You have arrived at DBAR

      creation 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.

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 (crystal) 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
that 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 then hosted a NoiseFest in OR where i debuted
a duo called CrystalDew which was computer noise and processed guitar from my lifelong friend Dewey.
This same year i met and did some wild shows 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.

I also played some really far out Dadaist stuff with CIII. I played with his band Herd of the Ether Space a few times.
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. 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 and I moved into a town 8 miles from Don Campau. whom i not
only traded underground homebuilt 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
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.

Synaptic Tendrills---2006-2010 was a duo , trio, with Joe Wisgirda "Big Joe Daddy" (digital trumpet) and
sometimes Winston Berger (Just about everything). We did a few duos and trios and a few back to back performances.

Crystal/Shirzad,---2022-present is a duo of Shirzad Sharif (Middle Eastern percussion and strings) and Crystal (virtual synthesizer soundscapes).




copyright 2025 Crystal Awareness