This month’s podcast is a live solo performance from June 2021 in Goshen, NY at the Orange County Arts Council.
Its a field recording, so you’ll be able to hear the environment where I was playing; there’s a little pond, lots of birds talking, and some traffic. Its nice to post an unedited performance like this as a snapshot of where I am creatively. One of the audience members described it as “sonic acupuncture,” which I think is fitting. I hope you enjoy it!
This month’s podcast features synthesist David Mason. Its constructed from three sessions recorded en plein air; on my back deck and during a Space Out, Outside in April 2021.
In the electronic music realm, David Mason usually goes by the name of Listening Center and as such employs mostly analog synthesis and tape manipulation. Since 2012, he has released several albums and singles with record labels such as Ghost Box, Polytechnic Youth, A Year In The Country, Castles in Space, Texte und Töne, and Behind the Sky. He sometimes composes film soundtracks and plays electronic percussion in the Danish-US ensemble, Hess Is More.
This month’s podcast is another in the Remote Variation Series, featuring Anders Nils from Brooklyn, NY. Its very ambient; minimal and droney.
Anders Nils is an electronic musician and producer who primarily focuses on generative ambient music, sound design and instrumental soundtracks. He uses a modular synthesizer, software synths and guitars fed through a wash of delay and reverb effects.
This month’s podcast is another in the Remote Variations series featuring Modulator ESP from Nottingham, UK. Its super-spacey, droney stuff!
Modulator ESP is an adventurer in sound. He produces improvised experimental soundscapes, using synthesizers, sampling,sequencing, looping and processing to create strange worlds of sound somewhere between ambient, berlin school, drone, space music and noise.
This month’s podcast features sound artist/therapist Katie Down. It was recorded binaurally in Katie’s loft instrumentarium where Katie played flute, and glass and metal instruments. Its always a treat to play with acoustic instruments and Katie creates some amazing sounds and textures on hers! This one is quite immersive and best experienced in headphones for the full binaural effect.
This month’s podcast is a field recording of a very ambient solo performance at Quiet Village 3.0 which was a backyard show that took place September 27, 2020.
There’s a nice intimacy about this recording; you can hear the squeaks of my chair, the acoustic sound of my guitar and birds flying by. It fits well with the Quiet Village ethos of ambient music blending with the ambience of the environment.
This month’s podcast features electronic musician Charles Shriner from Indianapolis, Indiana. Unlike previous remote variations, this one was a live, real-time collaboration using the Jamkazam platform, which worked quite well. I think the end result is comparable to collaborations recorded live in my studio.
Charles cleaned up and mixed the files from two Jamkazam sessions then I edited them as I would do for any podcast. (He also provided the image used in the header graphic.)
Here is some Bonus material from the sessions with Charles.
This month’s podcast features some beautiful, contemplative improvisations with pianist Sandy Santra. These recordings capture our first time playing together; I think there’s a special quality that comes through as we learn to communicate musically. And it’s always nice to play with an acoustic instrument, as I spend so much time in the world of electronics.
Sandy Santra was born in Pennsylvania in the late 1950s, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, attended Reed College in the 1970s, and moved to New York City in 1996. He began playing piano at the age of five, improvising at the age of sixteen, and has recorded and performed as a solo pianist for over forty years. He has played with numerous ensembles on both coasts of the United States, and his new wave band Counter Parts performed all over the Bay Area in the early 1980s. He has also composed and recorded soundtracks for his own short films, and accompanied numerous dance ensembles. Additionally he is a professional photographer [source photo for header image courtesy of Sandy], award-winning filmmaker, and has lectured on technology in New York City and semiotics in London. His videos may be viewed at his YouTube channel, which includes all his performances during the “Play Me, I’m Yours: New York City 2010” piano festival. Sandy currently resides in Hudson Valley and is writing a novel.
This month’s podcast is an experimental music experiment. Inspired by Al Margolis’ concept for podcast #57, and the desire/necessity to collaborate with musicians in distant locations, REMOTE VARIATIONS was born.
Here’s how it works: I recorded an improvised piece, keeping in mind that it would be sent to a collaborator (or in this case, two collaborators) to add to in any way they wanted. After the collaborator has finished with what I sent them, they take inspiration from that experience and create a new piece which they send to me to add to. Those pieces then go together to form the podcast.
My two (remote) collaborators this month were Irman Peck (Philadelphia, PA) and Michael Lowe (Denver, CO).
Irman Peck at Xfest 2020
Irman starts the podcast adding subtle synthesizers to the piece I sent him. Then around 15:45 we get more abstract with Irman’s response piece where he returns to his primary instrument, bass.
Michael Lowe (L) and Dean Sharp in 2011, this was the first time I met these guys!
Things begin to get glitchy and textural around 31:30 when Michael adds guitar to the piece I sent to him. Its fascinating how different two people’s response to the same piece of music can be! At 47:38 Michael’s response piece starts, which I add to on baritone guitar to close out the podcast.
This month, having just passed the five year mark, I’m taking a look back with the intent of creating a sea of tranquility for you to submerge yourself in. The source material is from three sessions going back to 2015. This podcast uses previously unreleased parts from those sessions.
It starts by revisiting a collaboration with saxophonist Brad Hubbard (ES Podcast #24) playing the Electronic Wind Instrument. Brad is a fantastic and thoughtful improvisor, and here he brings some nice synth tones and textures to our musical conversation.
The middle section is from an all day solo performance (installation?) in 2015 during Newburgh Open Studios (ES Podcast #6). These durational performances really let me take my time and slow waay down. I try to get to a similar place in my shorter performances, but its always a challenge. This one is cascading and minimal, it reminds me of watching little waves rushing to shore, or gentle raindrops.
Finally there’s more contemplative improvisation this time with vocalist Ella Ray Kondrat (ES Podcast #34). This recording was literally the first time we played together. I think at the time I edited the original podcast I may have thought it was too raw, but listening to it now I find it has a sort of fragile beauty.
This month’s podcast features some beautiful, contemplative improvisations with pianist Sandy Santra. These recordings capture our first time playing together; I think there’s a special quality that comes through as we learn to communicate musically. And it’s always nice to play with an acoustic instrument, as I spend so much time in the world of electronics.
