Cochlea Wrapup and Reviews
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Cochlea was featured on artblog this weekend. Mike and I are very excited about this nice review with photos and video! (photo and video credits: artblog)
Here's the review:
The audio sculptures by McDermott and Murray are charming mash ups of found objects, motors and iPods that play sounds. One of the four pieces wasn't working but the other three tinkled and jangled and one, with boots, which was interactive, sounded like a fog horn. The spinning, found-object piece evokes memories of the boardwalk, wind chimes and merry go rounds. The piece with the boots -- which you pull down to activate -- visualized putting your feet to the fire (or, here, to what looks like a can of worms).
The sounds playing in Little Berlin's rough space with high rafters and peeling paint reminded me of David Byrne's sound piece, Playing the Building (see post). McDermott and Murray's work is more humble and experimental than Byrne's and I enjoyed it immensely. (I'm hoping it was fun making it -- it was fun experiencing the results.) Murray, by the way, is the sculptor. He's also the founder of art@sophi. And here's about McDermott from the LB press release: "McDermott is a Philadelphia based composer, musician, producer and sound designer. He co-founded the label/collective earSnake and has released music as Mikronesia and with his band, Gemini Wolf."
It's been a busy couple of months in Mikronesia land. From my Fringe piece(s) TalkTalk and Assembling Minutiae, to "Tomas" to "Cochlea". It's been a very rewarding time in my development as an artist.
Things will be slowing down in Mikronesia-land for the next couple of weeks as I sort through photos and recordings and try and get my portfolio up to date. I'll still be plenty busy with non-Mikronesia stuff. We're working on a new earSnake Holiday CD/Podcast and show in December. Also Megan and I are busy working on the new Gemini Wolf album. Also we'll be in New York next week performing at Trash Bar on Wednesday December 3 with Lillie Ruth Bussey.
In December and January I'll be taking part in the nexusRadio project. The details are still not 100% clear, but in December I'll be doing a day of recording my (and Gemini Wolf) string quartets and string parts on air. Then in January will be the premier of the "prequel" for my opera Pangaea. The prequel is the back story of the some of the characters of Pangaea. It's called Gorrock and Snakegar and it's a old school Orson Wells style radio drama! More on that later. For now enjoy the Cochlea video and photos. Cochlea is open this Saturday 11/29 and the last day it will be open is Saturday 12/6.
Cochlea was featured on artblog this weekend. Mike and I are very excited about this nice review with photos and video! (photo and video credits: artblog)Here's the review:
The audio sculptures by McDermott and Murray are charming mash ups of found objects, motors and iPods that play sounds. One of the four pieces wasn't working but the other three tinkled and jangled and one, with boots, which was interactive, sounded like a fog horn. The spinning, found-object piece evokes memories of the boardwalk, wind chimes and merry go rounds. The piece with the boots -- which you pull down to activate -- visualized putting your feet to the fire (or, here, to what looks like a can of worms).
It's been a busy couple of months in Mikronesia land. From my Fringe piece(s) TalkTalk and Assembling Minutiae, to "Tomas" to "Cochlea". It's been a very rewarding time in my development as an artist.
Things will be slowing down in Mikronesia-land for the next couple of weeks as I sort through photos and recordings and try and get my portfolio up to date. I'll still be plenty busy with non-Mikronesia stuff. We're working on a new earSnake Holiday CD/Podcast and show in December. Also Megan and I are busy working on the new Gemini Wolf album. Also we'll be in New York next week performing at Trash Bar on Wednesday December 3 with Lillie Ruth Bussey.
In December and January I'll be taking part in the nexusRadio project. The details are still not 100% clear, but in December I'll be doing a day of recording my (and Gemini Wolf) string quartets and string parts on air. Then in January will be the premier of the "prequel" for my opera Pangaea. The prequel is the back story of the some of the characters of Pangaea. It's called Gorrock and Snakegar and it's a old school Orson Wells style radio drama! More on that later. For now enjoy the Cochlea video and photos. Cochlea is open this Saturday 11/29 and the last day it will be open is Saturday 12/6.
Tomas and Cochlea
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thanks to all the wonderful people who came out to our opening at Little Berlin Gallery. Tons of people came through an interacted and experienced our installation with open minds, eyes and ears. Thanks to Martha and John and everyone at little Berlin. Special thanks to Mike Murray for his inspiration and extreme carpentry and artistic skills! Hopefully we'll be able to collaborate again in the future.
Here's a movie Carl made of people playing with stuff from Cochlea.
Cochlea At Little Berlin from Carl Franke on Vimeo.
Megan took some photos and I want to get some sound recording of Cochlea while it's up. For those who could attend the opening, Little Berlin is open every Saturday from noon til 5:00 PM. Cochlea will be there until December 6.
Finally, here's some photos and recordings from my flute quartet premiere back in October.
Photos:
Photos by Megan Cauley
Recording:
Tomas by Michael McDermott
Flute: Danielle Brosious, Bob Carpency, Heather Fortune and Jacquelyn Howell
Electronics: Mikronesia
Download VBR MP3 of Tomas
Here's a movie Carl made of people playing with stuff from Cochlea.
Cochlea At Little Berlin from Carl Franke on Vimeo.
Megan took some photos and I want to get some sound recording of Cochlea while it's up. For those who could attend the opening, Little Berlin is open every Saturday from noon til 5:00 PM. Cochlea will be there until December 6.
Finally, here's some photos and recordings from my flute quartet premiere back in October.
Photos:
Photos by Megan Cauley
Recording:
Tomas by Michael McDermott
Flute: Danielle Brosious, Bob Carpency, Heather Fortune and Jacquelyn Howell
Electronics: Mikronesia
Download VBR MP3 of Tomas
Cochlea Press Release
Monday, October 27, 2008
I'm very excited about my next show. It's a sound and sculpture installation at Little Berlin Gallery. I've worked with Mike Murray for a few years now. Gemini Wolf and Mikronesia have played at Art@Sophi, the gallery he co-ran for a few years. Mike did some set design and live painting for some shows we've done at Art@Sophi. For a good part of 2008, we have been working and planning on our first full on collaboration. We've created some fantastic giant sculptures and constructions (made by Mike) with sound design elements (by Me). The opening is in about two weeks. Here's the press release and the flyer. You definitely have never seen anything like this show we're putting together. It sounds and looks like an alien symphony of wood and sound.
Sound artist Michael McDermott (Mikronesia) and sculptor/mixed-media artist Michael Murray join forces to present Cochlea: an automated sound and art installation at Little Berlin Gallery.
McDermott is a Philadelphia based composer, musician, producer and sound designer. He co-founded the label / collective earSnake and has released music as Mikronesia and with his band, Gemini Wolf. In addition to electronic / ambient solo performances with computer and piano, McDermott has composed small works for strings and flute and scored original music for modern dance.
Murray is a visual artist who utilizes mixed materials to create large constructions, bizarre situations and material explosions in space. A determined self-starter, Murray has shown at both whitecouch art room and art@Sophi which he also curated and founded in 2005.
With Cochlea, the two create another world, abstracting the ways sound related to movement, sight, touch and awareness. Using large scale constructions crafted by Murray along with pre-recorded and auto generated sounds by McDermott, Kensiginton's Little Berlin Gallery will be transformed with several large scale works suspended from the ceiling that blur the lines between sight and sound.
Opening Reception Friday November 7
with video installation by SHIFT and live performance by Melissa St. Pierre
little berlin
an undefined exhibition space
119 West Montgomery
Philadelphia PA, 19122
free and open to the public
Saturdays 12-5pm
or by appointment
(610) 308 0579
www.myspace.com/berlinlittle
Sound artist Michael McDermott (Mikronesia) and sculptor/mixed-media artist Michael Murray join forces to present Cochlea: an automated sound and art installation at Little Berlin Gallery.
McDermott is a Philadelphia based composer, musician, producer and sound designer. He co-founded the label / collective earSnake and has released music as Mikronesia and with his band, Gemini Wolf. In addition to electronic / ambient solo performances with computer and piano, McDermott has composed small works for strings and flute and scored original music for modern dance.
Murray is a visual artist who utilizes mixed materials to create large constructions, bizarre situations and material explosions in space. A determined self-starter, Murray has shown at both whitecouch art room and art@Sophi which he also curated and founded in 2005.
With Cochlea, the two create another world, abstracting the ways sound related to movement, sight, touch and awareness. Using large scale constructions crafted by Murray along with pre-recorded and auto generated sounds by McDermott, Kensiginton's Little Berlin Gallery will be transformed with several large scale works suspended from the ceiling that blur the lines between sight and sound.
Opening Reception Friday November 7
with video installation by SHIFT and live performance by Melissa St. Pierre
little berlin
an undefined exhibition space
119 West Montgomery
Philadelphia PA, 19122
free and open to the public
Saturdays 12-5pm
or by appointment
(610) 308 0579
www.myspace.com/berlinlittle
Tomas
Monday, October 13, 2008
Here's a flyer for the performance next week... The flute players are sounding great and I can't wait to hear the rest of the show.
Flutes and magical machines
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
I'm getting excited for some upcoming projects. Tomorrow night I'm rehearsing with the flute quartet for the first time for my piece Tomas, which is going to be premiered at Nexus Gallery on October 22.
Also Mike Murray and I have been working a lot on our Little Berlin gallery installation Cochlea. We've made a giant turning chime machine that plucks 16 guitar strings (see a rough picture to the left). It's the central brain of the whole exhibition. When it all comes together I think people are really going to dig it. Abstract constructions and sound colliding together.
Also if you haven't check it out yet, my new album Host is available for download and CD purchase over at earSnake.
Here's the cover. The original pressing was a wood block pressing that Megan did. There's about 10 left, but the rest will be your standard jewel case. Unless you buy it digitally, then you're just getting the songs.
Also Mike Murray and I have been working a lot on our Little Berlin gallery installation Cochlea. We've made a giant turning chime machine that plucks 16 guitar strings (see a rough picture to the left). It's the central brain of the whole exhibition. When it all comes together I think people are really going to dig it. Abstract constructions and sound colliding together.
Also if you haven't check it out yet, my new album Host is available for download and CD purchase over at earSnake.
Here's the cover. The original pressing was a wood block pressing that Megan did. There's about 10 left, but the rest will be your standard jewel case. Unless you buy it digitally, then you're just getting the songs.
Green Line Cafe Show
Monday, September 29, 2008
First off, thanks to everyone involved in the Fun Razor at Johnny Brenda's on Friday. Its loads of fun!!
We got some videos of Gemini Wolf's set from Carl Franke that I'll be posting soon...
This Thursday I'm playing my first Mikronesia solo show since April (I think).
Thursday October 2
David First (of NoteKillers)
Planet Y (Yanni Papadopoulos of Stinking Lizavetta and Charles Cohen)
Mikronesia
Green Line Cafe. 45th and Locust. West Philly.
7PM (sharp). $7
Should be an awesome night of experimental improvised electronic music!
Plus this will be an unofficial album release for my album Host which is coming out digitally on earSnake tomorrow.
We got some videos of Gemini Wolf's set from Carl Franke that I'll be posting soon...
This Thursday I'm playing my first Mikronesia solo show since April (I think).
Thursday October 2
David First (of NoteKillers)
Planet Y (Yanni Papadopoulos of Stinking Lizavetta and Charles Cohen)
Mikronesia
Green Line Cafe. 45th and Locust. West Philly.
7PM (sharp). $7
Should be an awesome night of experimental improvised electronic music!
Plus this will be an unofficial album release for my album Host which is coming out digitally on earSnake tomorrow.
Reckoner Remix
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Radiohead is hosting another remix contest. I kind of slept on the last one to remix "Nude". To be honest, I wasn't too into the version that was on In Rainbows. I kind of liked the older version when it was known as "Big Ideas" from Meeting People Is Easy back in the 90s (yes, Meg).
The new song Radiohead has chosen for this remix is one of my favorite new Radiohead songs. I was thrilled to do my own remix of "Reckoner". Today is the first cold, grey fall day in Philadelphia (where I work), so I think that inspired the sound and tone of my remix. Check it out and vote for it (if you like it).
Thanks!
The new song Radiohead has chosen for this remix is one of my favorite new Radiohead songs. I was thrilled to do my own remix of "Reckoner". Today is the first cold, grey fall day in Philadelphia (where I work), so I think that inspired the sound and tone of my remix. Check it out and vote for it (if you like it).
Thanks!
TalkTalk recordings
Saturday, September 20, 2008
First off, thanks to all that came out to participated in TalkTalk. Obviously with out the crowd at Rocket Cat Cafe this piece never would have happened. It was so much fun and people were very cooperative and open to the process.
For those not familiar with TalkTalk, it was my Live Arts Fringe Festival performance that happened in September 2008. The basic idea was to setup a bunch of microphones and make a real-time sound installation by sampling and manipulating the sounds I record of people talking, banging plates, moving chairs, buses outside, ringing bells and in some instances playing instruments and cellphones. For those interested in the technical aspects of TalkTalk I used eight microphones (mostly SM-58 and SM-57s) direct into M-Audio 1814 interface chained with an M-Audio Octane 8 channel preamp. Everything was recorded, chopped up, stretched and mangled with Ableton Live 7.0 and lots of free VST pluggins running out to an external mixer with a Kaoss mini-KP on the send.
Special thanks to Megan for working the (overly complex) Fringe ticket table and all her support with this project, Bilwa for his help setting up, Karen and Thom who own the Rocket Cat and allowed me to do this installation / performance, Holly and Danielle who worked at the Rocket Cat during the TalkTalk nights and for making some noise when things got too quiet and to all the crazies who made their way in and out of the fabric of my piece.
Below are two excerpts from Thursday 9/11 and Friday 9/12. Send me your feedback on what you think.
To download the complete shows in various audio formats please visit, http://www.archive.org/details/Talktalk09122008 and http://www.archive.org/details/Talktalk09112008
TalkTalk - Thursday 9/11/2008
TalkTalk - Friday 9/12/2008
For those not familiar with TalkTalk, it was my Live Arts Fringe Festival performance that happened in September 2008. The basic idea was to setup a bunch of microphones and make a real-time sound installation by sampling and manipulating the sounds I record of people talking, banging plates, moving chairs, buses outside, ringing bells and in some instances playing instruments and cellphones. For those interested in the technical aspects of TalkTalk I used eight microphones (mostly SM-58 and SM-57s) direct into M-Audio 1814 interface chained with an M-Audio Octane 8 channel preamp. Everything was recorded, chopped up, stretched and mangled with Ableton Live 7.0 and lots of free VST pluggins running out to an external mixer with a Kaoss mini-KP on the send.
Special thanks to Megan for working the (overly complex) Fringe ticket table and all her support with this project, Bilwa for his help setting up, Karen and Thom who own the Rocket Cat and allowed me to do this installation / performance, Holly and Danielle who worked at the Rocket Cat during the TalkTalk nights and for making some noise when things got too quiet and to all the crazies who made their way in and out of the fabric of my piece.
Below are two excerpts from Thursday 9/11 and Friday 9/12. Send me your feedback on what you think.
To download the complete shows in various audio formats please visit, http://www.archive.org/details/Talktalk09122008 and http://www.archive.org/details/Talktalk09112008
TalkTalk - Thursday 9/11/2008
TalkTalk - Friday 9/12/2008
Last two performances...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Tonight (9/11) and Friday (9/12) will be the final performances of talktalk. I think a lot of people are coming on Friday, so to get a seat and be heard, I would try and come tonight.
talktalk is my Philly Fringe Performance where I mic up the entire Rocket Cat Cafe and record, sample and make music out of talking, ambient noises, etc. It has been very fun and wildly different the two nights I did it last week.
So come out and get sampled!
Thursday 9/11 and Friday 9/12
Mikronesia Presents: talktalk
Rocket Cat Cafe
2001 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
8PM - 9PM. $5
Lastly, Megan and I wanted to thank Scott Johnson and the UnOfficial Fringe Late Night Cabaret crew for a fun evening last night. The Fleischer space was transcendent and the other acts, Dr. Sketchy, etc were a lot of fun too! Thanks to everyone for the great feed back and we'll see you at our next Gemini Wolf show with Pink Skull at Johnny Brenda's (9/26).
talktalk is my Philly Fringe Performance where I mic up the entire Rocket Cat Cafe and record, sample and make music out of talking, ambient noises, etc. It has been very fun and wildly different the two nights I did it last week.
So come out and get sampled!
Thursday 9/11 and Friday 9/12
Mikronesia Presents: talktalk
Rocket Cat Cafe
2001 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
8PM - 9PM. $5
Lastly, Megan and I wanted to thank Scott Johnson and the UnOfficial Fringe Late Night Cabaret crew for a fun evening last night. The Fleischer space was transcendent and the other acts, Dr. Sketchy, etc were a lot of fun too! Thanks to everyone for the great feed back and we'll see you at our next Gemini Wolf show with Pink Skull at Johnny Brenda's (9/26).
Fringe Late Night Cabaret
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Philly Fringe Festival is going by so fast! I got to attend two show of asNexus with Perpetual Mvmt<>Snd and J.Makary this past weekend. It was a superb show of film, dance and music. It was nice to see my piece "Pure" in the context of Emily's movement, Blaine's video and Bilwa's set and sound design. Nice work everyone!
Tonight Gemini Wolf is getting into the Fringe spirit by performing at the UnOffical Late Night Cabaret.
Here's the details
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10
UnOfficial Fringe Late Night Cabaret
Sanctuary, 719 Catharine Street
FREE ADMISSION (21 and over)
7:00 - 10:00 PM: Dames, drinking and drawing with special edition of Dr. Sketchy's Philadelphia
10:00 PM - ?: Performances by Liberty City Kings (LiCK), Gemini Wolf, and Infinien
Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial
719 Catharine Street | Philadelphia, PA 19147-2811 | 215.922.3456
(picture to the left; probably one of the most amazing spaces Gemini Wolf has ever performed)
See you kids there and don't forget the last two performances of talktalk - Thursday and Friday night at the Rocket Cat Cafe.
The Philly Fringe Festival is going by so fast! I got to attend two show of asNexus with Perpetual Mvmt<>Snd and J.Makary this past weekend. It was a superb show of film, dance and music. It was nice to see my piece "Pure" in the context of Emily's movement, Blaine's video and Bilwa's set and sound design. Nice work everyone!Tonight Gemini Wolf is getting into the Fringe spirit by performing at the UnOffical Late Night Cabaret.
Here's the details
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10
UnOfficial Fringe Late Night Cabaret
Sanctuary, 719 Catharine Street
FREE ADMISSION (21 and over)
7:00 - 10:00 PM: Dames, drinking and drawing with special edition of Dr. Sketchy's Philadelphia
10:00 PM - ?: Performances by Liberty City Kings (LiCK), Gemini Wolf, and Infinien
Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial
719 Catharine Street | Philadelphia, PA 19147-2811 | 215.922.3456
(picture to the left; probably one of the most amazing spaces Gemini Wolf has ever performed)
See you kids there and don't forget the last two performances of talktalk - Thursday and Friday night at the Rocket Cat Cafe.