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Pittsburgh’s Fourth River is the sometimes mythologized, sometimes forgotten river that flows below the surface. More accurately, it is an aquifer that is given the name Wisconsin Glacial Flow. The visible manifestations of the river can be seen in the fountain at Point State Park and in some of the downtown drinking water. When the Fourth River is mentioned, grand notions of a flowing subterranean river come to mind. This is in direct contrast to what is actually is: sand, gravel, and a bit of water running through it.
“Fourth River” combines these two visions of the river, pairing arrhythmic electronics and percussion with majestic melodies from acoustic instruments. The contributing musicians are a small who’s who of innovative performers from Pittsburgh. Vibraphonist and percussionist Jeff Berman worked extensively in New York, performing in innovative jazz and new music groups before settling down in Pittsburgh. On the piece, he handles the rather gnarly vibraphone work and bowed gongs. Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl runs Tuff Sound Recording, has created music for dance and multi-media projects, and was a member of the genre-bending Soma Mestizo. Here, he contributes modular synthesizer, a series of signal-producing modules connected by patch cords/wires. A trio of musicians from Pittsburgh’s young New Music scene also makes an appearance: Brandon Masterman (soprano and baritone saxophone), Kerrith Livengood (flute and alto flute), and Ben Harris (violin). Connecting all the elements is Host Skull, proper.
Host Skull’s first official show and “Fourth River” release will take place at The Frame on Friday, April 29. The show is a collaboration with the Alternative Photo Processes class taught by photographer Elizabeth Raymer Griffin at Carnegie Mellon. The downloadable release, available through Contraphonic for $3.99, will combine the composition with photographs from the class and essays by one of Contraphonic’s owners, Ben Schulman. Host Skull will be represented by David Bernabo and Jeff Berman for this performance.
