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Dean & Britta: Added Show and more Behind the 8-Ball!

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**JUST ADDED!** 10:30 pm show for Dean & Britta’s 13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol’s “Screen Tests”. In anticipation, here are ALL of the 8-Ball questions answered by Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips: Warhol shot hundreds of Screen Tests. Did you take part in the selection of the thirteen subjects for the 13 Most [...]

**JUST ADDED!**
10:30 pm show for Dean & Britta’s 13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol’s “Screen Tests”. Dean & Britta

In anticipation, here are ALL of the 8-Ball questions answered by Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips:

Warhol shot hundreds of Screen Tests. Did you take part in the selection of the thirteen subjects for the 13 Most Beautiful … project?

Dean: I made several trips to the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and looked at about a hundred of these tests based on descriptions in Calle Angel’s book. As I read about Warhol and the Factory, I became more interested in the figures who were regulars there, Superstars and Mole People – Jane Holzer, Edie Sedgwick, Lou Reed, Billy Name, Mary Woronov.

What three words come to mind first when you think about Warhol’s Screen Tests?

Britta: The obvious ones, I guess…. The Factory, Superstars, Mole people…

You can be any of Warhol’s Superstars for a day. Which one do you choose?

Dean: Paul America, but only for a day
Britta: Edie Sedgwick, of course

Warhol was an obsessive collector of high and low art as well as pop ephemera. What do you collect?

Britta: Our apartment is too small for any collections other than essential instruments, albums, CDs and books.
Dean: Yes, it’s hard to be a collector when you live in a fourth-floor walk-up apartment in Manhattan. I am forever weeding things out, keeping only what is essential, what can fit under the bed. But I do have a bit of vinyl. And too many effects pedals for my electric guitar.

Did either of you have encounters with Warhol?

Dean: I saw him at Area (a New York club) in the early ‘80s, but I don’t think that qualifies as an encounter.
Britta: And I saw him in the ‘80s too, at Indochine, a hip restaurant in Soho.

What do you feel is the closest approximation of Warhol’s Factory today?

Britta: I don’t think any place is close enough to qualify.
Dean: The Silver Factory was itself a work of art, specific to the ‘60s, a drug-fueled collective of artists and misfits. . . probably not a healthy thing to aspire to. Who knows, maybe there’s a place like it in Shanghai.

You composed sound tracks for The Squid and the Whale and other films. Are there other sound track projects in the works, or directors you’d like to work with?

Britta: Wong Kar Wai
Dean: I’ve been lucky enough to do some work for Olivier Assayas, who has great taste in music. Wong Kar Wai is another whose soundtracks I love.

What do you see as your artistic legacy?

Dean: I like getting emails from kids telling me that they just listened to Galaxie 500 as the sun came up.
Britta: For me it’s L’Avventura. I love that album and am very proud of it. But we’re still making music so… one never knows what will come next.

What is one of the most unexpected influences on your art?

Dean: Dr. Seuss
Britta: accidents

Which artist turned your world upside-down as a teenager?

Britta: Patti Smith
Dean: the music of Joy Division, with the sleeves designed by Peter Savile

What’s one of your guilty pleasures?

Britta: wasting time
Dean: watching Law & Order

Fill in the blank: What the world needs now is ( ).

Dean: Socialism
Britta: wisdom and poetry

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Dean: Faith
Britta: Faith

What was your worst job?

Britta: handing out flyers for phone sex
Dean: bartending for my grandfather’s catering business

What is your advice for young people today?

Britta: learn about the present and future by studying the past
Dean: U.S. Out of My Pants!

Whom would you like to spend three hours in an elevator with?

Britta: Octavio Paz
Dean: Alexander Cockburn

Which three items can always be found in your refrigerator?

Britta: Pumpkin seed butter, ice cream, marmalade
Dean: milk, creamed honey, Polish beer

What have you been listening to lately?

Dean: Two bands from New York: Crystal Stilts and the Vivian Girls
Britta: Stereolab, Henry Purcell

What sound annoys you the most?

Britta: Sarah Palin’s voice
Dean: Lenny Kravitz

Who is your favorite villain?

Britta: Ralph Nader
Dean: I believe that is an oxymoron.

Siren and The Sacred Heart

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In May, 2007, I was in Paris, in Monmartre, at the Basilica du Sacre Coeur with my girlfriend.  We ascended the stairs alongside the side of the church and so we snuck up on the edifice, only gathering its measure after having been inside.  Upon entering the building, we were presented with a musical performance [...]

In May, 2007, I was in Paris, in Monmartre, at the Basilica du Sacre Coeur with my girlfriend.  We ascended the stairs alongside the side of the church and so we snuck up on the edifice, only gathering its measure after having been inside.  Upon entering the building, we were presented with a musical performance of asture and patient beauty from the house organ and our eyes grew larger and our smiles wider as we breezed, slowly and clockwise through the ancient church.  It was only after having left this place that we could admit to one another that what we were hearing was actually the pipe organ being exactingly tuned so that this exciting and moving musical performance was purely accidental.  Those pipes made our insides quiver as the air around them was pushed in and out of phase and, though we knew it to be an un-performance, we treasured it and still do.  However accidental it may have been, it remains one of the greatest musical experiences of my life.

Ray Lee’s Siren, if the two clean-shaven men with screwdrivers who tinkered amongst the contraptions are to be trusted, is in no way accidental.  This attribute – the sheer intention of it all – is, regrettably, the source of all criticism.  I’ll leave that unsavory business to others.  Instead, I’d like to ask a question and provide a bit of advice for the uninitiated.

Why did these machines require to be tuned in the first place?  There are sound-sources that can reliably reproduce a particular tone over and over again without variation.  I would guess at least half the people in the audience have the appropriate software already on their laptops.  Don’t misunderstand – I love the screwdrivers and the brutal intensity of the performers’ ”tuning face.”  The choice to rely on analog devices speaks much towards artistic intent and, I suppose, these decisions are where performance is made.  The intervals as they were conceived had to, of course, be presented correctly and so they were.

To those who will see this over the next couple of nights… don’t be shy and keep moving.  You will find your favorite locations within the space.  Some tips:  for those partial to shimmering, suspended dissonance, try upstage right.  For those who enjoy flatulent expression, stay downstage left.  Step back to take it all in.  Step forward to promote some tones over others.  Watch out for the dancing guy or girl.  They are harmless and probably high.  Just watch out for them, because they aren’t watching out for themselves.  Enjoy your time on stage.

Enjoy it as if it’s accidental.

Sirens without the Tornadoes

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Minneapolis is an appropriate place for Ray Lee’s Siren. One of the many things I love about this city is its emergency sirens. After moving here from Milwaukee, where all of them consisted of the same tone, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Minneapolis’ differently-pitched sirens. When multiple ones go off across the city, whether [...]

Minneapolis is an appropriate place for Ray Lee’s Siren. One of the many things I love about this city is its emergency sirens. After moving here from Milwaukee, where all of them consisted of the same tone, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Minneapolis’ differently-pitched sirens. When multiple ones go off across the city, whether in as a test or in a real emergency, the result is a mesmerizing sonic collage that makes me want to stay outside during a tornado just to listen.

This is the only experience that comes close to describing Siren. The performance took place on the McGuire Theater stage; all of the curtains were closed and we were encouraged to walk around the space. Upon entering, all we could hear was a low-frequency hum. As the performance began, Lee’s assistants began switching on the more than 20 machines individually, tuning each note with a screwdriver. Each machine consisted of two sets of circuits and speakers; different speakers were used to achieve more subtle gradations of tone. The piece began with a perfect fifth, one of the most basic of musical intervals, although many of the other sound bars were tuned more closely together, usually a 2nd or 3rd apart.

As the piece slowly developed, I started to forget where I was as the sounds swathed the theater and its occupants. It’s a testament to Lee, however, that his work never collapses into a jumble of undifferentiated sound. Even as they swirled around me, individual sounds and novel combinations continually emerged through the soundscape. At times the soundscape sounded almost hurdy gurdy-like, with overtones popping seemingly out of nowhere; it was enveloping without being overpowering, or, as I’ve also experienced with some sound art, physically debilitating. The final touch was to turn out the lights, revealing small red lights on each speaker that twirled like insects at different speeds. Near the end, the low-frequency hum that served as the work’s foundation suddenly disappeared, seemingly unmooring the sounds to float freely in the space.

The work ended as it began, with a perfect 5th from a lone sound bar, after all the others had stopped spinning and were turned off one-by-one. And after this was shut off, the very air itself possessed a newly-charged silence, interrupted only by return-you-to-the real-world applause from those in the room. This is easily one of the best things to come through the Walker since I’ve lived here and should not be missed.

Ray Lee’s talk at the Spark Festival & the hypnotizing sound/theater performance SIREN

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Ray Lee is giving a talk at the Spark Festival Tomorrow, Friday February 19, 2009 at 12pm at the U of M’s Hanson Hall. Ray Lee’s work investigates his fascination with the hidden world of electromagnetic radiation and in particular how sound can be used as evidence of invisible phenomena. He is interested in the [...]

Ray Lee is giving a talk at the Spark Festival Tomorrow, Friday February 19, 2009 at 12pm at the U of M’s Hanson Hall.

Ray lee's Siren

Ray Lee’s work investigates his fascination with the hidden world of electromagnetic radiation and in particular how sound can be used as evidence of invisible phenomena. He is interested in the way that science and philosophy represent the universe and his work questions the orthodoxies that emerge and submerge according to the currently fashionable trends.

The Talk will be at:
University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Management
Hanson Hall ( on Riverside and 20th Ave S. )
Room 1-106

About ‘Siren’:

“I could have sat for hours hypnotized by the final crystal chord of the spinning oscillators” – Live Art Magazine

‘Siren’ is a whirling, spinning spectacle of mechanical movement, electronic sound and light. Twenty-nine large metal tripods, up to 3m tall, have rotating arms that spin around, powered by electric motors. Hand built electronic tone generators power loudspeakers at the end of each arm creating an extraordinary sonic texture of pulsing electronic drones. Small LED’s at the end of the arms trace circles of light as the arms rapidly rotate creating a compelling visual image.
Siren
The audience, kept at a safe distance from the whirling arms by a safety barrier, are able to move freely about the space and experience different sonic and visual perspectives of the work. Meanwhile the performers move about within the mass of swirling metal machinery, operating their machines and tuning oscillators to change the musical composition while dodging and ducking the rapid movement of the rotating arms.

Siren will be at Walker Art Center this week only:
Performance Information
Date: Friday February 20, 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm and
Saturday February 21, 2:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm
Place: McGuire Theater
Price: $15 ($12 Walker members)
Click here for more.

Batsheva Primer

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The Walker and Northrop asked local dance historian Judith Brin Ingber to share her insights about the upcoming performance of Batsheva Dance Company’s performance of Shalosh (Three) on Wednesday, February 18 at 7:30 pm. (on behalf of Judith Brin Ingber) The big thing in dance circles right now is the 100th anniversary celebration with many [...]

The Walker and Northrop asked local dance historian Judith Brin Ingber to share her insights about the upcoming performance of Batsheva Dance Company’s performance of Shalosh (Three) on Wednesday, February 18 at 7:30 pm.

(on behalf of Judith Brin Ingber)

The big thing in dance circles right now is the 100th anniversary celebration with many companies in many countries recognizing the genius of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, which premiered on May 19th, 1909 in Paris. Batsheva is coming before May 19th but it is interesting to compare the two concepts put forth by the two companies.

At the opening of the 20th Century we were forced to consider all kinds of revolutionary ideas in dance regarding gender (the great solo dancer Nijinsky toyed with androgyny such as playing the rose in the Ballets Russes “Spectre de la rose”). There were revolutionary composers such as Stravinsky or the “French Six” and dancers couldn’t count the new music and the audience was rumored to sometimes throw tomatoes because of their discomfort. Sometimes there were characters from history or stories based on fables like Petrouchka or Scheherazade. There could be short ballets too, which could mean perhaps three on a program rather than a long fairy tale evening of one ballet. (Note: I hope our readers were able to see the recent James Sewell Ballet production of “Petrouchka” choreographed by Sally Rousse, which had it’s own contemporary twists).

Why do I bring all this up regarding Batsheva’s performance at Northrop next Wednesday at 7:30? Because in a way we haven’t coped with Diaghilev’s revolution that started 100 years ago and now we will be challenged by Ohad Naharin’s. He is the director and master choreographer of the Tel Aviv based company which has a breathtaking international schedule. Narahin’s luminary reputation is also international and his works can be seen in other companies besides his own. We will be seeing “Shalosh” with 17 dancers on a plain stage in 70 minutes of dance.

So what are some of the challenging ideas for an audience member concerning gender, music, costume or lack of, technique and meaning?

Looking to and at the relations shown between the dancers might show casual genderless connections though on closer look I would dispute that impression. The duets and unison show a humanity without stars or divas. The dancers depict no particular character and there seem to be no reference points for narration or meaningful gestures to ground the movement in a certain place or time. What exists are fleeting flavors and personal lexicon. There are three sections which have individual character and the total must account for the title “Three” or “Shalosh” in Hebrew. Ideas of beauty, unison, sensuality and virtuosity all have new interpretations in the hands of Naharin. What does a choreographer do to upset the way dancers find their center and their power and consequently the way we measure technique? The quilt of music thrown over the dance or sometimes quietly under it also is something to consider. Come to the concert to test your ideas of what is newest in the look of dance. It will be a provocative and marvelous evening for you.

Judith Brin Ingber
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Judith Brin Ingber is a local dance historian taking part in “A Conversation About Batsheva” in Northrop’s Studio 4 from 6:30 – 7:15 pm, a discussion amongst William and Nadine McGuire Senior Curator, Performing Arts, Philip Bither; and Northrop Director, Ben Johnson. This preview is in association with Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, Walker Art Center, and Northrop Dance.

Musings on Possible Musics

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From his spot in the middle of the McGuire theater, surrounded by various digital accoutrements and the Maarifa Street band, Jon Hassell treated a nearly-full house to 90 minutes of his slow-moving, subtle, and eclectic music that attempts to encompass many of the musical traditions of the world, both past and present. Unfortunately, to my [...]

From his spot in the middle of the McGuire theater, surrounded by various digital accoutrements and the Maarifa Street band, Jon Hassell treated a nearly-full house to 90 minutes of his slow-moving, subtle, and eclectic music that attempts to encompass many of the musical traditions of the world, both past and present. Unfortunately, to my ears, all of the adjectives generally used to describe this music—atmospheric, celestial, ethereal, etc—didn’t quite fit this performance as well as a less generous one would: boring.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some exquisite sounds throughout the evening, which was divided between an hour-long “set” of a number of segued pieces and a final 10-minute piece after Hassell introduced the group. At one point, swells of Hassell’s laconic trumpet, digitally processed into a multi-voiced ensemble, rode upon a wave of synthesizer and bass created by the rest of the band. There were snatches of music that dotted the sonic landscape from across earthly time and space, whether it be Bitches Brew organ, didgeridoo, pan pipes, or digital glitches, just to name a few.  These were all blended together with extreme subtlety and precise attention to tone and timbre.

While these came in fits and starts, there was one consistently fascinating element to the night: the live sampling of the Norwegian Jan Bang. While Bang was integral throughout, many of the pieces in the first part of the evening were linked together through a swirling recombinant soundscape comprised of sampled and manipulated snippets produced just minutes before by the rest of the band. Problem was, these re-imagined imaginings, as it were, were more stimulating than the music they drew upon!

Frankly, though, these elements didn’t go past this surface level of interest, disparate sonic bits  not adding up to a coherent whole. And it certainly didn’t support the cultural baggage of being “Fourth World,” a hybrid music “both ancient and digital, composed and improvised, Eastern and Western.” While the vaguely “ethnic” sounding elements throughout the night gave the music this “global” character, the music seems to strive for a conception of placelessness, perhaps even a utopian sonic landscape that we aren’t quite ready to achieve in this mundane world.

While there was definitely more substance here than most “new age” music—give me this over Yanni, George Winston, or John Tesh any day—I left the theater feeling that despite the heights of possibility and potential in the concept of his music, what was actually put forth could’ve been so much more.

Dig Deeper: Jon Hassell, Visionary Composer/Trumpeter

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“It’s difficult to think what contemporary music would sound like without his influence. …there’s no doubt that Jon Hassell has had an effect on contemporary music as important as Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix or James Brown or the Velvet Underground.” —The Wire Interview with Jon Hassell from BBC Radio BBC: Now, Jon Hassell: you [...]

“It’s difficult to think what contemporary music would sound like without his influence. …there’s no doubt that Jon Hassell has had an effect on contemporary music as important as Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix or James Brown or the Velvet Underground.” —The Wire

John Hassell self portrait

Interview with Jon Hassell from BBC Radio
BBC: Now, Jon Hassell: you may not know the name but you probably know the sound. A very distinctive trumpet sound, muted and swirling around in electronics and you can hear him playing on albums by people like David Sylvian, 808 State, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno and Talking Heads, an impressive list if ever there was one, or you can catch him on any of his ten solo albums where he plays an original mix of styles he calls Fourth World. Well, he was over recently from the States and we got him to take us through his eventful career and explain what exactly is Fourth World.

John Hassell: Well it began as a term some fifteen years ago to describe my interest in ethnic music combined with my interest in electronics technology. I studied with Stockhausen and with an Indian musician and an incredible classical vocalist Pandit Pran Nath and I began doing things like, he would sing a phrase and I would play the phrase on the trumpet, given that raga is a form that depends on curves, it’s shape making. It’s like making a beautiful shape and that resulted in a sound that was very vocal. But I was also deeply touched by Miles Davis and jazz. So I wanted to show that there was a music in which improvisation played a part but it wasn’t jazz, which in fact reflected the state of music in the rest of the world. It’s the only music in the Occident in which there is no improvisation in classical music. I wanted to take these three elements of Indian music, the background the tamboura, the foreground of the solo, and the tabla. I used those as a model but I didn’t want to have an association with Indian music. So I would create an electronic background, which might be made up of a sample of pygmy voices mixed in with a sample of Yma Sumac, a little bit of Hollywood orchestration behind her, something from the fifties, plus a bit of gamelan music from Java. Then my playing the Raga, Darbari. I’m leading up to a record called Aka-Darbari-Java / Magic Realism. This was an attempt to take the spirit of various places and then create a world that doesn’t exist.

WHAT THE REVIEWERS ARE SAYING:
“Almost all of the musicians I meet at the moment seem to regard Jon Hassell as one of the God-like geniuses of contemporary music.” —David Toop, The Wire

“Work of quite extraordinary beauty . . . This pan-cultural music swirls and rises like smoke . . . Hassell blends his experiences in such a way that the components—African drumming, Indian microtonality, Balinese tranquility—make a new palette while forfeiting none of the individual colors.” —London Times

RELATED LINKS
Jon Hassell Biography
Strange Magic Article on Jon Hassell from LA Weekly by John Payne

VIDEO CLIPS OF JON HASSELL
John Hassell and Maarifa Street live in Belgrade, Serbia

TICKETS to the Minneapolis show at Walker
Thursday, February 12, 2009 @ 8pm McGuire Theater