Thursday, August 3 at 8pm

An Evening with The Red Krayola

 

ABOUT THE RED KRAYOLA  

Perhaps the longest running underground rock band, the Red Krayola (alternately spelled Red Crayola) were formed in Houston as a trio in 1966. Along with fellow Texans 13th Floor Elevators, and emerging groups like the Velvet Underground and Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band, Mayo Thompson’s sonic experimentalism was viewed as a rejection of the prevalent “summer of love” sound of the time. From jagged feedback assaults to whimsical meandering folk melodies, the Red Krayola inspired countless underground rock phenomena for decades to come.

 

Thompson ultimately found his way to Europe where he emerged as a main force in the experimental post-punk scene, reforming the Krayola with new members. As the Red Krayola moved into its third decade, Thompson’s unusual approach to songwriting and clever word play would fit perfectly with another new set of collaborators: England’s visual arts collective Art & Language. This period would prove to be especially fruitful for the band. By the end of the 1980s, his enduring influence was keenly felt in the thriving US indie scene. At that time his recordings were re-released in the States and, meeting a new demand for his work, Thompson joined forces with a younger generation of artists, collaborating with Chicago avant-garde musicians Jim O’Rourke, David Grubbs (Squirrelbait, Gastr del Sol) and John McEntire (Tortoise, Sea and Cake). With a lineup that features McEntire, Prina, and Tom Watson (Pell Mell, the Krayola has released a new album this past April titled Introduction.

Even more about The Red Krayola at