YOUR PURCHASE CONTRIBUTES DIRECTLY TO THE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT. THOSE COSTS INCLUDE ADDITION MASTERING FOR REMAINING 1 HOUR PLUS SHOW AS WELL AS MANUFACTURING OF THIS HISTORICAL EVENT ONTO VINYL FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

ENERGY / Jorge Ledezma co-founder of No Sé Discos, Allá and Defender

Damo Suzuki with Defender
Live Together At The Fireside Bowl Chicago USA
Recorded in front of all ages audience on February 22nd 2003

“An Oracle Appeared From A Tree And His Name Is Damo Suzuki”(12) mins and (47) seconds in length is the fifth instant composition taken from six performed by mythical frontman Damo Suzuki backed by Chicago’s Defender an instrumental kosmische music trio comprised of brothers Angel and Jorge Ledezma with childhood friend Gabor Meszaros. This track was recorded live at the storied all ages Chicago punk club The Fireside Bowl on February 22nd 2003. The entire set clocks in at 1 (hour) and 22 (minutes) and features both artists at the peak of their powers. Damo Suzuki had kicked off his Never Ending Tour in 2002 and Defender had been gigging all over the midwest since 1999.

Stories from those who were there:

“Seeing my childhood friends, Defender, backup the legendary Damo Suzuki was a surreal and extremely gratifying experience. I think I had a grin on my face throughout the performance. I’ve seen countless shows over the years and this still stands out in my mind as one of the all-time great moments I’ve witnessed. Jorge Ledezma was the one who introduced me to the brilliance of Can (and so many other bands) just a few years before this show. That night they channeled the power of Can in a slightly more aggressive and punk leaning version of the “instant compositions” they were known for. A truly powerful performance where all the performers were in sync with each other and the moment. A must listen.’

Steve Holmes - guitarist and co-founder of the group American Football)

“I was standing in my favorite spot (side stage aka the drummer observation zone) at the old Fireside Bowl the night Damo and Defender broke into their encore. I could hear something wasn't right...Angel's kick pedal came off of the kick drum. I could tell the band was going to keep playing, so I jumped under Angel and got him back in action. Pretty cool this is being released so many years later!”

Larry Herweg - drummer and co-founder of the group Pelican

“As an old Can head, I finally decided that I had lived long enough without witnessing Damo in action. When I learned that he would be making a rare North American appearance in Chicago on February 22, I knew that it was TIME!! So my wife and I hopped on the train for the 9-hour ride from central Missouri to Chicago to stay with a music-loving pal. On Saturday night we braved the wind-blown, sub-freezing streets of Chicago to visit the Fireside Bowl, a near-derelict bowling alley slowly falling into ruin. By this time the crowd was around 300. Most were young indy-types, but there were some old Can campaigners mixed in. Damo's backup group, Defender, hit the stage first, and I was surprised and delighted at their sound; more so as the evening progressed. Damo finally hit the stage, looking like a 30-year-older replica of his 1972 self - cool!! Eyes shut tight in concentration, he chanted his lyrics, bringing the group to higher and higher peaks of intensity without showboating or overshadowing the other musicians. The music was characterized by long (10-20 minute) songs with lots of clench-and-release energy. Really, it was the avant/prog/rocking sound of early '70s Can, updated for the 21st century. Damo led the proceedings in his totally unique style, varying his delivery between soft chanting, conventional singing, yelping, and screaming.A couple of times he even threw in some Fat Albert throat singing. Believe me, you've never heard anything like it. With the help of Defender, he had the crowd bobbing and dancing in place and cheering like mofos. When the drummer's bass drum pedal broke, forcing him to play standing up, there was an ovation when the pedal was replaced and the thumps restored. Clearly, there is a magic about Damo that makes people groove on his driving, psychedelic music, whether they've heard it before or not. When the set finally ended, after 1½ hours that seemed like mere minutes, there were plenty of congratulatory hugs to go around, without a hint of self-consciousness. I could easily have listened to hours more.”

Kevin McHugh - audience member