Michael Schell
schellsburg.com
Michael Schell
@schellsburg.com
Composer/intermedia artist, host of Flotation Device on 91.3 KBCS, contributor to Sequenza 21, cribbage player. Views expressed are mine and no one else's. https://linktr.ee/MichaelSchell
Wayne Horvitz's What's Going On festival is back for a second year, and we'll have all the details tonight. Sun Ra, Butch Morris & Henry Threadgill will be in the spotlight of four Seattle concerts.
Sun 10pm PST 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@sunrauniverse.bsky.social @ingridlaubrock.bsky.social @kbcs.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Tonite Flotation Device pays tribute to Jack DeJohnette—perhaps the most versatile drummer ever—with help from Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Roscoe Mitchell & more. Plus Zappa, Rzewski, Meredith Monk, Clone Row & Prudencio at 70.
Sun 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@maryhalvorson.bsky.social @kbcs.bsky.social
November 2, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Tonight Flotation Device interviews Matthew Aucoin about Music for New Bodies (coming to Meany Center on 11/1). Plus Wayne Horvitz & Kris Davis play Earshot Jazz, Dai Fujikura on timpani, Borderlands Trio, Zeena Parkins and more.
Sun 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@daifujikura.bsky.social @kbcs.bsky.social
October 27, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Tonight Flotation Device marks the 100th birthdays of Berio & Berberian (w/Stuart Dempster & Seattle Symphony) and the 70th of Hosokawa (w/the Arditti 4tet). Plus Smith, Taborn, @nelscline.bsky.social Patricia Brennan and more.
Sun 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm @starbuckcello.bsky.social @kbcs.bsky.social
October 20, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Tonight on Flotation Device: La Monte Young at 90 w/Riley, Zazeela & Cale. Plus the latest from Dai Fujikura, Dobrinka Tabakova, Partch Ensemble & Shardik, and Earshot Jazz & Seattle Opera previews.
Sunday 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @seattleopera.bsky.social @daifujikura.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Tonight Flotation Device previews Earshot Jazz Fest w/Ches Smith's Tone Row showing how Schoenberg might have sounded as a rock-n-roller. +Threadgill, Rzewski, Ohana, Bayle, Parkins & Roscoe Mitchell.
Sun 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm @maryhalvorson.bsky.social @libertyellman.bsky.social @kbcs.bsky.social
October 6, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Tonite Flotation Device features premiere recordings of Gubaidulina and Amelia Cuni. Plus the Tim Berne and Cuong Vu Trios, the Bozzini Quartet Talk Show & more.
Sun 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@nonesuch.com @ooyhrecords.bsky.social @orenambarchi.bsky.social @quatuorbozzini.bsky.social @kbcs.bsky.social
September 28, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Tonight on Flotation Device: Laurie Spiegel & Ye Xiaogang at 70, Zappa's Orchestral Favorites & Andriessen's Workers Union at 50. Plus Rzewski, Frith & The Dwarfs of East Agouza
Sun 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @cantaloupe-music.bsky.social @nonclsscl.bsky.social @frankzappa.bsky.social
September 21, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Tonight on Flotation Device
-Joe Morris & Adam Rudolph at 70
-Crossover w/Gabriel Prokofiev, Shaun Robert & The Residents
-Hosokowa's new album
-Gabriela Ortiz on Violeta Parra
-New Shardik & Joane Hétu
Sunday 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @theresidents.bsky.social @nonclsscl.bsky.social
September 14, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Tonight Flotation Device celebrates Arvo Pärt at 90 with a two-hour retrospective, including his iconic spiritual minimalist works of 1976–8 plus early and later works, including two brand-new premiere recordings.
Sunday 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm @kbcs.bsky.social @tasmin01.bsky.social @nonesuch.com
September 7, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Tonight Flotation Device celebrates the 70th birthdays of Wayne Horvitz & Diamanda Galás with a retrospective and a look at recent albums & upcoming concerts. Plus Tania Léon for orchestra, and Sivan Eldar revisits the Daphne myth.
Sunday 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm @kbcs.bsky.social @diamandagalas.com
August 31, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Two impressions from the Ai Weiwei retrospective which closes Sep-7:
1. Admiration for the courage of this artist
2. If the US looks like China in 5–10 years, historians will be amazed which issues its cultural left focused on while it still mattered
@seattleartmuseum.bsky.social @aiww.bsky.social
August 31, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Mary Halvorson joins us on Flotation Device tonight for an interview and a survey of new albums w/Sylvie Courvoisier, Ches Smith and her own Amaryllis sextet. Plus Braxton, Carla Bley, Wet Ink Ensemble, Alex Paxton and more.
Sunday 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm @kbcs.bsky.social @maryhalvorson.bsky.social
August 24, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Tonight on Flotation Device:
-Premiere Silvestrov & Saariaho recs
-Tim Berne, Tomas Fujiwara & Christopher Hoffman do new things
-Donnacha Dennehy & Mesías Maiguashca
Sunday 10pm PDT, 91.3fm www.kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @ooyhrecords.bsky.social @cantaloupe-music.bsky.social @buhrecords.bsky.social
August 18, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Tonight on Flotation Device:
-Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah at 50
-Gubaidulina premiere recording
-Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley
-Miriodor, Djuro Zivkovic, Steve Swell, Joe McPhee & Flow Trio
Sunday 10pm PDT, 91.3fm www.kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @gratefuldead.bsky.social @burningambulance.bsky.social
August 10, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Happy 85th birthday to Roscoe Mitchell, saxophonist, composer and cofounder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Join Flotation Device tonight to celebrate with a retrospective of his career both with and without the Ensemble.
Sunday 10pm PDT, 91.3fm www.kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @audiobuzz.bsky.social
August 4, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Tonight on Flotation Device:
-New Sun Ra & Marshall Allen releases
-Raven Chacon explains owls & singing
-Zorn, Courvoisier, Missy Mazzoli & more.
Sunday 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm

@kbcs.bsky.social @sunrauniverse.bsky.social @ssskdist.bsky.social @pentatonemusic.bsky.social @missymazzoli.bsky.social
July 27, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Tonight on Flotation Device:
-Liza Lim's new cello concerto and string 4tet
-Matt Mitchell at 50
-Braxton at Montreux
-Thollem in Seattle
-Cage's Radio Music
Sun 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @thollem.bsky.social @johncagetrust.bsky.social @first-inversion.com @nmcrecordings.bsky.social
July 20, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Tonight on Flotation Device: Silvestrov's 8th, Harriet Tubman, Laubrock, Williams, Didkovsky & Georges Lentz in the Outback.
Sun 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @ingridlaubrock.bsky.social @melvingibbs.bsky.social @cantaloupe-music.bsky.social @doctornerve.bsky.social @ranchy.bsky.social
July 13, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Tonight on Flotation Device:
-Rock-n-rollers do avant-garde stuff
-Shipp, Reynolds, Alex Paxton and Marshall Allen do new stuff
-Simone Porter plays Esmail
-ICE plays Ueno
-Julius Hemphill Stringtet
Sunday 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @djmoderne.bsky.social @newamrecords.bsky.social
July 7, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Lou Reed and Yoko Ono on Flotation Device? Yup. Tonight brings Metal Machine Music at 50 and a new recording of Ono's Grapefruit anthology of conceptual music. Plus Laibach on Hassan-i Sabbah and fascism.
Sunday 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @yokoono.bsky.social @muterecords.bsky.social
July 6, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Sylvie Courvoisier joins Flotation Device tonight for an interview and a look at her new solo and duet (w/Mary Halvorson) albums. Plus The Horse in its expanded edition
Sun 10pm PDT 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @maryhalvorson.bsky.social @matthewherbert.bsky.social @accidentalrecords.bsky.social
June 29, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Tonight Flotation Device celebrates Anthony Braxton's 80th birthday with an exclusive interview with this most towering of creative musicians.
Sunday 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @delmarkrecords.bsky.social @burningambulance.bsky.social @domlash.bsky.social @maryhalvorson.bsky.social
June 9, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Next on Flotation Device
-JACK Quartet does minimal
-Brooks Williams & Yasunao Tone do AI
-Anna Rubin does black holes
-Alex Paxton
-RIP Guy Klucevsek
-Sun 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @sonoluminusmusic.bsky.social @neumarecords.bsky.social @ranchy.bsky.social @newamrecords.bsky.social
June 2, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Old meets New tonight on Flotation Device w/Bright Sheng, Chinese astrology, Medieval organs, Korean zithers and Celtic ballads. Plus Frith, Syrphe & Lippel.
Sun 10pm PDT, 91.3fm kbcs.fm
@kbcs.bsky.social @syrphe.bsky.social @edpettersen.bsky.social @newfocuslabel.bsky.social @577records.bsky.social
May 26, 2025 at 3:50 AM