NW New Works

There are some exciting shows coming up next month! On The Boards NW New Works Festival will be featuring a ton of great performances. I have been collaborating with a lot of dance works lately and two of these groups have been chosen to participate in the festival.
Part & Parcel (Allie Hankins) has a really great show happening with a lot of themes that are very close to me including great distances and the sea, which are both themes I am very familiar with, so this collaboration has been very satisfying for me. One of the pieces that will be included I created by contact micing the inside of a piano-turned-sculpture, that has been outside in the elements for the past 20 years. This piano sculpture is outside of the post office on Bainbridge Island that I used to go to with my mother. I used to sit outside the post office and throw rocks at the piano to make these insane dissonant chords. One evening a while back, I went to Bainbridge Island late at night and contact miced the piano, recording every sound I could get out of it. I then cut up these sounds in my computer to create this piece. I am super happy this piece finally found a home.
Weekend two features Haruko Nishimura performing restructured dance from the Red Shoes Project and some of my pieces from the show, performed by myself and a live string quartet.
One final note; my old main man, Sam Mickens, has created music for Shannon Stewart's piece that I am sure will be great, also in the 2nd weekend!

Weekend 1 | Mainstage Theater Showcase
June 11 - 12 at 8pm
Holcombe Waller – Music (Portland)
Part & Parcel – Dance
Paige Barnes – Dance
Jessica Jobaris & general magic – Dance

Weekend 2 | Mainstage Theater Showcase
June 19 - 18 at 8pm
aluminum siding & mattisonthemove - Dance
Haruko Nishimura - Dance
The Blank Department - Music
Shannon Stewart – Dance | Film

Stop Motion!

I just finished a soundtrack for a fantastic short film by the amazing Eva Hall. I was introduced to her and her work through our mutual friend Jason Webley, who thought we would make good collaborators. I had a great time working on this. I used cello and some homemade instruments built by the Degenerate Art Ensemble that are in the Frye Art Museum's current exhibition, as well as one of Robert Wilson's ancient pots that I sampled at the Watermill Center. I hope you enjoy!!

Degenerate Art Ensemble pics and closing thoughts

Well, The Degenerate Art Ensembles Red Shoes shows have come to a close. It was such an incredible journey from start to finish. I had a chance to write string quartets, brass band music, a totally disgusting mish mash of midi music that we called Midi Madness, subsonic bass frequencies, and choral music for the St. James Chorus! The project took us out to NYC and The Watermill Center (see post below), and was an introduction to working with the INSANELY talented Dohee Lee. The show took place in four locations around the First Hill neighborhood here in Seattle. I took myself to the limit with performing by playing bass, drum, keyboard, sousaphone, amputated leg, and laptop... CRAZY! I want to thank everyone who came out and REALLY thank all of the volunteers and amazing collaborators that were involved in this very ambitious project! Here are some beautiful pictures from Bruce Tom.