Collections of Colonies of Bees will be playing 4 shows at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, TX.  The details have finally been confirmed and can be viewed here.  Hope to see some of you there.  It’s going to be nuts.

The following is a post I made in 2007 on an old blog.  I wanted to repost it here mostly for my own memory, and the things it makes me think about.  Hope you enjoy it, too. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m very pleased to announce that my forthcoming solo record, titled, The Whole will be released by Type – a label I’ve long admired, and I am honored to have a place in their roster. Over the years, I’ve discovered some great music from Type, including Peter Broderick, Zelienople, Richard Skelton, Xela, and more.  The label has a great aesthetic, and I recommend starting anywhere and following them closely.  They have some really amazing stuff coming out this year.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, The Whole is quite different than some of my recent work.  It’s all acoustic, no processing or electronics of any kind, but captures many more things I was aiming for previously, and I hope people enjoy it as much as they might be surprised by it.  Stay tuned here or the label for news on its release.

In the meantime, Type has also posted a mix of Georgian vocal music I put together for them.  You can check it out here, and listen to some of their other interesting “typecasts” here.

In March, I’ll be playing two shows with Swedish saxophonist Sture Ericson and Chicago cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm.  I first played with Sture last year on a short tour in Denmark, and it will be great to see and play with him again here and in Chicago.  Of course, it will be great to play with Fred as well – and much different this time than our Physical Changes set last year with Dan Burke.

For more information on the times, locations, and Sture’s work, see the Events page, and I hope you can make it to one of the shows if you’re in the area.

In advance of two projects which should be realized very soon, I’ve posted some brief samples from the forthcoming Phase by Jason Kahn and I, and Hydration by Z’EV and I.  Click here if you’d like to take a listen.

Contrary to what some people might think, and what some have even said, it has never been my intention to use music or performance as a form of confrontation. What I present is also not something designed for some people to “get” and others to not.  What I work on, particularly for live performance, only makes it out of the studio if it’s something I personally felt an experience with – and that encourages the desire to share that experience with others.

The aim is to introduce any number of basic actions which then are developed and amplified by various means: the room, and what the listener hears.  Generally, that approach holds infinite possibilities, as each position within the room, and each person and their understanding, hearing, thoughts, etc, have an effect on what the outcome is.  That experience is then the focus.  Not how “well” I played, but what happened when the playing occurred, for each individual.

This approach is not based on a pre-determined message, designed to communicate something specific, or make people uncomfortable, or irritate them, or oppress or confront in any way.

For me, there is a strong positive feeling that occurs when consumed in sound bouncing around a given space – particularly when combined with the physicality of generating the sound, and hearing it change to the point of complete transformation.  It is only my hope that there are others who find the positivity in that as well – the sense of wonder, of unknown familiarity that can occur when judgments are removed, patience is practiced, and listening is active.

I started following the work of Timo van Luijk years ago after learning about him through his collaboration with Raymond Dijkstra. I soon realized that besides creating his own interesting music, that he also ran the record labels La Scie Dorée and Metaphon, and through those, I discovered other great music. Since then, I’ve followed his releases under the monikers Af Ursin, Asra, and Onde, and his collaborations with Christoph Heemann, Kris Vanderstraeten, and others. Without getting too deep into my perception of his music, I’ll leave the descriptions and thoughts to his words. Below is a brief interview conducted via email over the course of the past few months. I encourage you to seek out and support his work. Read the rest of this entry »

On March 23, FSS will release Phase, a new project from Jason Kahn and I. The format for this will be unlike anything I’ve done in the past – a series of four silkscreened prints and a button designed by Jason Kahn that come with a download code for the audio portion.

The recording is a ~40 minute piece constructed from our last tour of the south/east coast. More news on it’s availability as it gets nearer. I’ll have a few copies of it here that I’ll post to the Shop when they arrive. Meanwhile, check out a sound sample at the FSS site.

It’s really great to have worked with FSS for this one. The label is run by Bruce Adams, who some might recognize as one of the founders of the Kranky label. It’s great that Bruce has another exciting label going, and I’m really honored to be a part of it.

My friend Jesse Goin just submitted this fine article on Eliane Radigue’s work in honor of her 78th birthday. Having just read her article in the new edition of Wire, and having just picked up the reissue of Vice Versa, etc., Jesse’s piece provided me a fine supplement to learn more about one of this generations most interesting composers. Check it out.

Tomorrow night, Sunday, January 31, I’ll be playing in Chicago with the wonderful Zelienople, who are celebrating their new record release, and Xela – via Boston via UK. I’m really looking forward to this night and am honored to share such a bill.

I’ll be debuting some of the new work featured on my forthcoming project The Whole, which I’ve been working on for quite some time, and have gotten to the point where it’s comfortable enough, and I feel able to reach all the things I hope to with the music.

The show will take place at the Empty Bottle, and begins at 8PM. Hope to see some of you there.