . .