Biography of Don Falcone

A Biography of Don Falcone

Don Falcone has built his musical career on diversity. To date, he has recorded over 25 full-length CDs with various bands, and has contributed songs to more than 35 compilations. These span many genres of contemporary music -- from ambient to space to prog rock to drum 'n' bass. [discography] And his music keeps appearing in some interesting places.

Three of Don's pieces appeared in the 1999 cult rave film "Better Living Through Circuitry." In fact, the movie kicks off with Spaceship Eyes' "Mind the Alien." Though the film had a too-brief run at the box office, it has since enjoyed numerous replays on HBO, Showtime, Sundance and The Movie Channel.

Mr. Falcone's diverse music has been used for cable and TV network programs (such as the History Channel's "Beyond the DaVinci Code" and A&E's "The Secret Life of Vampires"). Many of Don's bands and projects (including Quiet Celebration, Grindlestone, and Spaceship Eyes.) regularly provide music for film and television.

Don "payin' his dues" with Kameleon

The beginning ...

The 1980's San Francisco club scene was where the proverbial "dues" were paid. Some of his musical stomping grounds were Berkeley Square, Fab Mab, Heaven's Gate/Nightbreak, The Omni, and Chi Chi Club. After years and years of slogging through the scene with no record label interest and gigs getting harder to book, he finally got his pivotal break. Silent Records founder Kim Cascone gave him an opportunity to contribute synth to the first Heavenly Music Corporation CD.

It worked out so well that Don was asked to join Kim's other projects: Thessalonians, Spice Barons, and Satellite IV. Don eventually provided the liner notes to a couple of Silent's best ambient releases, which gave him space to ponder on "ambient philosophies." [words]

Concurrently, Don was also an original member of space rock band Melting Euphoria. A trio that created a lot of sound. Don handled spacey and rhtymic keyboards, imaginative lyrics, and Robert Calvert-like vocals on their critically-lauded debut album, "Through The Strands Of Time." (Which, by the way, is in the queue to be re-released as "From The Madness We Began" on Mellow Records.)

Falcone World Tour 1997
(aka visiting London, England)

Spaceship Eyes Blasts Off ...

Soundscapes radio host Ashley Franklin said "Kamarupa" is "trippy, mesmeric sounds of swirling synths."

In 1995, Don launched his solo project, Spaceship Eyes. The debut CD "Kamarupa" was released on July, 1997 by San Francisco independent label Noh Poetry Records. It received fantastic airplay and reviews and even landed on the Backroads Music Best of the Year charts for 1997.

Things are Looking Up for Spaceship Eyes ...

Soon after the debut of "Kamarupa." Spaceship Eyes was signed by Hypnotic Records and released "Truth In The Eyes Of A Spaceship." This CD unleashed a barrage of drum 'n' bass sounds on an unsuspecting world. Don's accomplices would be ex-Hawkwind member Harvey Bainbridge [pictured with Don], master remixer Freaky Chakra, D.J. Pen (from Thessalonians), and other fellow artists who often played live with Spaceship Eyes during the late 90's.

As previously mentioned, three tracks from "Truth In The Eyes Of A Spaceship" were used in rave film "Better Living Through Circuitry." Soundclips of this CD are available on the Soundstage page.

Don with Harvey Bainbridge,
and Horse with no name
Gloustershire, England, Oct. 1997

... Briefly Live, Nude and In Color

Don's new musical vision has blasted through a few PA speakers in neon-soaked bars around the San Francisco/Bay Area. There was the experimental show at San Francisco's Cafe Du Nord debuting Spaceship Eyes on September 4, 1996. On that night, Spaceship Eyes was composed of Don (keyboards), Cartoon/Trap drummer Gary Parra, Karen Anderson (tapes, percussion) and John Kuntz (mandolin).

A few years later, Spaceship Eyes returned to Cafe Du Nord with The Grassy Knoll headlining. Don's group was anchored by the legendary Joe Diehl on guitar, and Karen once again. The night began with the debut performance of his recently assembled ethno-ambient quartet -- Quiet Celebration.

And once upon a time at San Mateo's Full Moon Saloon, there was an Expose magazine showcase. It was a one-off sonic war between Spaceship Eyes vs. Spirits Burning, opening for Belgium's Present. This gig was the genesis of Don's virtual space rock band: Spirits Burning.

Don and Karen "live"
at Hever Castle, Kent, England

Flame On!

The Spirits Burning emsemble
who performed "High Rise" Don's music has always celebrated the process of making interesting music, by trying new paths, considering new combinations of sounds, and actualizing unexpected groupings of musicians. It has long been Don's long-held belief that the better and more interesting the musicians you surround yourself with, the better and more interesting the results.

With this in mind, Don invited musicians from around the world to join Spirits Burning in order to create a music that would celebrate all things space, and take a few left turns along the way for good measure.

Spirits Burning and the 1998 "New Worlds By Design" release got things rolling with numerous members of the worldwide space rock community (including Gong's Daevid Allen, Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, and Can's Mal Mooney). The second CD, titled "Reflections In A Radio Shower," provided more of Daevid, plus Hawkwind's Robert Calvert, (posthumously), and members of bands like Mushroom and ST37. From there... the third Spirits Burning CD "Found in Nature" released on Mellow Records in 2006, and the fourth Spirits Burning CD "Alien Injection" released in 2006 on Black Widow Records. Spirits Burning have since produced five more CDs on the Voiceprint label.

The Here and Now ...

Besides the continuing adventures of Spirits Burning, there are plenty of other projects in the ever-growing family tree.

Along the way, more projects bloomed: in 2004, Fireclan, composed of Don and Melting Euphoria's Mychael Merrill and Luis Davila was born, as was the ambient chill of Falcone & Palmer (with Stephen Palmer) in 2006.

More recently in 2012, Don and former Hawkwind singer Bridget Wishart recorded an instrumental project called Astralfish. There's the ongoing works of Grindlestone (alongside guitarist Douglas Erickson). Regrouping are ambient-ethno-jazz ensemble Quiet Celebration and Weird Biscuit Teatime -- a quartet with Daevid Allen (Gong, University of Errors), Michael Clare (University of Errors), Trey Sabatelli (Tubes, Starship) and of course, Don.
Face it -- the man is diversity.

Astralfish
"Far Corners"

P.S. Don's official Wikipedia bio.

Photographs/Photo illustrations by Karen Anderson.