Tonight’s CD release scrapes the desert for ambient noise

By Kristen Peterson

Monday, Dec. 15, 2008 | 2:21 p.m.

Last year, writer Jarret Keene used his Community Support Grant from Cirque du Soleil's Cultural Action Policy for a poetry anthology called "Neon Crush."

This year he was feeling a little more ambitious.

"Desertscraped: New Noise from the Neon Wilderness" is a limited edition CD that features works by 13 experimental musicians and underground noise artists.

The CD was made possible by another Cirque arts grant.

The ambient noise and experimental sounds are meant to evoke the desertscape.

It includes the "Atari 2600-on-acid explorations" of Cornjob, a multimedia specialist working in the casino industry with a knack for the electronic and edgy, the doom metal sounds of Hallowed Butchery and personal recordings found at thrift stores by Jacob Smigel.

"It's very noisy, very gritty, very textured," Keene says. "But it's not entirely aggressive. Some of it's quite lovely. The desert also has beautiful sunsets and sun rises."

If you want a copy, you'll need to show up at the Freakin' Frog at 7 tonight. The CDs are free, but there are only 100. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Tonight's release will include performances by c0ld b33f, Sorcerer, Spaz Nibiru and INt3RRUpT pRoGRaM.