CRATER was born out of my love of groove, sonic soundscapes, and improvising.

JHNO is an electronic musician with whom I've worked with a bit in the past in more composed situations. I thought that it would be great to play with him in a completely improvised situation, especially since he is a great improviser. JHNO comes from a jazz piano background, and practically gets inside his computer to manipulate and rebuild its brain day-in and night-out.

CRATER is about entering the unknown abyss of improv without the headlights on. The music hits on groove and noise, beauty, tension, love, anger, rage, kindness kind, chaos, motion, stop motion... no one knows what's going to happen... no one knows what lies beneath... beneath might be above... light might be dark... wet might be dry... fall in...
- Scott Amendola

"Spooky stuff... all getting into each other's heads until it's one big head, pulsing, morphing, flaring...they strive for union in simplicity, for gradual growth, ebb and flow. CRATER's feel approximates certain moments from Miles Davis' 70's, adding elements of modern dread and substituting wonder for pain. It feels like now... There are no styles any more, only music. "
- Greg Burk, LA Weekly

"The Crater, she is deep and wide. She beckons. All-encompassing is her darkness, her mystery, her icy allure. Naturally, I fall into her abyss and am unreachable on my mobile telephone....
- Nels Cline

CRATER consists of JHNO on live electronics and Scott Amendola on drums, percussion and electronics, in addition to guests of the likes of Nels Cline, Jeff Parker, Carla Kihlstedt, Todd Sickafoose, Dave Mac Nab, G.E. Stinson, Will Bernard, Marika Hughes, Jenny Scheinman, Avi Bortnick, and occasionally visual artist Carole Kim.

<-BACK