Updated discography

I've updated the discography page with some more in depth information for each release, including tracklists, photos, and reviews. You can also just go to each release with the handy little sidebar to yr right.

Blender 10-4 improv nov 25th 2012

A few nights ago, I got to take part in an improv night w/many other cool noise/synth/improv/etc folks from Calgary. It was a lot of fun, culminating in a ten or twelve or something like that person wall of noisy madness, as well as some really cool sets from names picked out of a hat. Possibly the most enveloping racket the back room of Weeds Cafe has ever had. Here's some documentation, and keep yr eyes peeled for the next one...

photo: Megan Jorgensen-Nelson

photos: Leasa Podloski

a blurry panoramic shot that I took--this room was a cable trap of the best kind

Nos. 1 & 2 review + some live photos

Nos. 1 & 2 reviewed by Mark Teo in FFWD Weekly

 
"[...] For those familiar with Bitter Fictions’ earliest work, which excellently straddled the line between overblown noise-rock and ’90s slack-pop, this tape might come as a surprise. This, like Friesen’s recent work in Percolator Glitch and Looper Pedal Blues, is instrumental and largely improvised; what’s surprising, however, is that Nos. 1 & 2 is Friesen’s most accessible work yet. Relying heavily on the delay pedal, each track begins with minimal guitar strums, with Friesen continually piling on scraps of texture and feedback; as a result, each track feels like it’s in perpetual motion, ending far differently than it began. Most pleasantly, though, each track possesses a distinctive tone: Shimmery openers “This is How it Started” and “The Little Lantern” are calmingly psychedelic; the shuddering “Adriano Meis” is mechanically soothing; “A Bit of Fog” turns feedback into a menacing, ugly soundscape. Indeed, Friesen’s firm command of mood is what makes this so listenable — and at times, it’s hard to believe Nos. 1 & 2 was improvisational at all."

Pro-dubbed + screened tapes are still available.

live @ the Area

Nos. 1 & 2 tapes!

Pro-dubbed & printed tapes of EPs no. 1 & 2 are out now! They're limited to 50 hand #'d copies. If you want to get yr paws on one, either shoot me an email (d.friesen at hotmail dot com) or direct yr browser to bandcamp.

Just a heads up, though - I'm in Montreal for the month, so if you order one anytime from now 'til August 5th, there will probably be a delay. (That said, I do have a small number of tapes with me in Montreal... and I can probably get my roommate to mail some out from Calgary). Oh, and if you want a particular colour for yr cover art, let me know...

I probably should have mentioned that I was performing at Sled Island on this blog, but that's in the past now. Well, I was scheduled at more or less the same time as Tim Hecker anyways, so that was kind of a wash - even if it was still fun! I finally saw Thurston Moore, and was mistaken for Lou Barlow for the second or third time in my life. More shows will be announced in the Fall, once I'm done trying to learn French. In the meantime, I should mention that you can follow me on Twitter, where I've been slightly more active as of late. until next time...

"The Little Lantern" video

no. 2 - new instrumental EP

The release show last night went really well! Big thanks to Whitney and Myke for playing as well.

And hey, this summer, I'm going to be performing at this year's Sled Island festival! More details as they arrive. Very exciting news--I just really hope they don't schedule me to play at the same time as Thurston Moore.

April 15th - (long overdue) release show! + new digital EP

For the Facebook inclined...

Come hang out!

I've also put up a new digital EP of instrumentals... the first four tracks were all improvised and recorded in sequence, and with a different guitar than I usually use (different tuning and whatnot); the fifth is with my 'regular' guitar.