Up for pre-release this Bandcamp Friday: LESSER ARCANA, with Alex Van Gils. The LESSER ARCANA are the 56 cards of the tarot deck, divided into Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles, that handle the minutiae of everyday life. This first album by Van Gils and Frey’s duo reflects a practice gradually built up over a few years of playing together, captured in two days in the studio and distilled into these distinct moments. The official release date is May 29, 2026, on @long.echo.records ! Link in bio.
They say April is the cruelest month. But what if it could be...
the CUTEST month!??????
Good news: April is going to be absolutely packed and jammed and jam packed with 11/10, six alarm concerts.
Starting off we have none other than violist/composer Carrie Frey @freyaviol and experimental bagpiper/bassist/composer Mat Muntz @muuuuuuuuuntz , presenting an evening of improvisations and compositions for bagpipes, viola, and electronics.
You could miss it, but why would you?
Doors 7:30, music 8. $15 NOTAFLOF, dm for address.
I’m quite proud of a new release on @etymologyrecords — I wrote a brief homage to Erik Satie (1866-1925) for my friends Carrie Frey (@freyaviol ) and Sonia Bize (@soniabize ).
Scored for viola and harp, the music riffs off a gesture from Satie’s first “Gnossienne”, a term/form sometimes translated as a ritualistic dance.
Check the music out at the link in my bio and on all streaming platforms. Available as a single release and on the album “Gnossiennes and Fantasy”.
Another clip from our show at the Owl in November! This one is from our own Carrie Frey's latest quartet, "Odd Behavior," with wonderfully strange text by Lydia Davis. Check out the whole concert playlist on our YouTube! Link in bio.
@freyaviol Carrie est une compositrice et altiste basée à Brooklyn. Seaglass est le premier album de Frey dédié à sa propre musique. Il y a eu Seagrass : Works for Solo Viola en 2023, sur lequel elle jouait une de ses pièces, mais toutes les autres étaient d’autres compositeurs-trices. Dans sa musique, Frey réalise un joli tour de force, celui d’intégrer des éléments expressifs avant-gardistes dans une trame accessible et dramatiquement attrayante.
par Frédéric Cardin @fredericcardin1972 sur
#musiquecontemporaine
#violon
#albuminstrumental
Duo show NYC! Many goodies—among them one of Carrie’s; and I’ll attempt the US premiere of this big ol Fantasy for piano which the literally incredible @bertrandchamayouofficial premiered last year. Come say hi before leaving town!
Zürich, Lucerne, London, and a little NYC dump, for Bandcamp Friday! It's been a crazy and amazing month. So thankful to those who have picked up the album so far or given it a listen. If you've been thinking about it and haven't yet, today is a good day!
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Some friends, bridges, well lit swans, cute dogs, fruit, mini-hikes, tunnels
Carrie Frey and Rhythm Method “Seaglass” LP (2025, Gold Bolus)
Produced by Carrie Frey and Bernd Klug
Recorded, edited, and mixed by Bernd Klug
Mastered by Murat Çolak at GERYON
#stringquartet #contemporaryclassical #viola #carriefrey #mastering #geryon
Thank you @newearinc for hosting a wonderful album release show last night! Here's a clip from my new quartet (not on /this/ album) which we had a blast sneak-previewing. Congratulations to @amundendixon for an incredible set (feat @jujuhcello !) and many thanks to all who came!
@freyaviol 's album release show last night was so good that I wanted to have her on The Best Is Noise as soon as possible. Transylvanian folk music, sci-fi books, medieval polyphony, Lydia Davis—these all made appearances in Carrie's pre-concert remarks. So many entry points to talk about such affecting, subversive music. As I told her after the concert, as she and her fellow @rhythmethod4tet musicians screamed over their instruments, I felt like Odysseus sailing through the Sirens. It was awesome.
Join me LIVE on @radiofreebk tomorrow (Monday) from 2-3pm as I talk to Carrie about her new album, Seaglass: Works for String Quartet.
(Photo courtesy Titilayo Ayangade)
