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The Wire, April 2003 Outer Limits review by Jim Haynes: Doug Haire / 19 American Waysides / Anomalous NOM 17 CD There is perhaps nothing as quintessentially American as the ecology of the interstate rest stop. Not only has it been engineered to tolerate the frustrations of exhausted, grizzled truckers forced to cross eight states in two days, and weary victims of ill fated, ill conceived family vacations, it also offers a unique hybridization of nature and synthetic forms. Far from urban centres, rest stop grounds are often well maintained, where semi-domesticated animals flock in search of easy snacks in bulging garbage bags. Yet these well-trodden rest stops are more often then not lacklustre, utilitarian slabs of concrete with little history or resonance. Between 1998-2001, Seattle sound engineer Doug Haire set out to document the environmental sounds of such public spaces while playing archaic Victrola 78s (courtesy of the Climax Golden Twins). The disc might cover 19 states from Montana to South Carolina, but regardless of place or time, from stop to stop he gets a similar mix of cricket choruses, distant, screeching brakes and cars rushing by; at least Haire's 78 rpm interventions break up the monotony with playful dance numbers and eerie vocal warbles. Their distressed fidelity contrasts drastically with Haire's pristine field recordings, implying a psycho-navigational journey through time with the juxtaposition of idiosyncratic sound sources. A subtle and surprisingly charming album.
The Rocket, review by S. Duda, 2.25-3.11.98 issue: Craig Flory & Doug Haire / Wigwam Bendix / Franchise Records CD There's no telling what Flory and Haire had in mind as they rolled tape on this project. Certainly neither could have anticipated the recording would have taken more than two years. Moreover, how could they even have guessed at such an outstanding result. For all intents and purposes, Wigwam Bendix sounds more like the great modern jazz statement Seattle has been hinting at for the past five years, instead of a series of brilliant asides, which, in reality, is probably closer to the truth. Featuring 31 musicians pared into various configurations of three, four and five, Wigwam includes the likes of Brent Arnold, Christian Asplund, Michael Bisio, Andrew Dury, Eyvind Kang, Ed Pias, Dennis Rea, Wally Shoup, Skerik, Matthew Sperry, Mike Stone, Tim Young, and others. There are no-nonsense, to-the-point jazz things waltzing next to whimsical digressions. The moods sway from chamber pieces to jazzy workouts to free blowfests before ending with a tipsy rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Blue Monk." For all it's wandering and rambling, Wigwam Bendix comes off as a warm, cohesive set of music. While most songs never get beyond the three-minute mark, the record still feels whole and composed. And though the number of contributors seems intimidating, there is a real intimacy and immediacy to the proceedings that make this record something to marvel at. Thirty-one Seattle jazz musicians were invited and everyone showed up. Right fucking on!
The Stranger, December 11, 2003 interview by Christopher DeLaurenti: Doug Haire: "Removed & Haunted" installation performance at Polestar Music Gallery, 12.12.03 Whoever writes a history of Seattle's small but vibrant experimental music community will marvel at the understated ubiquity of Doug Haire. A first-call producer/engineer for musicians delving into the avant, Haire is chiefly known as the longtime host of Sonarchy Radio, which can be heard every Saturday night on KEXP 90.3 FM. Dedicated to abstract electronics, field recordings, free improvisation, and adventurous grooves, the live broadcast serves as an incubator for sound artists from Seattle. It's a testament to Haire's skill at making a good session happen (and of course, sound great) that a healthy number of these musicians (including yours truly, back in 2000) end up releasing their live performances on CD. For his own performance, Haire presents dozens of masterfully filtered and otherwise sumptuously processed location recordings of industrial expanses, exotic locales, and nature recordings from around the world. Prior to entering Polestar, you'll want to catch the evening's prelude on a secret broadcast frequency (hint: It's near 100 on your FM dial) at 7:00 p.m. "I want to sonically soak the Polestar performance space," states Haire. "Not by necessarily being loud but by having sound emanate from all directions, much like how we experience sound in our everyday lives. By using a conventional method of distribution in an unconventional way, I can load the space with small speakers and surround the audience." Included with the admission is a new CD, The Crawford Opera. About the disc, whose title alludes to President Bush's Texas ranch, Haire is cryptic. "I've made an opera full of lies and deceit and it can't be trusted as a compact disc." Do not miss this gig.
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