monktail creative music concern

Founded September 12, 2001 in Seattle, WA, SPECIAL O.P.S. is the sonic guerilla group of the Monktail Creative Music Concern. Featuring the rhythm section of MCMC founders John Seman on contrabass and Mark Ostrowski on percussion with electric guitarist Stephen Parris, SPECIAL O.P.S. is a free improvisation commando unit replete with dark regalia, sonic hand grenades and a warped sense of humor. Their performances draw influence from contemporary chamber composition, small group jazz improvisation, electronic experimentalism, dark metal, droll wit and sonic shenanigans from the subtle to the scabrous. It’s black noise and white noise. It’s cross-genre pollination boiled in ammonia, cured in bleach, dipped in battery acid and ignited with the American flag. It’s a damn good time.

Because it is September they will play a whole lot of concerts.

Friday September 3
 Special O.P.S.
Molly Maguires 
610 NW 65th St
 Ballard
 10PM

Saturday September 11 
Special O.P.S.
 Collins Pub 
526 2nd Ave
 Seattle 
8PM

Thursday September 23
 Special O.P.S.
 Egans Ballard Jam House
 1707 NW Market St
 Ballard 
7PM

Friday September 24
 Special O.P.S.
 Mississippi Pizza
 3552 N Mississippi Ave 
Portland, OR 
9PM

Saturday September 25
 Special O.P.S.
The Jazz Station 
68 W. Broadway 
Eugene, OR 
9PM

Sunday September 26 
Special O.P.S.
The Matrix
 434 NW Prindle St
 Chehalis, WA 
8PM

Tuesday September 28 Special O.P.S. 
The Comet
 922 E Pike St
 Seattle 
7PM

Friday October 1 
Special O.P.S.
 Molly Maguires
 610 NW 65th St 
Ballard
 10PM

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special ops complete two sets from first friday in june at molly maguires, seattle wa

 

 devil's haircut [8:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (148)

 

 Breadfan [11:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (72)

 

 stevie pee [16:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (57)

 

 mali maguire [6:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (56)

 

 tunderstruck / band of gypsys side 1 [19:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (52)

 

 hatian fight song [9:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (46)

 

 cissy strut [12:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (41)

 

 chubb / bells / void [15:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (46)

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Recorded 14 May 2010 at a gig with Black Math. Brian Heaney does some singing.

photo of ops in the stone’s basement by beth fleenor

 

 flyers [4:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (125)

 

 fleury's folly [10:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (58)

 

 into the void [9:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (51)

 

 vendetta [15:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (66)

 

 ring of fire? [1:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (52)

 

 theme from a symphony [9:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (53)

 

 interstellar overdrive [9:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (53)

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Full set recordings of Figeater at Zebulon Cafe in Brooklyn, NY with Jessice Lurie sitting in, and at The Stone in the East Village. Presented in their entirety because that’s how it went down.

Special Fig = Beth Fleenor, clarinet; Steve Parris, guitar; John Seman, bass; Mark Ostrowski, drums.

 

 Figeater live at Zebulon (with Jessice Lurie) [46:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (50)

 

 Figeater live at The Stone [48:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (104)

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audio from the special ops set and the premiere of "late nights at the georgetown morgue" by johnny + the primordial poo

recorded at the comet 2010.01.23, seattle, wa

 

 ops - blood oath [12:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (140)

 

 ops - go [14:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (117)

 

 ops - willie nelson/death scene/bobcats [13:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (102)

 

 ops - go, part 2 [4:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (121)

 

 the poo - late nights at the georgetown morgue [27:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (174)

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check out these recordings from the special o.p.s. show at the josephine on 9/9/09.

 

 fairies [13:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (133)

 

 void [8:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (100)

 

 hole [4:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (114)

 

 symptom [6:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (98)

 

 acrobat [6:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (102)

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Monktail Creative Music Concern presents
Sounds Outside 2009

Cal Anderson Park / 1635 11th Ave (between Denny & Pine)
Free and open to the public / Music from 1 – 8 pm

Saturday, July 25  

            1:00    Non Grata

            2:30    Moraine

            4:00    Washington Composers Orchestra (WACO) 

            5:30    Tu (Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto of King Crimson)

            7:00    Sugar Skulls

Saturday, August 15

            1:00    Melbatones

            2:30    Figeater

            4:00    Greg Sinibaldi

            5:30    Syncopated Taint Horn Quartet

            7:00    Bert Wilson

www.soundsoutside.com

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Special O.P.S. (Ostrowski-Parris-Seman) at Egan’s Ballard Jam House, May 17, 2008. Recorded by GH.

 

 Track One [9:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (116)

 

 Three Days [7:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (97)

 

 Dead Raccoon [3:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (97)

 

 25 or 6 to 4 (or not) [3:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (102)

 

 Jazz Music [3:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (101)

 

 Reading Paul Harding's Poems Off the Piano [4:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (89)

 

 LG (Slight Return) [11:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (92)

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Special O.P.S. (Ostrowski-Parris-Seman) at Fandrich Piano Studio, Seattle, WA.

Recorded January 21, 2009 by Gabriel Herbertson.

 

 Special O.P.S. - 2009.01.21 - Take One [6:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (91)

 

 Special O.P.S. - 2009.01.21 - Take Two [11:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (105)

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Special Figeater (Beth Fleenor + Special O.P.S. w/ Gabriel Herbertson) in rehearsal at Fandrich Piano Studio.

Recorded December 10, 2008 by Gabriel Herbertson.

 

 2008.12.10 part 1 [14:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (100)

 

 2008.12.10 part 2 [18:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (95)

 

 2008.12.10 part 3 [14:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (95)

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The first installment of mcmc podcasts. Recorded at FPS Sept. 10, 2008.

monktail podcast - 20080910
hosted by special ops (ostrowski, parris, seman)
w/ billy monto, stephen fandrich, gabriel herbertson, joseph gray

  Read the rest of this entry »

 

 MCMC Podcast 20080910 [151:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (127)

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Paul Harding and the JuJu Detective Agency - 9 pm

Special O.P.S. - 11 pm

Egan’s Ballard Jam House

1707 NW Market St

Seattle, WA 98107

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Audio remnants from the MCMC death-jazz trio Special O.P.S. (Ostrowski-Parris-Seman).

 

 Special O.P.S. - Lucky Cat Dub, Rendezvous 17 Oct 2007 [13:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (263)

 

 Special O.P.S. - Asbestos, Coffee Messiah 11 SEPT 2003 [20:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (282)

 

 Special O.P.S. - Turnpike Tag, Coffee Messiah 11 SEPT 2003 [8:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (251)

 

 Special O.P.S. - Epilogue, Coffee Messiah 11 SEPT 2003 [8:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (287)

 

 Special O.P.S. - Proof, 2nd Ave Pizza 2002, with Izaak Mills and Adam Weiss [7:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (268)

 

 Special O.P.S. - 9.12.2001 - One Too Loud [14:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (77)

 

 Special O.P.S. - 9.12.2001 - Requiem for NYC [20:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (90)

 

 Special O.P.S. - 9.07.2001 - John Zorn's Bris [13:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (84)

 

 Special O.P.S. - 9.12.2001 - Composition 911 [18:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (96)

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Wednesday Oct 17, 10 PM, 5$ 21+
Special OPS
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theater
2322 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA
http://www.jewelboxtheater.com

Also with:
Monstroclaw
Robert Pearson
Ground Tissues

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Friday November 2, 10pm
Figeater, Secret Chefs 3, Special OPS
Rendevous Jewel Box Theater
2322 2nd Ave Seattle, WA
Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater

Appetizer mp3s…

#1 Figeater with guest Paul Hoskin live at the Ft. George Brewery in Astoria, OR, 7 OCT 2007.

#2 A track from the NEW Special O.P.S. CD Arm Me - Palm Calmer, available here.

 

 Figeater @ Ft George Brewery in Astoria, OR, 7OCT07: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (194)

 

 Special O.P.S. - Palm Calmer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (178)

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