It is a sincere honor and a privilege for Full Spectrum Records to announce the release of ‘Layers: 1975-2004,’ a retrospective collection of recordings from Texas abstract music legends Onions. An unsung and mostly hidden collective who paved the way for so much of Texas’ sprawling free and experimental music lineages, Onions is the ‘nom de guerre’ of a network of musicians and artists centered around its primary exponent, Dan Clark AKA Lienad Kralc and his musical partner Greg Cain aka Gerg Niac. Initially conceived in 1969 as a collaborative vehicle for Clark and his childhood friend Robert Fuentes – whose early electronic recordings with homemade oscillators and electronic musical instruments served as a critical formative influence for the young man’s mind – this version of the project would sadly never come to pass, as Fuentes passed away in November 1970 under strange and tragic circumstances. The next month, however, Clark would begin recording his early explorations with one of Fuentes’ constructions.

Soon, in the early seventies, a mutual friend named Greg Cain would join Clark in a shed behind his mother’s house, diving deeper into these sessions, exploiting homemade instruments, tape machines, and all manner of noise makers. The circle continued to expand in the decades following, with pianist Lindall Cain and Keith Montgomery joining the fold, as well as lead guitarist Blackie Leopold, Jody Detton, and James Hatfield. It was Keith that came up with the name Onions and soon everyone in the group began to spell their names backwards. In the ‘90s, their ranks would expand again with the addition of August Smith’s arsenal of computer-based electronics, and guest performers Mike Kimbrough on  keys, Danny Miracle on  drums, and the artists Tom Boberg and Carli Scales.

Together, in various configurations they would develop a system of playing with no leaders or rules. The players were able to explore their sonic terrain unrestrained by convention. Dedicated to their ‘no overdubs’ philosophy, Onions would construct elaborate musical structures via live improvisation and alter those structures to create tension and dynamic shifts, ultimately driving to a climax at the conclusion of each session. Full Spectrum presents to you now a deep retrospective delve into 30 years’ worth of the Onions archive, in all of its melted glory. Sink into it.