Music enthusiasts of a certain stripe—those old enough to remember the halcyon days of ’90s indie rock—are always eager to hear the latest from legendary guitarist and producer J. Robbins, who cut his teeth in seminal D.C. bands like Jawbox and Government Issue. What cannot be taken for granted, however, is that Robbins, now in his third decade as a musician, still finds new ways to perfect his distinct brand of discordant post-punk. His current project, Office of Future Plans, is based in Baltimore, but is beginning to play the District with some regularity—including a slot at Fort Reno July 25. The band has only released a 7-inch record, but its live set hints toward a full-length begging to be recorded. Since Office of Future Plans funded its debut single in just four days through a Kickstarter campaign, the prospect of an entire album would surely inspire diehards to loosen their purse strings. (Matt Siblo) At 8:30 p.m. with Hammer No More the Fingers and Brice Randall Bickford at Black Cat Backstage. $10.

MUSIC

You can't go wrong seeing radical-minded hip-hop group The Cornel West Theory tonight at Fort Reno—although, then again, they're playing at least two more times in the  District in the next few weeks, so you've got a few chances. We profiled the group in this week's dead-tree City Paper on the occasion of the release their new album, The Shape of Hip-Hop to Come, which is exactly as ambitious as it sounds. 7:15 p.m. With Sound Limit and Guilt at 7:30 at Fort Reno. Free.

Experimental types: Check out Janel + Anthony + Violet (cello, guitar, table with lots of plugs and knobs and things) and Wytold (more cello!) at Hillyer Art Space, which has a new, smartly curated monthly series called The Recorder. At 7 p.m. at Hillyer Art Space. $10 suggested donation.

GALLERIES

Stalwart WCP intern Laura Bolt wrote about the Documents: Alternative Guide to the DC Underground, an interactive show featuring portraits of D.C. artists, when it opened, and it's worth returning to tonight for a gallery talk by the creators, Yulia Graham and Ayodamola Okunseinde. Bonus! Features portraits of members of The Cornel West Theory. At 7 p.m. at Vivid Solutions Gallery. It's also the gallery's birthday, and the party starts after the talk, around 8.

STORYTELLING

There seems to be a glut of storytelling going on in The District these days. This event features on vet of SpeakeasyDC and the Prince of Petworth. At 8 p.m. at Blagden Brickroom. $10.

THEATER

Fringe shows!

FUCK YES BASTILLE DAY

The Atlas has French guitar virtuoso Stephane Wrembel, who'll be performing some Parisian standards. Naturally, this thing comes with wine, if you show up anytime after 6:30 p.m. The music starts at 8 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center. $40.

L'Enfante Cafe has its annual, much-beloved Maid Race at 8 p.m. Alors! The world would end if this didn't occur. Also: Activities at Alliance Francaise and La Maison Francaise.

Jimmy Chamberlin

Though Chamberlin—or Jimmy C, or whatever Smashing Pumpkins diehards like to call him—is the draw here, the 47-year-old drummer is the third wheel between D.C.'s Pirog and Reina, who were working on releasing an album with The Jackfields before Chamberlin found them. The Jackfields’ album was supposed to be something wild and psychedelic; with Chamberlin, Skysaw’s debut album Great Civilizations is a tour of prog, arena, and quiet keyboard rock.

And it’s that variation, or “full democracy” of sound as the liner notes read, that keeps Great Civilizations from ever taking off. Consider the album’s name—it reaches for the booming symphonies of Rush's Fly By Night or Moving Pictures. But only a handful of its 10 songs achieve those heights.

“No One Can Tell” is a brooding rager of an opener (and lead single). Pirog’s guitar hooks are fast and relentless; Chamberlin’s drums are tight and martial. Reina repeats the title, throwing in dashes of isolation, estrangement, and remorse. “No one can tell/no one can tell/no one can tell/that I’ve gone over the edge/but all the next day/you can see it’s taxing my health,” he sings as Pirog tears into the bridge. The second track, “Capsized Jackknifed Crisis” is mellower, but just as broad and reaching—a “Freewill” to the opener’s “Force Ten.”

But the third track, “Tightrope Situation,” arrives with a thud. It’s quiet and dissonant; on another album it’d be lovely. Reina’s voice is sweet and melodic, but Chamberlin is nearly absent. The song meanders for more than five minutes, and when Reina announce he’s “desperate for a new sedation,” he doesn’t have to look too far.

A few middle tracks restore the volume, but don’t come across as anything more than solid practice sessions. The members of Skysaw are accomplished on their own. Janel and Anthony, the cello-and-guitar duo Pirog shares with his girlfriend Janel Leppin, creates wild, haunting dreamscapes. And Chamberlin’s star power isn’t empty—this is the man who put up with Billy Corgan as long as humanly possible. But all of Chamberlin’s ventures since the first demise of the Smashing Pumpkins have been one-and-done outings: Corgan’s uncomfortable vanity project Zwan, Chamberlin's own Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, the brief reunion of the Pumpkins before he finally quit for good.

Perhaps sonic democracy isn’t the best formula. By the time Great Civilizations reaches its title track, Skysaw is in full-on U2 mode with Pirog borrowing the harmony from any of those generically anthemic tracks on All That You Can’t Leave Behind. At least Chamberlin keeps it alive with finessed, hard-driving stick work. It’s a shame he’s practically absent on the slow, mopey, conspicuously named closer “Sad Reasons.”

Which is not to say that Skysaw couldn’t be worthy of its debut album’s lofty name. After so many downers on the back end of Great Civilizations, one wishes Skysaw had included “Cathedral”, a seven-minute spectacle of shredded fury and ricocheting drum crashes the band has been playing at recent shows and one that could make Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart envious. But sometimes the words of the prophets don’t stick to the studio wall. Concert hall.

Skysaw performs with Cobra Collective and The Chance Friday at 9 p.m. at Black Cat. $13.

Andrew Noz reviews the latest full-length from D.C. rapper Tabi Bonney, while David Dunlap Jr. listens to the new album from Arlington ren-faire rockers Fern Knight. Trey Graham reviews every tongue confess, an ambitious world premiere involving church burnings and a Greek chorus that is the first play to be performed in Arena Stage's new Kogod Cradle. Mark Athitakis reviews Andrew Wingfield's Right of Way, a book of short stories that touch on issues of gentrification in Northern Virginia. Tricia Olszewski reviews Love & Other Drugs and Welcome to the Rileys, two films about damaged relationships between damaged people. And for One Track Mind, Benjamin Freed talks to guitar-and-cello duo Janel and Anthony about a track from their upcoming album.

In City Lights: Capps reviews "Proofs" at Hamiltonian Gallery. Plus: Psycho, House of Gold, Let It Be, Gay Talese, Peter Hook, and Elizabeth Cook.

Last night's Sonic Circuits show at the Strathmore Mansion was a treat—and not just because the dark, wooden walls of the arts center's music room complemented the string-based openers.

The Low End String Quartet is a "reimagined" take on the string quartet; instead of cello and violin, there was a guitar and an upright bass. Janel and Anthony, a guitar and cello duo, followed, with a long set of minimalistic compositions. They were joined by pianist and electronic musician Arturas Bumsteinas, who tickled their songs with piano arpeggiations and sound glitches.

But the crowd reserved most of its anticipation for Christian Fennesz, who rarely performs in this country. The Austrian Fennesz is known for creating organic soundscapes with his electric guitar, pedals, and a laptop. Before his set, Fennesz spoke with Washington City Paper.

Washington City Paper: How did you decide to perform live with laptop and a guitar simultaneously?

Fennesz: Well, I got frustrated with the guitar, and the symbol of it. There was just, you know, so much noodling going on with it. When I started using software programs, I discovered a complete, new universe of making music. There's this certain sound that I want to make, and by using a laptop and a guitar, I can do that, with that combination of analog—the guitar—and digital—the computer. Then I have this whole network of pedals, guitar, and computer. It just becomes one big instrument.

WCP: What main software program do you use?

Fennesz: Maxim SP Max/MSP. With it, and my pedals, I can build effects and change things around. It's really like one, big studio in a box.

WCP: How do you seek out software and programs then? And with technology constantly changing and improving, do you upgrade frequently?

Fennesz: Well, I'm not a programmer. I'd rather spend my time making music, and using the programs, so I have programmers find and make programs for me. I do upgrade, a lot, because I like having state-of-the-art technology. The software gets more complex, and loses its compatibility with older computers. There'll be issues with RAM, and memory…so yes, I upgrade.

WCP: While you're creating new music, do you ever return to your older computer systems and software?

Fennesz: Yes, I do, because I'm familiar with how they work. And sometimes I like the limitation that older systems have. Looking back at when I started off, I think now that limitation can be a good thing. I mean, when you have everything you need, sometimes it's too much. It's interesting what limitation can do.

WCP: And while speaking about returning to things, do you ever listen back on older recordings?

Fennesz: No, I really can't listen to my old stuff. Except Endless Summer. To me, that album felt like pop music that had its own life. Like it was made by someone else. It's nice pop. Influences from Brian Wilson.

WCP: There are a lot of musicians that take influence from Brian Wilson, and The Beach Boys. Animal Collective, especially Panda Bear, have stated that before.

Fennesz: Yes, it's definitely true, The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson are influential. But it's good to know that they've been influential for a while, and that bands have been making music from that influence.

WCP: The title itself too, takes influence from a movie, right?

Fennesz: Yes, Endless Summer is a surfing movie. Wonderful documentation about surfing, people traveling just to look for that perfect wave.

WCP: So how did surf culture find a way into your album title?

Fennesz: Well, I was just really into surfing for a while, surfing in Bali, just for fun.

WCP: Water seems to be a recurrent theme in your music, mostly in your titles and album art, and parallel, receding lines.

Fennesz: The album art, that's a special part of Touch Label. I just let the art director take control there, since he's got a certain aesthetic, but we definitely talk about things first. Whereas water, it's always had an influence on me. I grew up by a lake, and loved the sounds of water and wind. Just being able to hear the elements at an early age like that was great.

WCP: So are you trying to recreate those sounds in your music?

Fennesz: I think I'm just more so influenced by those sounds.

Photo by Jonathan L. Fischer's BlackBerry. Video by Andrew Noz.

Sonic Circuits announced part of its 2010 festival lineup today, and the headliners may come as a surprise: French giants Magma (whose drummer and bandleader, Christian Vander, is pictured above) heads up the bill. Magma are legends in prog-rock circles, essentially creating their own indescribable genre of rock music, "zeuhl," in the early 1970s. Zeuhl has been glibly referred to as "Klingon opera," and with its martial rhythms, repetitive themes, and strident vocals that range from beautifully harmonized singing to militant chants, that's actually not bad for a two-word description. Here's our review of Magma's latest album, Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré.

While Magma and fellow Sonic Circuits band Univers Zero are generally affiliated with the more avant-garde end of progressive rock music, it's still a bit of a welcome surprise to see them appear in the lineup of what's largely been known as a noise and improv festival. Of course, for fans of that sort of thing, there's still plenty in the lineup to get excited about: notably, Austria's Fennesz will make an appearance, and Japan's Merzbow will perform with French ambient guitarist Richard Pinhas (who packed the Velvet Lounge a few years ago; also check out our review of the Pinhas/Merzbow album that came out on Cuneiform Records in 2008). On the jazz/improv side of things, the most notable name may be the prolific Italian-American percussionist/composer Andrea Centazzo.

There are also plenty of local artists rounding out the lineup, which anyone who has been to previous Sonic Circuits shows and festivals will be familiar with: Tone Ghosting, Janel and Anthony, Gestures, Insect Factory, Matta Gawa, and so on. From here, it looks like 2010's Sonic Circuits festival might be the most interesting one yet.

Creative Commons-licensed Christian Vander photo courtesy of Guillaume Laurent

The lessened novelty, the rain and the timing – before local students have gotten back into the swing of things – all conspired such that this past weekend's second iteration of Avant Fairfax wasn't quite as well-attended as the first. But that didn't stop eight bands (and one filmmaker) from putting on an entertaining spectacle in an unfinished second story of a nameless commercial building in downtown Fairfax.

Some personal highlights:

• Janel and Anthony's set was my favorite, a cello/guitar duo that bounced between experimental noise and beautiful, pastoral melody.
• Max Ochs (pictured above) performed a Turkish song, confessing that he doesn't know a word of Turkish. His lyrics were a "trans-phoneticism" (his term) instead of a translation – he basically took the original Turkish vocals and turned them into their closest English analogue by sound alone.
• Gondola played a single long jam with gobs of head-nodding riffs, psychedelic wailing and no dynamics whatsoever. They've got the Earthless-style heavy psych-rock thing down to a T.

More thoughts and photos after the jump, and see the full gallery here.

Although this second installment of Avant Fairfax seemed more loosely run than the first (no running order was posted and announcements were made in an ad hoc manner), the timing was perfect at least up until I left, and the music was diverse yet arranged logically – with the more acoustic/ambient acts playing first and the harder-rocking bands going on after the screening of Proud Flesh, which made for a nice intermission in the music.

I was completely exhausted and bailed during Chromatic Mysteries' set, some time after midnight, and missed Dark Sea Dream. As I walked from the festival to the free parking lot a block away, I could clearly hear Scott Verrastro and company's raucous free-improv screaming out of the windows of the venue and bouncing around the streets of downtown Fairfax. It was a perfect way to leave, a surreal juxtaposition of "out" music and a peaceful, old-fashioned suburban setting.

Apparently, this juxtaposition is welcomed by the city of Fairfax. Avant Fairfax has received a renewed grant from the city for next year's event(s), so despite the lower attendance of the second event, this won't be the last we hear of experimental music in the suburbs.

Moon Pie:

Janel and Anthony:

Mark Fosson:

Scarcity of Tanks:

Gondola:

Chromatic Mysteries:

Full gallery here.

April's inaugural Avant Fairfax festival was such a success that the organizers immediately turned around and starting working on the next installment. The second iteration of the festival is now upon us, and will feature a diverse lineup of eight performers (from the folk stylings of Max Ochs to the psych-rock of Dark Sea Dream and Gondola) as well as a short film.

It's scheduled for 5pm-1am tomorrow, August 22, 2009; here's hoping for tighter timing, as the original fest went overtime and forced headliners Cheer-Accident to cut their set short. The venue this time around is the " . " (Point in Space) Gallery in Fairfax City [3940 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030]. Suggested donation $5.

Check out the lineup after the jump or visit Avant Fairfax at Myspace.

Photo: John Stanton of Kuschty Rye-Ergot, from the first fest.

Lineup:

Max Ochs (BPB interview)
Scarcity of Tanks
Gondola
Janel and Anthony
Dark Sea Dream
Chromatic Mysteries
Mark Fosson
Moon Pie with Doug Stailey
Film: Proud Flesh (trailer below)