Volcanic Pinnacles

Volcanic Pinnacles is a Portland duo that creates dense clouds of ambient, melodic, and grooving sound. Drawing inspiration from the likes of spiritual jazz as well as avant-garde and post rock pioneers, the duo bridges the gap between free jazz, post rock, psychedelic rock, and world rhythms. Saxophone player Tony Mowe utilizes electronics to push his instrument into innovative territory, creating a deep droning wave of melody, while drummer Mark Musselman sculpts the sound into shifting polyrhythmic layers.

Since forming in the Fall of 2012 the group has recorded 1 LP, 3 EPs and played many high profile shows around Portland, including the CD Baby Presents: We Are Indie Showcase, the Creative Music Guild's Outset Series, St Johns NoFest, the EYRST Halloween Party, The Northwest Post-Rock Collective Showcase, and more.

The duo completed its first tour in spring of 2015, performing at cities and towns throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and California.

Volcanic Pinnacles released their second EP, Incandescent, on October 15th 2016. In 2017, the band reached a new audience when their track "Fanfare To The Outer Spheres" was sampled by the explosive Portland rapper The Last Artful, Dodgr for her track "Jazz Crimes" which has experienced major success on streaming platforms.

The group was featured on the 2017 edition of the long-running and highly regarded PDX Pop Now! compilation series, which showcases the best new artists in Portland through its annual compilation release. Also in 2017, the band was included on the Voodoo Doughnut Recordings first official compilation release, 'Portland Cream Vol. 1.'

During 2018 the group released their first vinyl record and third EP, Unveiling, on July 31st followed by a national tour. The band expanded their audience by performing in cities throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Washington DC, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, and California. 

After completing the tour, the band continued performing locally and growing its fanbase through 2019.  In 2020, the group again was selected to be on the acclaimed PDX Pop Now! Vol. 17 compilation album featuring a new track from their EP, Unveiling. Due to the Coronavirus, all shows were put on hold and the band decided to focus on writing new material for their next record.

In the summer of 2021, the duo recorded their first LP at Iconica Studios in Hollywood, CA. The project released their new record "Tablelands" on vinyl in November of 2022.