the answers

Alec K. Redfearn is a composer/songwriter/free improviser/accordionist etc. who has been playing in and around Providence, RI for close to 15 years. He has played in over 30 bands and been involved with dozens of theatre, dance, and film collaborations. He is predominantly self taught and he tends to work with musicians of all calibers. His songs, compositions and accordion playing are fiercely individual and his music has been very difficult to categorize.

CURRENT PROJECTS

ALEC K. REDFEARN AND THE EYESORES- AKR and The Eyesores formed in 1997 originally as an outlet for Alec's singer/songwriter, but has since expanded into something far more ambitious and a lot harder to describe. Slow, simmering, noirish dirges, spastic no-wave tangos, repetitive rhythmic conundrums, Weimar-style cabaret songs, Drunken revelry, crippling depression, extreme self loathing, Catholic guilt, clanking, scraping and radio noise are some of the many facets that make up the Eyesores' sound. Always evolving and ever elusive, The Eyesores have consistently left their audiences equally enthralled and confused. The band has performed in various forms as a chamber trio or quartet with accordion and strings, as a rock trio of accordion, guitar and drums, and as a big band with strings, guitars, drums, electronics, brass, and hurdy-gurdies, and sometimes just Alec solo, singing and playing accordion. The band has also accompanied theatre and dance troupes such as the Everett Dance Theatre and has worked with Providence independent film director, Laura Colella. The Eyesores have released three CDs and one split 7 inch single (see discography page for details)

LINE-UP
Alec K. Redfearn- accordion and vocals
Margie Wienk -upright bass, cello, and vocals
Olivia Geiger- Violin
Domenick Panzarella- Electric guitar
Matt McLaren- Drums
Ann Schattle - French horn
Erica Schattle - bassoon

OTHERS
Jason McGill - alto sax, percussion, short wave radio
Alec Thibodeau- guitar
Laura Gulley- violin
Sara Stalnaker- 'cello
Jesse Holstein- violin
Sebastian Ruth- viola, violin
Chris Saraullo- percussion
Matt Everett- viola
Mark Pedini - drums
Will Schaff - guitar
Corwin Butterworth - lap steel and mandolin
Jeffrey Alexander - guitar and electronics
Don Larson - banjo
Joel Thibodeau - drums, guitar, lap steel and mandolin
Jeff Knoch- farfisa organ

GUTTERHELMET- Gutterhelmet , the newest AKR project, is a duo in the classic Providence-style format of the "power trio of two."

LINE-UP
Alec K. Redfearn- Accordion, Voice and Jawharp
Matt McLaren- Drums, Glockenspiel and Voice

ALEC K. REDFEARN ET LES FILLES INVISIBLES - Alec K. Redfearn solo project.

LINEUP: Alec K. Redfearn: Voice, Accordion, Loops, Jaw Harp, High Hat, Bass Drum, and hand held tape recorder

BARNACLED- Barnacled is a collective of composers and improvisers from the Providence area that was formed in 2000. Their music is an eclectic amalgamation of free jazz/free improvisation, noise rock, and composition, but there are no imposed rules as to where the music might go next (the next CD could be all pop songs.) Though the band is relatively new, they have toured a few times, released a 3 CDR set of compositions and improvisations, a full length CD on Corleone Records and a 7 inch on White Denim records

LINE-UP
Alec K. Redfearn - Accordion
Jason McGill- Alto sax, shortwave radio, percussion
Frank Difficult- Electronics
Michael Jeffries- Bari Sax, bass
Erica Schattle- Bassoon
Ann Schattle- French Horn
Matt McLaren- Drums
Nicotina- Guitar
Jeff Weeter- Drums

Past Projects

THE AMOEBIC ENSEMBLE- The obscure, but legendary Amoebic Ensemble formed in 1992 and disbanded for the last time in 1999. The Amoebics' music was an enraged, jagged and angular variant on early american cartoon music, among other things. The band was led by Alec, but members Steven Jobe, Jonathan Thomas and Matt Everett also contributed compositions to the band's repetoire. There were no guitar players or bass players, just strings, brass, accordion, mandolin/ bouzouki and 2 percussionists. The shows were swirling mathematical chaos with a lot of searing high-end, but with enough humor and pathos for people to latch on to it. The group collaborated with Pan Twilight Circus, RISD cabaret class and Perishable theatre, relaesed two CDs and a 7 inch single and played in AMI's new music festival, MIMI fest, in Arles France in 1996.

LINE-UP
Alec K. Redfearn- Accordion, vocal
Shawn Wallace- trumpet
Steve Jobe- bassoon and hurdy gurdy, vocal
Laura Gulley- 5 string electric violin
Matt Everett- mandolin and bouzouki
Paige Van Antwerp- drum kit
Jonathan Thomas- home made percussion

OTHERS
Gerard Heroux- trumpet and french horn
Mark Pedini- drum kit
Dan Perlin- alto sax
Don Larson- electric guitar
Chris Adams- tuba
Mark Cummins- drums
Guy Benoit- alto sax
Frank Difficult- electronics
Margie Wienk- string bass
Chris Turner- Harmonica
Ellen Santaniello- Vocals

SPACE HEATER- Alec's first composition project and the direct predecessor to the Amoebic Ensemble, Space Heater lasted about one year (1989-90.) The group was formed with Amoebics' Jonathan Thomas and bassist Rick Massimo. Since neither Jonathan nor Alec had had much experience on their respective instruments at the time, the band's sound was extremely chaotic and humorous. The band did release one 6 song cassette where they were joined by 7 other musicians. Some of the tunes on the tape took over 50 takes to get right and even still, engineer Joe Auger had to do a considerable amount of cut and paste to make the whole thing coherent, but the results were crude brilliance and we plan to reissue it in some form if we can get the money together.

SPACE HEATER LINE-UP
Alec K. Redfearn- accordion and electric bass
Rick Massimo- string bass and electric bass
Jonathan Thomas- homemade percussion
Jim Finnerty- trumpet
Chris Adams- trombone

OTHERS
Tom Warren- tenor sax
Steven Jobe- bassoon and hurdy gurdy
Jon Cambell- Bouzouki
Bert Crenca- flute
Eric M. Armour- Bagpipe
Denise Tetreault- violin
Geoff Adams- Baritone Sax