by Michelle Lacour
/ Uncategorized
July 3, 2026
LATE NIGHT AT SOUND SYMPOSIUM XXII
HARSH NOISE NIGHT
The Nausea | Primitive Isolation Tactics | Sleeping Police | Cathar Perfect
Wednesday, July 15th, 10pm
Eastern Edge Artist-Run Centre
$10 at the door | wet/dry
The Nausea is an experimental violin project by Anju Singh – a media artist, composer, musician and sound artist with an interdisciplinary practice that infuses her composing and music work into video art, installation, sound sculpture, theatre, and film forms. She experiments with texture, dynamics, contrast, and articulation in her practice as a multi-instrumentalist, performer, visual artist, illustrator, sculptor, and instrument builder. Anju deconstructs and reanimates materials and plays with dynamics and boundary-stressing elements in her work. She also works as a curator and is the Director of independently organized festival Vancouver Noise Fest (12 editions).
Montreal’s Primitive Isolation Tactics emerged in 2018 and burrows into the subconscious via rusted arteries of industrial noise, fracturing off into constricted microchannels of impacted debris and silt. Sensory vividness through a minimal approach.
Since 2001, local artist Gabriel Piller has been using the moniker Sleeping Police to explore the extremes of aural expression, releasing numerous cassettes and CDs on his Knife in the Toaster label.
Cathar Perfect is the Dark Ambient / Noise moniker of Christopher A. G. Scott based in St. John’s, Nfld.
NIGHT MUSIC
Former Eraser
Thursday, July 16th, 10pm
The Ship Pub, 265 Duckworth St.
$10 at the door | 19+
Former Eraser is an experimental electronic group from St. John’s, NL, which thrives on improvised compositions and created sounds through the use of synths and live drums combined with added effects. Comprised of long-standing improvisers Rick Bailey, Craig Squires and Dan Smith since 2024, the kinetic trio embodies various styles, including ambient, noise and free jazz, with emphasis on unfolding and surprising works that are singularly played. Former Eraser have performed for previous local events hosted by Sound Symposium and Lawnya Vawnya, and have made several recent recordings available through Bandcamp. For Sound Symposium XXII, Former Eraser will perform with a selection of silent movies from the public domain, visually mixed using MAX/MSP.
French filmmaker, actor, magician, and toymaker, George Méliès (1861-1938) and Spanish-French film director, cinematographer and screenwriter, Segundo De Chomón (1871-1929) were innovative in the early days of cinema and silent film, incorporating pioneering new techniques and visual tricks in their work. Inspired by their creative spirit, Rick Bailey downloaded films from both artists via The Internet Archive, and will play them back in a digital mashup using MAX/MSP, reacting with an improvised set by Former Eraser for Night Music.
Films by George Méliès: The Astronomer’s Dream (1898), The Haunted Castle (1896), The Marvellous Living Fan (1904), The Merry Frolics Of Satan (1906), The One Man Band (1900).
Films by Segundo De Chomón: The Bee and The Rose (1908), The Fantastic Diver (1905), The Frog (1908), The King Of Dollars (1905), The Magic Roses (1906), The Tulips (1907), The Vacuum Cleaner (1908), The Yawner (1907).
NIGHT MUSIC
VERDIN BROTHERS
Friday, July 17th, 10pm
The Ship Pub, 265 Duckworth St.
$10 at the door | 19+
Verdin Brothers is a collaborative project between multi-instrumentalists Peter (St. John’s, NL), Andrew and Mark Verdin (Minneapolis, MN). Building from a foundation of steel-string guitar, upright bass, and percussion they play deranged instrumental folk music that blends elements of American Primitive guitar, traditional string band, musique concrète, and soundscape compositions. With a fascination for the occult and a keen ear for melody and unique instrumentation, their music is an alembic in which the traditional is transmuted into the experimental, where in pursuit of the celestial monochord they track the crooked byroads of folk and linger in its dark pockets and eerie configurations.
NIGHT MUSIC
ÚNA MONAGHAN
Saturday, July 18th, 10pm
The Ship Pub, 265 Duckworth St.
$10 at the door | 19+
Úna Monaghan is a harper, composer, researcher and sound artist working internationally. She collaborates, improvises and performs with poets, visual artists, computers, writers, musicians, and others. Úna also works as a live sound engineer specialising in Irish traditional music, and experimental, electronic and multichannel music. She has released two albums of her compositions, most recently Aonaracht, for solo traditional musicians and electronics. Her recent commissions include pieces for Red Note, Crash Ensemble, Ulster Orchestra and Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble. Úna performs solo with harp and electronics, and as a member of contemporary music ensembles Stone Drawn Circles and Of Aran. Úna received the inaugural Liam O’Flynn Award from the Arts Council of Ireland and the National Concert Hall Dublin, and held the Rosamund Harding Research Fellowship in Music at Newnham College, University of Cambridge from 2016-2019. She is a lecturer in Sound and Music at Queen’s University Belfast, where her research examines the intersections between Irish traditional music, experimental music practices, improvisation and interactive technologies.
NIGHT MUSIC
BRENDAN FITZPATRICK QUARTET
Sunday, July 19th, 10pm
The Ship Pub, 265 Duckworth St.
$10 at the door | 19+
Brendan Fitzpatrick is a guitarist, composer, educator and freelance musician based in St. John’s, NL. With a background studying jazz at St. Francis Xavier University, and years of experience performing with singer/songwriter’s across Atlantic Canada’s vibrant music scene, his style reflects a deep engagement with improvisation and genre fluidity. As of late, his work has lead to recording with Heidi Burns on Ian Foster’s ‘Wintering’ project, a performing at the 2025 Antigonish Jazz Festival and his 2nd year serving as faculty of the St. FX University Summer Music Camp.
NIGHT MUSIC
HANS TAMMEN’S THIRD EYE ELECTRIC MILES BAND
Monday, July 20th, 10pm
The Ship Pub, 265 Duckworth St.
$10 at the door | 19+
Hans Tammen’s Third Eye Electric Miles Band plays music from Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew period and later, 1969 to 1986. He indicates the parts to be played using hand signs and flash cards, a practice that actually started at the Sound Symposium in 2004.
Featuring Hans Tammen, Craig Squires, Ash Chalmers, Sean Panting, Duane Andrews, and Nat Blackwood. All players will be invited to join for the second set!
Improv Night at Sound Symposium celebrates several of the founding principles of our event: fun, collaboration, and improvisation. Artists who may have never met until arriving in St. John’s get up on stage and perform without a net beneath them – improv is 6/7ths of improve!
How it works: Participants’ names will be put into a hat, and two names will be drawn at a time to create a new performing duo. We strictly enforce a 5-minute time limit on all improvisations, and the boom of the gong will bring your performance to a close.
We will provide microphones, a couple of amplifiers if you bring your electric gear, some percussion instruments, and a keyboard. No solo performances, nothing from your repertoire, just good clean jamming! Improv night starts at 10 pm, Tuesday, July 21st, in The Wonderbolt Circus Space at 72 Harbour Drive. If you are interested, get in touch!
WHAT IS NIGHT MUSIC?
After the concerts are finished and the installations are closed, a whole new happening begins: Night Music at the Ship Pub. At the Ship, a host performer, band or collective will take to the stage and warm up the audience with a set of original music. Then, after a short break, the floor opens up: Symposium guests and others are invited to join the jam – and the fun begins. We self organize into smaller groups, or just all jump in! We first did Night Music as a project at Symposium 2002. And it has now been running as a monthly improv event in St. John’s at the Ship for over 20 years. The Ship Pub is a legend in its own right: it’s the birthplace of countless collaborations, the inspiration for others, and the favoured watering hole of many Newfoundland artists. Where better to jam late into the night? Night Music is directed by Craig Squires. Bring your instrument and talk to Craig about participating. Everyone is welcome!
