Local drummer Robert Darkmatter (Robert O’Lexa) will celebrate his birthday in a rather unique manner. He’ll host a special 4 FOR 44 show at 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, at the Happy Dog, where he’ll perform with all four of his current projects.
He’ll kick things off with the Dandelion Moon, what he calls his “jazziest outfit, and he’ll then sit behind the kit with Banging Fragiles, a classic shoegaze/post-rock band that he helped found in 2011. He’ll also perform with Iron Oxide, a brash new wave/no wave band and then conclude the night by playing with Vengeance Space Quartet, who are celebrating the release of their debut album, The Decaying of the Year. That band represents the most challenging listen of the four.
“Based in improvisation and experimental noise, the relentless cacophony is sure to send concertgoers home questioning their preconceived notions of 'rock music,’” reads the press release about the event.
O’Lexa began his career in high school when he started drumming for the Pittsburgh death metal act Rottrevore, which had just released a record on Relapse Records. He moved to Cleveland in the autumn of 1995 and fronted the punk band Rollercoaster and drummed with Ditch.
In the early 2000s, he drummed with indie rockers the Lovekill. He’s also played with the experimental band darkmatterwhitefire and the folk/pop group Stoned by Magic.
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