Album Notes

Moanin' Parade is Gatmo Sessions Volume 1.
Gatmo has been a gathering place in West Sonoma County for instrument inventors and musicians for over ten years. The studio is filled with a variety of unique one-of-a-kind instruments that are used for creative recording sessions.
California Sonic Instrument Designers Ensemble, (C-Side): consists of four individuals who are true inventors in the scientific sense and play their creations impressively -- Richard Waters: Inventor of the waterphones, along with saw, and his guiros, guikas, water tong drums and bamboo percussion creations. The Late Darrel DeVore: Using recycled materials, rubber bands and bamboo to dispense his sound magic, he crafted marimbas, flutes and percussion such as wind wands and groove sticks. Keys and voice are featured too. Tom Nunn: With his electroacoustic percussion boards and sonic plates such as the "Bug", "Earwarg" "T Rodimba" and "Crustacean". Bart Hopkin: Along with being editor of EMI (Experimental Musical Instruments), Bart has invented many stringed, wind, percussive and motorized devices and, like Darrell, is skilled on most instruments.

Petit Mal was an outgrowth of neighbors Richard Waters and Gary Knowlton (string player, recording enthusiast and experimental instrument collector and advocate), along with brother Michael Knowlton on strings and paint brushes. Blending traditional instruments with experimental created wonderful, weird results.

Other guest improvisers on Moanin' Parade include: Steve Shain/bass; Chris "Big Skin" Saunders/trumpet and voice; Tom Dondelinger and Bob B. Hobbs/ drums and percussion; Wayne Doba/tapshoes and percussion; Doug Carroll/cello, and Tom Waits/voice, keys and all else (courtesy of Anti-Records). In Bart Hopkin's book "Gravikords, Whirlies and Pyrophones", (Ellipsis Arts), Tom Waits describes playing in an orchard where "everything was permitted, suspending logic and direction". Most of the recordings heard on Moanin' Parade are from these sessions.