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Looper's Delight
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Ted begs the question... > So, here are two reviews -- one more or less negative and one more or >less positive --and neither one of these guys really seems to understand what he's listening too -- or at least neither one really seems to understand what caused the music to be made in the first place (me). Did I make a mistake in being rather stingy on the liner notes? Should I have said more? Not that it really matters -- the CD is still something I'm pretty proud of. I continue to be astonished that it has gotten any attention at all. > Given the recent thread concerning the idea that we might (or might not) take some time to explain ourselves and our techniques and/or concepts to an audience before a performance how does one go about handling liner notes? The press kit that went out with my CD had more info about the label pfMENTUM than about me. Was that a mistake? It's not the reviewer's fault that I'm a somewhat unknown entity. But I'm also neither a wannabe bedroom shredmeister nor an academically trained composer / musical philosopher. Both are way off from my point of view... and pretty substantially to boot. Is this sort of thing unavoidable? > Anywho, thanks for your time. > Ted Killian Hi Ted... I've lately become confused (mostly) by the lumping together of odd coalitions and factions around the bay area (and California). We've got the BA-NEWMUSE list members comprised of many Mills faculty and students, as well as a variety of real-time free-improv types. We've got the pfMENTUM crew with Jeff Kaiser, and his many friends such as Steuart Liebig and Nels Cline... While I dearly love many from each faction, it's sometimes hard to know where I fit into it all as well... It seems that rythym (groove-like) and melody (stated in anything other than either a radical-outburst-noiseattack) seems to imply old-school-wankerism in the player who commits these greivous errors. Dan Plonsey over on the BA-Newmuse list recently posted similar thoughts on complete free-improv and it's seeming narrow constraints. The rock vernacular has been quoted to death everywhere... selling hamburgers; in kid's movies and video games... it's a tough game trying to use good old electric guitar in it's more familiar sounding territory without creating a serious vernacular faux-paux; when what-was-extreme becomes commonplace, upping-the-ante seems to be necessary. Am I just hanging with the wrong crowd? Or am I REALLY old-school? There's a part of me that actually likes to play R and B, Gospel, Blues, Jazz, Rock, Punk, Folk, ambient-looped-Fripp-influenced drones... But I can nearly guarantee you that if you liberally quote from any of these genres, you're out to lunch at any of the regular new-unusual-experimental series which are probably closer to where we belong than any rock club, rave or jazz gig. I'd feel really terrible if the music I REALLY like to play managed to offend EVERYONE?! (This might be a great achievement, but nonetheless... a hard one to live with.) If I decided to apply to Mills, UCSD, Cal Arts, CCAC, CNMAT or Stanford myself, would I magically discontinue quoting these genres and become something new-fangled? I believe I'd still want to find some juice in that old bottle, and continue referencing... (probably at further expense to my credibility). I'm bothered by the impression that I've got to discard my roots to become accepted in those circles. Am I misunderstanding something here? I'm sure there are those who might comment on whether I really have anything to say musically and that may certainly be a valid, if not much appreciated viewpoint. This probably seems less about you Ted, than it is about me... but I think we're in similar territory and wondering how to land on both feet, and hang with our peers. How to reinvent without discarding has become the real crux of the biscuit. Oh yeah... looping (remember that?) within this framework has it's own myriad of pitfalls! Hey! And I also wanted to compliment you on your recent release somwhere in all of this... I'm off to walk the dog... Best to all in 2002! -Miko Biffle