On Thursday, October 1, percussionist Jon Mueller brings his Friend Less project to Eyedrum, unveiling material from his two most recent EPs, titled Energy Rippers and Logic of Relics (with Bundy K. Brown and James Plotkin).
Both releases build upon layers of hypnotic rhythms, drones, and acoustic feedback that coalesce, revealing hidden dimensions of sound at every turn. Mueller studied jazz drumming with Hal Russell and Indian classical singing with La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela—focusing on microtones, sustained vocal tones, and ragas.
Katherine Young Photo by John Ramspott
Over the years, he has worked with everyone from Bon Iver in the group Volcano Choir and Collections of Colonies of Bees to Olivia Block, Rhys Chatham, Jarboe, and Z’ev.
Composer and improvisor Katherine Young opens the show with a solo performance, unveiling new works for bassoon and electronics.
Wisconsin-based percussionist and composer Jon Mueller brings a spectacle of rhythm and resonance to Eyedrum on Saturday, March 1, performing “All Colors Present,” a live “Sound + Visual Meditation” set to the works of photographer Tom Lecky.
Mueller is a master of the elemental—his approach to percussion is both physical and deeply hypnotic, an exploration of repetition, texture and atmospheric weight. Over the years, he has worked with avant-garde luminaries such as Z’ev, James Plotkin, Rhys Chatham, Volcano Choir, and Pele, forever pushing the boundaries of what percussion-based music can do. He is currently working on a recording for the formerly Atlanta-based drone, minimalism, and avant-garde label Table of the Elements.
For this performance, Mueller plays two drums, wielding a pulse and a shifting sonic landscape that unfolds to the tune of Lecky’s imagery.
Lecky’s work is a meditation in its own right. His photographs tap into memory, imagination, and perception, often weaving together his own words and images with found materials, forging an abstract narrative that exists in the liminal space between experience and recollection. All Colors Present creates a visual conversation with Mueller’s constantly evolving interplay, resulting in a performance that is as much a ritual as it is a concert, where repetition and movement pull the listener into an immersive space—both grounding and transcendent.
Ipek Eginli. Photo by Steve West.
Ipek Eginli is also performing Saturday night. Eginli is a Turkish-born Atlanta transplant who has established a formidable presence amid the city’s experimental musical enclaves as a pianist, electroacoustic sound artist, and improviser who describes her works as “a process of a creation and a creation of a process.” Her performances build upon elements of electroacoustic improvisation on piano, voice, and modular synthesizers. For this show, Eginli is taking a deep dive into drones, piano, and field recordings.
$10. 8:30-11 p.m. Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery. 515 Ralph David Abernathy SW. Buy tickets here.
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