Occupying both the garage and the temple, Calla are at once dissonant and pristine, harmonious and rythmic. They cling to the dirty residues of NYC with an attention always affixed upward to cosmopolitan refinement. A fact perhaps explained by the group's roots in Texas and their emigration to Brooklyn.
Unlike most of their contemporaries, Aurelio Valle (guitars / vocals), Wayne Magruder (drums / programming / percussion) and Sean Donovan (keyboard / bass / programming) understand the way in which the dirtiness of rock intersects the world of high art.
Calla's shows are some of the most anticipated in New York. It is impossible to watch them perform without becoming transfixed on the intensity of its presentation. Angular guitars bend accross thick bass lines; weightless electronics become pulled into the harsh simplicity of minimalist percussion; Aurelio's fragile voice rises boldly against the torrents of expressive noise. It is for this reason that artists like Nick Cave, Godspeed You Black Emperor ! , and Sigur Ross have been eager to perform with them. Picked by Alternative Press as the "number one band to watch", lauded by the New York Times, remixed by the brightest electronic experimentalists on 2002's CUSTOM: THE REMIX PROJECT, Calla are unquestionably a band whose work will be dissected and reevaluated long after their beautiful static energy burns away.
Aurelio Valle was raised in South Texas. He relocated to North Texas in early 93' and formed The Factory Press with long time band mate Pete Gannon and Wayne b. Magruder. After releasing a 7" and a nEP on Austin's N D Records, The Factory Press relocated to New York City and recorded their final album., "The Smoky Ends Of a Burnt Out Day" with Matt Verta-Ray and Kid Congo Powers producing. After the demise of The Factory Press, Valle played in various bands. In late '97, with intentions of fusing a vintage sound with modern influences; Valle formed Calla with Wayne b. Magruder and long-time collaborator Sean Donovan.
Wayne b. Magruder was born and raised in Texas, where he met Sean Donovan at grade school. They played in various bands throughout high school together and finally formed Crumbles Recovery (originally named Follen Vlods), an experimental electro-acoustic duo (1992-present). Magruder studied design at the University of North Texas, where he joined The Factory Press (ND Records) as drummer. When the band relocated to NYC, Magruder joined Bowery Electric as drummer. Subsequent Bowery Electric touring with E.A.R. in '96, and Main in '97 followed., as well as playing live percussion, with Robert Hampson and drums with Windsor For The Derby. Desiring to integrate electronics, triggers, and samples in a rock format, Magruder formed Calla with Sean Donovan and Aurelio Valle in late 1997. Since 2000, Magruder has released 2 solo records (K20 Recordings) under the name tenEcke, merging Brooklyn beats with textural debris.
Sean a. Donovan is a classically trained composer whose primary interests include sounds mass and the manipulation of timbre through space. He has been influenced by the American experimentalist tradition, especially the New York school of the 1950's and the Fluxus composers of the 1960's. In 1996, he organized the Simultaneity series, an event where the work of more than 30 artists were superimpsed in time ans space. Upon relocating to New York in 1997, Donovan worked closely with Peter Kotik and the S.E.M. Ensemble. Known for its presentation of avant-garde orchestral music, he participated in the world premiere performances of Phil Niblock, Roscoe Mitchell, Elliot Sharp, and Kotik, and organized events at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and The Guggenheim Museum. In 1992, he formed eacher-Hundreds, a label dedicated to experimental music, with long-time friend Wayne Magruder.
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