Alchemical String Theory, described in their promotional materials as “outsider string artists from Atlanta’s improvisational underground,” convened on Sunday for an evening of avant-garde sonic experimentation. A diverse offering from the normally heavy metal and punk focused record label/management company Terminus Hate City, the event was remarkably well attended.
The brainchild of Atlanta-based violinist Paul Mercer, Alchemical String Theory is an interwoven collective of individual players, each employing an array of effects pedals and digital devices to turn solo performances into multi-layered sonic tapestries. Such a concept was bound to attract curious listeners from both the classical and new music fandoms and the dark, gothic confines of Sabbath Brewing provided an extra boost of theatricality to the evening’s aura.
It is not uncommon to associate live string performances with the pristine, utopian halls in which they usually occur. For that alone, it was refreshing to descend into the infernal realms of a rock venue for an evening of avant-garde compositions cast out across a sea of morbid tattoos, leather boots and feral hairstyles. Bringing the art form out of the halls of the sacred and into the murky underworld of the profane served to infuse the music with a newfound sense of vigor and danger.
Mercer’s opening remarks discussed the event’s principle inspiration, the life and work of Bohemian-Austrian violinist Heinrich Ignaz Biber and his fascination with music as an alchemical process.
The evening began with Menton3 (aka Menton J. Matthews III, who also performs as “Saltillo”), a multi-instrumentalist and accomplished painter. Surrounded by a labyrinthine array of effects pedals and bathed in diabolical light, Menton3 began his performance by setting up a series of ethereal chordal swells with an electric bass before switching to the cello.
The piece, meant to honor the undying support of Menton3’s wife, was a largely soothing affair that defied the venue’s dark ambience to fill the imagination with thoughts of sunrises, scenic wildernesses and meditative journeys into inner peace. It was a deeply satisfying aura that expanded exponentially with each added layer.
Eventually Menton3 abandoned instruments altogether, turning his attention to the smorgasbord of dials and knobs at his disposal to manipulate the oscillating musical passages with a sudden influx of flangers, reverb and distortion that briefly tore into the soundscape before dismissing it altogether. The piece was only about seven minutes, but its performance seemed almost like an occult ritual and, as such, a worthy expression of the evening’s thesis.
He was followed by cellist/vocalist Regeana Campbell, whose minimalist equipment — a cello, microphone and a couple of effects processors — made her a stark contrast to her predecessor. Campbell’s music was aggressively hypnotic and structured around exotic modalities.
Like Menton3 before her, Campbell’s performance built layer upon layer via digital looping until an angelic choir seemed to dance in and out of pulsating cello riffs while Eastern melodies drifted through the captivating milieu. Out of the evening’s four sublime acts, Campbell was a favorite with her interwoven cello passages and wailing, mournful voice.
Third in line was violinist Atlas Wolf (his actual name), whose notoriety in the Atlanta underground music scene saw him take the stage to considerable fanfare. The momentum of that crowd response was unfortunately blunted when Wolf introduced his first piece with a long and convoluted story explaining its exotic origins.
The piece itself — apparently inspired by a dangerous encounter during Wolf’s travels abroad — saw the return of the plethora of electronic effects, including a digital percussion pad and guitar distortion pedals. Once underway, the music was uptempo and engaging, with tribal rhythms underscoring brooding melody lines and washes of ambient distortion.
Where Menton3 meditated and Campbell called out in soft despair, Wolf thrashed about manically. It was an unsettling but nonetheless fascinating set.
The evening closed with headliner Paul Mercer. A fixture of the Atlanta experimental music scene since the 1980s, Mercer’s prestige was readily apparent in the enthusiastic crowd response. As the evening’s elder statesman, it was Mercer who seemed to most closely adhere to the conventions of traditional classical music. His set used minimal effects and a series of basic contrapuntal concepts that seemed intent on drawing the audience out of the intricacy of the preceding performers and into a simple, unadorned appreciation of improvisation and melodic development.
Mercer was eventually joined on stage by Wolf and Campbell, along with upright bassist Gabriel Monticello and violinist Amanda Emily Lee. The quintet abandoned electronics altogether and, at Mercer’s request, most of the venue’s electric lights, to spend a few minutes collectively improvising in near darkness. It was a nice touch but seemed to distract from an evening clearly propelled by the confluence of the acoustic and the electronic.
Alchemical String Theory’s concert was a bold reminder of the sprawling range of musical talent that fills Atlanta’s underground music scene. And the equally diverse and eclectic audience — which included goths, metalheads, punkers, hippies, beatniks and many more — was further proof that the thirst for musical creativity transcends demographics. Fans of traditional string music, and the cathedrals and concert halls it occupies, are strongly encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and attend Alchemical String Theory’s next ritual.
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Jordan Owen began writing about music professionally at the age of 16 in Oxford, Mississippi. A 2006 graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he is a professional guitarist, bandleader and composer. He is currently the lead guitarist for the jazz group Other Strangers, the power metal band Axis of Empires and the melodic death/thrash metal band Century Spawn.
