Crib

Los Angeles-based musician Devin Sarno, whose main instrument is the electric bass, launched Crib during the early 1990s as a solitary experimental venture. At first his efforts centered on intense, feedback-driven sound explorations shaped by noise-scene figures such as Merzbow and Masonna, an approach that guided his earliest run of singles, cassettes, and various compilation tracks. During the same period he joined forces with several Los Angeles ensembles and artists, contributing to recordings by Slug and That Dog. By the middle of the decade Sarno steered Crib toward a more introspective and understated intensity, creating pieces that echoed the work of Thomas Koner, Arvo Part, and Main. After additional appearances on compilations and a first joint album with guitarist Nels Cline issued under Sarno’s own name, he delivered the project’s proper debut, She Is Church, in 1998, allowing extended exploration of his evolving methods. A second collaboration with Cline preceded the 2000 release of Crib’s next album, Forward Back, with a follow-up planned for the year after. That recording finally appeared in spring 2002 as Remnant on True Classical CDs.