Hallwalls presents:

Friday, October 10 • 8:00 p.m.
Raoul Björkenheim/Chris Massey Duo
Hallwalls' Black-n-Blue Theatre
$10 general, $8 Hallwalls members/students/seniors

Raoul Björkenheim (electric guitars, electronics)
Chris Massey (drums)

Finnish guitarist and composer Raoul Björkenheim was born in Los Angeles, finally leaving the States after graduating from the Berklee School of Music in Boston. He settled in Helsinki, where he began to integrate his interest in ethnic and electronic musics into the bands that he was fronting at the time and the rock and jazz styles he was already adept at.
In recent years, Björkenheim has played and/or recorded with a wide array of well known international artists, including Mats Gustavsson, Henry Kaiser, Mike Keneally, Bill Laswell, Michael Manring, Paul Schütze, Nicky Skopelitis, Jah Wobble and many others. His discography from the 80s and 90s includes nearly two dozen releases with Krakatau, Paul Schütze’s Phantom City and 3rd Site projects, Vesala’s Sound and Fury, and many other bands, as well as solo works. In addition, he has composed numerous works for orchestras, films, video, and modern dance in Finland
Said one critic: "This is very strong jazz… But the real focal point is the blinding shrill guitar pyrotechnics – intricate and growling with creative feedback and distortion. Imagine Ornette Coleman with a strong John Zorn injection charged in a rock direction…". Indeed, as a guitarist/composer, Björkenheim has few equals.