Jason Sloan at The Gatherings Concert Series -
Commentary by Chuck van Zyl host of WXPN's Stars End
Full Review

I thought it would be cool to have two musicians from the nearby city of Baltimore play concerts at The Gatherings. It's really not that far away from Philadelphia (about 100 miles) and over the past ten years or so has produced some most interesting artists, personalities and events. Among the current crop is Jeffrey Koepper and Jason Sloan, both contemporaries - yet exploring totally different realms of sound. Plus, what with Koepper's triumphant opening set for Steve Roach on 05.19.07, the idea of having him back had been brewing for some time.

I'd had Jason Sloan play on STAR'S END a few times over the years, and knew him as an introspective soundscape artist. I've aired his CD "Still" on STAR'S END, as well as "A White Bleeding Silence". These works delve into two distinctly different areas of Ambient Music. His on-air performances captured both these moods, and more. Also, having played so well on STAR'S END, I knew Jason was capable of holding his own on a stage when it counted most.

For The Gatherings, I'd asked Jason to please put together a more active set, something with a bit of focus. His STAR'S END radio concerts were full of nuanced textures that gently led the listener across several soundscapes. I thought that The Gatherings concert audience would appreciate something that went well beyond atmosphere. What we got at The Gatherings was well beyond what I'd imagined. Opening with a dense cloud front of sound, Jason played his guitar through extensive processing. With its subtle changes in key this section drifted through the church sanctuary, filling the rafters with heavenly tones. As the chords echoed away an electronic percussion loop rose. This may have been the first time Jason has tried something like this; at least I'd never heard beats in his music before. It was wonderful; the rhythm kept building as Jason worked chords and effects over and under the pattern. Throughout the concert he would show innovations like this. Along with playing AM radio static into an open microphone, he also used his voice to harmonize with the layers of electronic pads he'd built up, a warm human element to an otherwise digital experience.

Sloan's set lasted about 40 minutes. In that brief time he said alot. His message was mainly about growth. Like the way his synthesized sounds and echoing tones filled up the sanctuary, his music fills the listener with a creative presence.