Populist Records Releases Electrifying Pair of CD's This October

Populist Records, the LA-based label dedicated to new music from Southern California, releases an electrifying pair of CDs on October 20: for Duane, comprising first recordings of five works by rising composer/conductor/guitarist Nicholas Deyoe, and Sweet Anxiety, featuring six solo acoustic works performed by sought-after cellist Ashley Walters.

The release will be marked by a FREE concert at Thymele Arts at 5481 Santa Monica Blvd. in East Hollywood on Friday October 20 (8 pm, doors at 7). Music from both albums will be performed by Walters, Deyoe, soprano Stephanie Aston, the wasteLAnd ensemble, violinist Batya MacAdam-Somer, and others. Special beers will be created for the occasion by Solarc Brewing. Further details can be found at Brown Paper Tickets.

Nicholas Deyoe has been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, and the La Jolla Symphony, among others. He is the founder of LA's wasteLAnd ensemble, and teaches composition at California Institute of the Arts. Zachary Woolfe of The New York Times wrote that Deyoe's a new(er) anxiety "contrasted filligree lightness and explosive loudness...without seeming to strain for effect." Drawn to sounds that are inherently physical, Deyoe strives to create music that engages listeners intellectually and emotionally by appealing to their inner physicality. His compositions combine uses of noise, delicacy, drama, fantasy, brutality, and lyricism to create a diverse sonic experience.

As a solo artist known for tackling virtuosic, demanding works and collaborating with composers, Ashley Walters has been the dedicatee of significant additions to the cello repertoire. She has been praised by Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times for "the kind of brilliance that beckons a major new performer on the new music scene." She has appeared as a soloist at venues around the country, including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Spectrum (NYC), and Nief-Norf (Knoxville). She is a member of LA's Formalist Quartet and legendary composer/trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quintet with pianist Anthony Davis, bassist John Lindberg, and drummer Pheeroan akLaff.

Personal and musical connections link the two releases: Walters' album features two pieces by Deyoe, along with music by Luciano Berio, Wadada Leo Smith, Wolfgang von Schweinitz, and Andrew McIntosh. In turn, Deyoe's disc spotlights Walters as soloist in the title work; it also includes performances by wasteLAnd, Aperture Duo (violinist Adrianne Pope and violist Linnea Powell), soprano Stephanie Aston, and violinist Batya MacAdam-Somer. In addition to the community they share, Walters and Deyoe are united by their willingness to take risks - to realize bold visions, daunting technical/expressive challenges. Adventurous, uncompromising, and bursting with creative energy, these two discs exemplify the vitality of LA's flourishing new music scene.

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