Animal, Surrender! + Schenke, Shafiee, Tobias, Bracken + Sleepy Doug Shaw at Francis Kite Club

About

Back in 2023, bassist Peter Kerlin and drummer Rob Smith ritualistically burnt their passports, ate the ashes, and began conspiring together under the guise of Animal, Surrender! Together they ask: “Yet when an animal catches its own distorted reflection in the rolling river, what is left to do but surrender to the song?”."Sleepy" Doug Shaw (aka Highlife) is a London born songwriter living and performing in New York since 2003. As he sings and speaks Shaw picks intricate, hypnotic finger patterns, building circles into webs of entrancing repetition on the same old '29 model Gibson that was gifted to Robert Johnson. He counts among influences Desert Blues, Kora mastery, old Calypso, Raga, Chicago Footwork, UK Grime, Spiritual Jazz, Rambler's laments, Kuduro.Shaw moonlights in sways as Gang Gang Dance's bassist and was formerly long-time guitarist and multi-instrumentalist of Drag City group White Magic as well as Sierra Leonean star “Bubu King” Janka Nabay’s band. He has also contributed to records of Cass McCombs, Hal Wilner, Eric Copeland, etc and has shared stages around the globe with the likes of Lou Reed, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Animal Collective, Mdou Moctar, Dizzee Rascal, Terry Riley, Yoko Ono, Bert Jansch, Black Dice, Les Filles de Illighadad, Sonic Youth, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Michael Hurley and many more.Shenke/Shaffie/Bracken is a new trio:Jonny ShenkeA Brooklyn-based music producer, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and musician known for working with indie rock and alternative artists like Parquet Courts, The Drums, Liars, Snail Mail, and Nation of Language. He co-owns Studio Windows and has contributed to hundreds of records.Arian ShaffieA Brooklyn based guitarist/improviser most known for his playing in the off-kilter dance punk band Guerilla Toss. Growing up with Iranian/Turkish parents, he peripherally absorbed various middle eastern musics, blurring their lyrical and harmonic mainstays into his writing and improvising. By using fretless, microtonal, and acoustic guitars, Arian aims to process these stylized genres into an organic music, free of idiom and convention.Corey BrackenA composer, performer, improviser, curator, and artistic administrator currently residing in Ridgewood, New York City. Recent projects have included REAL ADULT, Ashcan Orchestra , Sunwatchers, American Football, Birthmark, Yonatan Gat, KATIEE, LoftOpera, String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Iktus Percussion, and various performance activities as an improviser, noise artist, percussionist, and drummer.