Unlearning How To Behave By Abusing Sound Until Itʼs
Beautiful And We All Disappear
Destruction of old beliefs is a door to unlearning how to behave. On the
other side of the door is a fantastic thing: we forget how to control our art.
We forget that we donʼt know how to dance or sing. Etcetera. Iʼm sure you
know this sort of thing.
Repetition, drone, listening, melody, metamorphosis, minimalism, body,
giant sound, beautiful ambiance, harmonic hideousness and quiet risk.
These are the themes of the interactive sound abuse workshop I'll be
guiding. Hopefully the participants will be a small bunch of kooks with flight
attendant uniforms and gold teeth, wielding giant bass amps, pitch-shift
peddles, Big Muffs, egg beaters and short wave radios — ready for
anything. Please, god, let there be a tuba. This thing appeals a lot to
younger persons but any sort of person can and should bring their spirit to
this collaboration.
Listening is Action.
Listening outside your own head might be the most helpful tool for a
musician, artist or writer. The rare moments we can let go and sort of
“disappear” or stop thinking can make everything else worthwhile. Empty
space is beautiful. It leaves room for invention. I love that. But since,
especially these days, thereʼs no truly empty, silent space, we will be
ignoring that and exploring the defiance of good ideas in general. Weʼll be
listening and droning to find our dead air and poke inside there to hit a
nerve and blindly fall in.
Mixed Media
I expect mostly musicians to attend but people who want to draw or write or
listen are most welcome, great! ---Anyone is cool as long as they consider
themselves involved in the piece we are making and not pre-occupied.
Listeners and other minimalists should be prepared to offer something, be it
with your voice or perhaps youʼll kick the floor hard when we yell KICK IT.
You have art inside
In most cases it would be best to have an instrument and an amp or
something loud. But you donʼt not need to know how to play your
instrument or sing or draw or write in a way you think is “good” --- just trust
me and donʼt start doing rippinʼ guitar solos or playing John Cage Silence
from memory. If dissonant “imperfect” sound bothers you be aware that I
love strange tonal relationships and drone. I expect some Intense mischief.
A Strong Vacation
This is not a rock or pop song exercise, more like a strong vacation from
that stuff, invented by us together and never revisited. Bring the bold and
adventurous free-thinkers and the shy people that eat in the corner alone in
bad shoes at lunchtime. All ages. Girls!!! Bring a big amp or anything loud
or quiet. You R deep. You are a powerful witch and you have the blood!
Welcome absurdities have showed me I could survive and create, even as
a strange girl.
You, too, perhaps?
Sucked out of Secrets
Any of us can say or ask anything on our mind through words, art or writing
with no chance of judgment. We will know how much we want to talk when
we all meet.
People wonʼt be using their instruments or voices in a typical way. So weʼll
have a quick, private discussion and brief listen with each person while
helping each of you set up your position and gear. If you want to get some
ideas itʼs your lucky day. I love to help people with voice. I and John
Eichenseer are great at helping cellists, violinists, guitarists, bassists---string players in general. John plays synths, duduk and piano. Heʼs one of
the creators of Max MSP and many electronics programs. Andrea Belfi,
synths and of course all manners of drums and percussion, Adrián De
Alfonso Prieto does electronics, bass, guitar and now peddle steel.
Andrea S. testifies
To illustrate the situation, Iʼve never played cello but the great Andrea
Serripiglio had this to say to this interview question in fluid-radio.co.uk :
“You have also worked with Carla Bozulich on her Evangelista project.
What have you learned from this particular experience?"
Carla is a gift of nature, without her I wouldnʼt have done so many
things. She took my music from the deepest corners of my stomach, and
made me throw up the real music that I feel. She taught me how to be on
stage with my acoustic cello connected to loopers, distortions, reverbs,
delays and a huge bass amp and the right pick-up, she knows a lot about it.
It took me a couple of tours with her to be able to crank my amp without it
feeding back like a screaming pig. The first tour with her started the week
after my cello degree. That was the strongest and most beautiful
experience of my life, the tour was like reading Henry Rollinsʼ “Get in the
Van”, it was fucked. I can almost say that I slept on at least a floor in every
country of the US. Iʼve learnt how to be a nomad.
It Will Be My Pleasure
I'm so excited about this!!! I hope 15 or more people come. And the
concept changes every time. Though I know how to do it I never know what
“it” is until we hear each other.
Girls!
One more time... if it is possible to encourage girls somehow without being
exclusive... it is so different for girls.. girl/boys... boy/girls...
Everyone so special…..