Jacob Felix Heule is an improvising drummer and multi-instrumentalist whose music spans the spectrum from overwhelming brutality to reductionist austerity. Free improv, noise, black metal and gamelan all have influenced his aesthetic and technique.
Born to musically adventurous parents, Jacob grew up listening to Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, and later developed a particular fondness for Throbbing Gristle and Merzbow. Becoming involved in noncommercial radio in 1999 expanded his musical interests to include the aforementioned genres and beyond. At that point, Jacob began to realize the full potential for the instrumental abilities he had developed while drumming in punk bands and playing alto sax in school, and he has relentlessly pursued his continually-expanding vision ever since.
Jacob primarily works in small groups with double bassist Tony Dryer, and his dual drum+sax brutal improv/acoustic grind duo, Ettrick. He has played in small group situations with James Plotkin, C Spencer Yeh, Jack Wright, Weasel Walter, Sarah Cathers & Sarah Bernat (16 Bitch Pile-Up), Aaron Hibbs (Sword Heaven), Marc Edwards, Moe Staiano, David Lim (Tralphaz), Liz Allbee, Jorge Boehringer, Jake Rodriguez (Bran Pos), Håvard Skaset & Guro Skumsnes Moe (Art Directors), David Slusser, Elliott Levin, Tim Wyskida (Khanate), Ryan Jewell, Ed Chang, Jacob Lindsay, Corey Fogel (Gowns), Ava Mendoza, and Kanoko Nishi. Jacob has attended private lessons and master classes with Gino Robair, Han Bennink, John Butcher, Marilyn Crispell and Mats Gustafsson.
San Francisco free-improv mutant Jacob Felix Heule sounds like Dolphy but wants to roll with Darkthrone, playing icky jazz-noise with the dark soul of a church-torchin’ black metal Viking overlord. -- CMJ
The Steve McQueen of weird music. -- Derek Monypeny
ambidextrous soul genius (self-proclaimed)
Influences
lots of one-offs and ad-hocs, but...
member of:
Hodag (2003-present)
Ettrick (2004-present)
BullsHit Tribute Band (2006-present)
ELF ASS (2006-present)
frlgrnd (2007-present)
Dryer/Heule/Lindsay Trio (2007-present)
Basshaters (2008-present)
and a lot of other work with Tony Dryer in various forms
former member of:
Gowns (2007)
The Wayback (2000-2003)
Hobbledehoy (1998-1999)
The Human-Sized Flies (1995-maybe we still exist)
if you want to be added to my e-mail list (show notifications, etc.), e-mail jacob@heule.us with your city of residence.
track information:
Liz Allbee (trumpet), Tony Dryer (double bass), Jacob Felix Heule (drum set) & Jacob Lindsay (clarinets):
The trio of Dryer/Heule/Lindsay was formed to explore musical territories made prominent in recent years emphasizing quiet and static musical structures. The trio seeks to relate to these new territories through pragmatic application of improvisation and compositional structures, rather than through stylistic imitation. Also of note is the trio's adherence to purely acoustic sound production in a music typically dominated by electronics. Here augmented by Liz Allbee on trumpet, compositions put aside. What a joy music is.
Tony Dryer (double bass) & Jacob Felix Heule (drum set):
Duo performance at the 2007 July 15 Transbay Skronkathon at 21 Grand in Oakland. Tony and I are roommates, and we've played together in a wide variety of musical situations.
Jacob Felix Heule (drum set) & Kanoko Nishi (koto):
Our first and only duo performance, 2007 Apr 28 at 21 Grand in Oakland. We've played together in a few other groupings as well. Kanoko and I both play our instruments like cats play with maimed birds.
Tony Dryer (double bass), Jacob Felix Heule (drum set) & Stefanie Ku (laptop):
This is a recording from our first trio rehearsal, 2007 Aug 9, after we had played together in a rock band for a month or so. You can hear some muffled bass from another rock band rehearsing in my building -- our music became louder & denser once they started playing.
Ettrick (JFH - drum set, & Jay Korber - drum set):
Brutal improv. My most active project. This is the end of a live performance on 2006 Oct 28 in Pasadena CA, released as Sudden Arrhythmic Death vol 2 by Not Not Fun.
Felix Brutus (JFH - electronics):
Brutish electronic noise. This piece is from a series called Lunar Battering Ram.
(all tracks are live & unedited, though usually excerpted from a longer set)
Hey! Yeah, had a good time that evening. You guys are awesome! How goes the tour? (sry for the late reply here, i'm temporally challenged when it comes to myspace)
here is the finest in christian thrash bands; Vengeance Rising... apparently, the singer of this band got his shit together and later became a satanist.
hey Jacob! Totally forgot to reply on that e-mail concerning Ettrick - but I'll get right on it! Let me know when you have exact dates for Norway - I'll put you guys on in Oslo! How about touring as Ettrick aswell ?!?!
