Rewind back to 2004. December 30th to be exact. I was invited to perform alongside Kite Operations as a guest for a one-off improvisational experiment they had put together in NYC. I recall the weeks of rehearsal prior to the show, many of which were recorded without me. I remember their demos like they were yesterday. “They’re creating some really sublime stuff here," I thought to myself. The sessions were sort of works of seemingly orchestrated sounds, with a mixture of dynamic scales and elements of shoegaze-to-pure-noise, backed by really jazzy chops. It was inspiring, I must admit. But that was just a taste of what to expect 5 years down the line. In retrospect, I don't think I was able to fully comprehend what was being unleashed at the time, but I just knew that it was something really special. And I had a strong suspicion that this wasn't their first encounter with what was happening within those few weeks of rehearsing for the improvisational show. It couldn't have been; I just knew it. It came too naturally for them. I realize now that I was just a tourist at the time. To this day, I still feel like those sessions were somehow part of their progression all along- a precursor to “Festival,” if you will. Now that their 3rd installment is a completed piece and has taken a life of its own, in a way, my memory of that time has come full circle. A lot has happened in the last few years since I’ve moved, personally and musically. And I can hear the growth in this band. The work of “Festival” is evidence that their thirst for new horizons has catapulted. I feel very lucky to have been there in the beginning stages to witness a tiny glimpse of their newfound spirit unfolding 5 years ago, as I sat there and listened…just as I'm sitting here now, on the other side of the country...5 years later...still listening...
- Jack Tung, San Francisco, 5/2009