"The Archimedes Quartet is a project driven by method, mystery and miasma. Five years ago David Thomas described a bath tub epiphany to Peter Blegvad at a chance meeting outside an architectural college in Oxford. "Edison, Einstein, Eisenhower and Elvis - The Four 'E's Who Invented The 20th Century." This evolved, in the way of these sorts of conversations, into a Big Idea - a lecture / symposium slamdown to be refereed by Chris Cutler. A few emails were exchanged, words beginning with "E" were accumulated but, in the way of these things, the Big Idea withered on the vine.

Well, it's back and it's bigger than before and it's booked, Saturday, December 3 2011, at Cafe Oto, London.

Only trouble is we still got no idea at all what the Big Idea will look like except it will be musical and bag lunches are advised.

That's the downside. The upside is that Blegvad and Thomas are inventive story-tellers, of the tall tale variety, very cool singers, and, in spite of a mutually shared tendency to over intellectualize, they are shameless entertainers. Egged on by the flamboyant rhythm section of Chris Cutler and John Edwards a concert of "Eureka!" moments is envisioned.

On the principle that the best way to deal with a "bug" is to turn it into a feature, a blog has been set up to track the evolving Big Idea: inventingtime.wordpress.com. See the ideas take shape." David Thomas

David Thomas, Live at Cafe OTO photo by Fabio Lugaro.



CHRIS CUTLER

Born Washington DC. Lives in London. In the early 70’s joined British experimentalists Henry Cow with whom for a decade he toured, recorded and worked in dance and theatre projects. Founded or co-founded Art Bears, News from Babel, Cassiber, The (ec) Nudes, p53, and The Science Group; was a permanent member of American bands Pere Ubu, Hail and The Wooden Birds; tours the world as a soloist with his extended electrified kit, and in successive projects with Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, Jon Rose, David Thomas, Peter Blegvad, Lotte Anker, The Bad Boys Collective and spectralist Iancu Dumitrescu, amongst others. He founded and runs the independent label and distribution network ReR Megacorp, is author of the theoretical collection File Under Popular and numerous essays, published in various languages. He was on faculty for a while at the Museum School in Boston and lectures irregularly on theoretical and music related topics.

Chris Cutler website

PETER BLEGVAD

Born in New York City, 1951. Lives in London. In the early 70’s played electric guitar, and hydraulic jackhammer with the German group, Faust; in England he worked with Slapp Happy, Henry Cow, the Art Bears, and Andy Partridge of XTC; and in the States with The Golden Palominos, and with musicians such as John Zorn, Arto Lindsay, Jack Bruce and Carla Bley. Besides making music, Blegvad contributed a weekly cartoon strip, “Leviathan”, to the Independent on Sunday from 1991-’98. The Book of Leviathan was published by Sort of Books in London in 2000 and by the Overlook Press, New York City, in 2001. An edition in Mandarin was published in Taiwan in 2011. Blegvad has lectured on such subjects as Milk, Numinous Objects, the Impossible Book, and “Imagined, Observed, Remembered” on both sides of the Atlantic. He is Honorary Teaching Fellow in the writing program at the University of Warwick.

Peter Blegvad discography

DAVID THOMAS

Born 1953. Founder of legendary avant-rock band Pere Ubu, singer David Thomas has been re-writing the rules of popular music for over 36 years. Formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975, Pere Ubu integrated found-sound, analog synthesizers and musique concrete into a hybrid of overdriven midwestern garage rock tempered by abstract sensibilities. Other recurring band projects are Rocket From The Tombs, his pre-punk rock mega-group, and the improvisational trio David Thomas and two pale boys, with whom he appeared in a 3-month run of Shockheaded Peter in London's West End. He has produced two junk operas, "Mirror Man" and "Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi." He has performed live underscores to "It Came From Outer Space, "X, The Man With X-Ray Eyes," and "Carnival of Souls." He appears solo and in just about any other musical configuration that can be imagined. He lectures at universities and academic conferences.

David Thomas on LastFM
Pere Ubu on Myspace

JOHN EDWARDS

Bassist John Edwards has always been involved with a wide diversity of musical styles and situations. At home with composed and improvised music he is one of the busiest musicians on the scene. Probably best known for his work with Evan Parker, John Butcher, Peter Brotzmann, Sonny Murray etc, he has been in groups such as God and B-shops for the Poor, while at present continues to collaborate with electro-accoustic composer John Wall, Spring Heel Jack, FunDaMental and play in groups with Mulatu Astatke, Louis Moholo, Lol Coxhill, Ingrid Laubrock, Charles Hayward, to name a few. "The sound of a hippo screaming in a wind tunnel" is one way that his double bass has been described. Another reviewer wrote of its "heart-stopping delicacy." His solo cd "Volume" on Evan Parker's PSI label has received critical acclaim. He features on over 100 recordings.