Moss

MOSS is a project from four accomplished sound artists: Molly Berg, Olivia Block, Steve Roden and Stephen Vitiello which was originally released on 12k in 2011. MOSS (Recur) celebrates the 10th anniversary with a re-release on cassette that contains a recording of a very unique live performance rehearsal on its B-side.

The rehearsal catches the artists in a candid atmosphere going through their sound setups, listening to themselves, listening to each other. Snippets of conversations and laughter woven throughout make for a private peek into what was to become a stellar performance and a sonic highlight from the 12k catalog. Just the right amount of these vignettes find their way in and around the beautifully performed rehearsal, adding to the story of the captured moment.

[ THE ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE FROM MOSS, 12K2020)

Moss, is a live recording from a unique collaboration by sound artists/musicians Molly Berg, Olivia Block, Steve Roden and Stephen Vitiello. This was a midnight concert at the beautiful Trinity Cathedral in San Jose, CA which was part of the 01SJ Biennial. Olivia and Steve had performed solo sets on the previous nights. The final night was meant to be a duo with Molly and Stephen but the opportunity to play with musicians/friends who we admire so much called out for an invitation to play together. As the set was entirely improvised, the billing really changed in our minds from being a duo with guests to becoming a quartet. The church itself was certainly inspiring, it’s dark wood and clean dry acoustics. There was a very small but dedicated audience. No one slept and the church crew were able to, amazingly, quiet the rowdy revelers on the street for the duration of their set.

Anyone familiar with any of the four musicians involved in this recording will know the level of craftsmanship and attention to sonic tactility that can be found within. They each exercise such incredible restraint, a feat difficult to pull off in an impromptu improvised session where musicians are often found competing for space, and allow for a sense of place to work its way through the quiet recording. “Moss” breathes like a living being lying down to sleep — a delicate wave of hushed field recordings, tape tracks and subtle electronics provides a bed for which Molly Berg’s clarinet and voice (joined at times by Steve Roden) ebb and sway, allowed center- stage, in movements across the piece’s 24+ minutes. Steve Roden and Stephen Vitiello provide guitar (lap steel and electric, respectively) while Olivia Block manipulates the tapes, field recordings and electronics.

Moss is a perfect example of how four like-minded friends and musicians can come together at a moment’s notice and create, unrehearsed, a captivating and beautiful sonic landscape. The connection between them as artists is completely evident while at the same time disappearing into the background to allow the piece move like a singular body.