taser blasts 2015: : ... sound making performances,

i don't make it out for events nearly as much as i'd like. for a number of reasons. when i do, i always note the ones that made it everything or more...

1 (part 1) - Jacques Demierre and Urs Leimgruber @ artshare (LA).

it's been too long since i've witnessed such powerfully great players connect so perfectly to one another, and the audience ear. 

barre phillips, the performer i was most familiar with, was unable to make this a trio due to illness.

however, following a taserly reinforced and effected harp adventure with shelley burgon, a montage video of phillips moments made for a terrific lead-in to the performance.

1 (part 2) - White Magic @ katzen kultur (LA).

an extremely taser deep dive into this instrumentally unrestricted range, on really fun evening.

it was the release show for this: 

https://www.stonesthrow.com/store/ep/white-magic/i-m-hiding-my-nightingale

here's a fave from this drag city release:

got to play a show w/ a one of her former projects, quix*o*tic* (amazing)... already a fan of her sister's work w/ autoclave and slant 6, i kept following along. love it all, but this event was definitely a year shaper, ear sharpener.

(knee shy) - "(a)Tonal Destruction's the Only Solution" - Now Available

FMSMPRC Presents:
(a)Tonal Destruction’s the Only Solution
By: (knee shy)
Format: limited edition CD-r in one of a kind handmade packaging
Catalog #: FMSMPRC26

In early 2010 (knee shy), the chosen moniker of the collaborative workings of Los Angeles based artists j. shelley harrison and jeremy kennedy, presented an art/sound installation titled “the Sound of Wall” at Origami Vinyl, a record store/performance space in LA’s Echo Park community.

The piece itself was essentially a large wall mounted string instrument built specifically for the space. The 7-section unit contained in total 111 strings, some strung properly and others prepared with a variety of objects. Amplified both electrically and naturally, it filled the roll of several traditional instrument variants, and encouraged the use of extended technique and improvisation.

“(a)Tonal Destruction’s the Only Solution” was not recorded on “the Sound of Wall”, but during the process of building the piece. The creation of the piece required (knee shy) to look to a number of existing instruments for ideas and more importantly, parts and components. Subsequently, many of these instruments were altered, broken, and otherwise cannibalized by the assemblage.

One such instrument was an upright spinet piano from 1964, the main source of sound during this recording. Starting with the improper removal of the piano’s keys and ending with the cutting of each string inside the body, this field recording captures the torturous and methodic disembowel in its entirety.

Atonal blasts compound with dying chirps as a result of the physical destruction, guided with a mix of care and chaos. Armed with an array of pliers, hammers, saws, snips, and other instruments of destruction, (knee shy) programs an instant arrangement birthed as much in chance as in crafted strokes of violence.

The wood and components taken from the instrument itself have been reused by the artists as raw materials for 4 separate projects to date, including the packaging for this limited release. Other pieces of note include (knee shy)’s “the Sound of Wall”, and j. shelley harrison’s “keys to an eighty-eighth”.

The originally noted “Sound of Wall” installation’s opening event featured an improvised performance, dedicated to Luc Ferrari (whose 83rd birthday coincided with the event), played on the assemblage. (knee shy) sees this as a pre-extension of that composition, and a tribute to Ferrari’s fielding efforts.

“(a)Tonal Destruction’s the Only Solution” is now made available by FMSMPRC as a limited edition release of 30, in a variety of packaging created by the artists from materials recycled from the original piano.

Tyco Riley- (2010)

fmsmprc: myspace.com/fmsmprc

(knee shy): www.kneeshy.com

"keys to an eighty-eighth" - a new group project / curated by j. shelley harrison

“Keys to an Eighty-Eighth”
*an 88 person group art project curated by – j. shelley harrison
2010

About this project:

With “Keys to an Eighty-Eighth”, artist j. shelley harrison has created a very encompassing project based on a straightforward and communicable concept, the type of she is often noted for. After destroying a piano for a project by (knee shy) in early 2010, harrison was felt compelled to creatively implement the leftover parts. She was specifically drawn to the piano’s keys, and decided to distribute all 88 of them amongst 88 selected creative individuals.

The guidelines provided by harrison were extremely loose. Each individual has been instructed to prepared their key in some creative fashion, and returned the product to Harrison upon it’s completion. Per instruction, all participants maintain the control to do basically whatever they want involving the key given to them. Thanks to this liberalness, the body of work as a whole is already showing signs of incredible depth, and creative elements from one extreme to the next.

The ongoing variety of the pieces of can also be attributed to the scope of individuals selected by harrison to be part of the project. For participants, she selected creatives of all kinds, from all over the map. Visual artists, designers, writers, children, musicians, strangers, friends, family, insiders and outsiders... you name it. By inviting such a diverse crowd, she has captured a full spectrum of backgrounds and approaches, from sculptural to audio, photography to poetry.

Keys are still steadily arriving, and the end date from the project is still in the future. After all the keyed-up pieces make their return, the entire collection will be shown in a gallery exhibition. Where and when are still up in the air, and there is also the possibility of showings in multiple cities.

"the sound of wall" process photos #2

work go well. more parts we need. more we parts we get. not much time we have before the opening is.

double/triple harp

3rd bridge bass machine

guitar donated by yosuke

great! so i was saying something about an opening...

“the sound of wall”
installation + installation specific sound performance
by: (knee shy)
@ origami vinyl (1816 w sunset blvd / echo park)
Friday, February 5th
7-11pm

the sound of wall (1)

yesterday marked the beginning of actual physical work on "the sound of wall", an upcoming installation piece by (knee shy). the piece itself is a large multi-unit, wall mounted, 111 stringed electric/acoustic instrument. the first step was to acquire piano (which showed up early thursday evening). step 2 was to destroy the piano with a myriad of saws, hammers, and other destructive implements. this was super fucking fun and sounded great! we captured the death notes on a recorder, and will be doing something with that later. step 3: salvage the needed materials from the wreckage, and step 4 starts today, which is to start building "the sound of wall". here are a few photos the remains, which now fill the apartment.

strings

keys

piano stuffings

fucking up the piano was great, and on top of that, we are able to supply parts for at least 2 physical art pieces ("the sound of wall" & a tribute piece to jazz pianist Hampton Hawes) + the recording. we have to get another one sometime, and go even further. "the sound of wall" is set to open fri. february 5th @ Origami Vinyl in echo park... we have work to do.