Bent Arcana is an improvisatory collective featuring members of
Oh Sees,
TV on the Radio,
Sunwatchers, and several other groups. Their self-titled 2020 debut is a set of freewheeling, spontaneous jams recorded over the course of five days, channeling influences such as '70s hard fusion, prog, and Krautrock.
Oh Sees mastermind
John Dwyer assembled the group's players, who gathered at Stu-Stu-Studio (his Los Angeles home studio) in December of 2019.
Dwyer played guitar, synthesizers, percussion, and tape loops, and other participants included
TV on the Radio's
Kyp Malone (modular synthesizer), percussionists
Ryan Sawyer and
Andres Renteria, bassist
Peter Kerlin (
Sunwatchers), and saxophonists
Brad Caulkins and Joce Soubiran. Additionally, Marcos Rodriguez played guitar and
Laena "Geronimo" Myers-Ionita contributed violin. The sessions were edited down to a 38-minute album and released by Castle Face in August of 2020. ~ Paul Simpson