You have arrived at DBAR

      Point of audio  frequency vibrations

            and occasional passing flourescent orange kangaroos

DBAR- Dancing Bear Audio Research is the codename for a vortex of projects and collaborations that i am or was involved in:
Crystal Awareness, 60 CYLE HUM, Your Brain on Drugs, AEON, Holy Rodent, Crystal Awareness Projekt, Synaptic Tendrils,
SpaceBrane, Crystal/Shirzad, as well as many other audio projects, and creations.
I started out playing electric bass guitar in the late 70s. At first i didn't really have much of a direction joining my friends playing simple rock and roll covers. One day, a drummer friend of mine and i went to get some concert tickets at a record store. While we were in tthe back waiting in line, this cool guy behind me asked me if i wanted some Long Sunshiney Days. I answered, "yes, certainly i do." When i got home i decided to road test a couple (not my first time). This was early afternoon. After the light started to shine on me i realized my mom would be home, screaming and yelling at 4:30--5:00PM. Oh, noesies. I went down into the basement, later named "the Dungeon", and put an office chair on wheels in front of my mighty Yamaha B115 (that was sitting on top of a milk crate), plugged all the pedals in the bassement together (so, an EH Big Muff, EH Small Stone phase shifter, and EH Electric Misstress) sat facing the amp, and did my very first attempt at "White Light, White Heat." My life has never been the same since that afternoon. I had just bought a Moog Sonic Six synthesiser and gotten familiar with it, but, it was used by the other half of 60 Cycle Hum, as a synth and as a ring modulator in his FX line.
Eventually i started building a synth for him, but, started using it myself. I played my Rickenbacker and synth through a massive amplification system. Each pickup was a separate channel into separate effects and amps.

I started using computers as sound making instruments in 2002.

60Cycle Hum --- 1981-1992 An acid soaked noise/feedback/space jam duo (with a long standing drummer /percussionist, Wes Jensen),
we started out doing rock n roll covers with extended improvisations and quirky minimalist/maximalist originals.

Your Brain on Drugs--- was a solo effort by me during a slow period towards the end of 60 Cycle Hum.
Two cassette tapes were released and about 10 live performances performed including one memorable outdoor jam
when the troopers showed up at 2:00am (after most listeners had bedded down ,or fell down, for the night)
and said they could hear the noise for over a mile ;^) much laughter from the tents, fun.

AEON --- 1991-1994 was a duo of bass guitar, feedback, electronics, and didjeridou
which lasted about 3 years, 25 performances. Very trance inducing, spacey and earthy all at once ...

I met and played with Holy Rodent in 1993 and then went on to collaborate with Don Haugen for years.
He played in Crystal Awareness Project a few times and many years later hosted a NoiseFest in OR USA where i debuted
a duo called CrystalDew which was computer noise and guitar played by my lifelong friend Dewey, which i processed through a computer.
This same year (1993) i met and did some wild shows (sitting in on bass guitar feedback and modular synth) with Onomatopeia, I also met another electronic improv band Grismog.
Aeon did shows together with them and often ended with all of us jamming together.

Crystal Awareness Project---was the working/playing name of some various electro-acoustic ensembles formed and unformed during 1999-2001.
With Deborah Heron and (and often) Rich Waryan on anything that makes music. This was a wild gig as
both Deb and Rich had perfect pitch and could play almost any instrument while i conducted.
We played many gigs in AZ USA. We often played on a bill (and, again, often ended our show together) with another space/improv band called
KriyaShakti. Deb and i did many jams at a bookstore in Phoenix AZ called Metropophobobia.
It was there that i met the members of
Life Garden whom i had traded tapes with many years earlier. We did some very intense jams together at the bookstore.
It was there that i also met Voice of Eye whom i had also traded tapes with years earlier.

Crystal Awareness --- since 2001 i have been performing solo gigs as Crystal Awareness.
In 2002 i was hanging out at a friends when someone open up a laptop and showed me Reason. When i saw the back of the racked, i was in! I bought it later that week. I went to NAMM LA CA soon afterward and saw the Native Instruments booth. I approached and a friendly guy with a thick German accent said "hi, would you like to see something cool?" Never have i declined that offer. He show me this virtual synth panel with all kinds of cool functions, i was wowed. Then, he said "watch this" and opened the wiring window and my head exploded! I bought Reaktor when i got back home. I had been building and playing hardware modulars for years at this time. My introduction to using computers for sound started with Cool Edit Pro and two modular synths.

I also played some really far out Dadaist stuff with CIII. I played with his band Herd of the Ether Space a few times, another of my tape trading friends.
I was fortunate enough to meet Rob from another great space/improv/electronic band called
NBC (Neighborhood Bass Coalition) after a few sessions we then played a guerilla gig at
Golden Gate Park, SF, CA USA one sunny afternoon. and I moved into a town 8 miles from Don Campau. whom i not
only traded underground home recorded tapes with, but, we also traded live jazz and rock shows. I played on his radio show
No Pigeonholes and we did a CD Overlay Network
Years later, I was also fortunate enough to finally meet and record a session with
Hal McGee in FL USA, which resulted in this cassette Signal Load Patterns I had known Hal and Don since the late 80s, when we all were part of a network of cassette culture.
I met Ayesha Anne when i attended a performance by Gamelan Sekar Jaya in Bezerkeley CA.
We only did one duo public performance at an event called Gratitude. I got involved in Koinonea 2012, performed a few gigs at their events and was honored to open and close
the Koinonea 2012 event of Winter Solstace, 12/21/12.

SpaceBrane, --- duo, sometimes trio, Paul E, Crystal, and for a time Dwight Loop synthesizer, computers,
and more synthesizers. There are hours of this yet to be edited. We played a few gigs organized by Jack Hertz and one great sunday gig at woodstockhausen just outside of
Santa Cruz CA, organized by Wayne who is doing some great work in virtual synthesis
The same day i met Wayne i also met Tom Nunn who was known for his very original work on homebuilt devices made
with cardboard, combs, found objects and such.