Category Archives: Music

Valentine’s Sounds

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Saturday, April 16, 8 pm
A Night of Amazing Sounds
Bob Gluck/James Keepnews/Ras Moshe/Dean Sharp
Duojoggle (Mitch Elrod/Mike Lopez)
Holland Hopson and Matt Weston
Valentine’s
17 New Scotland Ave

Here’s a great way to spend Saturday night! This will be the first time Matt Weston and I have performed as a duo, and I’m really excited about playing with such an amazing drummer. Every time we’ve rehearsed it comes out a little differently, so it should be a fun surprise to hear what happens at Valentine’s.

Here’s what the Chronogram says about the show:

“A Night of Amazing Sounds”
April 16. In an out-of-the-ordinary move, the normally straight punk-oriented Valentine’s presents “A Night of Amazing Sounds,” a free jazz/experimental electronics program with the quartet of keyboardist Bob Gluck, guitarist James Keepnews, saxophonist Ras Moshe, and drummer Dean Sharp; Duojoggle, featuring saxophonist-guitarist Mitch Elrod and drummer Mike Lopez; and Hopson-Weston, starring Holland Hopson on sax and laptop and Matt Weston on percussion and electronics. Here’s hoping the venue has similar bills in store. (The Charlie Watts Riots and the Last Conspirators plot destruction April 1; the Downtown Fiction hits April 27.) 8pm. Call for ticket prices. Albany. (518) 432-6572; www.valentinesalbany.com.

ASAC Presents Blood Stereo, Bill Nace, 1983

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The Albany Sonic Arts Collective presents a rare US visit by Brighton England’s diy/indie legends, Blood Stereo. Complementing Blood Stereo will be Bill Nace, Northampton, MA guitarist extraordinaire, last in Albany with Thurston Moore, as Northampton Wools. 1983 is Jason Cosco–an Albany noiseician and video art solo project.

Tuesday, April 12
8:00 pm
Upstate Artists Guild
247 Lark St.
Albany NY
$5 suggested donation

More information on the performers: 

Blood Stereo, is an English duo of Dylan Nyoukis, and his wife, the musician and artist Karen Constance, that combines diy technology and the human voice creating a non-idiomatic sound where the human and material collide. Dylan Nyoukis’s work exists on the fringe of contemporary avant garde art and underground DIY, and he is a leading light in the UK’s tape/CD-R scene, both as a performer and proprietary of the Chocolate Monk label. He has collaborated with artists as diverse as Ludo Mich, Chris Corsano, Thurston Moore, Sun City Girls, Bill Nace (natch!), Heather Leigh Murray, Phil Minton, Neil Campbell, Usurper and Wolf Eyes.

Bill Nace is a musician based in Northampton, MA, who last visited us with Thurston Moore as Northampton Wools. Bill’s effected/treated guitar work is pure improv freedom through a lens of total control that never fails to astound. In addition to Thurston Moore, Bill has collaborated with innumerable artists including Chris Cooper, Paul Flaherty, Kim Gordon, Jooklo Duo, Chris Corsano, Jake Meginsky and John Truscinski. 

1983 is Jason Cosco, an Albany based noise and video artist, UAG board member, and ASAC member. Jason’s performances are physical affairs where the body invariably becomes instrument. You can’t be sure what Jason will break out but don’t be surprised if pedals, mics, cymbals, turntables, bells and various other plastics and metals make an appearance!

soundBarn presents A Thousand Fibers – Fossils From the Sun, Insect Posse, Holland Hopson, soundBarn

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The soundBarn presents: A Thousand Fibers, an evening of long-form improvisations with members of Albany Sonic Arts Collective and the soundBarn.

Saturday March 26  8pm
The soundBarn
330 maple lane (south drive)
valatie NY 12184

Featuring: Insect Posse, Fossils From the Sun, Holland Hopson and soundBarn.

For this performance I’ll be premiering “2 out of 3”, a new piece for improvising quartet performed with Ray Hare, Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar. I’ll also be performing Valerian Maly’s piece “Electric Guitar II” for solo performer with electric guitar and a bottle of champagne!

ASAC Presents Yan Jun & the Matt Weston – Dan Godston Duo

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The Albany Sonic Arts Collective presents improvised and experimental music from Beijing and Chicago.

Yan Jun & the Matt Weston – Dan Godston Duo
Thursday, March 24
8:00 pm
Upstate Artists Guild
247 Lark St.
Albany NY
$5 suggested donation

Yan Jun uses feedback noise in his concerts. He also engages in field recording, site-specific sound art, voice, writing and publishing. He is the founder of Sub Jam/Kwanyin Records, which runs the weekly event Waterland Kwanyin (2005-2010) and annual festival Mini Midi.
http://www.yanjun.org/

Dan Godston teaches, composes music, and plays the trumpet and other instruments in Chicago. He works with the Borderbend Arts Collective to make the annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival happen. Chicago Calling provides opportunities for Chicago based artists to collaborate with artists living in other locations around the world.
http://dangodston.bandcamp.com/

Matt Weston plays percussion and electronics, and has worked with Arthur Brooks, Bill Dixon, Kevin Drumm and, most recently, has collaborated with Century Plants.
http://www.mattweston.com/

Back from the Atlantic Center for the Arts

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The view of the Florida scrub outside my window

I’ve just returned from an energizing and productive residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts where I worked with David Behrman and an inspiring group of fellow composers and performers. We shared our time there with an outstanding group of visual artists led by Diana Cooper and a delightful gathering of writers led by Victoria Redel.

Here are some signs found around the beautiful ACA campus. I’ll post recordings (and hopefully video) of the work I did there soon.

ASAC Presents DEEP FREEZE

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The Albany Sonic Arts Collective presents their first concert of 2011 with performances by some of the Capital Region’s most exciting experimental musicians including Century Plants with Matt Weston, Holland Hopson, SoundBarn and Insect Posse.

DEEP FREEZE: Experimental Music for Snowy Times
Saturday, February 19
8:00 pm
Upstate Artists Guild
247 Lark St.
Albany NY
$5 suggested donation

This will be my first Albany show of 2011 and my last performance before heading to the Atlantic Center for the Arts for a residency with David Behrman (more on that later…). I’ll be performing a set of music for soprano sax and computer. My current plan includes a piece using a DIY plate reverb as the primary electronic sound source.

More about the artists after the jump…

Continue reading →

Ten Years of One 4 One

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One 4 One is now available for download at Bandcamp!

Today marks the ten-year anniversary of One 4 One, the live recording of a set I performed at the Arts Center in Troy NY as part of the Impulse/Response series. The album had previously been available via Amie Street (RIP).

One 4 One includes 5 pieces for extended soprano saxophone and computer, and one piece for sipsi and computer. All of the pieces involve some degree of interactivity–the computer responds to the live instrument, and the performer responds to the computer’s output–made possible by custom software written with Cycling 74‘s Max. The name of the album is a pun on the date, of course, and it also refers to mapping inputs to outputs.

Benjamin Britten is Dead, Long Live Benjamin Britten

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I’m looking forward to playing with soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts Collective this Saturday at an event called “Benjamin Britten is Dead.” Saturday is the 34th anniversary of Britten’s death, but outside of that coincidence I don’t expect there to be much else in the way of Brittenalia. Performers will include Eric Hardiman, Ray Hare, Holland Hopson, Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar. Live visuals by Tara Fracalossi. Here are the details:

Saturday December 4 @ 8 pm
The soundBarn
330 Maple Lane
Valatie NY 12184
south driveway
Free

Read more at the soundBarn blog.

Swallowtail and Guitar Trio Recordings

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Tara Fracalossi and Thomas Lail slide up the neck during Swallowtail. Photo: Larissa Tapler

Here are recordings from last week’s soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts Collective performance at the Arts Center Saratoga Springs. It was a great show all around: a good space, enthusiastic audience and focused performances. This is the definitive version of Swallowtail, and I think we’re all pleased with the performance of Rhys Chatham’s Guitar Trio.

[audio:01_swallowtail.mp3]

Swallowtail

[audio:02_guitar_trio_pt1.mp3]

Guitar Trio Part 1

[audio:03_guitar_trio_pt2.mp3]

Guitar Trio Part 2