Dear Colleagues: Talibam! is a Fun Band That Entertains.
Talibam! is one of the most potent and fascinating bands in today's music scene. The five plus years of interplay between Mottel and Shea has created one of the most unique and exciting live shows and some of the most powerfully recorded documents of any era. At a time when most culture sticks to conservative niche opportunities, Talibam! is interested in expansion and exploration; They manage to part the sea by not sticking to genre, aesthetic predisposition or the usual norms of what being a 'band' is. More inclined to put on a show that any and all will like, and not be stymied by 'avant' type casting, they have won over both unsuspecting and in the 'know' audiences worldwide. The energy of Kevin Shea's full steam drumming is not to be missed, nor is the primal tone of Mottel's synth run through a Marshall Half Stack.
PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY:
Matthew Mottel (synthesizer) has been a voice in contemporary music for the past ten years. He was an invited member of Bard College's Electronic Music Ensemble, which was led by the eminent Richard Teitelbaum. At the same time, he was apprenticing in New York with seminal free jazz musicians Tom Bruno (TEST!), Cooper-Moore, Butch Morris and many others. He formed his own band EYE-DOOR that toured nationally in 2000, and started to collaborate with other musicians such as Chris Corsano, Sean Meehan, Daniel Carter, Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) and Kenny Wolleson. Since 2003, he has led his own band Shadowmaps (a synth/bass/drum power trio), been the versatile keyboardist for many acclaimed New York's rock n' roll groups such as Awesome Color, Akron Family and Jeffrey Lewis, and now is part of a 12 piece minimalist funk collective with Colin from USAISAMONSTER.
Kevin Shea (drums) started as a professional musician early in his teens, and now has over 20 years of experience as a drummer/percussionist, composer, and performer, having traveled to over 35 countries and played on over 50 albums in a plethora of stylistic/aesthetic contexts --last year alone Shea tallied upwards of 300 concerts. Trained in music from elementary school straight through Berklee College of Music, Shea has performed at such festivals as Moers Festival in Germany, Taipei Arts Festival, Bordeaux Jazz Festival, Kraak Festival in Belgium, ZXZW Festival in Tilburg, Lollapalooza, etc. Shea has recorded with Storm and Stress, Mostly Other People Do The Killing, Sexy Thoughts, People, Aji No Moto, Swirlies, Puttin' On The Ritz, Coptic Light, Get The People, Great Lakes.
Last Updated: July 18, 2009
”Talibam take that moment in 'Sister Ray' when John Cale decides to kick the shit out of Lou Reed as their starting point. They rock the shit out in every way imaginable: fury and fun, performance and presence. Talibam are a punk Coltrane, noise as affect - everybody in the audience is left smiling.” - Drownedinsound.com
“Their name-- taken from a New York Post headline celebrating American bombings in Afghanistan-- may be a joke, but their music is far from a punchline. Not that it's super-serious either: Most of Talibam!'s songs are rollicking, blood-pumping workouts that surely take a few cases of Red Bull to complete. But these guys have sharp skills and diverse ideas and can do a lot more than just sprint. Their music evokes the raucous party-noise of Hal Russell or the Sun Ra Arkestra, but also the agility of ensembles led by David Ware or William Parker. On top of that, Talibam! adds prog and math-rock flourishes akin to Don Caballero and Battles.” - Mark Masters, Pitchfork Media
“...Talibam! have created an eclectic, muscular rock/noise-inflected Improv all their own.” “...things fall apart wonderfully...out of sheer exuberance and pure adrenalin pushing the musicians and the music up to and over the edge.” “The energy level is worthy of Borbetomagus, but it spills out in all directions, from demented free noise polka to post-Prog funk chorale...The cumulative effect of it all is pretty mindblowing...Talibam! could well be the most exciting improv outfit you'll hear all year...this is more a point of no return than a point of departure...the view from the cliff top is magnificent.” - Dan Warburton, Wire Magazine
Talibam! / Jealousy Party- split 10"(Wallace Records, 2008)
Talibam! / Wasteland Jazz Unit- Ecstatic Jazz Duos split LP (Thor's Rubber Hammer, 2008)
Talibam! / But God Created Woman- split 7" (Holidays Records, 2008)
Talibam!- Chewy Needs His Meat C40 (Stop Scratching Tapes, 2008)
Talibam!- Live + Live = ? Cassette C60 (No=Fi Recordings, 2008)
Talibam!- Ordination Of The Globetrotting Conscripts CD (Azul Discografica, 2007)
Talibam!- The Excusable Earthling LP (Pendu Sound, 2007)
Talibam!- Live at Tonic, NYC CDr (Blackest Rainbow, 2007)
Talibam!- Buns and Gutter CD (Gaffer Records, 2007)
Talibam! / Le Harmacy- split C30 (MT5 Tapes, 2007)
Talibam! - Hungry Hungry Hemispheres CDR (Fair School, 2006)
V/A- Less Self Is More Self 2xCD (Ecstatic Peace, 2006)
V/A- Getting Rid Of The Glue LP (Pendu Sound, 2006)
Talibam!- Self-Titled debut CDr (Evolving Ear, 2005)
Disclaimer: All About Jazz is not responsible for the accuracy of the discographical data at the website(s) provided. If a link is no longer valid, please contact discography@allaboutjazz.com. Thank you.
