01	Petrophonics						06:19
	02	Ptoccata II						05:16
	03	One Hundred Cycles						05:25
	04	Nevergreen						07:34
	05	Study Of Unintended Consequences						04:27
	06	Birdhead						04:02
	07	Allswell That Endswell in Roswell						06:55
	08	Music Inspired By 1001 Real Apes - Time Marches On Theme						03:17
	09	Music Inspired By 1001 Real Apes - Dinosaurs Theme						03:36
	10	Music Inspired By 1001 Real Apes - Gravity Theme						06:31
	11	Music Inspired By 1001 Real Apes - Quincy Sore Throat Theme						03:59
	12	The Insidious Revenge Of Ultima Thule - Part One						02:30
	13	The Insidious Revenge Of Ultima Thule - Part Two						03:27
	14	The Insidious Revenge Of Ultima Thule - Part Three						03:26

Artist Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
Album Title Petrophonics
Date of Release Sep 19, 2000

Petrophonics is Birdsongs of the Mesozoic's first album in five years and only the second to feature the lineup of Michael Bierylo (guitar), Ken Field (flutes, saxophones), Erik Lindgren (piano), and Rick Scott (synthesizers). The music has matured and if it's still highly eclectic, ranging from contemporary music to avant-jazz and prog-rock, approaches are better integrated into a distinctive "sound" and include an attempt at catching up with younger fans. Whether it is fruitful or not will depend on the listener's interest in turntable work (on two tracks). "Petrophonics" opens the album with a complex progressive rock motif backed by an annoying electronic bass drum - enjoyable nonetheless. Field's "One Hundred Cycles" has a strange calypso groove topped by hot sax licks and guitar solos: a destabilizing number, very cheerful. "Study of Unintended Consequences" dives into avant-garde textures and atonal improvisation, while percussion abounds on "Birdhead," built on a track by Drumhead and bringing two musical visions into focus. But the album's highlight is comprised in the next four tracks, reworkings of the music Birdsongs wrote for the project 1001 Real Apes, a stage production with David Greenberger. This suite is as exciting as anything the band recorded in the past. The three-part "The Insidious Revenge of Ultima Thule" is another riveting piece of work, this one driven by Lindgren's piano, a kind of avant-rock concerto that brings the album to a beautiful halt. Fans of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic will be very happy with this release. If it weren't for the fact that the band aims at too many ducks in the course of the first seven cuts, this album would rank as their best. Well, maybe it still does. - FranГois Couture

1. Petrophonics (Bierylo) - 6:17
2. Ptoccata II (Lindgren) - 5:14
3. One Hundred Cycles (Field) - 5:23
4. Nevergreen (Lindgren) - 7:32
5. Study of Unintended Consequences (Scott) - 4:25
6. Birdhead (Drumhead/Lindgren) - 4:00
7. Allswell That Endswell in Roswell (Bierylo) - 6:53
8. Time Marches on Theme (Lindgren) - 3:15
9. Dinosaurs Theme (Lindgren) - 3:34
10. Gravity Theme (Lindgren) - 6:29
11. Quincy Sore Throat Theme (Lindgren) - 3:57
12. Part One (Lindgren) - 2:28
13. Part Two (Lindgren) - 3:25
14. Part Three (Lindgren) - 3:26

Michael Bierylo - Guitar, Programming, Engineer, Sound Design
Erik Lindgren - Engineer, Piano (Grand)
Terry Donahue - Percussion
Ken Field - Flute, Percussion, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
David Greenberger - Vocals
Henk Kooistra - Mastering
Bill Scheniman - Mixing
Ken Winokur - Percussion
Diane Menyuk - Graphic Design
John Styklunas - Bass (Acoustic)
Rick Scott - Synthesizer, Piano, Sound Design

2000 CD Cuneiform 137


Petrophonics liner notes by Chuck Vrtacek

Most bands suck. No matter how good their music is, they generally suck at being a band. Some bands aren't bands at all, but extensions of one person's vision, as is the case with Duke Ellington and his orchestras or Frank Zappa and his various ensembles. However, most bands attempt to function as bands, i.e.,as small, self-contained units where people work together for the greater good of the music, as with the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. As anyone who keeps up with rock n' roll gossip knows most bands die an early death and the quality of their music is, at best, erratic. This is due to the fact that most bands are plagued by in-fighting, ego clashes, poor communication, lack of vision, petty squabbling, drugs, artistic differences and other problems too numerous and boring to mention.

Which brings us to Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. I've known these guys individually and collectively since around 1986. I've shared meals and stages with them. I've gotten to know them as people as well as a band. They are one of the few bands whose music is always good and always improving. Moreover, they're not prone to self-destruction. There's a tremendous amount of equity, mutual respect and cooperation within Birdsongs, and the result is a catalog that is both interesting and consistent. They don't make albums where all the songs are variations on one chord change. Nor do they make albums that contain two or three great tracks and a lot of self-indulgent slurm. And this, I can tell you for a fact is because these guys are a real band.

So here's their latest album, which is full of surprises. I could have said it represents a "step forward" or, even more hackneyed, "a quantum leap forward" but what's happening here is more like an opening up in all directions at once than continuing in the same direction. Think of a blooming rose, not a racecar. What's different this time around is the maturation of their compositions and their sense of arrangement. They haven't scrapped their regular instrumentation for accordions, a cittern and some Malaysian percussion instruments. There is still plenty here that refers back to the best of past albums. But along with that, there's ever so much more. Extensive use of mid and late 20th century classical techniques such as dissonance and texture nudges some of the music away from rock and closer to "new contemporary music" or whatever non-Mozart, chamber type stuff is being called this month. Percussion and acoustic bass pop up here and there and their appearance is a treat. Odd pairings of instruments keep you guessing.

Some things aren't apparent from listening to the music. Ken and Erik have released some great solo albums since the last Birdsongs CD, and their musical personalities have really grown outside the band, yet they've managed to incorporate that into the new Birdsongs music. Erik is one of the few people I know who is both meticulously aware of music theory and loves to rock out. Ken has cultivated an original voice that draws as much from Debussy as it does from samba rhythms and jazz. Rick is not a loud, pushy aggressive guy. You don't appreciate the depth of his contributions until you really listen and realize that he is providing the aural equivalent of stage lighting and camera angles; his work doesn't jump right out at you but you'd sure miss it if it wasn't there. Rick's composition on this album is a standout, not because it is "better" than the other tracks, but because it dives headlong into the waters of avant-garde soundscapes and comes up smelling like prize winning roses, which ain't easy. Michael, meanwhile, has survived and flourished despite having taken on the difficult job of having to fit into an established band and follow a guitarist (Martin Swope) who defined a distinctive style within the band. His guitar work is often subtle and blends in so well I keep forgetting this is the same guy who picked up one of my archtop jazz guitars and played "Tico Tico" at the speed of light while keeping up his end of a conversation.

Once, during a conversation, Ken described Birdsongs to me as "a composers forum" where each member is free to bring in his work and subject it to the group process. That's never been more true, and on this album the group has been hard at work to create something that is the same but different. About half this album makes me say "Oh yeah, this is Birdsongs," while the other half keeps making me say "This is Birdsongs??? Realy? Wow!" See how great life can be when you're in a band that doesn't suck?

You guys aren't from around here?
- (heard numerous times by the band on tour)





One Hundred Cycles (Petrophonics, Ken Field) "One Hundred Cycles" began its life as "Sketch 8", one of a collection of pieces I sketched out during a one-month Composer-in-Residence grant at the Ucross Foundation in north-central Wyoming.

Music Inspired by 1001 Real Apes (Petrophonics, Erik Lindgren) "Music Inspired by 1001 Real Apes" came out of a collaboration between David Greenberger and Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. The original sixty-five minute work consists of thirty stories drawn from Greenberger's publication The Duplex Planet. This suite expands upon the musical direction taken by four of the selections from the soundtrack composed by Birdsongs. Additional information about the Duplex Planet can be found at www.duplexplanet.com.

Birdhead (Petrophonics, Erik Lindgren / Drumhead) "Birdhead" was composed around the pre-recorded track "Autobody" which appears on Drumhead's 1998 CD release (Perishable Ltd 005). This Brooklyn, New York ensemble features percussionists Sheila McCarthy and Josh Matthews plus Pere Ubu bassist Tony Maimone. Additional information about Drumhead can be found at www.drumhead.org.





Michael Bierylo's Technical Notes:

When I joined Birdsongs in 1991 all the live electronics were handled by Erik's stage rig which at the time consisted of an EMAX Sampler, an EMU SP-12 sampling drum machine and a Roland D-110 sound module controller by a Alesis MMT-8 sequencer and a Kurzweil MIDIboard keyboard controller. Along the way Erik acquired the factory prototype of the Kurzweil PX piano module and this has remained the sampled piano sound he uses in live performance, when the real thing is unavailable. This was essentially the Sounds Interesting studio setup that he painstakingly transported to gigs. As was the case with many hardware systems of the time, Erik's rig was pretty idiosyncratic and it was soon obvious that in writing for the group I'd have use my own platform.

The first pieces I wrote for Birdsongs, Ray and Band Of Deborahs were originally developed on a Macintosh SE30 using Opcode's Vision which I began using when it came out in the Summer of 1989. I initially resisted using the computer for live performance and spent a great deal of time arranging those pieces to be performed using a Roland R5 drum machine which was loaned to us by our friend Dr. Mark Spitzer. The many different sections and time signature changes in those pieces made for an interesting collection of patterns on the R5 and I've occasionally been tempted to compose a new piece based on a random reordering of that material.

I brought the computer to Hawaii for our January 1992 residency at Koloni Hanua and started work on Birdgam. By this time I wanted to add pitched percussion and bass textures to the music I was working on and I began using an EMU Proteus I with Orchestral Expansion. Soon thereafter the parts for Ray and Band Of Deborahs were being triggered from the Mac and the R5 was used only as a sound module.
During 1992 till 1995 I added a Roland SE50 Effects processor to my rack and experimented with using the Mac to control it during performance.

Birdsongs' recordings have traditionally tried to capture the sound of the band live. This is perhaps in sharp contrast to the trend in record production during the 1980's and 90's of using studio technology to produce a recorded artifact distinct from a live performance. For the most part the sounds used in recording Dancing On A'A were the one's we used in live performance. One notable exception was a wavesequence from the Korg Wavestation A/D used on the rave-up ending section of Ray.

After recording A'A we made a conscious effort to downsize and simplify our live performance set-up. All of Erik's sequences in repertoire were transferred to the Mac. Gradually the parts from the D110 and the SP12 were remapped to the Proteus. By 1997 the Proteus was returned to the comfort and safety of my Studio rack and all performance sequences and samples were handled by the a K2000RS. After 8 years of faithful service the Mac SE30 was replaced by and Powerbook 3400. For the 1001 Real Apes shows Birdsongs did from 1996 till 1999 all sequences and samples were handled by the K2000RS with some live audio played back from the Powerbook.

Petrophonics is the first recording of new material in 5 years and most of it has never been performed prior to the recording. Indeed some of the parts were written the morning they were recorded. Of the many electronic devices we used in making the recording, my favorites include the Waldorf Microwave XT (Orange) used throughout Allswell and the Nord Micro Modular which was used to process some of the tracks during mixdown. Petrophonics also marks the swan song for Studio Vision. RIP Opcode.

For upcoming live performances we'll be using the K2000RS, an Access Virus sound module and the Nord Micro Modular mixed through a Mackie 1202VLZ mixer. Sequencing a live digital audio will be handled by a new 500MHz Powerbook G3 running Digital Performer.






Album Reviews by Rick Anderson

The Fossil Record 1980-1987
Cuneiform 55 1993
*** 1/2

The phoenix that rose from the ashes of Mission of Burma looked disconcertingly like... well, a pterodactyl. By the time Birdsongs of the Mesozoic's first EP was released, in 1983, Mission of Burma (of which Birdsongs keyboardist Roger Miller and guitarist Martin Swope were charter members, though on different instruments) had dissolved, and Birdsongs subsequently became a full-time gig. The Fossil Record collects rare and unreleased studio recordings from a period beginning with the band's earliest days and ending with Miller's departure in 1988. The album opens with a 1980 version of Sound Valentine (which would be the lead track on the band's debut EP three years later) and bops between spiky, modal minimalist pieces (Pulse Piece), slabs of zen aggression (Chen/The Arousing), prehistoric tarantellas (Lqabblil Insanya) and unexpected cover versions (Brian Eno's Sombre Reptiles). Very few bands have ever managed to straddle the worlds of modern classical music and
rock as successfully as this one did. This compilation makes a good introduction to its art, though the eponymous EP and Magnetic Flip LP (most of the contents of which were released as Sonic Geology on Rykodisc) are also both highly recommended.

Faultline
Cuneiform 19 1989
****

This was the first Birdsongs of the Mesozoic album to be released after the departure of keyboardist and founding member Roger Miller. He was briefly replaced by reedman Steve Adams, who left before the completion of Faultline to join ROVA, a San Francisco-based saxophone quartet. Saxophonist Ken Field stepped in to take his place, helped to finish the album and subsequently became a permanent member of the band. The addition of reed instruments marked a fundamental change in the band's sound. Instead of a rather architectural, if raw, sound based on the interaction of twin keyboards, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic began to sound a little bit jazzier, if no less structurally rigorous and aggressive. On Coco Boudakian guitarist Martin Swope sounds uncannily like Arto Lindsay; the title track rocks out in a blocky but complex way. But there are several moments of serene beauty as well, in particular the limpid Steve Adams composition that ends the program. Highly recommended.

Pyroclastics
Cuneiform 35 1992
***

With Pyroclastics, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic returned somewhat to its roots. Its signature sound -- pulsing keyboards, jagged harmonies, weird time signatures, slash-and-burn guitar -- is back stronger than ever; Shortwave Longride and Pleasure Island would both have sounded more or less at home on Magnetic Flip (except for the presence of Ken Field's saxophone). And the band's hilarious rendition of the theme from The Simpsons is a wry look backwards as well, a reminder of the arrangement of the Rocky and Bullwinkle theme on their first album. Field has managed to insinuate himself so seamlessly into the Birdsongs sound by this point that while his saxophone lines do alter it noticeably, they do so subtly and from the inside -- note, in particular, the subtle jazz flavoring he gives to Tyronglaea II (otherwise an archetypal piece of old-fashioned Mesozoicism). The band also takes another run at Brian Eno's Sombre Reptiles (a piece they had tackled in an unreleased recording from 1983) and comes up with a surprisingly gentle (if ultimately unremarkable) rendition of Brian Wilson's hymn-like Our Prayer. Pyroclastics definitely marks a step forward for this band, but it remains rooted in its old strengths. Recommended.

Dancing on A'A
Cuneiform 69 1995
***

Three years passed between the releases of Pyroclastics and Dancing on A'A. During that period, founding member Martin Swope left the band and was replaced by guitarist Michael Bierylo, leaving keyboardists Erik Lindgren and Rick Scott as the only remaining original members of the group. Bierylo adds a certain depth to the band's sound; on A Band of Deborahs (Not Debbies) his rockabilly-derived guitar part brings a more rounded, bass-y dimension. Saxophonist Ken Field plays flute for the first time on the title track, which also makes for a slightly startling sonic departure. There's a nice tribute to the band's other missing charter member, keyboardist Roger Miller, in the form of a version of Miller's rather apocalyptic Swamp. And these guys being who they are, they just can't resist a slightly twisted take on pop culture. In the past that urge has been expressed in arrangements of theme songs from children's TV shows Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Simpsons. This time out it's an almost-straight rendition of Peter Gunn. This album doesn't quite hit the spot the way Faultline did, but it's certainly worth hearing.




Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
Petrophonics
Cuneiform Records (rune 137)
USA 2000

Michael Bierylo, guitar, programming, sound design;
Ken Field, alto/soprano saxes, flutes, percussion;
Erik Lindgren, piano;
Rick Scott, synthesizer, sound design, piano;
with
Terry Donahue, percussion;
Pacey Foster, turntable;
David Greenberger, voice;
Eirc Paull, drums;
John Stykulnas, acoustic bass;
Ken Winokur, percussion

Tracklist:
1. Petrophonics - 6:13
2. Ptoccata II - 5:13
3. One Hundred Cycles - 5:20
4. Nevergreen - 7:30
5. Study of Unintended Consequences - 4:22
6. Birdhead - 3:57
7. Allswell That Endswell In Roswell - 6:50
8. Music Inspired by 1001 Real Apes - 17:10
a. Time Marches On Theme - 3:15
b. Dinosaurs Theme - 3:31
c. Gravity Theme - 6:29
d. Quincy Sore Throat Theme - 3:55
9. The Insidious Revenge of Ultima Thule - 9:17
a. Part One - 2:28
b. Part Two - 3:26
c. Part Three - 3:23

total time 66:23



jon b

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic are, in a word, unique. Their music is a unique blend of styles and textures that, in the end, sound unlike anything else. They straddle the lines between prog and "serious" music, without losing the fire and drive of rock.
One of the things that makes the band stand out from the crowd is their lack of the traditional bass and drum rhythm section. To be sure, the use of auxilliary percusionists, loops, and drum programming gives their music plenty of rhythmic oomph, but the ability to shed those instruments allows them to explore other textures. Most tracks use synths and grand piano as a base, with intricate guitar, keyboard and reed work over top. The title track is a perfect example of this, as the driving piano and drum loops keep things moving while guitar and sax bound on top. "Ptoccata II", on the other hand, is more laid back and atmospheric.

The various sources for the tracks adds to their diversity. "Birdhead" is a collaboration with percussionists Drumhead, with Erik Lindgren composing the song around the Drumhead track "Autobody." "Music Inspired by 1001 Real Apes" was a collaboration with David Greenberger, creator of The Duplex Planet, and was originally a 65-minute work. "One Hundred Cycles" began life as a piece written by Ken Field while he was composer-in-residence at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming.

Petrophonics is an amazing collection of intricate, intenense and nearly indescribable instrumental music. If you're generally not a fan of that kind of thing, don't let the band's unique lineup or presence on Cuneiform scare you away. This is not music that is abstract for the sake of being abstract. It's always well composed and arranged, which leads to it being memorable, even if it's not in a toe-tapping melodies-stick-in-your-head kind of way. Highly recomended.

2-17-03







Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
Petrophonics
2000
Cuneiform Records

It's probably no understatement at all to say that Birdsongs of the Mesozoic is without a doubt one of the more original, complex, and interesting groups on the face of the progressive scene these days, or possibly even ever. Drawing influence from a range of various styles, Birdsongs has crafted a musical niche for themselves that touches on all of these influences while forming something which is in itself unique. This is a feat rarely accomplished even by the best, and yet Birdsongs seems able to pull it off easier than most of us are able to get up in the morning to make toast.

No exception to this rule is Petrophonics, the latest release from the boys from Boston, and their first since 1995. Petrophonics is in many ways a logical extension of the work Birdsongs of te Mesozoic has already made, and yet in other ways it is a work that brings something new to the table altogether.

The album starts out with a bang. Track one, the title track, is a fast-paced, complex piece that only gets more intense as it progresses. The signature sound of electronic drums keeps up with the odd time signatures and many changes - something few other ensembles have even tried, much less accomplished - and when it is over the album is already worth it.

The rest of the album really seems in many ways different. Birdsongs has always been known for complexity, and the rest of the album certainly is complex, but in a very different light. Where the title track is in-your-face rhythm and riff, there are quite a few tracks on Petrophonics that seem to be almost straightforward and basic as far as drums and time go. Not to say these songs are any less interesting, though. "One Hundred Cycles" is a very nice calypso-sound arrangement, and other tracks like "Birdhead" and "Dinosaur Theme" both have their fair share of complex arrangement and playing. Everything seems a bit more subdued on this album, though, and this is really nothing more than the result of growth. Most of the tracks are longer than pieces from the past, with a deeper understanding of both sound and quiet, of textures as well as rhythm.

One thing about this album that is different is the amount of time given to more unstructured or arrhythmic music, either pieces without drums or percussion, or pieces without a discernible beat at all. There is a lot of open space on this album, which really serves the listener by forcing a stance of actively listening, even more than Birdsongs releases from the past.

All in all, Petrophonics is a must for any serious student of progressive music. - CH