Itchy-O is an experiential fifty-plus-strong performance troupe comprised of a batterie of percussionists accompanied by an orchestral arsenal of avant-instrumentation. Dismantling assumptions of traditional performance models to break down the barriers between audience and performer, they administer a bombast of ceremonial chaos, baptizing the audience—body, mind, and collective spirit—in an elaborate, pan-sensorial ocean of music, mystery, and transcendental spectacle.
Join Surface Tension on Friday August 8th at 1:00 PM as he airs his interview with Itchy-O’s comms agent wherein they discuss a bit of the ensemble’s history, their most recent album, Söm Sâptâlahn (Mettle Institute / Alternative Tentacles), and The Split Sigil—a 2-night live collaboration between Itchy-O and Death Guild—kicking off at Great American Music Hall in SF on Friday August 22 and continuing in a second performance over at The UC Theatre in Berkeley where sound and spectacle begin to reassemble on Saturday August 23, bringing forward the echo of the first night in a new form.
Each venue is open to all ages with festivities commencing at 9:00 PM. For those attending both evenings, the experience forms a nonlinear arc: rupture, renewal, and resurrection.
Photo: Alyson McClaran
