Squanderers - Bright Madness Squanderers

‘Bright Madness’ is the third album from the improvising trio of Wendy Eisenberg, David Grubbs and Bonner Kramer, a glorious afternoon’s worth of instant compositions laid down in Asheville NC in the early Spring of 2025. The sound of Eisenberg, Grubbs and Kramer doing their damnedest to dazzle one another is encompassing, flowing from shell-game sleights of hand to effortless beauty in the flicker of an ear, a lyrical group sound, with an insistent, vivid and immediate feel.

‘Bright Madness’ is the third album from the pinch-me-is-this-real improvising trio of Wendy Eisenberg, David Grubbs and Bonner Kramer. Fresh off their 2025 Big Ears appearance, SQUANDERERS slid on over to Kramer’s adopted hometown of Asheville, North Carolina and laid down the glorious afternoon’s worth of instant compositions that stands before you.

It’s the sound of Eisenberg, Grubbs and Kramer doing their damnedest to dazzle one another, from shell-game sleights of hand to the effortless beauty of ‘Theme for the Casino at 5 A.M.’, from the ratcheting up of tension and general plot thickening of ‘Theme for Femme-Presenting Hands’ and ‘Theme for the World’s Consigliere’ to the epic ‘Theme for Nihilogisms’, which hints at the scale of SQUANDERERS’ live performances.

Wendy Eisenberg is an improviser and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer, and the voice. Their work spans genres, from jazz to noise to avant-rock to delicate songs; their performances span venues, from international festivals to intimate basements.

David Grubbs has released sixteen solo albums and was a member of the groups Gastr del Sol, Bastro, and Squirrel Bait. He has performed with Tony Conrad, Pauline Oliveros, Luc Ferrari, Susan Howe, Will Oldham, the Red Krayola, and many others.

Bonner Kramer is a composer / musician / filmmaker and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with artists as diverse as John Zorn, Butthole Surfers, Bill Frisell, Ween, The Fugs, Thurston Moore, Penn Jillette, Allen Ginsberg, Jad Fair and Laraaji, to name but a few. He is also a renowned record producer (Galaxie 500, Low, Daniel Johnston, Will Oldham, etc.) and the founder of the iconic NYC record label, Shimmy-Disc. He rarely performs onstage, and SQUANDERERS is his first long-term recording project to include live performances since 1999.