MKNZ Ilirska Bistrica, Friday, 17.11.2000:

Hailing from Washington , D.C. and comprised of various musicians from within the scene, the All-Scars base unit of Chuck Bettis, Jerry Busher and Dug Birdzell spontaneously compose music with a rotating cast of friends/players to create an improvised, yet coherent set of songs that is ever changing. Introduction to Humanity, the All-Scars second full-length LP/CD, captures their musical moments from three separate performances.

To quote Chuck Bettis, "Introduction to Humanity is an example of how simplistic anything in life can be, depending on our perspective. The music of the All-Scars can not be defined by the instrumentation used; for everything and anything will be used to produce sounds. The instrumentl and the lyrical hold the same weight in the compositional/improvisational approach that the All-Scars take. This approach enables the core group to explore any mind set that plays as a mental soundtrack."

The core group is rounded out with the addition of Brendan Canty on guitar and keyboards, James Canty on keyboards and whirlytube, Amy Farina providing vocals on the track "Man`O`War", and Evan Rapport on reeds. The tracks created blend between a somewhat random approach to each instrument, which makes for a jagged and agitated overall sound. Definite communication melodically and rhythmically, form well-composed song structures. Their performance keeps the listener angaged by not boring one with constant chaos or with stagnant, one-dimensional song composition.

"the subversive potential of music at some point rund dry, unless you move beyond certain predetermined musical limitations." - Nic Endo

new record:
ALL SCARS - Introduction To Humanity LP/CD
(Slowdime #25)

previous record:
ALL SCARS - Early Ambient LP/CD
(Dischord Half Label 118.5)