RE: 1st Night of the Y2KX+1 LoopFest

[Jeremy devros <deafrose58@hotmail.com>]

You're killing me, Rick! I wish I was there! Actually, I wish I was anywhere but at work right now...
J.D.
 

> Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:41:54 -0700
> From: looppool@cruzio.com
> To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
> Subject: 1st Night of the Y2KX+1 LoopFest
>
> We had a really nice first night of the festival tonight.
>
> It was the best attended show we've ever had in San Jose at the Anno Domini
> Gallery (thanks to a superlative publicity campaign by Steve Uccello).
>
> Bill and I started things off and had a really nice set together.
> Nat Grant said it was really wonderful because we played so effortlessly.
>
> Per Boysen came next with his new beautiful, small red Stick.
> It's the first time I've seen him perform with it and it was a really
> beautiful
> and very musical performance.
>
> Next up, newcomer, Patty Stucki (playing under the moniker Eela Soley)
> did a very beautiful set with voice, alto saxophone, silver flute and
> bamboo
> flute. She has a very nice combination of darkness with some strong
> 3rd world (especially middle=eastern) influences melodically. I really
> enjoyed
> it.
>
> Next Hideki Nakanishi (aka Mandoman) played what was, for me , the most
> compelling
> set I've seen him play in his numerous festival appearances. He really
> mixed it up,
> playing very rhythmic pieces with ambient pieces and also included some
> really nice
> Daxaphone playing as well to take it into an abstract direction.
>
> Georgina Brett came next. I really like the direction she is taking,
> mixing long layered
> loops of vocal, completely eschewing anything I've heard people do in
> the A Capella
> looping world. She's doing fascinating work by singing lines with out
> any consonants
> in them and going back in and overdubbing the consonants. It's a really
> unique approach
> that fascinates me. Her set, unfortunately, was plagued with feedback
> though and the sound from the P.A.
> was continually frustrating to her so she ended early. I felt bad
> that she had a hard
> set and promised her that we will set things straight, sonically , when
> she plays the
> main festival on Sunday. She is really as talented as all the buzz
> about her, as well
> as being a really sweet human being (who treated us to an amazing home
> made vegetarian
> soup when we got back from the venue) and I look forward
> to hearing her have a happier set on Sunday night at 10:00.
>
> Nat Grant finished off the evening with a very interesting and evolving
> set mixing all kinds of interesting
> percussive textures. Her set was easily the most avant garde of the
> evening and I, personally,
> loved it. The synchronicity between what she was doing and the
> beautiful Loopy Cam work
> of Maha Taitano really created a great atmosphere. Tim Thompson,
> Loopy Cam's inventor
> has graciously taught Maha and I how to use the Loopy Cam and also lent
> us the high powered
> computers to project it at the festival. Tim will be doing his own set
> with his new amazing visual
> and audio invention, the Space Palette, at 6:00 on Saturday.
>
> I walked on stage and played some non-looped Sonica (which is a 60's
> invention that combines
> a diatonic touch strip with organ like sounds) to accompany Nat's final
> minutes of her set.
> I just love how this artist thinks so it's always a thrill to play with her.
>
> At the headliners concert with Andrea Centazzo (Italy) and Matt
> Davignon, Nat and I will combine the
> end of her set with the beginning of mine with a couple of improvisations.
> I'm really looking forward to that (right after Santa Cruz Vice Mayor,
> Don Lane, presents the
> "International Live Looping Day" proclamation to the headlining artists.
>
> For the first time in many years (due to a miscommunication on my part
> with the Luggage Store)
> we actually have a day off tomorrow and then the main festival begins on
> Friday evening.
>
> It's a strong lineup this year and we'll even have a world technology
> premiere to end Friday evening's
> concert by the Sennheiser Research Lab of Palo Alto of a Wireless
> Midi/Microphone Controller used with a portable live looping rig.
>
> We came close to showing the LP-2 Mini Looper and Bob Amstadt is
> actually going to miss the festival (after having
> provided sound for us tonight) because he's home all weekend assembling
> LP-2 to begin mailing out.
> I can't wait to get mine.
>
> Okay................the whole house is full of snoring loopers and it's
> probably time for me to hit the hay!
>
> Rick Walker
>