No Subject

[KThalken <kthalken@jps.net>]

Hi!,
My apologies for barging in on your mailing list, I found it while
searching for information on the birimbau and funny thing that I stumbled
upon information on looping that I hadn't found before.

Joseph Arthur is the subject of my web page and he had described "looping"
in an interview with Chris Douridas on KCRW:

<<CD: So you've got a show tonight at the Coach House in San Juan
Capistrano and there's another one at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica
tomorrow. And it's going to be you and your guitar, right?

JA: Right, well, I also do some things where I loop my guitar live, nothing
pre recorded but play some loops using like long delays but only, like, on
a few things. It adds another dimension. Most of it's solo, acoustic.>>

then a fan described the McCabes Show:
<<What was so incredible about this performance was the sampling work he
did. In fact, before the performance, Joseph made sure the audience knew
that what we were about to hear was live and not a recording. Layer upon
layer (I lost count at 5 or 6), Joseph sampled everything from rhythmic
beats on the body and strings of his guitar, plaintiff wails into the body
of his guitar, intricate finger-work on the strings, to use of an Ebow (a
little electronic device that vibrates the strings and picks up the
harmonics... you get the "singing sound" but without the attack of the
string being struck) to deliver Big City Secret as a rich and textured 
song. 

As he prepared to end the song, Joseph calmly put down his guitar, crouched
down with his bottle of water, and patiently faded out the layers of
samples as carefully and as patiently as he had created them. Many artists
generally don't want you to "see" the electronics, but Joseph Arthur,
"played" his sample peddle as if it were as important as his guitar. This
version of Big City Secret lasted about 10 minutes and brought the house
down with enthusiastic cheers. When the song was finished Joseph said that
his sampling work was "cheaper than a band... I want a band." Forget the
band Joseph! You are great solo!>>

and finally ... someone posted on the Real World Records Studios Forum 
board:
<<I have seen joseph Arthur several times on his US Tour. How exactly is he
set up with the Jam Mans & his rig on stage. Thats the hottest thing out in
music right now.>>

Looking around the loopers-delight site (beautiful header on your site
BTW!) I saw Jam Mans mentioned so I'm pretty sure I'm in the right place.
There is also a Brian Eno connection... he sings backup on one of Joseph's
songs and Markus Dravs produced Joseph's cd.

I'm not a musician and obviously don't know what looping is but would like
to have something on my page that would accurately describe looping in
laymans terms, addressing the concept and equipment.  Since I don't feel
comfortable writing about it, would anyone be willing to write a short
piece that I could place on my web page?  

Thank You,
Kathleen Thalken
http://www.jps.net/kthalken/