I’ve wanted to do a podcast with a singer for a long time, but finding a vocalist comfortable with improvised soundscapes is not so easy. Ella turned out to be a great improvisor, who uses her voice in beautiful and unexpected ways, and I find the results of our collaboration sublimely serene. Be careful with this one, it can knock you right out.
This month’s podcast takes a look back at some of the past year’s live performances. I played with some great musicians in a variety of settings in 2017, and could probably fill several podcasts with those recordings. But here are four that represent the range of sonic experiences I had this year.
It starts with a solo performance at Beste Studios in October (thanks to Samantha Beste for the drawing at the top of this post!)
At around 11:17 there’s a duo performance with Dean Sharp on guitar, beats and loops, recorded at Newburgh Open Movement in August.
Then at 26:06 it’s a quartet performance with Al Margolis playing wind instruments, including alto clarinet, recorder and trumpet, Andy Rinehart on accordion, and Steve Roe on the Straddlevarious! This was recorded at a contact improvisation workshop in November.
This month’s podcast features experimental musician Al Margolis (if, bwana). Al attempts to use instruments as sound making devices, stripped as far as possible from their traditional sounds and modes of playing. The results are texturally rich, and sonically surprising.
Al manipulating his compromised impositions.
I first met Al performing at My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, where he was assaulting a violin in a most appealing (appalling?) manner. He brought his violin, an alto clarinet and his laptop to our session. We did some improvising with both of us playing instruments, some improvisations with me playing guitar, and Al on laptop manipulating his “compromised impositions”, and also improvisations with Al playing his instruments as I processed them live through my effects. Needless to say this podcast is pretty different, but if you’re interested in exploring sound I think you’re gonna like it.
This month’s podcast has more modular synths! courtesy of Campfire’s Edge.
Our collaboration produced some super-spacy, soundscapes – they have a sci-fi flavor that I really like, and hopefully you will too (mmm… sci-fi….).
Campfire’s Edge at work.
If you want to hear more from Campfire’s Edge, I highly recommend that you check out his EP, The Last Lighthouse. Its a beautifully textured collection of electronic compositions sure to please any fan of this podcast.
This month’s podcast is a return to some more mellow soundscapes. Taken from a couple of solo performances in May 2017 at the Howland Cultural Center. Listen quietly in a dark room for maximum effect.
This month’s podcast features composer/keyboardist Art Labriola, who eschews his keyboards and performs on his modular synths. The resulting soundscapes are a sonic journey to some strange and fantastic places. Prepare your ears for adventure!
This month’s podcast is from two sessions with composer/percussionist Peter Fagiola.
The first part is some real deep ambient we recorded in my studio. The last part is a recording from a performance at Newburgh Open Movement and features Peter on marimba(!)
I play at a lot of art events, but this was the first time I’ve performed my site-specific soundscapes in a site-specific art installation. Jessica Angel: Grids of Formation was presented by Strongroom in the front parlor of a row house in Newburgh, NY.
This podcast was recorded at a performance during the closing reception of the show in January, 2017. It was an amazing experience playing in the installation, which was like being in a fissure between two alternate dimensions. A video and some photos are below. (Photos and video courtesy of Strongroom, except where noted.)
This month’s podcast was recorded at a Newburgh Open Movement performance on New Years Eve 2016 and features the always inspiring Dean Sharp. This is Dean’s third appearance on the podcast (clearly I like playing with the guy!), each time has been in a differentcontext.
And this podcast is also a little different, as the music was meant to provide an atmosphere in which people could move and dance, and our performance was a sort of collaboration with the movers and dancers.
This month’s podcast was recorded at the Cocoon Theatre’s Beckett Festival which took place over two weekends in November, 2016. The title, There is no nothing, is from one of the plays performed, A Piece of a Monologue. Also performed were Not I and The Old Tune.
I played before each performance from the rear balcony of the theatre to establish mood for the audience. This podcast is taken from those pre-show performances. With that in mind, this one is best experienced at low volume in a low light environment.
This month’s podcast was recorded at a 