Glenn Branca is a symphonist. In the last 27 years he has composed 13 symphonies: six for electric guitar ensemble (1,2,6,8,10,12), three for harmonic series instrumentation (3,4,5), three for conventional symphony orchestra (7,9,11) and No. 13 (Hallucination City) for 100 guitars which premiered in NYC at the former WTC in 2001. Since 2006 a revised version of the 100 guitar piece in four movements has been performed in Rome, London (as part of the Frieze Art Fair), Dublin, Belgium, LA (sponsored by the LA Philharmonic), New Jersey (Peak Performance Series at Montclair St. Univ.), Seattle (sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum) and St. Louis (sponsored by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra).

He has also composed many shorter pieces for a wide variety of Instrumentation, as well as an unproduced opera, a film soundtrack, two ballets and numerous dance and theater pieces. Recent short compositions have been: "In Perpetuity" a special commission for MTV, "Acoustic Phenomena" and "Compositional Recreations" commissioned for the Bang on a Can All Stars, a new performance of "Guitars d'Amour" by Fireworks, a string quartet version of "Light Field" for The Kronos String Quartet commissioned by Carnegie Hall, "Lesson No.3 (a tribute to Steve Reich)" commissioned by the Barbican Center, London (it has also recently been performed at the ATP Festival) and "House of Leaves" commissioned by Art Zoid.

In 2006 Atavistic released for the first time "Indeterminate Activity Of Resultant Masses (for 10 guitars and drums)". Recorded in 1981, this is the piece of music that "disturbed" John Cage and has not been heard since the mid-80's. He is also the inventor of the Harmonics Guitar and a founding member of 70's No Wave bands Theoretical Girls and The Static.

In 2008 he began work on "Symphony No. 14 (The Harmonic Series)" a new piece for orchestra, the first movement of which has been commissioned by The St. Louis Symphony and was premiered on Nov. 13, 2008 conducted by David Robertson.

Photos and recap from The Glenn Branca Ensemble's 9/11 show at LPR (via Brooklyn Vegan)

The Paranoid Critical Revolution have been playing the NYC club scene since 2006. Their self-released debut CD "Death of the Cool" came out in December 2007 just in time for the band to play ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES, "A Nightmare Before Christmas" in Minehead, England. PCR is currently mixing their second CD, "Euphobia" to be released by the fall. The band recently played at the South By Southwest Music Festival in March 2009. Their sound could be described as Post-Neo-No Wave Oddcore Punk.

In addition to PCR, Guitarist Reg Bloor has been playing with Glenn Branca (to whom she is married) since 2000. She played in Branca's Symphony No. 12, Lesson No. 3, his rock band Branca/Bloor, in his trio, eventually becoming Concertmaster for his Symphony No. 13 for 100 Guitars. In the late 90's she was a founding member of the Boston-based band TWITCHER, who released the self-produced CD "Leg of Lamb of God" in 1999 and appeared on the soundtrack for the Troma film "Terror Firmer".

Prior to joining PCR, drummer Libby Fab studied electro-acoustic music and music composition at Trinity College Dublin, where she completed an M.Phil in Music and Media Technology. Libby became part of the Glenn Branca crew in 2006 as technical director, rehearsal drummer and assistant engineer for Symphony No. 13. She has worked on Branca's shows in Montclair (New Jersey), Ghent, Dublin, London, Minehead, Rome, Seattle and St. Louis. She also performed in Branca's Lesson No. 3 in London, Minehead and New York.

"I'm digging the Paranoid Critical Revolution CD - (Reg)'s a killer gtrist and libby is amazing as well." --Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth

THE PARANOID CRITICAL REVOLUTION at LPR:

One guitar (Reg Bloor) and drums (Libby Fab).

Selections from their soon to be released album "EUPHOBIA".

Running time of set about 30 minutes.

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Garage band line-ups in varying degrees of post-punk musical destruction. Ericka Beckman's film matches the rawness, minimalism and radicalism of the music - a fitting document and visual statement of new forms created out of New York's anti-everything musical nihilism, circa 1979. 135 Grand Street, New York, 1979 is history. This is a film about bands made up of painters, filmmakers, actors - and occasionally musicians - thriving and thrashing in the pulsating, vibrant post-punk world of New York where high art met low culture. Ericka Beckman documented the cross-fertilizing art and music scene in New York in the mid-1970s. Her film captures the driving energy and posturing of early No Wave bands' performing in a sparse downtown loft. Featured bands include Theoretical Girls, UT, A Band, Rhys Chatham, Chinese Puzzle, The Static, Morales, Youth in Asia, Morales, Steven Piccolo and Jill Kroesen. The film has been shown throughout the world as part of Sonic Youth's Sensational Fix touring art exhibition as well as screening before Glenn Branca's shows in New York City (Sep 2009).