Hi Steuart. I'm a fellow musician and looper, and
I play guitar, synths, whatever creating loops. I have played almost every
kind of music, apart from country, which I'm studying a bit and some jazz,
which I'm practicing now. I've done many loop /noise/ ambient performances,
both live and in studio. That just to make a little clear my background. I
couldn't follow the performance, living in Italy, but what you (and I mean
YOU) tell us is that it wasn't that much of a performance. When I have to play
a live session, however I'm feeling at the moment, I try to get to my audience
(expecially when I get paid from the audience) the best I can at the
moment.
** actually, i'd like to clarify
a little here: i didn't say too much about my/our own performance in
terms of an artistic judgement. i didn't feel that it was
appropriate. what i tried to do was give a critique of the rest of the
show and then a somewhat factual description of the set that anna and i played
- - including where i thought some rhythm and melody and form happened. if
you'd like, i can give my viewpoints on what was and wasn't successful about
our set; though i'm not sure how much that would help. but no, i didn't think
that our set wasn't MUCH. i actually quite liked most of it. again, there were
some who were quite complimentary.
And usually, I try to check my instruments before
I get to play.
** my eh 16 had problems after the sound check. why do i need to hear this
from you? i tend to pretty professional and i think that you are taking an
approach that assumes that i am not. why
is that? i resent it if you are.
Talking about the first show you
tell:
'joseph hammer: he
was ALL looping, it was only an analog tape loop (surprised me actually). used
cds (and maybe some other stuff) and fed 'em into a analog tape loop and
manipulated manually. interesting at first and quickly became tiring for me.
'
Well, is that a loop performance? That is nothing
more than every DJ one time or another does in is lifetime (and I play with a
DJ), and I think from your comment that it was (at least) a bit self
indulgent. I have done that kind of things myself sometimes, but while I was
in my studio, working on some background for my musical works, and I tried
always to develop that things.
** that was sort of my point. the person who
critiqued the evening was upset about there being no looping. what i
saw and heard was a guy putting performance media into a looping device
and manipulating it. i didn't
say whether or not it was "good" - - only that it had the hallmarks of
a looping performance (also it was of interest due to recent commentary
on using a tape recorder as a looping device). it was not like many djs i've
heard, it was more like musique concrete. as to whether or not it was
self-indulgent, i wouldn't even care to characterize it that way. how can
i tell if something is self-indulgent. i
think that there is a certain component of self-indulgence in almost all
music that is being made as
"art" rather than as functional music (dance music, ritual
music, funeral music, etc.). my idea of self-indulgence is probably quite
different than yours (i find a lot of fusion or prog stuff very
self-indulgent, but others think that it's the best stuff). if it means something to the performer and to
some of the audience is it only self-indulgent?
For the second performance, I can't
think that someone who plays guitar for a living cannot understand if someone
is really playing or not.
**
here's gary's quote:
"I play guitar and so does she--she mimed real
good--but it wasn't live.
the operative word
here is mime - - as in lip-syncing. what i was trying to say was that
he was wrong. she didn't mime it, she did "play live" - - i wouldn't say that
she played "well" or that i liked it. if you look at my post i merely said
that her fingers were hitting the strings (and that sounds was coming
out).
And you too told that the performance
was of no relevance for you, think about someone who paid to hear some music
and get that
** well relevance and not liking are two different
things - - at least in my book. again, there are films that i've seen that i
didn't particularly enjoy and cds that didn't do much for. heck there are
friends i've had that are no longer friends. nothing is for sure, you know? i
don't quibble with gary's right to be disappointed by the gig. that doesn't
bother me; neither does his "bad review" of the proceedings. i only wish
to have a little
different viewpoint about it. i suppose that i should reserve the same right
to go see him play and be disappointed - - or maybe not. maybe i'd like it. if i expect
something that i don't get, is that my fault or his?
stig
