RTV: The Shaking Ray Levis & Shelley Hirsch

Release Date: Friday, April 23, 2010

In this RTV episode the “Ole’ Timey Avant-Garde” ensemble, The Shaking Ray Levis, teams up with an inventive vocalist, Shelley Hirsch, for an explosive evening of improvisation.

The Shaking Ray Levis, conceived by Dennis Palmer and Bob Stagner in 1986, is an ongoing collaboration of musicians with a common interest in improvisation. It was the first American group to be released on Derek Bailey’s Incus Records. Using synthesizers (analog & digital), MoogerFoogers, samplers, vocals and percussion, the group achieves an incredibly unique blend of experimental sound with an Ole’ Timey feel.

Performance date: 12/08/2009
Episode release date: 04/23/2010


The Shaking Ray Levis is an ongoing collaboration of musicians with a common interest in free improvisation. The project was conceived and led by the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based team of Dennis Palmer and Bob Stagner. They use storytelling, synthesizers, samplers and percussion to achieve their distinctive sound.

Shaking Ray Levis has performed and recorded with Reverend Howard Finster, Min Tanaka, David Greenberger, Fred Frith, Amy Denio, John Zorn, Borbetomagus, Tom Cora, Steve Beresford, J.D. Parran, Frank Pahl, Ladonna Smith, Davey Williams, Gino Robair, Roger Turner, Eugene Chadbourne, Tony Oxley And Derek Bailey, as well as with many other critically acclaimed artists.