Alto

ALTO! is a Portland-based experimental rock trio consisting of guitarist Derek Moneypeny and drummers Steven T. Stone and Kyle Reid Memory, who also play electronics and loops. The group’s hypnotic, polyrhythmic compositions utilize heavy distortion, and often treat the guitar as an additional percussive instrument, recalling the amplified scrap metal percussion of Konono No. 1 as well as the no wave guitar symphonies of Glenn Branca. Some of their pieces feature more exotic, desert-like melodies. ALTO! formed in early 2011 and issued their self-titled debut LP on Raheem Records in 2012. A remix album and tour-only cassette followed in 2013, and the group’s second full-length (also self-titled) appeared in 2014. Following another tour-only tape in 2015, ALTO! signed to Trouble in Mind, who issued LP3 in 2016. ~ Paul Simpson