Week 22 - Amplitude Modulators
A dusty summer evening in Winston-Salem, and the molecules were humming with intent. Daniel Combs (of Zones and cosmic synth wizardry) brought harmonic clarity and radiant textures, while Xavier Ware opened portals behind the kit—pure kinetic focus and molten invention. Together with John Ray on bass and synths (subtly pulsing with amplitude modulations designed to synchronize audience brainwaves), they formed a three-headed vessel: the Amplitude Modulators.
The crowd at Easy Tiger buzzed with unusually synchronized energy—maybe it was the subconscious resonance, maybe it was Heather slinging cocktails like a laser-guided bartender bot. Either way, the vibe was high.
Midway through the second set, reinforcements arrived. Alexander Nelson (guitar sorcerer and composer), Kevin Timmons (synth nomad), and Gabe Lopez (NYC saxophonist and Lincoln Center fellow) took the music deeper. From the slow-burn groove of Change of Heart to the epic closer Flight of the Modulators, the night swerved between silliness and sublime.
File this one under: experimental jazz fusion with brainwave entrainment and interstellar narrative arc. Another transmission from the Vintage Astronaut Sessions.
Week 7: Millennial Falcon
The critics are raving about Millennial Falcon. “Why don’t more musics be sound like this?” says one (human) satisfied customer. “Where can I leave a tip to support the band?” says no one. “This band obviously knows at least 12 notes and I bet I heard them all tonight!” said a definitely real person who was there.
This week’s session soared through deep space and dipped into chaos. We named it Millennial Falcon—a tribute to generational drift, analog guts, and the sense that everything is falling apart and still somehow flying.
We were joined this week by Michael Anderson, on piano and synthesizer. His playing was next-level—virtuosic, emotional, and full of fearless harmonic invention. Joseph Dowdy traveled across tenor, soprano sax and flute, summoning voices from every direction. Jonathan Greene was locked in as always—fluid, responsive, and propelling the whole thing forward like a calm engine beneath a shifting sky. I held the low end with bass, synth, and computer textures.
A tropical plant named Brianna played with us again via PlantWave, this time delivering the warm, rhythmic pulse of a piece that bloomed in real time.
Somewhere in the second set the cops showed up, responding to a report of music that was “too excellent to be legal.” They hung out for a minute, then our fearless bar owner David used his majestic beard to ease the situation and the cops back to their station.
Thank you for flying with us. Full archive at: www.vintageastronaut.com