Cosmic Oven
In 1987 Mark Abramson started experimenting with samplers and other cutting edge music technology of the time. He developed new ideas with drummer Drew Vogelman, incorporating this new tech into live performance. The result was Cosmic Oven. Mark played guitar and pre-programmed the MIDI gear, while Drew’s drums were wired to trigger sounds from the samplers and synths. They later added singer Keiko Bonk, guitarist Jim McCarthy, multi-instrumentalist Mike Burns, and technologist Scott Harding. Drew left the project after about a year, and a series of drummers helped with gigs and recordings, including James Lo from Live Skull and Lenny Ferrari who had worked with James White and the Blacks and Lou Reed. Cosmic Oven wrote and recorded extensively, and played a few gigs in New York City clubs, but ultimately disbanded in 1991.
Photos
Videos
Cosmic Oven – 1st Live Performance
A videographer named Damir Strmel has a bunch of video from East Village events during the 1980s. One such event is shown here, the New Ears Music Festival, which was the scene of Cosmic Oven’s first gig. The video was done without our knowledge but we are grateful to have it. They play the only three songs they had at the time: Snake Society, White Lies and Beauty.
Cosmic Oven – 1st Live Performance (encore)
Another video from Damir Strmel, from the New Ears Music Festival in 1987, at the Limbo Lounge. This was an improvisation Cosmic Oven did in lieu of an encore at this concert, their first ever live set, at the New Ears Music Festival in 1987. The event was held at the Limbo Lounge, located on East 10th Street, across from Tompkins Square Park.