Announcement
I'll be performing with circuit bender (and fellow Branca ensemble member) Kevin Smith at the opening of the Make/Do show at Future Tenant. Life is complex, and one often must manipulate materials at hand in order to...well, you know. So we'll be manipulating materials at hand--Kevin through circuit bends (and many of his bends are quite ingenious) and me through live manipulation of the bent sounds. Rehearsals have been particularly promising, with results ranging from ambient to beat-driven abstract electronica, so we're pretty psyched about this show.

Also on hand will be bicycle advocacy collective Free Ride and their human-powered margarita blender. And of course the manipulated materials of the show itself.

So come on down to Future Tenant, and get your circuits bent. You know you want to.

Friday, March 2, 2007, Future Tenant Gallery, 801 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222, 6 to 9 PM. Free, all ages.

Report
Kevin and I met in 2004, at the abortive Kaufman-Astoria sessions for Branca's 13; now that Kevin's relocated to the 'burgh, it only seemed natural to collaborate. Kevin does circuit bending of various toys (Speak-n'spells, toy megaphones, Casio keyboards, and other amusing stuff), which I've been processing through the laptop.

Generally, a pretty good set--doing the show was lots of fun, even though monitoring was nonexistent, and I had to rely on what was bouncing back off the walls of this long, narrow, cinderblock space. Still, no agenda, lots of time to fill, and free drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The end result: a bit meandering, perhaps, but undeniably atmospheric and full of possibilities for mixing down. So, a success. Ryan of the SCLF was there, and I'd come down with Mr. Funky, so it was a social occasion as well. (Rob convinced us to join him with some other friends at a karaoke night, so we did...though neither Kevin nor I actually sang anything. We're letting the bends do the talking.)