Pitchfork

Rhys Chatham loves him some guitar. In the past, the ambitious, avant garde musician has scored pieces for 100 guitars, and last year the city of Paris commissioned him to write a piece for 400 guitars. Now Chatham fans will be amped (ha) to learn he's channeling his guitar love into a Sunn 0)))/Earth/Sleep-inspired, pared-down heavy metal outfit called Essentialist.

As previously reported, Rhys Chatham's Essentialist-- featuring members of San Agustin and Jonathan Kane's February-- make their debut this weekend at the Table of the Elements Fest in Atlanta. From there, they'll head out on a two-week U.S. tour, culminating in an appearance at The Wire's Adventures in Modern Music Fest in Chicago.

So exactly how will this minimalist form of metal sound? A press release describes Chatham's new musical venture as "hallucinatory" and "mind-crushing." Expect an Essentialist debut album in early 2007 on Table of the Elements, and stay tuned for all the essential (groan) info.

Better bring a helmet:

09-02 Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum
09-03 Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum
09-05 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
09-06 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
09-07 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
09-08 Philadelphia, PA - Community Education Center
09-09 Boston, MA - Mass Art
09-10 New Haven, CT - BAR
09-11 Brooklyn, NY - Issue Project Room
09-12 Purchase, NY - South (Purchase University)
09-14 New York, NY - Tonic
09-15 Buffalo, NY - Soundlab
09-16 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
09-17 Detroit, MI - Bohemian National Home
09-20 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (Adventures in Modern Music Festival)