Feb 19 2008
Tea and thunder
It’s mid evening and I’m currently listening to a subtle and subdued little split-tape by Evan Miller & Gown. It’s the first I’ve heard by either of these artists. The Evan Miller side is beautiful acoustic guitar meanderings against a grainy, lo-fi thunderstorm backdrop (astraphobics, fear not…) which works remarkably well. The piece is called Specter: a truly fitting, if Americanised, title.
And as I type this and listen to the tape-storm, I’m drinking a cup of rather lovely gyokuro in a new Mokage style teacup from Hokujo.
Mogake is a traditional Japanese technique which consists of applying seaweed onto unglazed pots before the firing process is carried out. The salt from the seaweed oxidizes with the clay during the firing and unique and often surprising marks are made on the pot surfaces. This is the work of Shimizu Genji-san, a true master of this art. Of course, I couldn’t resist obtaining a kyusu in the same understated style…
And now the reverse, Gown side of the tape is playing (it’s a very short release…). This piece, entitled Pigeon Church, for reasons I can’t quite fathom, is more electric and out there yet it’s still possessed of a fine, wandering spirit. Is Evan Miller part of, or all of, Gown? I don’t know but I suspect not; it really doesn’t matter anyway. I think I’ll have some more gyokuro as I watch this miniature electrical storm settle.
