the sound of wall (follow-up)

in spite of the rain (an element which frightens LA folk into a state of non-being) the "sound of wall" opening was a success! we dedicated our improvised demonstrational performance to the french composer Luc Ferrari. Just so happened that feb. 5th was his birthday, so we just put the elements together. unfortunately, the piece was not recorded, but was titled in a very on a very Ferrari hinge "Presque bien avec strings". here are some photos and info:

“the sound of wall”
by: (knee shy)

The sound of wall was built specifically for installation at Origami Vinyl. When faced with creating a piece for an audio driven environment. (knee shy) took a peek into our own sound inclinations and interests. The resulting product was this assemblage.

As both sound-makers and listeners, we found a common focus on some of the worlds heavier, concept/theory based sounds and the purveyors of... also referred to with such tags as: experimental composition, new music, 20th century composition; and includes such names as: John Cage, Henry Cowell, Christian Wolff, Glenn Branca, etc.

However, when put to the masses, ideas in this realm sometimes succumb under their own weight and sink in terms of general interest. Even from the stand point of being fans of the theories and methods employed, we agree that waxing on and on over the subject is a terrific way to be labeled as extremely boring.

In answer to resolving our hang-ups with the over-intellectualizing that can so easily turn off interest, we have tried a combination of the above mentioned with our natural (knee shy) penchant for interactivity and light heartedness.

For “the sound of wall” (an obvious and satirical reference to the amplification system once employed by the Grateful Dead) we have created an interactive “non-traditional music instrument”. It is a device containing many elements which lead to instant experimentation and composition, extended technique, and other forms of non-traditional instrument use.

The intentional lack of elegance in the aesthetic qualities of “the sound of wall” are reflective of our trust and love for the d.i.y. mentality, and how it is very possible to experiment and build on a higher academic pattern of concept with a homespun adjustment.

We welcome questions, comments, and for anyone who feels inclined to “play” the sound of wall.

(knee shy)= j. shelley harrison + jeremy kennedy

Special Thanks to:
Origami Vinyl, Lone Horn, Yosuke Kitazawa, Adam Reese, Jamie for helping us get this stuff over here, and the person who hated that piano enough to give to us.

"the sound of wall" by:(knee shy)

“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

(knee shy) is a fun-loving art duo, and recent addition to the bulging rolodex of the Los Angeles art community. With their upcoming installation piece, “the sound of wall”, they plan to display their penchant for inclusive playfulness, as well as their love of the strange and beautiful.

The piece itself is essentially a large wall mounted string instrument to which most standard technical titles both do and do not apply. The 7 section unit contains in total 111 strings, some strung properly and others prepared with a variety of objects. The object is amplified both electrically and naturally, and fills the roll of several traditional instrument variants.

Guests are welcome to interact with the piece. For the opening of the installation, (knee shy) will also perform a sound piece composed specifically for the piece in it’s current tuning. It’s sure to be full of 4 handed plucking, bowing, string piano, and other extended technique action.

The opening event for the piece is set for Friday February 5th. Along with the scheduled performance, sounds will be spun by: Lone Horn (aaron from the Horns of Happiness) and the Origami Vinyl crew. “the sound of wall” will be on exhibition and playable at Origami Vinyl from February 5th until April 5th, during normal store hours.

big trouble in little china

ok. so this might suck, but from this point forward, this blog is dedicated to john carpenter's "big trouble in little china"...until i decide to remedy the situation occurring in thy mind. have you seen this film? fuck you if you have haven't. i have unanimously come to the conclusion that this is the best thing ever. period.
i love jack burton (kurt russel). if i could chose to be someone besides jeremy kennedy, i would chose to be jack burton. in many ways i am, or am becoming jack burton. jack burton is great, kurt russell is great, and john carpenter is great...especially considering the fact that no one stopped him from making the soundtrack for "big trouble". i will now refer to the film as "btilc", herein.

"son of a bitch must pay"

joshua brennan

joshua brennan's work is extremely taser factory. i've enjoyed it for quite some time, but only recently got around to looking him up web style. he did his mfa printmaking thing at IU. i always looked forward to seeing his new work at SOFA gallery during the school year. it never failed to really get me going, so much so that i would end up drinking way too much and would have to leave.
i wish we had had the opportunity to talk more about things or hang out while we were in the same town, but it never seemed in the cards. someone spoke to me about similarities in our work once, but i didn't get it.
yeah! don't be a fool like me, and wait forever to check out his site! there is so much brushed over content and style in his pieces...it gouges the depths of my mind. these edgy clusterfucks i've attached here are just the tip of the 'riceberg. his site is totally stacked with work of many different makes.

i especially enjoy the "floor and table" series in the drawings section.
www.joshuabrennan.com

"Lost Cat" by: the kwop organization

the kwop organization is a pre/post puppy vs. dyslexia audio project that crab jackson and i did/do/?. Once upon a time we happened upon this here "lost cat" flyer at our house. we stayed up late drinking that night, and at around 2 in morning crab called the number on the flyer. when he got the (Al's) answering machine, he read back the entire flyer as a message. this was probably received as very frightening. who knows. check out the track!

the kwop organization- "holding handsful of terror" album cover

listen to "Lost Cat"

"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

dysmal abyss by: justin clifford rhody

among all of the pieces of paper with stuff on it that i own, this is one of my favorites! another piece by jcr. like i said before, he sends me awesome stuff. i would have loved to had signed up for "dysmal abyss", but i think jcr was living in maine at the time. that is too far away for me to make it to band practice.
this flyer is taser factory! i had it on our refrigerator for a long time, then at some party at the house somebody sprayed it with blue tempera paint. at first i was really pissed about, then i decided to like it even more.
this band should play a show in every mind.

bloomington music scene in chinese art magazine! by: jeremy hogan

bloomington based photographer jeremy hogan is always doing wonderful things. for example... here a feature he got going for a chinese art magazine titled: vision. it's a rundown on the bloomington, indiana music scene with jeremy's always amazing photos and words. this photo of (knee shy) made it in, along with lots of friends and stuff! pretty rad.

(knee shy) is full lifestyle gear.

justin clifford rhody looking bad ass up in the air.
i have always loved this photo of early day miners.
here's a link to the magazine... http://www.youthvision.cn/content200911.asp
you can translate some stuff via google, etc.

play with your hairs...takeshi kitano

play with your hairs. i love this song. this excerpt is from the "getting any?" (1995), starring takeshi kitano. kitano (also known as beat takeshi) is a very funny man. i think this is funny and i think he is funny. he also happens to be a brilliant film maker, actor, writer,and artist, with a taser factory career and life story to back that statement up. but for now, play with your hairs.

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.

"a minute to pray, a second to die" by: chris d.

chris d. is known in the sound realm for his work singing for late 70's los angeles punk rock unit "the flesh eaters" (which also harnessed the skills of other l.a. players then making their initial markings), and later "the divine horsemen". "a minute to pray, a second to die" (the title of a flesh eaters album) is a deep collection of writing which spans his career from there to here.
the 30 or so years encapsulated in this text easily blasts holes through the mind, in a slow motion scene with strobing lights. it's a dream journal or life written as a dream journal and a clue-in to the systemic cinematic infection that has been the furnace for so much of this man's career. there is technique to his madness.
death ballad scrapings and an outlaw director's view-finder. pulp + noir. doesn't put your mind at easy.i went to his reading late last year. it was indeed taser factory. mary waronov read as well which was also incredible as hell.
i think he might be doing readings various cities...maybe yours?
more info here: http://newtextureblog.blogspot.com/