My major work for the last few months has been a virtual concert for “Dream Interpretations for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble”. This finally came together with help from video editor Steve Sarles and designer Joanne Kaliontzis. It aired on Thurs., Oct.1, at 7:30pm. Live performances of Four Dream Interpretations followed by me being interviewed live by BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld. It will very likely be my only concert for the rest of 2020. The concert is in association with my installation “Transmuting the Prosaic” at the BMAC. The show is up until Oct.12, so there’s still time to catch it in beautiful downtown Brattleboro, VT!
Trinary System has, oddly, not been dormant. Our song “Remember Easter Island” was released on Sept.29. We used a good rehearsal of the song from earlier this year and replaced the rough rehearsal performances with good recordings, instrument by instrument, at each of our home studios. Total Covid-19 recording. Please give it a listen. Remember Easter Island. Forget the Alamo: Remember Andrew Jackson. Remember Trayvon Martin. Not sure I wanna be here, just call me Dr. Stranger…
I will be canvassing voters for the Democratic party before election day. It’s one of the most insane and important elections of my life. While Biden was in no way my first choice, it is obvious what must be done. I will likely be doing this through the office of Bernie Sanders, my senator in Vermont.
Here is “Tromso Hillside Rocks”, a 3 minute composition I wrote for solo electric guitar in Nov. 2013. After improving my reading skills on guitar over the last couple of years, I recorded this composition mid-July 2020. I use nature to organize a lot of my scores, in this case the pattern of rocks on a hillside in Tromso, Norway (Alloy was there some years back). And I like that I recorded it pretty cranked with my strat through an amp.
My suitcase. I used to live out of it. Year after year. Often, if I needed something at home, I’d go directly to my suitcase because it was always ready to go and had all the goods. However, I haven’t used it since the end of Nov. 2019. It’s freaky and seriously messes with my perception of myself, but that might be good, who knows? For example, here is my May-July touring schedule from 2013:
Apr.28: Alloy Orchestra Turner Classic Film Festival, Los Angeles.
May 3: Alloy Orchestra AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring, MD
May 10: Mission of Burma, NYU, NYC.
May 12: Alloy Orchestra, Maryland Film Festival, Baltimore.
May 13-19: Alloy Orchestra in Ukraine.
May 25: Alloy Orchestra, ICA, Boston.
May 30-June 2: Alloy Orchestra, Mendcocino Valley, CA, Film Festival.
June 9-16: Sproton Layer rehearsals in Michigan, shows in Ann Arbor and Detroit, MI.
June 22: Vines for Music (composition for 5 strings and 3 prepared pianists), SCIPP Festival, New England Conservatory. Later that same evening: Unplugged guitar concert and solo art show at Milton Art Center, Milton, MA.
June 23: Alloy Orchestra, Northampton, MA.
June 28-July 8: Mission of Burma, in Europe.
July 13: Alloy Orchestra, Mass MoCA, MA.
July 25-27: Sproton Layer, Boston, NYC, and Easthampton, MA.
July 28: Mission of Burma, Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ.
Aug.3-5: Alloy Orchestra, Film Festival, Traverse City, MI.
Not sure how I survived that batch of gigs. If I recall correctly, I was somewhat fried…
This is what helps keep us sane: Camping at Half-Moon Pond in Vermont for 5 days. Nature (when it’s not on fire) is still pretty calming and puts things in perspective.
