The "renaissance man of the underground," Jim Thirwell's body of work
is not only large but also diverse, given his roles as musician, producer,
label owner and artist. Using different pseudonyms to delineate each direction,
Thirwell not only changes hats from project to project but also within
projects. This live benediction abridges his achievements, gathering many
of his long-time collaborators to perform selections pulled from 10 years
of work. Monstrous production transforms the soundboard at CBGB into a
clean, colorful explosion of high frequencies and low magnitudes. Thirwell's
vocals growl heinous exclamations against a voluptuous background, created
by the sticky keyboards of David Ouimet (ex-Cop Shoot Cop), the unconventional
violin of Hahn Rowe (Hugo Largo) and a group of ex-Swans: Algis Kizys (also
Of Cabbages And Kings) on boundless bass, Norman Westberg (also Sugartime)
on frivolous guitar and Vinnie Signorelli on drums. Traveling over the
top, each element explodes into a gluttonous frenzy - an excessive musical
extravaganza that makes you want to scream along with the overpowering
obliteration.