Biography
Boxhead Ensemble originated as a vehicle for providing live musical accompaniment to the short-film documentary Dutch Harbor. Michael Krassner assembled the improvisational collective in 1996, drawing on a rotating cast of players that featured Will Oldham, Edith Frost, Ken Vandermark, the Tren Brothers, and additional contributors. The group’s sound moved fluidly among the restrained palettes of classical, jazz, country, and noise. Its first recording appeared the same year on Atavistic Records as the soundtrack to Dutch Harbor. In 1998 the ensemble documented a live double-album, Last Place to Go, while supporting the film’s European screenings. Atavistic subsequently issued Two Brothers in 2001, Quartets in 2003, and Nocturnes in 2006.