A veteran of the Bay Area hand-built instrument community, Tom Nunn will improvise on his signature electroacoustic percussion boards. He will collaborate with Doug Carroll on electric cello.

Founded in 1974, New Zealand's From Scratch is not so much a music ensemble as a virtuoso performance group whose artistry draws on custom-built percussive instruments. Led by Phil Dadson, the group's most formidable pieces, such as Gung Ho; Pacific 3, 2, 1, Zero; and Global Hockets, wed breakneck beats with odd-timed chanting and movement, always within the sphere of their fanciful instruments. Two beautifully rendered films by Gregor Nicholas, Drum/Sing (22 mins) and Pacific 3, 2, 1, Zero (21 mins, 35mm, Courtesy New Zealand Film Archive), bring us deep within the kinetic arena of From Scratch's performance. Drum/Sing recalls aboriginal connections with its whirling sounds and sing-songy vocalizations. Pacific 3, 2, 1, Zero takes nuclear testing around the Bikini Islands as its explosive center, the percussion convulsing with apocalyptic fervor. To create a space of respite amidst the fury of From Scratch, we include a solo performance by Phil Dadson from Australia's REV Festival (2002, excerpt, 20 mins, Mini-DV, From Dadson), featuring his stringed and pronged instruments, the Zitherum, Nundsum, and Gloop Dsum.