From a very personal point of view. Don't be offended if the gig you have attended/played/set up is not there, it's probably #11.
2014.03.28 - Quebec City, Canada - Le Sous-sol du Cercle
Because even though I was already joined by heavy psych pop local band USA Out Of Vietnam twice before, the third time was definitely the charm and it had to happen outside of our hometown. We played near-flawless jam versions of two tracks off "Hex Mountains" as a 5-head hydra which including a disquiet army of 3 guitars/bass/drums. Yeah, it was pretty loud. And a hell lot of fun. It made me question the future of thisquietarmy as a strict solo live act for a while. But then I played the next 63 shows by myself (minus 4) because not having to ask the availability of 4 other people triumphs all in the long run. Once a loner, always a loner. https://thisquietarmy.bandcamp.com/album/thisquietarmy-out-of-vietnam-live-in-quebec-city
2014.04.26 - Stuttgart, DE - Contain’t
It was promoted as a secret show, in an area that was not exactly clear in terms of legality and purpose. But the city officials knows about it, and it's a controlled experimental urban environment where they transform containers into usable spaces to open up discussions about... well, that's not the point - I ended up played in a disused train wagon by an abandoned paper factory, with a huge sound system inside. It was pouring and it was wet, yet the claustrophobic wagon was packed & shaking in transe, and there was absolutely no escape. Unless you wanted to be soaked wet. Also played there again in September and we sold merch from the trunk of our van, classic. http://instagram.com/p/nRi5VdxEJo/
2014.05.02 - Berlin, DE - NK
The beginning of the Hypnodrone Ensemble. With Aidan Baker. It started from the idea of having a drummer for this show. Then two. Then three. And it became a real thing as the drummers were more than excited & proactive to rehearse within themselves. We arrived at the venue and we barely tried it out before performing a semi-improvised (fully for Aidan & myself, rehearsed for the drummers) 40-minute that turned into something beyond what anyone expected. By the same token later this year, we got a record out of it, an invitation to Incubate and Berlin studio recording session. http://vimeo.com/104395601
2014.05.06/07 - Moscow, RU - Manifest/St. Petersburg, RU - Da:da
I don't care how the shows went: I made it to Russia and I got out of there alive. 'Nuff said! No seriously, the shows were good and it was a pretty surreal experience for a cross-Atlantic Westerner but there are not enough words to describe it. I was also interviewed for tv100.ru (http://www.tv100.ru/news/erik-kvech-93144/) and got overdubbed in russian, so weird. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlk5wvE2cgQ
2014.05.09 - Riga, LV - Kanepes Kultural Centrs
A very surprising & enthusiastic attendance for this gig. And maybe it's because I had just gotten out of Russia by the overnight train a few hours before (hello, multiple border officials at 4am), but I was quite happy to be in a city that felt like it was putting a lot of effort and resources into being an up & coming destination in terms of arts, food & culture. And the Friday night vibe for an evening of experimental music was perfect. https://www.facebook.com/BeYourselfADentist/photos/a.635480936530992.1073741826.368730026539419/635481019864317/
2014.05.14 - Stockholm, SE - Fylkingen
I was long due to play in Stockholm, or rather it was a destination I had my eye for a while and it didn't disappoint. Fylkingen was a great spacious place to play - the huge quadraphonic sound and the giant screen made the perfect setting for a/v performances. And despite the vast room, the audience was sitting in a specifically concentrated shape making the performance perfectly intimate and grand at the same time. http://instagram.com/p/oJoSTGREJy/
2014.09.19/20/21 - Tilburg, NL - Paradox / Consouling
The Netherlands is probably the country with a frustrating ratio for me, in the sense that I have traveled through the most (to get to neighboring countries) and played the least. So when the opportunity came to play Incubate festival (10th edition), I had to make it work. For such a small town, this compact city has surprisingly more venues than most mid-size cities, and its geographical location and the country's awesome train services made it convenient to attract people from all over the country. The organization and the atmosphere of the festival was stellar, and the Consouling Store pop-up from Ghent added much to it, as a chill meet up & hang out place.https://www.flickr.com/photos/incubatetilburg/15120866150/
2014.10.03 - Rome, IT - Dalverme
Roma roma roma. Well, the opening act decided not to show up, so I took the opportunity to play two sets throughout the evening, which worked out for late comers* and for the passionate hot-blooded Romans who demanded more - as it happened with the first roman experience about a year prior when I had played a rare encore. There was also a bass amp available, which I took time to tweak as to boost up some frequencies to turn the set into something a bit more gritty and intense as that's what the atmosphere at Dalverme required that night. Always a pleasure.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3_iR46x0j4
2014.10.06 - Innsbruck, AT - Die Backerei
An great space that felt like an abandoned bakery kitchen work space. Actually, I think it was that exactly. The PA system and the space demanded a quieter type of set, as to use the most of the natural reverberation of the mix of ceramic tiles and concrete, as to fully wrap the sound throughout and gain full control of the minds & psyches. And for a Monday evening, the concert was well-attended and well-appreciated by all. https://www.facebook.com/skinonmarblebooking/photos/pb.644378548967646.-2207520000.1419977958./741466779258822/
2014.10.18 - Tokyo, JP - Warp Kichijoji
I could've picked Kyoto, the first show of the Japanese tour. But the final show in Tokyo, which sounded & felt better, makes as much sense, as a full circle. A circle or enso, in many sense, because it all happened from re-recording an updated best-of album as to present the current representation of the project to the Japanese market via Tokyo Jupiter Records, as well as the intent to play a classic TQA set, which I did in Kyoto, to then experiment with different things throughout the tour, and to end with a better performance of the so-called classic set in Tokyo as the final representation and the final remembrance in some way. It's all so very zen or something. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-63DJsdwt1o
Honorable mentions:
(2014.04.13) 32 Tattoo, Bern - a tattoo shop
http://instagram.com/p/mxls94REAQ/
(2014.04.14) Institut fur neu medien, Frankfurt - a conference room
http://instagram.com/p/m4vCaRxEAZ/
(2014.05.01) Westwerk, Leipzig - an ancient metal factory
http://instagram.com/p/nfixdHxEL8/
(2014.07.05) The Montreal Insectarium - an summer outdoor afternoon
http://instagram.com/p/sDz-MTxEKG/
(2014.12.20) Geary Lane, Toronto - a converted warehouse space
http://instagram.com/p/w2Tpt-xEEs/
2014.03.28 - Quebec City, Canada - Le Sous-sol du Cercle
Because even though I was already joined by heavy psych pop local band USA Out Of Vietnam twice before, the third time was definitely the charm and it had to happen outside of our hometown. We played near-flawless jam versions of two tracks off "Hex Mountains" as a 5-head hydra which including a disquiet army of 3 guitars/bass/drums. Yeah, it was pretty loud. And a hell lot of fun. It made me question the future of thisquietarmy as a strict solo live act for a while. But then I played the next 63 shows by myself (minus 4) because not having to ask the availability of 4 other people triumphs all in the long run. Once a loner, always a loner. https://thisquietarmy.bandcamp.com/album/thisquietarmy-out-of-vietnam-live-in-quebec-city
2014.04.26 - Stuttgart, DE - Contain’t
It was promoted as a secret show, in an area that was not exactly clear in terms of legality and purpose. But the city officials knows about it, and it's a controlled experimental urban environment where they transform containers into usable spaces to open up discussions about... well, that's not the point - I ended up played in a disused train wagon by an abandoned paper factory, with a huge sound system inside. It was pouring and it was wet, yet the claustrophobic wagon was packed & shaking in transe, and there was absolutely no escape. Unless you wanted to be soaked wet. Also played there again in September and we sold merch from the trunk of our van, classic. http://instagram.com/p/nRi5VdxEJo/
2014.05.02 - Berlin, DE - NK
The beginning of the Hypnodrone Ensemble. With Aidan Baker. It started from the idea of having a drummer for this show. Then two. Then three. And it became a real thing as the drummers were more than excited & proactive to rehearse within themselves. We arrived at the venue and we barely tried it out before performing a semi-improvised (fully for Aidan & myself, rehearsed for the drummers) 40-minute that turned into something beyond what anyone expected. By the same token later this year, we got a record out of it, an invitation to Incubate and Berlin studio recording session. http://vimeo.com/104395601
2014.05.06/07 - Moscow, RU - Manifest/St. Petersburg, RU - Da:da
I don't care how the shows went: I made it to Russia and I got out of there alive. 'Nuff said! No seriously, the shows were good and it was a pretty surreal experience for a cross-Atlantic Westerner but there are not enough words to describe it. I was also interviewed for tv100.ru (http://www.tv100.ru/news/erik-kvech-93144/) and got overdubbed in russian, so weird. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlk5wvE2cgQ
2014.05.09 - Riga, LV - Kanepes Kultural Centrs
A very surprising & enthusiastic attendance for this gig. And maybe it's because I had just gotten out of Russia by the overnight train a few hours before (hello, multiple border officials at 4am), but I was quite happy to be in a city that felt like it was putting a lot of effort and resources into being an up & coming destination in terms of arts, food & culture. And the Friday night vibe for an evening of experimental music was perfect. https://www.facebook.com/BeYourselfADentist/photos/a.635480936530992.1073741826.368730026539419/635481019864317/
2014.05.14 - Stockholm, SE - Fylkingen
I was long due to play in Stockholm, or rather it was a destination I had my eye for a while and it didn't disappoint. Fylkingen was a great spacious place to play - the huge quadraphonic sound and the giant screen made the perfect setting for a/v performances. And despite the vast room, the audience was sitting in a specifically concentrated shape making the performance perfectly intimate and grand at the same time. http://instagram.com/p/oJoSTGREJy/
2014.09.19/20/21 - Tilburg, NL - Paradox / Consouling
The Netherlands is probably the country with a frustrating ratio for me, in the sense that I have traveled through the most (to get to neighboring countries) and played the least. So when the opportunity came to play Incubate festival (10th edition), I had to make it work. For such a small town, this compact city has surprisingly more venues than most mid-size cities, and its geographical location and the country's awesome train services made it convenient to attract people from all over the country. The organization and the atmosphere of the festival was stellar, and the Consouling Store pop-up from Ghent added much to it, as a chill meet up & hang out place.https://www.flickr.com/photos/incubatetilburg/15120866150/
2014.10.03 - Rome, IT - Dalverme
Roma roma roma. Well, the opening act decided not to show up, so I took the opportunity to play two sets throughout the evening, which worked out for late comers* and for the passionate hot-blooded Romans who demanded more - as it happened with the first roman experience about a year prior when I had played a rare encore. There was also a bass amp available, which I took time to tweak as to boost up some frequencies to turn the set into something a bit more gritty and intense as that's what the atmosphere at Dalverme required that night. Always a pleasure.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3_iR46x0j4
2014.10.06 - Innsbruck, AT - Die Backerei
An great space that felt like an abandoned bakery kitchen work space. Actually, I think it was that exactly. The PA system and the space demanded a quieter type of set, as to use the most of the natural reverberation of the mix of ceramic tiles and concrete, as to fully wrap the sound throughout and gain full control of the minds & psyches. And for a Monday evening, the concert was well-attended and well-appreciated by all. https://www.facebook.com/skinonmarblebooking/photos/pb.644378548967646.-2207520000.1419977958./741466779258822/
2014.10.18 - Tokyo, JP - Warp Kichijoji
I could've picked Kyoto, the first show of the Japanese tour. But the final show in Tokyo, which sounded & felt better, makes as much sense, as a full circle. A circle or enso, in many sense, because it all happened from re-recording an updated best-of album as to present the current representation of the project to the Japanese market via Tokyo Jupiter Records, as well as the intent to play a classic TQA set, which I did in Kyoto, to then experiment with different things throughout the tour, and to end with a better performance of the so-called classic set in Tokyo as the final representation and the final remembrance in some way. It's all so very zen or something. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-63DJsdwt1o
Honorable mentions:
(2014.04.13) 32 Tattoo, Bern - a tattoo shop
http://instagram.com/p/mxls94REAQ/
(2014.04.14) Institut fur neu medien, Frankfurt - a conference room
http://instagram.com/p/m4vCaRxEAZ/
(2014.05.01) Westwerk, Leipzig - an ancient metal factory
http://instagram.com/p/nfixdHxEL8/
(2014.07.05) The Montreal Insectarium - an summer outdoor afternoon
http://instagram.com/p/sDz-MTxEKG/
(2014.12.20) Geary Lane, Toronto - a converted warehouse space
http://instagram.com/p/w2Tpt-xEEs/
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