Far and away

>> Trevor Dunn and Shelley Burgon take
contrabass and pedal harp to the metaphysical

by LATEEF MARTIN

Trevor Dunn is a bassist of many worlds, from the genre-bending antics of Mr. Bungle to the heaviosity of Fantômas (both headed by ex-Faith No More singer Mike Patton), to working with psycho sax man John Zorn and the Jessica Jones Quartet. In Welcome to Buffalo, Trevor Dunn plays contrabass while Shelley Burgon strums up fragments of rabbit-hole forays on the pedal harp. Their latest, “metaphysically titled” How Far Is Far?, was recorded live at an in-store in Baltimore. Completely acoustic, Dunn and Burgon play off each other, creating schizophrenic soundscapes both fragile and playful. The Mirror caught up with Trevor in New York to see just how far is far.

Mirror: You’ve played with many types of settings. How does performing with a harp player compare?

Trevor Dunn: I never played with someone on harp before. The great thing about harp and bass is that there’s a wide palette of sound. Plus the fact there’s only two of us. We’d usually get buried beneath the drums. We can play quietly and still be heard.

M: Welcome to Buffalo sounds like the score to some animated movie on acid. It has a very narrative feel to it. What’s in you head when you hear it?

TD: There’s so much involved that I can’t listen to it objectively. All I can think about are the rehearsals. Sometimes I’ll go back to something I’ve done and it’s like a little journey, like looking at a photograph.

M: The harp has a magical feel attached to it. How does bass fit into that?

TD: I guess for what Shelley and I do, we both try to create music that goes beyond the instrument. It’s one of the reasons we use extended technique. Shelley does all sorts of weird shit like hitting her harp with a metal rod or attaching things to strings to alter the sound. Most people say that when they hear the harp, it reminds them of angels, but the way Shelley plays it, it’s more like dark angels.

With Friendly Rich & The Lollipop People and
Bobok at Green Room on Sunday, Feb. 18, 9 p.m., $12