Calgary’s The Azymyth unleash their Phantasmagoria
Classic comedian Groucho Marx was once heard to remark “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” Sidestepping the pitfalls of old bandwagon mentality local groovsters The Azymyth have taken the art of being the odd man out to a whole new level. Feeding off of a collective consciousness that embraces creativity in all its forms the dynamic audio-visual foursome of Daniel Bourassa (bass lighting) Devon Dunbar (drums keys projection) Jamey Lougheed (sax clarinet keys sound effects) and vocalist and guitarist Marc Guenette have already made a name for themselves as a group whose live performances are more akin to happenings than recitals.
Born of what founding member Guenette describes as “the desire to create pure music” The Azymyth tends to view technology as but one of the many instruments at its disposal. Combining a dazzling assortment of film clips and sound bites into a multi-sensory psychedelic collage The Azymyth challenges its audience to be present in the moment and to add their own individual energy to the Dadaist feeding frenzy they spread with each new event.
“We like to mix it up and invite guests to join us when we perform live. It’s one giant dance party and we love it” Guenette says of the band’s open door if not open mic policy. Several years into their collaboration Guenette and company graciously began hosting an ever-fluctuating lineup of guest players and technicians all bent on the single task of generating a spectacle that equally emphasizes physical and intellectual stimulation.
“When we became The Azymyth the goal was to try to cover as many styles as possible in order to take our listeners on an emotional rollercoaster” explains Guenette. “Personally I listen to every musical genre under the sun because not to would be like only eating bread at a buffet.”
Poised to release a newly minted collection of some of its finest most bust-a-move-worthy studio pieces The Azymyth is to eager trip the light fantastic and bring their recording to life. Combining a stunning synchronized light and image show with their own unique brand of Theremin-tinted psychedelic space funk The Azymyth has organized an evening of original audio-visual performances entitled Phantasmagoria to celebrate their accomplishment.
“We started playing with the name Phantasmagoria a few years ago” Guenette says. “It was an obscure Lewis Carroll reference and is associated with an old form of shadow puppetry that used a ‘magic lantern’ device. Later we found out that it was also the name of an all-female Japanese black-metal goth band. And a Marilyn Manson videogame. And a Mars Volta side project. So we figured ‘screw that’ and transmogrified it into the name of our A/V show instead “
According to Guenette exploring new sights and sounds is truly its own reward. Yet even as The Azymyth worked to absorb fresh insights and experiences into their craft they encountered boundaries. As someone who marches to the beat of his own drum Guenette has often found himself out of step with the music scene at large. After years of performing and recording together the members of The Azymyth decided to form Chez Jacques Productions to help similarly dejected artists.
“We know what it’s like to be shunned and not just because we weren’t invited to Sled Island “ Guenette laughs. “We don’t want others to feel that way so we’re doing our part to help the scene flourish by building our own circle. Chez Jacques is a side project — a promotional production company that we created so that we could put together happenings for other bands as well as our own…. The idea is to get different artists — actors visual artists musicians and activists — together to collaborate and make something happen every month. We want people to walk away from each show feeling like they were a part of something unique.”
The Azymyth has put out the call via their MySpace page to artists of all disciplines to join them in their crusade of unfettered expression. Visit their phantasmagorical universe at www.myspace.com/theazymyth .
