Re:New York Loopers, West Coast Loopers

["Rick Walker \(loop.pool\)" <GLOBAL@cruzio.com>]

Eric Leonardson wrote:
"Perhaps a Looping Festival suggests a genre or
 aesthetic that musicians don't want to be pegged in, or identified
 with, even though that's not necessarily so. (amongst other thoughtful
things)"


Very good point, Eric, and it just reveals my own myopia.  I, and a small
community near me fiercely identify with the idea of being  solo
live loopers.  Because the form is not well understood or accepted, we have
had to fight very hard to be accepted (or to get gigs) and we have to
constantly educate and foment along the way.

     As a professional I, of course, do many gigs and genres  of music that
involve no looping and of course, I use my looper to create effects that
an average audience would never identify as looping.

     I'm just a fanatic and a convert (the most dangerous and obnoxious
kind)
but probably no worse than I was when I first discovered (starting in 
1965):
Rock,Soul, Funk, Blues,Sensitive Singer Songwriters, Prog Rock, Classical
music, Jazz , Jazz Fusion, Avante Garde music, Serial Minimalism,
Electronic music,New Wave and Punk,Reggae,African musican, World music,  
Hip
Hop/Sampling, Trip Hop,Jungle and Abstract Electronica---I think that I 
have
been compulsive and addicted to music all of my life----why stop now?
    Wow, that is incredible, Eric,  I have never stopped and written down
(in order, no less) all of the musical obsessions that I have had in my
life.   That list is like looking at a timeline of myself.  It kind of 
jumps
around
too, don't you think?   I know of more than a few musicians in this town 
who
are mystified by the fact that I am not out playing the drumset (which I've
played the longest and have, probably, the most skill at) these days.
I love drumming, actually.   I just drum until it sounds perfect, then I
loop it :-).  There's something about filtering the loop in real time and
then using it to vocode a vocal loop that I'm using that just gets me good.
I guess I'd rather manipulate the loops electronically than play endless
gratuitous
hi hat ornaments with my prodigious technique ;-)

     The upside of it all, I suppose,  is that I've created a lot of venues
for artists in the last few years  and a lot of publicity for Looping and
Electronica in my home town, and I've helped get several young musicians
started on a path (with some emotional support behind them which is what I
never had).

     I realize I can be a bit on the overbearing side throughout it all.
however.  I suppose I can relax and try to embody an important concept that
I have learned: "every character defect can be a character asset if used
with self conciousness".
    Thanks for the perspective...........and loop on, imperceptively,

your friend,   Rick