a pleasant surprise
Awhile back, I received an inquiry from an experimental DJ in Cincinnati called Klarc Qent. His show, An Afternoon Bizarre, is probably best described as an exercise in sound-collage. And he was looking for some material to use. It seemed like an interesting & fun idea, so I obliged.

Anyhow, I'd almost forgotten that I'd sent him 3 improv recordings I made with shortwave & cellonoize. {I like to give people more than one option...} But the other day I found a lovely package from DJ Karc Qent on my doorstep - Two excellent cds!

One consists of the 3 improvs I sent him, completed with various collaborative layers, including recorded performances by Matthew Lewis, and Michael Griffin...really unique & fantastic stuff! Apparently, those 3 tracks will be included on his upcoming release, "Klarc Qent & Friends," which I'm very excited to hear more about!

The other CD is Mr. Qent's "Junk Jazz" album, which I believe one can purchase through his website. It is an "appropriation" record, with lots of artfully rearranged samples from jazz and avant garde performances. Very recommended listening :)

Hmmmmm...
I've not been doing much wisteriax recording lately, as my cello efforts have been mostly focused on getting the Sob Sisters off the ground. But I made an interesting purchase today at a toy store that may make for some nifty stealth field recordings. It is called "Spy Ear," and apparently allows the wearer to pick up and amplify faraway sounds. I will be testing it out in the office this afternoon, haha.

finally...
Now Playing: Incus: Burning Thread
Got my copies of the long-awaited Incus album this weekend. Turned out very well. Hoping for some upcoming performances so I can check out the new lineup.

Also hoping that the album gets some good reviews. Always nice to read reviews of an album you put a lot of work into - especially if they're positive reviews.

Oooh - the Paula Kelley cd release party is tonite too. A swank affair! I think I'm going to wear a gown I picked up recently at my favorite Vintage/Thrift shop. It looks like a bridesmaid's gown or prom dress from about 1964 - in lilac lace and blue chiffon. {heh - if i don't wear it tonite, i can't think of any other occasion it would be appropriate for...honestly}

Last Sunday's performance at O'Brien's went well - despite the bar's crummy sound system. Thanks to all who attended - hope you enjoyed the show!

A friend sent me some pictures, so I'll share them. Funny thing - I look kinda like a werewolf in the second one, and Scott has a very strange light-aura. But check out Ms. Ajda the Turkish Queen's outfit! She looked more stunning that usual.

Anyhow, Symphony rehearsals have started up again so I'm quite busy with that, and with the new project I still haven't revealed yet.

Oh, what the heck...if you've read this far, then you deserve to see the new site. Keep in mind that it's a work in progress. Introducing:
.:The Sob Sisters:.

Wow.
So I got 2 comp. albums lately that I've got to tell you about.

Firstly, went to see Turkish Queen last weekend at Pan9, {fabulous show, btw!} and they surprised me with a copy of their long-awaited E.P.: Cusp
The songs are innovative and quite moving, what a talented duo they are - but really - I''m here to tell you about the packaging. It is such a little gem! Picture a die-cut letterpress folder that's purple chipboard, filigrees galore, with purple and metallic gold ink...and the cd itself is purple and gold as well. The graphics and materials are just so elegant. And their music is lovely & quite unique. I always find them inspiring, because they do something different each time I hear them, and it always sounds good. Anyhow - you must go to the very next T.Q. show, and pick up Cusp for yourself:

Sunday September 7th
O'Brien's in Allston
3 Harvard Ave.
here's the flyer
{yeah, and i'm sitting in with them too. a little self-promotion is what this blog's all about anyhow, isn't it?}

Another nice surprise came in the mail yesterday, after a very stressful day at work...The brand spankin' new, hot off the press {actually i don't even think it has been released yet} Paula Kelley cd: The Trouble With Success or How You Fit into the World
And a thank you note with an invite to the upcoming {swank !} cd listening party was enclosed.

I couldn't wait to hear how the songs turned out, so I popped it in the discman right away, and listened to all the tracks with the "PK Orchestra" on them first. What an album! Seriously...this is one of the the finest, most well-produced, most well-orchestrated "local" albums I have ever heard. My ♥ is bursting with pride to have my name in the credits. Oh, and my very talented little sister plays multi-layered solo violin parts on the intro and exit pieces - stunning work! Bravo to all involved!

Just an aside: It really is wonderful to work with such gracious well organized people as the aforementioned 2 groups. I'm wowed. {if you're observant, you may also note that i still have not received a comp copy of the album i slaved over & took precious vacation days to track on last year...and its been out since july. isn't life full of contrasts...ahem.}

P.S. I swear that after Burning Man is over, I will have an announcement about an album release of my own. And another very special new project debut. Sorry to keep y'all waiting...

P.P.S. If you are reading this, mister ¢¢...i forgave you a long time ago. hello. hope you're doing better than you claim to be.

gig announcement
Mood:  vegas lucky
Now Playing: Bonechurch: Heaven Lies Empty
Just thought I'd mention that I'm joining forces with Turkish Queen again for an upcoming set!

Next Wednesday, July 30.
Skybar.
Be there, or be sorry you missed a great show ;)
More info here!

new tapeworm track, a la wisteriax!
Mood:  caffeinated
Posted a new track to tapeworm.org this morning. Many thanks to fellow tapeworms ChEw, flobot, and DeVico for the super samples!

The setup:
You are sleepwalking in the deep rainforest after nightfall. You wake suddenly as you stumble upon a mysterious tribal ritual...
dark timpanos v2!

Hope you like.
Don't listen right before bedtime.

leaps and bounds
So much to do lately, and I've been very very bad about posting. Slap my wrist, if you please. Here's the lowdown:

I may have an announcement soon about an actual wisteriax album release.

_mute_witness_ and I are about to unveil another cello-riffic music group. More details soon.

I'm almost done recording the material for Klarc Qent's radio show.

The Incus album is supposed to be available through Middle Pillar this month. {though i'm wondering if my tracks were recorded over...nah...that would involve a lot of work}

I've signed on to record or to perform with several fantastic local groups - all of which I'm very excited about. As I begin each project, I'll tell you more.

And there may be a tapeworm collective compilation out in the near future, which is also great news! Lots of my samples have used in tapeworm collabs. And I just completed my own piece containing my samples as well as other tapeworms.

Also - an update on the Fibric Zyrex Cube has been posted. A few of my recordings will be played there throughout the Burning Man festival.

wild weekend
Mood:  cool
Lots of adventure this weekend -
Starting around Thursday, when I accepted a very interesting offer to do a collaboration with Cincinatti DJ Klarc Qent whose audio collage radio show is called "An Afternoon Bizarre." Once I finish recording my part of that, I'll post more info about the project. Shouldn't be too long, as I'm totally psyched to begin!

Thursday evening, we went to see ex-Incus drummer Ned and ex-Incus recording engineer Rafi's band, The Invisible Rays, at the Milky Way in J.P. Not only was it great to see Ned & Rafi again since my departure from the band, but the Rays are totally awesome! They're an incredible combo of surf, psychedelic spaghetti western, 80s synthpop, 60's scifi film score, and more...not to be missed. {album coming soon, so i hear...}

Then Friday evening at midnight, we attended a showing of "The Penalty" at Coolidge Theater in Brookline. The score for this particular showing of the silent horror classic was written and performed live by one of my favorite local bands: Reverend Glasseye and his Wooden Legs. What a treat it was! They did such a fantastic job - a totally seamless performance. {by some bizarre coincidence, the film was about a tyrranical criminal played by Lon Cheney who happened to have...wooden legs!!}

On Sunday, we drove for 2 hours in the driving rain to attend a rare Western MA performance by electric cellist Jami Sieber, who I think I mentioned having been a fan of since about 1995, when I first discovered her. The rain was so heavy, we almost turned around and came home. But I'm sooooo glad we decided to tough it out.

We arrived at the IMA just in time for the performance. Much to our surprise, the property was not a concert hall, but a large barn on a 25 acre property that serves as a Rock and Roll band camp for teenage girls! {how cool is that!!} Though it was freezing, damp, and filled with mosquitoes, we knew we were in for a really great show.

Ms. Sieber performed several pieces from my favorite album of hers: lush mechanique, as well as some new pieces, and even a few soul classics. What astounded me most about her performance was her total mastery of sonic layering. She used the Lexicon Jam Man to create loops - first a rhythm track by striking the strings, then a simple bassline layered over that. Once she began playing her chord-filled lead cello lines and vocals over the loops, she was a one-woman powerhouse!

After the intermission, we were treated to a slideshow from her recent travels to Thailand to record with the Thai Elephant Orchestra. Sad plight of the elephant notwithstanding, we were charmed and amazed by the talent of these large creatures as Ms. Sieber told tales of their uncanny love of music, and played us a recording she had done with a 4 year old elephant named Pong - who played a giant xylophone with a mallet he gripped in his trunk.

And that about wraps it up.
Oh yes...one more thing - I am hoping to lend my strings to the upcoming Reverend Glasseye record this summer. I'll keep y'all posted on that.

Goshen, by golly
Mood:  lyrical
This Sunday, Jami Sieber will be playing a show in Goshen, MA. About 2 hours from here. I picked up a copy of her lush mechanique album a few years ago, and still listen to it often. Highly recommended, if you can get your hands on a copy!

Part this Sunday's performance will be a slideshow about her recent experience playing with the Thai Elephant Orchestra. I'm very excited to hear about that. She's also releasing a new album soon, with recordings of her performing with the Elephant Orchestra. Can't wait to hear it!

I hope we can make it to the show. Maybe I'll even get to meet Ms. Sieber in person. She's been such a great inspiration to me.

Audio Sculptures are Dope!
Mood:  special
Now Playing: DeVico: Auto-Wisteriax
Internet pal & fellow i-sector/tapeworm/lj associate
DeVico has created another really interesting audio experiment!

I'm honored that he's used some of my sourcefiles from tapeworm.org in his latest example!

{note: for a really cacophonous effect, try opening all 3 "Auto-" files at once! ingenious!}