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This is Moe! Staiano's first CD of orchcestral compositions, which differ greatly from his conducted improvisations. The release includes Piece No. 5 for Orchestra, and Piece No. 7: An Inescapable Siren Within Earshort Distance Therein and Other Whereabouts (for Strings, Percussion, U-bolts, Wine Glasses, Prepared Guitar and Sirens). The pieces were recorded in 1998 and 2003, respectively. Moe! Staiano is a self-trained composer/performer who uses large ensembles of mixed instruments as a canvas for sonic exploration. His scores combine text, graphics, and conventional notation, and he is equally inspired by the composers Glenn Branca, Krystof Penderecki, and John Zorn, as well as the bands Einsturzende Neubauten, the Ex, and the Ruins, Moe!'s pieces pit groups of acoustic instruments against amplified rock instruments and found objects to create intense orchestral collages with subtly shifting timbres. As a percussionist, Moe! has toured the U.S.A several times, collaborated with Henry Kaiser and Amy Denio, and has performed with William Hooker, Michael Evans (God Is My Co-Pilot), Caroline Kraabel, and John Edwards (Shock Exchange). Moe!'s most recent work, Piece No. 7, is based around blocks of timbral extremes. The result is akin to a sonic color-field painting, where the most delicate of sounds -- wine glasses rubbed by wet fingers -- is placed in relief against the loud drone of electric guitars and sirens. Moe!'s large-ensemble pieces have been performed in San Francisco, New York, and Seattle. Sadly, this recording of Piece No.7 was the final performance by bassist Matthew Sperry, who was killed in a bicycle accident two days later. 
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