In December Ana Baer-Carrillo and I collaborated on Doleo Æternus, an evening-length work for musicians, computer, and video which was presented at the ISIM conference in Denver. This is a long and tumultuous work in the history of Avant Media, and it spans almost the entire duration that Avant Media has been in existence. From our first show in New York City in January of 2007, where we premiered what was then Anger, to our most recent performance, Ana’s work has been a powerful influence on my work and a guiding force keeping me grounded enough in reality to reign in, albeit ever so slightly, my penchant for the extreme. (more…)
Doleo Æternus at the ISIM
In just over two weeks we will be premiering the new version of Anger at the third annual ISIM Festival in Denver Colorado. This is a major new version of the work, now being called Doleo Æternus. We’re very excited to be going back to our home-town (of sorts) and peforming this piece there. The staff of the ISIM has been extremely helpful, and the soloist: Mike Rugnetta, Amali Premawardhana and Myself; will be joined by members of the University of Denver Playground Ensemble.
The program at ISIM is very large, and as such has only a small space for program notes. My full description of the piece is after the jump. Jump »
Crimson Drizzle : Minimalism in the Rain
Part II: The Performer’s Perspective
I don’t think I need to say “Crimson Grail is an ambitious piece of music.” I knew going into the recently failed attempt of performing Rhys Chatham’s magnum opus at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center that the sheer practicalities of it were going to be something to witness. And that they most certainly were. The whole production crew was not only skilled, but adept at handling the needs of 200 guitar players and their heaps of gear. By my calculations they were responsible for the care, feeding and shelter of half a million dollars in gear, probably more; I saw some Marshall Stacks and a vintage SG.
Rehearsals were an enjoyable process considering how mind numbingly boring they were. The first two days went by with little to report. Turns out some folks didn’t know how to read music. Those who did were surprised. Each camp half snickered about the other – one was taking it way too seriously, the other was shocked the organizers invited non-professional guitar players, but it was all in good fun. The rehearsals served mostly to give everyone a chance to meet their section and buddy buddy with some guys (and here I will pause to mention: 10 ladies were a part of 200 performers) who share similar interests if not hair-dos, weight classes and taste in vintage wrestling t-shirts. There were some good ones, trust me.
The caliber of people involved in all aspects of this piece was stellar. Crimson Grail NYC was cast with the friendliest group of 190 dudes and 10 ladies with guitars I have ever met. This fact made the rehearsals worth going to, because no matter how long we practiced extended tremolos or talked about the Soprano transition to Section G in part 2A, we were never, ever going to play that piece the way it is written.
There. I said it.
And here is why. (more…)
John Cage at 95
In honor of John Cage’s 95th birthday, Avant Media Performance presents an evening of two multimedia realizations of works by John Cage on September 5, 2007. “Four6″ (for any way of producing sounds) will be performed in an electro-acoustic realization featuring Randy Gibson on electronics, Mike Rugnetta on guitar and video by Patrick Davison. The second half of the concert is a true musicircus with “Winter Music,” “Atlas Eclipticalis,” and an actors’ realization by Laine Rettmer of “Song Books” being performed simultaneously. The evening will also see the world premiere of Randy Gibson’s “One Wall – for John Cage” assisted by Mike Rugnetta and Guy Snover.
Bringing together musicians, filmmakers, actors, and technicians, this evening pays tribute to the collaborative and innovative legacy of John Cage.
Performance will take place at The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, NYC.
Concert starts at 8PM. Tickets are $20 ($15 students, AMP members) presale through avantmedia.org or $25($20) day of
Tickets are not yet on sale. Check this space for information on when pre-sale will start.
