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this saturday lampo (bringer of experimental music and intermedia events to chicago) presents german sound artist/composer/musician stephan mathieu, performing 'radioland' - a suite of computer-processed live AM radio, accompanied by a fast, random video flicker of 256 colors. not sure what to expect...audio glimpses and snippets of golden oldies/ dusties? rabid sportscasters? spewed right-wing hatred for all things just and meaningful? traffic reports?
or maybe it'll all just sound like fuzzed out computer murmurings and secret drones, a sound pillow to rest your weary head against and simply listen to on a windy, chilling evening. helloooooo winter.
either way see you in radioland -
november 19th / 9 pm6ODUM / 2116 W. Chicago Ave.
(across from the pierogi store)
the sixth annual outer ear festival, a month-long presentation of performances, installations, radio broadcasts, cinema screenings, workshops, and roundtable discussions from chicago's very special experimental sound studio (ESS) kicks off this weekend with an installation at the lincoln park conservatory.
for the installation, composer bob snyder has created pseudorniphones - a multi-channel sound piece emulating the sounds of birds, based entirely on his memories of birdcalls. let's hope he remembers having heard a loon at some point in his life.if you've never visited an experimental sound installation in the ferm room of a historic conservatory, may i please recommend the experience not once but regularly? and why not start with the opening reception for pseudorniphones, happening sunday november 13th from 3 - 5 pm. (in chicago. but a good a reason as any to visit, if you're not currently a resident.)the outer ear festival continues in many manifestations through december 11th. check out the schedule and learn more about the participants here.
recently stumbled upon a cd by pierre bastien, which i've been listening to whenever possible, since. bastien builds amazing musical instruments amounting to a one man mechanical orchestra which he both makes recordings on and performs with all over the world. and from tree tops. here's some text from bastien's website, which i have to admit, charmed my pants off. and not just because of its endearingly slight broken english quality! In a studio, it is more than funny to build a small automaton that will play the violin, or a nigerian drum : rather an irreverent joke about Music, and about the human machine as well. So what ? Will a simple mechanism be able to play a violin, when a student spends so much time in learning how to bow ? Will the talking-drum sound, while beaten by the stick through a motor and some gears, instead of a dancer with muscles? However, during a concert, the other way around : the constructor becomes a conductor. Instead of a screw driver, he now holds a trumpet. His fellow musicians are nobody else than his metallic contraptions. Their nerves are nothing but rubber rings. Their heart, some recycled electro-motors taken from old record-players. He has to trust on these light and fragile creations. The composition is based on this delicate machinery. Then a strange phenomenon occurs in the music, that makes the necessary emotion come less from the man, than from the machines around him.
Find out more about pierre bastien, see some neat photos and listen to some songs here.
a few months ago i came back from northampton, MA, all googly-eared about my experience there at the combined grassroots radio conference / prometheus barnraising, where after a weekend of all sorts of radio activities the low power fm radio station VFR actually came to life / joined the airwaves.
well, prometheus is at it again, this time in our corner (pocket?) of the world. if you're anywhere close (or feel like a nice drive through the midwest) consider joining the radiostation / barnraising happenings in urbana-champaign, IL, november 11-13. there'll be radio skills-sharing, opportunities to meet other radioheads from all over and most excitingly, at the end of the week 104.5 fm WRFU / Radio Free Urbana will claim its place in the radio universe.
additionally, if you've been thinking a lot about 'independent radio production' and would like to learn more i'm heading down there with my colleague roman mars and fire on the prairie's aaron sarver and emily udell, to present a discussion about just that. um, better start reading up on the subject...
announcement! from now on, the Every Third Sunday Audio Gathering LISSENUP series will exist as an Every Six Weeks Or So Audio Gathering LISSENUP series. which means it's about time for:
LISSENUPfour
a potluck/listening soiree, with snacks, drinks, fine humans to talk to and a couple of audio stories to digest as well. including one about an octopus.
- sunday, november 13 - 7:30 - 10 pm / listening at 8:30ish
- in the lovely logan square neighborhood in chicago
send me an email if you'd like to come / need directions.
this saturday lampo (bringer of experimental music and intermedia events to chicago) presents german sound artist/composer/musician stephan mathieu, performing 'radioland' - a suite of computer-processed live AM radio, accompanied by a fast, random video flicker of 256 colors. not sure what to expect...audio glimpses and snippets of golden oldies/ dusties? rabid sportscasters? spewed right-wing hatred for all things just and meaningful? traffic reports?
