SlowBurn Records
(1985-present)
Musicians:
Jesus Acedo (vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, sitar, electric sitar)
Odin Helgison (vocals, e-bow, guitar)
Duane Norman (guitar, sax, clarinet, flute, percussion)
Brian Maloney (tenor sax, sitar, guitar)
Michael Glidewell (bass)
Eric Johnson (bass, vocals, guitar, percussion, drums, synthesizer)
Joseph Graves (vocals, bass, percussion)
John Brett (drums)
Otto Terrorist (drums)
Ratshit (drums)
Tony Edelbrock (drums)
Dirty Birt (drums)
Manny Peters (percussion)
John Paul Marchand (percussion)
Robert Brett (tablas, percussion)
Melvin Beastly (guitar)
John Macarchick (vocals, guitar)
Eddie Edelbrock (vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizer)
Ernie Mendoza (drums)
Bridget Keating (violin)
Albums:
Black Sun Ensemble S/T
(1985 Pyknotic Records, 2000 Camera Obscura)
Black Sun Ensemble S/T
(Reckless Records, 1988)
Black Sun Ensemble Lambent Flame (Reckless Records, 1989)
Black Sun Ensemble Elemental Forces (Reckless Records, 1991)
Black Sun Ensemble Tragic Magic (Absolute A Go Go Records, 1992)
Black Sun Legion Psycho Master El (San Jacinto Records, 1994)
Black Sun Ensemble Sky Pilot
(Camera Obscura Records, 2000)
Black Sun Ensemble Hymn of the Master (SlowBurn Records/
Camera Obscura Records, 2002)
Black Sun Ensemble Live At KXCI
(SlowBurn Records, 2002)
Black Sun Ensemble Starlight (SlowBurn Records/Camera Obscura Records, 2003)
Black Sun Ensemble Live At KXCI Volume II (SlowBurn Records, 2005)
Black Sun Ensemble Across the Sea of Id: The Way to Eden (SlowBurn Records/Camera Obscura Records, 2008)
Videos:
Black Sun Ensemble Dove of the Desert (2008)
Black Sun Ensemble Jewel of the Seven Stars (2003)
Black Sun Ensemble The Shining One (2005)
Born on Christmas Eve, 1962 in Tucson, Arizona, to Mexican immigrant parents, Acedo was one of eight children, the only one with an interest in music. After the death of his father in 1975, Acedo grieved by immersing himself in music. He spent most of his early adolescence at the Tucson public library listening to Ravi Shankar and Led Zeppelin records. At this time, Acedo bought a guitar and in high school, he began experimenting with the unique tunings of his guitar that give his music what one reviewer reverently called "peculiarly mystical, twangy, meditative, Middle Eastern rock sound". Muze, in describing his style, said he can "spit blasts of dragon fire or conjure the exotic, iridescent mystique of peacock feathers with a single stroke."
A self-titled debut album was released by Tucson's Pyknotic Records in 1985. Its extraordinary qualities led Acedo to sign a five-year contract with England's Reckless Records, and in 1988 the label released "Black Sun Ensemble" (1988), "Lambent Flame" (1989) and "Elemental Forces" (1991). At the time, Offbeat exclaimed that BSE was "possibly, the world's coolest band." After touring the West Coast with Camper Van Beethoven in support of "Lambent Flame" the Ensemble was captured live on the first side of "Tragic Magic" (1992) for Absolute A Go Go Records. The second side was a magical suite of mostly acoustic pieces that presaged the extensive title track of the later "Sky Pilot" CD.
The inexorable weight of personnel changes, drugs and unexpected success eventually unbalanced Acedo's mental stability. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1992 and spent the next several years in and out of local hospitals. During his breakdown, the band recorded the damned "Psycho Master El" album for Tucson's San Jacinto Records (1994). This record was remixed and remastered in 1998 for Camera Obscura Records. The results were issued as "Sky Pilot" in 1999, which also included rare Black Sun singles tracks and a brand new 20-minute work called "Sky Pilot Suite". Sky Pilot got rave reviews by critics and sold well locally and internationally. The Ensemble began playing regular gigs, impressing a whole new generation of listeners. News of Black Sun's return to the stage was appreciated by grunge-rock legend Mark Arm of Mudhoney, who engineered a shared performance at Tucson's Club Congress in early 2001. In February 2001, Camera Obscura reissued the debut Black Sun Ensemble recording from 1985, again to extraordinary reviews.
On the wave of recent success, Acedo has brought himself back from madness, poverty and potential obscurity. He is now recapturing his old fire by re-inventing himself, and is working to re-establish his rightful place as one of the key guitarists of our time. This was reinforced by the 2002 CD "Hymn of the Master", and even more so by the CD "Starlight". Also, Black Sun Ensemble released two limited edition live recordings exclusively on SlowBurn Records called "Live At KXCI Volume I and II." BSE continue to be a hit at annual SXSW festivals and elsewhere. In October 2006, Black Sun Ensemble released their 11th studio release, "Bolt of Apollo", licensed by SlowBurn Records to Camera Obscura Records. The release, celebrating the band's 20th anniversary, was met with excitement from fans all over the world. In summer 2008, Black Sun Ensemble published their last collection of new works with SlowBurn Records thru Camera Obscura Records. "Across the Sea of Id: The Way to Eden," has the band come full circle to the primitive semi-acoustic recordings that began the bands career in the 1980s.
slowburnrecords@aol.com
Lambent Flame period 1989
Hymn of the Master period 2000
