Bob Pence (a.k.a. Crowmeat Bob, Atomwrec Bob) has been performing in a wide variety of musical settings for decades, beginning in the late 90's in Wilmington, NC, where he also provided some soundtrack cues for independent film productions by director Onur Tukel.
But his improvising practice really began in the early 90's on electric bass, playing with friends in garages and living rooms. Before that, he played trombone in the high school band and took a music theory course.
When he moved to the Research Triangle area in 2000, he began collaborating regularly with many musicians in the area, as well as more well-known touring improvisers at various house shows (such as Peter Kowald, Ned Rothenberg, Tim Daisy, and Chris Cutler). He was an improviser/composer in the Micro East Collective, a large ensemble that used various compositional strategies for improvising. He formed his own band from among its ranks, Defenestrator, which lasted a few years.
In 2004 he began a weekly series of improvised music at Bickett Gallery in Raleigh called Death Jazz, where he would put together a different group of musicians each week to see what they could come up with. It eventually moved to Kings at the old McDowell Street location until that closed in 2007.
He has been a part of regular improvising groups such as Tripwire Trio (with Chuck Johnson and Chris Eubank), Microcephalic Superintendent (featuring classical chamber instrumentation), Polyorchard (David Menestres' ensemble), Razor Wire Safety Net, and currently Arachnids.
He has collaborated in improvised settings with well-known artists including Tatsuya Nakatani (for whom he organized several gong orchestra performances), Luke Stewart, Nicole Mitchell, Tashi Dorji, Eugene Chadbourne, Jeb Bishop, Thurston Moore, Thollem McDonas, Daniel Bachman, Nathan Bowles, and Frank Gratkowski.
He has attended workshops in improvised music with George Lewis, Joe Morris, Daniel Levin, Mat Maneri, and Nicole Mitchell.
Around 2006, he formed the instrumental rock band Savage Knights with Mike Isenberg, a band that continues to this day.
He has had several duo collaborations with movement artists including Ginger Wagg and Irina Kruchinina.
He has had several regular duo collaborations with electronic noise-makers, including Mike Geary (Wet Work), Alex Swing (Hardface), and Patrick Gallagher.
His group Judge Schreber's Avian Choir is primarily a large string group with conducted improvisations, occasionally accompanied by a heavy metal rhythm section.
His most recent group is Atomwrec Bob's Florid Postludes, which does loose but tight instrumentals and songs with a somewhat rotating cast of players. Half jazz, half rock, half crazy.
He composed and performed in D-Town Brass, a Durham big band, and provided horn arrangements for Quintron's Weather Warlock project when it was performed with D-Town Brass at the crack of dawn in Durham during Moogfest.
He has done several composed/improvised soundtracks for live film accompaniment, such as Jean Epstein's "The Fall of the House of Usher", Harry Smith's "Heaven and Earth Magic", and a horror film montage for Halloween.
He provided bass clarinet, in collaboration with composer Joseph Stephens, for Kenny Powers' freakout scenes in season 4 of "Eastbound & Down", and tenor sax for Junior's theme in season 2 of "Righteous Gemstones", with a nice long sequence involving a man-scaping mishap with John Goodman.
Over the years, he has played as a side-arm (mostly on saxophone) for dozens of bands, including Dexter Romweber (for 15 years), Hiss Golden Messenger, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Syl Johnson, The Cold Sides, The Nein, Natural Causes, Personality Cult, Horseback, The Love Language, Fancy Gap, Cheer-Accident, and many many others.
He also had an old-timey country band at various times (known alternately as The Blood Jar Creepers and the New Found Old Lost Unknown Unknown Stranger Strangers.
He was given the Indie Arts Award in 2006 by the Independent Weekly.
(for Micro East Collective, 2000-2002)Magnetic Hive Transmissions Picnoleptic Inversions Dziga Vertov (The Spinning Top)Interlope (for brass quartet)
(for Defenestrator, 2000-2003)Virtual AntiquityBela Bartok’s DeadThe WillowsSecret WorshipFicht Nicht Mit RaketemeschThe Confidence-ManMudbottom Well FeverImbalance of PowerFast and ViscousThe Sawhorse StraddleYumiSpontaneous CombustionDoctor Faustroll’s RevengeHinky
(for Kolyma)Creepin' Yellow HazeHubris
(for Savage Knights, 2005-present)Hasty RetreatRickshawRed HarvestShit Out of LuckStone ToolsThe Unexamined WifeSanity ClauseCurare BenderSwoleCrème d'BurkaMysterious ParcelWhite JazzIngratiated
(for D-Town Brass)Mystery TownSame River OnceStalkin'A Close CallThe Camberwell CarrotFluoridation StationHorse FuckerCobbler's DreamIllusion of HopeLe Voyage à Travers l'Impossible (with Andy Magowan and Robert Biggers)Weather Warlock (horn arrangement)
(for project Bluebird)Punishment ParkPigeon in Your PocketCease Fire
(for solo playing or other miscellaneous groups)Desert StormNun LimerickFlight from MatterDissolutionCritter SchismBattle RoyaleNa HawaI Don't Give a Limpin' FuckThe Devil's ShoelacesNo Hiding Place
(large ensemble compositions)The Fall of the House of Usher (soundtrack for the Jean Epstein film, for 9 musicians, 2003)The Swords (for 5 chamber instruments and heavy metal trio, 2004)Coalescent (for 8 electric guitars, 2005)Purity and Danger (for 6 strings and bass clarinet, 2006)Molt (for 8 strings, heavy metal trio and reed player, 2008)Bleed (for 14 strings, heavy metal trio and reed player, 2019)
(songs, 1997-present)Ed Gein EyesChild of GodI See RedPandora’s RuseTime Machine Atom Bomb Love ChildTelephonic UtteranceNo Time Like the Present