UPEND

It’s true. On Tuesday June 2nd, The Red Krayola – the long-venerated and ever-evolving band that coalesces around Mayo Thompson – plays live in Los Angeles, their only show on the books, near or far. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the project, and – if anything is intact – it is certainly the refusal to repeat itself. The Red Krayola – and all of us that sail with it – must only move forward. Still, amidst new songs and inventions, there are audible throughlines to various eras past: this is a new band that sounds like The Red Krayola. Playing in this famously “nonmembership” organization are collaborators Mayo Thompson – now 82 – and Emmett Kelly on guitars, Connor Gallaher on pedal steel, and Marc Riordan on drums and keyboards, with all contributing vocals. Having steered the craft deftly, Thompson’s crews have pioneered various styles: Texas psych, avant-garde soundmaking, capitalist critique songcraft, groovy proto-post-punk, and idiosyncratic indie rock. You don’t have to imagine what comes next; you can just come to the gig. Tickets via bio link and right here⤵️ https://link.dice.fm/The-Red-Krayola-June-2 The Red Krayola are Drag City recording artists. This show @zebulonla pulled by @upend.la @dragcityrecords @dr_faustroll @cram_nadroir @catfishbluelagoon #theredkrayola #upend2026

The Red Krayola, circa 2026. On June 2, the group that coalesces around Mayo Thompson sets sail for a single night in Los Angeles via @upend.la This time out, the famously “nonmembership” organization is the quartet of collaborators (left to right): Connor Gallaher on pedal steel; Marc Riordan on drums and keyboards; and Emmett Kelly and Mayo Thompson on guitars. All contribute vocals. It’s a new band that, amidst new songs and inventions, sounds like The Red Krayola. With this year marking the 60th anniversary of the project, if anything remains intact, it is certainly the refusal to repeat itself. Tickets on sale now, and moving quickly:
https://link.dice.fm/The-Red-Krayola-June-2 Since 1994 — more than half of its epic run — The Red Krayola has been in the stable of @dragcityrecords

Thursday night at Human Resources, an intimate concert with two crucial figures in contemporary sound - Dafne Vicente-Sandoval and Charles Curtis - exploring microtonality, electroacoustics, and a repertoire of minimalism. Bassoonist Vicente-Sandoval, accompanied by cellist Charles Curtis, will premiere a new version of “Witness,” written for her by @tashiwada Curtis will also perform a selection of works for cello. Vicente-Sandoval will also present “Minos Circuit Rewired” for microphone feedback, voice, and disassembled bassoon. Full details and advance tickets via bio link.

Thursday night, bassoonist Dafne Vicente-Sandoval and cellist Charles Curtis perform @humanresourcesla live-in-concert via @upend.la , premiering a new version of Tashi Wada’s 2017 “Witness.” Originally written for Vicente-Sandoval on bassoon, this new rendition includes accompaniment by Curtis on cello. In “Witness,” a series of microtonally inflected scales and tetrachords are explored through repetition, variation, and improvisation. At this intimate concert, Curtis will also present brief solo cello pieces, possibly including music by Tashi Wada, Morton Feldman, Christian Wolff, Alvin Lucier, and/or other works in progress. Vicente-Sandoval’s own Minos Circuit Rewired, for microphone feedback, voice, and disassembled bassoon, will close the evening. Doors at 7pm. 🎟️Advance tickets available via the bio link. 🔗 Dafne Vicente-Sandoval (b. 1979, Paris) works at the intersection of bassoon acoustics, resonant spaces, and amplification. Charles Curtis (b. 1960, Laguna Beach) explores classical cello performance, precise tuning, and sustained sound. Together, they have carved out a distinctive perspective on contemporary experimental music. Having worked collectively with composers like Alvin Lucier, Tashi Wada, and Éliane Radigue, as well as individually with Jakob Ullmann, Phill Niblock, Peter Ablinger, La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, and Christian Wolff, Vicente-Sandoval and Curtis present a shared concert of works made for them, alongside original sound pieces. #dafnevicentesandoval #charlescurtis #tashiwada @tashiwada #upend2026

Thursday April 30th at 7pm Dafne Vicente-Sandoval and Charles Curtis perform @humanresourcesla at an event pulled by @upend.la For their presentation, Vicente-Sandoval will premiere a new version of Tashi Wada’s Witness, in which a series of microtonally inflected scales and tetrachords are explored through repetition, variation and improvisation. Vicente-Sandoval’s own Minos Circuit Rewired, for microphone feedback, voice and disassembled bassoon, will close the evening. Curtis will intersperse short performances, possibly including Tashi Wada, Morton Feldman, Christian Wolff, Alvin Lucier and/or other works-in-progress.  Dafne Vicente-Sandoval works at the intersection of bassoon acoustics, resonant spaces and amplification; Charles Curtis explores classical cello performance, precise tuning and sustained sound. Together they have marked out a distinctive perspective on contemporary experimental music. Working collectively with composers Alvin Lucier, Tashi Wada and Éliane Radigue, and individually with Jakob Ullmann, Phill Niblock, Peter Ablinger, La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, and Christian Wolff, Vicente-Sandoval and Curtis present shared concerts of work made for them along with original sound pieces. Advance tickets available via bio links. #dafnevincentesandoval #charlescurtis @tashiwada #upend2026

Saturday, April 18 at 5pm at @zebulonla – A celebration of pioneering trans jazz pianist Jessica Williams and the 2025 release of ‘Blue Abstraction, Prepared Piano Project 1985–87’ on @preechopress This listening session – convened by @upend.la – will include a conversation with Matt Connors of PRE-ECHO and producer Kye Potter, and short performances from Julia Holter and Salenta. “Blue Abstraction compiles a selection of Jessica Williams’ lost prepared piano recordings. These recordings document the beginning of a vital, solitary phase in her career: a period of intense sonic experimentation that began with physically altering a 6’4” grand piano—creating a new instrument, and from there, creating a new music. The results are breathtaking; from melancholic soundscapes with Satie-esque lyricism to forcefully controlled cacophony, always grounded by the distinct emotional voicing of her melodic lines.” -Kye Potter Saturday, April 18, 5pm-7pm Free entry, RSVP here ⤵️ https://link.dice.fm/Jessica-Williams-Listening-Session-Zebulon-April-18 @preechopress @kyepotter @cattmonnors @juliaholter @salentaaa

Saturday, April 18 at 5pm at @zebulonla – A free-to-attend celebration of pioneering trans jazz pianist Jessica Williams and the 2025 release of ‘Blue Abstraction,’ the critically acclaimed LP of previously unreleased music by Williams, produced by Kye Potter and released by PRE-ECHO. Jessica Williams (1948–2022) altered the piano by placing vibrating and/or muting elements on top of and between the strings at varying distances across the harp—some sounding like bells or gongs (screws, bolts), others like percussion instruments (clothespins, hairpins, washers, erasers). The effect radically expanded the instrument’s possibilities, sometimes making it sound metallic or ghostly, other times muted, tactile, almost broken. She forged a personal musical language grounded in improvisation, nuanced timbral control, and compositional precision. The resulting beauty and listenability of these works are a testament to Williams’ vision and mastery. In recognition of this musical colossus and the release of ‘Blue Abstraction, Prepared Piano Project 1985–87,’ @upend.la convenes a gathering to listen to the album in its entirety, followed by a conversation with Matt Connors of PRE-ECHO and producer Kye Potter, and a special performance element to be announced. “At times haunting, joyous, and always soulful, this collection of prepared piano improvisations by the unsung San Francisco piano giant Jessica Williams is gorgeous, diverse, exploratory and nuanced.” - Jeff Parker Photo: Jessica Williams in Oakland, 1986, by Tom Copi Saturday, April 18, 5pm-7pm Free entry, RSVP via bio or right here ⤵️ https://link.dice.fm/Jessica-Williams-Listening-Session-Zebulon-April-18 @preechopress @kyepotter @cattmonnors #upend2026

On Thursday March 5th, Linnea Sablosky and Mingjia Chen will perform Meara O’Reilly’s astounding, landmark composition Hockets for Two Voices at @2220arts via @upend.la Along with Jodie Landau and Eliza Bagg, Sablosky and Chen are part of the Meara O’Reilly Vocal Ensemble. This quartet will also be performing new O’Reilly pieces for four voices at this special hometown show. Tickets available via bio links! @mearao @acrolinnea @ming_rat_thing #upend2026

Low brass explorer @mattie_barbier gets expansive @humanresourcesla on Monday night February 23rd. Mattie Barbier is an LA based musician and sonic researcher focused on experimental intonation, latent acoustic worlds, and the physical processes of their instrument – often the trombone.  For this show, Barbier realizes a live, audienced version of “Is This The Land I Wish Death To Find Me” a compositional premise that draws inspiration from exploratory archaeoacoustics research into how spaces hold residual sound of past action and how resonance interacts with material over time. A recording of a previous realization of this work was recently released by the Welsh label Discreet Archive. 🎟️ Advance tickets available via bio links, and at the door. This Monday evening salon will also feature the L.A. solo debut of David Dove, the Houston-based trombonist and improvisor, as well as a set from a newly minted trio of double bassists Sam Rowell and Georgia E. Bell with saxophonist Wilson Shook. #upend2026

Monday Feb 23rd, an evening of heavy resonances at @humanresourcesla as Houston-based improviser David Dove makes his solo debut in L.A. with a performance of 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚, and L.A.–based low-brass explorer Mattie Barbier gets expansive with a special solo set. Plus, a newly minted trio — double bassists Sam Rowell and Georgia E. Bell with saxophonist Wilson Shook — intuitively unfurl abstractions in real time. Gig pulled by @upend.la Doors at 7pm Advance tickets available via bio links… @dovedaviddovedave @mattie_barbier @theklauscroissant @sabertoothtigerlily #upend2026

On Monday, February 23rd, David Dove – the Houston-based improviser, composer, and trombonist – makes his Los Angeles solo debut at @humanresourcesla at a show pulled by @upend.la . Via drones, heavy and deep, Dove will tap into the architectural resonances of Human Resources with 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚, his improvisational project that explores sub-bass frequencies using trombone, pitch shifters, effect pedals, and… subwoofer. 🔊 Starting with his refined palette of ‘bone timbres, Dove moves between jazz inflections and minimalist abstractions, feeding into a system that slackens time and stretches sound into a slow-moving expanse. This low-frequency undercurrent opens a space where Dove can explore further resonant interplay and even weave in passages of others’ repertoire, sparking subtle dialogues across time and tone. @daviddovedaviddove ◉ This Monday evening sound salon will also feature a set from LA-based musician and composer Mattie Barbier, and a trio set from double-bassists Sam Rowell and Georgia Bell, with saxophonist Wilson Shook. ◉ Monday, February 23rd, at 7pm Advance tickets available now via bio link. ◉ Based in Houston, Texas, David Dove is a trombone player, composer, improviser, facilitator, and curator. Dove has focused on acoustic playing for most of his career, developing a style that draws influence from jazz, 20th-century composition, electronic music, and free improv among other sources. A devoted improviser, Dove has collaborated with scores of artists over the decades, including his mentor Pauline Oliveros, Joe McPhee, Carmina Escobar, Tom Carter, Thomas Lehn, Jawwaad Taylor, and Lucas Gorham. Venues where Dove has performed include The Arches in Glasgow, Scotland; DOM Cultural Center in Moscow, Russia; Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas; and the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas. #upend2026

On March 5, the Meara O’Reilly Vocal Ensemble performs new works @2220arts at a concert staged by @upend.la At this special hometown show, LA-based vocalists Mingjia Chen, Linnea Sablosky, Jodie Landau, and Eliza Bagg bring to our ears two new pieces for four voices by this inventive composer, whose music plays with perceptual and unique compositional techniques to explore new modes of vocal expression. The program will also feature Mingjia Chen and Linnea Sablosky performing Hockets for Two Voices—O’Reilly’s touchstone work from 2019—as well as another set of hockets, originally written for two flutes and newly adapted for this vocal duo. Alan Wyffels opens the night with a solo keyboard set. Tickets available via bio link Poster by @robertbeattyart @mearao @ming_rat_thing @acrolinnea @jodielandau @lisel.jpeg @evelyncouch66 #upend2026