Jewelled Antler

by Mats Gustafsson

Picture yourself in a true wilderness area, with a steep, almost imperceptible track leading through vast, red barked pine forest down to a hidden beach with waterfalls, which crash into the valley from cliffs a hundred meters up. It's not an easy vista to find but once there you're likely to find yourself just staring at the landscape around you for the rest of the day. If forced to point out a particular location where the spirit of the loose San Francisco-based psychedelia/folk/drone/ improv collective Jewelled Antler resides this got to be the one. Loren Chasse, Glenn Donaldson, Jason Honea, Steven R. Smith, Rob Reger, occasional collaborators and their myriad of various bands and off-shots are so closely knit to trees and organic, natural beauty that I could never see myself writing about these guys without diving deep into descriptions of nature. But on the other hand, most of the involved live in huge Californian cities so that definitely shines through in their music as well. I guess what I am trying to say is that there is beauty, although of different kinds, around us everywhere. Looking out over a fog-clad industrial area at night can be just as powerful as enjoying the warmth from a campfire on some isolated Californian beach and it's in these imaginary crossroads that everything falls into place.

The Jewelled Antler label started in 1999 or so when Chasse, who just had bought a CD-R burner, asked Donaldson if he wanted to collaborate with him on a CD-R label. They had dreamed up a bunch of projects that didn't fit within the context of their one-year-old combo Thuja, being more song-oriented or just different in execution. Chasse and Donaldson created The Blithe Sons as a name for duo recordings they were doing on 4-track. That was the first release on Jewelled Antler, and according to Donaldson "we were somewhat shocked that with the help of Aquarius and some other small mail-order catalogs/stores we were able to sell a bunch of them. It was kind of a revelation, like wow we can have really nice releases and not have to wait around for labels to decide if it'll sell or not, and we don't have to put up $800 for manufactured CDs. So this gave our imaginations free reign over finance. As a result, Loren and Jason Honea came up with The Child Readers based on music they recorded on various camping trips; I met Donovan Quinn and formed the Skygreen Leopards as an excuse to go crazy with overdubs to make layered psych pop/folk on this old 8-track I bought".

The label started as an outlet for small CD-R pressings of side projects such as the Blithe Sons, the Child Readers and the Sky Green Leopards but has with time developed into something much bigger. Sure, Jewelled Antler head honcho Glenn Donaldson and his colleagues still churn out new releases on an almost monthly basis but quite a few of the involved also put out their music through other US underground labels such as Soft Abuse, Family Vineyard, Emperor Jones and Last Visible Dog. What started as a label soon developed into a collective and today it's not unusual that people even refer to the "Jewelled Antler sound" when describing other artists. I most certainly understand what these people are aiming at but I am personally a bit hesitant to use that sort of description (although it indeed would be one hell of a compliment) as the label's different combos cover way too much ground to be pigeonholed as one thing. I'll try to prove my point by sharing a few words about some of favorite Jewelled Antler releases.

San Francisco musician Glenn Donaldson had already demonstrated his musical capacity in acclaimed outfits such as Mirza, Knit Separates and more recently the incredibly dark improv unit Thuja when he decided to release his solo music under the Birdtree moniker. It was the first release I had heard from him where previous discreet nods towards more folky terrain became clearly visible, although under a distant blanket of intoxicating sounds and subdued collages. The 14 songs on Orchards and Caravans crawl along a desolate path surrounded by plunky guitars, bouzouki, banjo, harmonium, bells, keyboards and plenty of other instruments. Despite its rather murky production there's a great sense of spaciousness to the slightly Richard Youngs-esque proceedings. It sounds like a soundtrack to sleepwalking, and the accompanying dream isn't exactly the brightest one you've ever had. Rather what this dream provides is access to a gigantic hole where melancholia, otherworldly folk structures and submerged soundscapes come to meet. Donaldson does most of the work himself but is occasionally accompanied by fellow Mirza/Thuja member Steven R. Smith. What Smith does on his own is similar to Birdtree in the regard that he explores an equally dark and rewarding sound world. But where Birdtree favors slightly bent melodies Smith is much more about mournful guitarscapes, textures which if you give them enough time to massage your ears and brain will be deeply ingrained into your mind. The guitar drones, swirls and vibrates but it's still a highly meditative and fragile, if not even melancholic listen. It's like these heavenly guitar compositions come out of the environment itself, just hanging in the air before finding their way into your ears and returning to nature again through your own breath-mist. To get a glimpse of these sad moments every Steven R. Smith release will do the trick nicely but if you want to add some true visual beauty to the inconsolable sense of loss I'd recommend the minimal but beautifully packaged Kohl from 2002. There should probably be a "headphones required" sticker affixed to one corner, but that's more for you to decide.

I've written so many words about the increasingly prolific body of work from Thuja that it starts to feel like I am repeating myself but when something is this brilliant it's simply impossible to shut up. Pianist Rob Reger, sound sculptor Loren Chasse as well as the aforementioned Steven R. Smith and Glenn Donaldson make up the group which has taken their name from the beautiful North American cedar tree. I'd like to think that the fact that me and my wife have two gigantic thujas at the very forefront of our yard means something deeper than just its grandeur but I guess that's just me trying to find connection points to these uncategorizable guys. What they do sonically speaking bears a certain resemblance to some of the most pivotal fringe artists in New Zealand and Finland such as the fractured ambience and dislocation of Flies Inside the Sun and the richly organic tapestry of Avarus but they clearly have a voice of their own. This might or might not come from the fact that they use a lot of homemade instruments and field recordings to make up their impressive sound racket but I guess the reasons why have little importance. What does make a difference is that we get something that's actually quite unique and intimate, a volcano of deceptively intricate instrumentation that floats together to an impressive and majestic lava flow of sounds.

I guess you could say that Thuja and the Birdtree stands for two different poles of Jewelled Antler, but there are also plenty of things in-between, like the aforementioned Child Readers and the Sky Green Leopards. But my latest Jewelled Antler favorites, the Franciscan Hobbies (which have a wonderful new CD, titled Masks & Meanings, out on the fledgling Florida label Soft Abuse) are actually not that far removed from Thuja. This doesn't really come as a surprise as the band is basically 3/4 of Thuja going to the park with friends sitting in on sticks and autoharp clanging, etc. The secret formula might sound simple but what they're capable of is actually to create a magic spell that will bring everybody that's brave enough to listen back to the soundscapes of the landscapes. That might not be entirely true, as it's not exactly a feast of chirping birds that we get, rather a very organic mesh of plucked guitars, primitive percussion and found sounds, but it's nonetheless an extraordinary listen.

Many of the bands mentioned above include either Loren Chasse or/and Glenn Donaldson. I guess you could see these two guys as the primary forces behind the label and we're the ones to be thankful for them being so incredibly prolific. But it's by no means a two-man operation. Donaldson is probably closer to the mark when he describes their activities as "this circle of friends we have is always listening to, talking about or playing music together in the woods, on beaches, or in warehouses. We all have jobs and such, but when we have free time it's an excuse to make up a 'band' and turn on the tape machine and make some artwork. Some of the Aquarius guys labeled it a "collective", which I guess it is now. Other friends are overcoming their shyness and picking up dulcimers and guitars and strumming along or secretly working on their own projects. The other stuff like Dead Raven Choir and Uton are just artists that I greatly admired and thought they somehow fit in the spirit of the label". According to Donaldson the label will continue to release music from people outside the collective in the future: "I hope to release more like-minded artists on Jewelled Antler. Upcoming 3"s include Claypipe (NZ) and hopefully Kemialliset Ystävät. I'd like to do larger editions for some of these artists I admire, because I get just as excited about Dead Raven Choir or Uton as I do about any of our own releases. But it's hard to balance working on the label with spending time working on my own music. I'm insanely busy these days, and I know Loren is as well. We have so many projects planned I don't know how we will finish them all. Upcoming JA-related releases include stuff by: The Ways of God to Man, The Skygreen Leopards, Mezozoik, The Blithe Sons, Of, The Franciscan Hobbies, The Muons (live), Hala Strana, Thuja and more. Some of these will likely end up on CD on other labels. We're very grateful to Emperor Jones, Family Vineyard, Soft Abuse, & Last Visible Dog for digging the music and releasing some of this stuff on CD".

If you want an easy way to check out these bands without picking up every single release (even though I am pretty sure that's what you'll end up doing) there are two great compilations titled Windswept Trees & Houses and Heat & Birds that will get you started. Featured on these discs are both Jewelled Antler artists, as well as bands somehow associated to the "scene". As with all compilations they include their ups and downs but as a starter and as an overview it's the perfect way to go. Of particular note is Hala Strana's contribution to Heat & Birds, which is a rendition of a traditional Hungarian song. If I am correctly informed the man behind the wheels is Steven R. Smith and is with most of the things this gentleman chooses to do it's amazingly beautiful although this is decidedly more folky than most of his solo recordings. And the slightly claustrophobic "Aerial Cisterns" from Of is another stunner, bending tones and drones just as impressively as Thuja so maybe it's not that surprising to find out that Loren Chasse is responsible for what's seeping out of the speakers. Add to all this that the album includes tasty field recordings from excursions into the Californian forests and coastal regions and you get something quite essential. These snippets are placed between some of the tracks seemingly to add yet another dimension to the wilderness of imagination that occupies the entire album.

Another way to get familiar with the label is to sign up for the on-going Jewelled Antler Library series. It's a 12 volume set of 3" CD-Rs to be released monthly. According to the label's web-site "each volume will have about 20 minutes of high quality music with the contents ranging from field recordings to improv to strange folk songs. Featured will be many of the Jewelled Antler artists and like-minded folks from around the globe". If the first half dozen volumes from Green Laughter, Tomes, the Ivytree, Dead Raven Choir, Hala Strana and Famous Boating Party are any indicators I know we're in for an aural journey just as exciting as the cycles and seasons of nature. Regarding the future Donaldson says: "we never consciously chose what Jewelled Antler music would sound like; it all evolved organically out of our friendships and mutual interests in many things (not just music). So I don't know where it's headed; it has a mind of its own. It's always changing on us in subtle ways, a new instrument is found, a new landscape is discovered, another friend starts playing along". I know I'll tag along wherever they choose to go; I hope you got inspired enough to do the same.

A few Jewelled Antler Releases
CD-Rs
The Blithe Sons Dirt & Clouds
V/A Jewelled Antler Compilation #1 - Windswept Trees & Houses
The Child Readers - Boy on a Cliff
The Blithe Sons - Waves of Grass
The Skygreen Leopards - She Rode on a Pink Gazelle & Other Dreams
Glassine Birds - are the Life of the Sky (1995-1997)
V/A Jewelled Antler Compilation #2 - Heat & Birds
The Birdtree - Orchards & Caravans
The Skygreen Leopards - The Story of the Green Lamb & the Jerusalem
Priestess of Leaves S/t
Steven R. Smith - Kohl
The Franciscan Hobbies - Caterpillars of the Oak Beauty
Dead Raven Choir - Armoured Wolves
The Child Readers - Dark Laughter
Dead Raven Choir - A Tree Inside the Wolves
Uton - Ay Um Au Lam
3" CD-R's
Thuja - Museum #1
Thuja - Museum #2
Green Laughter - S/t
Tomes - The Dreadful Gift
The Ivytree - The Sun is the Lamp
Hala Strana - Karst
Dead Raven Choir - Their Feet are the Foraging Ground for Wolves
The Famous Boating Party - Silvery Branches
Uton - Zwuij
Claypipe - Wayside

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