Arrison Kirby, of the El Deth music label, is often found behind the scenes.

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KNOXVILLE — Since founding the El Deth label, Arrison Kirby has had a hand in more than one man's share of Knoxville music, though his recent contributions have mostly been from behind the scenes. Once a member of experimental rock collective Obadiah and the hip-hop outfit Flashmob, among others, Kirby's latest offerings have seldom left the confines of his studio since burning out on occasional DJ gigs. Now having provided remixes for local band Senryu, Kirby is preparing for a long overdue live outing in support of Senryu's CD release show.

With most of his past musical efforts being electronic in nature, Kirby now finds it imperative to incorporate more hands-on aspects for the energy of a live performance. Revamping his old work to comprise electric guitar and vocals combined with pre-arranged programming on his staple MC-909, Kirby hopes to create an animated, dancey set, distinguishing himself from the minimalist, acoustic singer/songwriter sets usually associated with the solo act format.

"I did a remix of one of the tracks from the CD (Senryu is) releasing that night," explains Kirby. "I suppose that's why they asked me to open for them. That in mind, I don't want to disappoint by doing a flaccid acoustic set next to their full-on rock. Likewise, I don't want to stand on stage and passively assume the role of a DJ. So I'm working on a new set using an MC-909 and an electric guitar. I'm completely breaking down my songs and rearranging them for the 909. The result will be a much fuller sound, I think - definitely more so than an acoustic set or DJ set alone would be.

"This is a pretty new format for me," he continues. "We'll see how it works, but I think I have the one man band aspect where I want it. Some songs are old musings that I have given new arrangements to strictly for live performance. Some are also new. They will all have vocals dealing in metaphysical subject matter. Rebirth and reincarnation are really important to me right now for some reason."

With his former acts now dispersed, Kirby has applied much of his time to reviving and branching out his El Deth label. Having completed the new, simplistic version of the El Deth Web site, Kirby is fortifying it with new free offerings. Among these are Obadiah's last release "Rebirthday" and a live Matgo Primo release taken from El Deth's 2004 Halloween event. Also to come is Kirby's next solo release. These latest products are available for free download at www.eldeth.com, but only exist in digital form, save for a few hard copies used for promotional purposes.

In time with the El Deth renaissance, Kirby's new projects include the creation of two subsidiary sites. Good Music/Bad Music (goodmusicbadmusic.com) reviews the best and worst music deemed worthy of attention, while purportedly ignoring outright any release that falls in between "good" and "bad" designations. The second site is an admittedly "angsty" political blog called Really Bad Dreams (www.reallybaddreams.com). Kirby is seeking contributors to both sites.

"I have not been doing anything lately as far as live performance," Kirby says. "This Friday will be my first outing in a long time. The last performing I've done since Flashmob was mostly DJ-ing with some jamming here and there, usually at The Catalyst. DJ-ing gets old, especially if the only people around want to hear pop garbage. If no one ever asks me to play Lady Gaga again, that would be splendid.

"I redid the El Deth Web site and freely released a new Obadiah disc 'Rebirthday' when the new site launched. The idea now is economy. There's no point in trying to compartmentalize things and say, 'This is an El Deth band and this isn't. This is a label mate and this isn't.' The end project is the point, not any stupid details or formalities surrounding it. That's where El Deth stands now."

Arrison Kirby will unveil a revamped live show at Pilot Light tonight, opening for Senryu. The show will celebrate the release of Senryu's newest LP "Dying in Fast Forward." The show kicks off at 10 p.m. Admission is $5.

n BAND AND BLOOM: Saturday night Preservation Pub hosts a three-band bill including Bangtail Cats, Manic Bloom and Only Living Boy. Music is slated to kick off at 10 p.m.

n BODY ROCK: The Circulatory System takes the stage at Pilot light Sunday along with Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't and Nesey Gallons. The show starts at 10 p.m. and costs $6.