Press on Rhiannon Catalyst, aka Rhiannon Erbach-Gruber* (see footnote for explanation on aliases), and some of the projects Rhiannon has been a creator, producer, Creative Director or Music Director in (or occasionally all of the above) starting with the most recent…
“The stunning, interdisciplinary range of performances – helmed by Creative Director Rhiannon Catalyst… Her experience lends an eclectic, mesmerizing eye to the potential for creative wonder to promote intercultural understanding and respect.” – AUDRA LAMBERT, Ante Mag
(This immersive event featured Rhiannon Catalyst commissioned to compose and perform a new interactive song as the Ice Queen backed by a choir at the historic Judson Memorial Church)
Performers include Rhiannon Catalyst (mixed media performance artist). … Each Secret City gathering combines storytelling, art, food, music, meditation, singing, performance and community interaction in an event that is part tent revival, part ceremony, part salon. …
With a guest roster that has included Grammy-award winner Rosanne Cash, Tony winners Michael Cerveris and Stew, Amanda Palmer, performance artist John Fleck, Obie Award-winners Taylor Mac, Justin Vivian Bond and Jennifer Miller, and a slew of downtown stars like Sxip Shirey and Jomama Jones, The Secret City occupies a unique place in the heart of New York’s artistic community.”
“Sublime” –Village Voice NYC
“Discover what it’s like to be an astronaut” –Washington Post
“Out of this World” –USA Today
“Awe-Inspiring” –Examiner
“Stunning” –Scientific American
“…haunting classical/world fusion music … creating a mesmerizing spectacle that should not be missed” –Huffington Post
“Breathtaking audio-visual exploration that will transform your view of life on earth” –AZ Weekly
“… sound and visual environment that mesmerizes audiences” –Hollywood Progressive
“Rhiannon Catalyst is a multidisciplinary artist who creates site-specific performances and installations designed to tell stories that immerse and activate many senses at once. She designs, records, and performs sonic narrative pieces to celebrate the unique acoustics of spaces and illuminate the cultural and historical significance of particular locations. Her work is often created in and around rivers, oceans, ships, caves, crossroads… places of great cultural exchange and intense resonance. These works often take the form of mythic and ceremonial performances in collaborative theater and art events. Catalyst has been at the head of and curating highly awarded multimedia art, music, technology, and mixed reality venues, events, and conferences for nearly two decades. She was born in NJ not far from this gallery and the two nearest rivers. Her deepest roots are in Brooklyn but much of her work celebrates global and cross-cultural influences, and the intersection of art and science.”
A book by Sarah Sparkles published by 218 Press in 2013
— Message from the Lunatarium crew written by Rhiannon Erbach but published as the voice of the space for which I often wrote, September 11, 2001
An event called New Hue Theatre that she both Music Directed and sang at, as well as events she curated at legendary venue The Lunatarium
“Rhiannon Erbach-Gruber, 30, resplendent in a red satin petticoat and bustier, was singing from a perch halfway to the ceiling.”
“I love that everyone comes with this attitude of ‘I’ll bring tools,’ ” said Ms. Erbach-Gruber, an event producer/D.J./musician/you name it, last seen singing in red satin on a perch at the House of Yes. “I just love the effort.” Recently, Ms. Erbach-Gruber reminisced about an Alice in Wonderland party at Lunatarium, with a white paper rose garden that guests, in playing-card costumes, painted red with cans of paint she handed out. A huge volunteer team had been corralled to paint a section of the 20,000-square-foot loft’s floor in a chessboard pattern, and guests danced so hard they erased all traces of it.
“I’ve never seen a picture,” she said sadly. “You just had to be there.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/garden/18party.html
“The Danger parties, according to Untapped Cities, were a ‘throwback to ’80s New York, where there were simply less rules.’ In the case of one party in 2010, that meant ‘a four-floor warehouse party with hot tub, circus swings, art and film installations, and ten simultaneous live acts.’”
“Most Memorable Session Ever: Two sessions over this past year come to mind. The first was an impromptu session in April with Rhiannon Erbach (Subatomic Sound), Anna Ozawa (an incredibly talented vocalist/ instrumentalist from Japan), and the late Great Ari Up (R.I.P) of the Slits on Bass.” — Sonicscoop.com
“[The song] ‘Rize Up’ is a virtual revolutionary anthem” (By Subatomic Sound System with lyrics and vocals by Rhiannon)
— The Beat Magazine
“Rhiannon’s vocals seduce on Fly Free”
—Dedric Moore
4 Afros **** “Subatomic holds a clinic on the standard of releases for 2007 on their newest album. Artful lyrics, soulful singing and innovative beats… These beats could become the blueprint for future producers…Genius producing.”
—OkayPlayer.com
“While they may ply their trade in an assortment of reggae, hip-hop, broken beat, and jungle tracks, each is approached with a maverick, dub-wise sensibility that shouts a clear music-first missive to the masses. The band delivers as advertised, hitting you thoroughly on all frequencies.”
—XLR8R Magazine
“Subatomic Sound System’s unorthodox mashup of styles connects the dots between dub reggae, dancehall, hip hop, drum & bass, downtempo and broken beat [BPM Vital Releases]… Tracing the roots of bass heavy dub with a funk-styled edge of underground hip-hop, SSS bridges dancehall energy and multi-cultural communication. Solid beats, meaningful messages and remix trickery.”
—BPM Magazine
“The surprise of the year… 14 sonic gems. It gives me the same feeling I get listening to early Massive Attack work, not because of the sound directly, but because of the artistic energy & flavor everyone brings into the project. Great work!”
—ProperlyChilled.com
“I’m stunned. Seriously, these tunes are top shelf, first class dynamite. I LOVE THEM! Massive tunes! Brilliance.”
—Mista Micha, The Chill Pill, BayFM
“Brooklyn based DJ Scottie B and Producer Chris Tempas have assembled quite a crew of young talented musicians for The Shift. With guitarists Brian Fegan, sax player Mike DeVellis, bassist Jeff Angell, and vocalists Rhiannon, they have all the elements to make quality music of nearly any sort. This LP is beautifully packaged and full of compelling, quality productions. For my money, the stand out cuts include silky houser ‘No Accessories’ and ‘Never Enough’ featuring the lovely vocals of Rhiannon…”
— DJ Times
“DJ Rekha’s manager, Rhiannon Erbach, believes the infectious beats of this rhythm-heavy dance contribute to its popularity. ‘Even if people don’t understand the lyrics and the dance moves, everyone can feel it in their body and their shoulders,’ she says. While some might worry that the 2005 Jay-Z song signaled Bhangra’s peak, Erbach disagrees. ‘Sometimes when a thing reaches that kind of mainstream status you lose the original spirit of things and the underground hype, but I don’t think that’s really what’s happening with Bhangra,’ she says. ‘People have heard enough of this to give them a taste, but they don’t really hear a lot of actual Bhangra through mainstream hip-hop artists. The audience has heard just enough to want more.’”
“…flame dancers on a midlevel platform… the sort of venue that would install large plastic tubeways to explore, its art exhibits providing the interactivity and danger of a playground, back when playgrounds weren’t miniature, multicolored, Martha Stewart lawn decorations… leave you dancing home, the rising sun meeting you halfway to the F train”
— The NY Press
“All of this is why the massive Dumbo space known as the Lunatarium seems so extraordinary. The breathtaking 18,000 square-foot venue, with its 30-foot ceilings and its perfect East River skyline view, opened with two events in July 2001. Eventually, it became a regular weekend venue, and it was used by a small group of Dumbo promoters working with independents like Blackkat, SEAL, and DJ Spooky.”
“By all accounts, the New York Decompression party — thrown by the group of New York Burning Man aficionados who call themselves the Society for Experimental Arts and Learning (SEAL) — was a massive creative and commercial success. It featured fire spinners, large-scale inflatables, propane sculpture, bands, DJs, and hundreds of costumed partygoers.”
Note: Rhiannon ran that party. And there were not hundreds, there were thousands of people there. It was one of the Lunatarium’s biggest events—approximately 2500 people were in attendance.
http://www.nonsensenyc.com/features/dumboluna.html
*Note on aliases from Rhiannon: I became known as Rhiannon Catalyst because of the nature of my work using the arts to create transformative change in the world, but I’m very proud of my family heritage and names as well and was creating and producing under those names for some years before I became known as Rhiannon Catalyst.