Re: Re[2]: ProjeKct 2 @ Palookaville, Santa Cruz, CA...

[Laurie Hatch <lahatch@dnai.com>]

[Apologies for whatever weirdness pops up in the formatting - I had to do 
some 
manual indenting.]

>From:  Mike Biffle [SMTP:Mike.Biffle@wj.com]
>Sent:  Tuesday, March 24, 1998 10:41 AM

>>Subject: Re: ProjeKct 2 @ Palookaville, Santa Cruz, CA...
>>Author:  "Matt McCabe" <mattm@bi-tech.com> at INTERNET
>>Date:    3/24/98 10:07 AM
>
>
>Miko wrote: ProjecKt 2 w/Fripp, Belew and Gunn was pretty awesome friday 
>night!
>
>>Well...looks like I missed meeting Miko and Laurie at P2 concert in SC.
>>Alas!  A belated howdy to you!!!
>
>        Sorry we missed you!

Ditto that.  We coulduv thrown our collective looper's weight around down 
in 
the gearhead pits, huh?  :-)


>>Although it was gratifying hearing the much loved Fripp fuzz tone, I left
>>wondering how they could do this gig night after night.  With 3 extremely
>>talented and gifted musicians on stage I excepted more than just hallow
>>wanking.  I kept waiting for the next level.
>
>>Perhaps I'm too much of an idealist.
>
>>People on ET have been raving about "the new vocabulary" P2 is exploring.
>.I heard nothing new.  I heard drum sounds straight from ToaPP (Three of a
>>Perfect Pair's "Industry"), soundscaping from Fripp's many recent solo
>>discs, and Gunn's noodling ala his solo discs....

The age-old "artiste" question comes to mind, and it's one of the toughest 
we 
have to ask ourselves: when are we exploring and perfecting subtleties and 
refinements in our approach to our craft, as opposed to rehashing the same 
old 
stuff without getting anywhere?  -- The old "go with what you know/what is 
easy/what is safe/what sells" trap?  Who is qualified to judge this?  
Sometimes 
the best kick in the butt comes from outside of ourselves - our listeners, 
fellow players, magazine crits, etc.  Or, they just might not have a clue 
as to 
where we are headed.  There are no easy, or "correct" answers.  But we've 
gotta 
constantly ask the question.

Matt, you've put in a heck of a lot more time listening to these guys than 
I 
have, and therefore your expectations are more substantially based.  This 
is a 
good thing!  It helps me to reevaluate what I'm hearing.

>        Well, maybe it's not exactly a NEW vocabulary, but It's a chance 
>to 
LOOK
>        for the new, while having a little fun. This tour offered these 
>three 
>        persons the opportunity to improvise *together*. Sometimes magic 
>        happens, sometimes dreck. But the opportunity* doesn't often 
>present 
>        itself.
>
>        Having the option to go back to the drawing board and spend a 
>year 
>        writing and recording a release, then touring to support it... 
>Locked 
>        into a fairly scripted progession of songs (possibly with great 
moments
>        of chance and risk)
>
>        OR
>
>        Taking a spring break and cruising out on a month long tour 
>*Jamming 
>        with a couple friends to recharge and make "any noise you felt 
>like" 
>        playing on a given night... I think I'd like the opportunity to 
>get 
out
>        there and wank a little. At least there's the chance it could be 
>        sublime.

Yeah Miko, good point about just cutting loose.  The stakes are higher, 
lots 
more risk.  But it can really be transitional.  At worst, it's a bomb.  
Most of 
us have probably been there a few more times that we like to admit.  The 
median 
level may be inconsistency; some gigs are better than others.  But the 
peak is 
that indescribably sublime and potent moment -- it might happen only once 
in 
the gig.  But oooohhh...  I think of it as riding a tsunami.  When you hit 
that 
peak, it's like nothing can stop the groove.

>>Geezzz....what's my problem?????

No problem, Matt.  Just being discriminating.  It's refreshing.

>>I think in my own looping I've been searching and struggling for form and
>>structure in my looping compositions.  I'm tired of improvised
>>guitar-drones that go nowhere, are lifeless and dead, and brandish the
>>"Recorded live with no overdubs/Completely improvised" tag. 
>>>BOOORRRRING.

That's cool. What kinds of things are you into as far as introducing the 
form 
you're after? (I've been thinking a lot about the roles improvisation and 
structure play in my loops.)

        [snip]
>>P.S.  That being say, the P2 song directly after the intermission was
>>*very* cool, erie, and sublime.  How in the heck was Gunn triggering 
>those
>>vocal samples?  IMO, this song hinted at what this group of musicians are
>>capable of.
        
>        I was pretty moved by that one as well. I had a nice seat to sit 
>back 
>        and close my eyes, and was transported! I agree with much of what 
>you 
>        say Matt. Sure the pounded on and on for a number of tunes.

Yeah, they really did go Somewhere Else on that one.  Seemed like the 
crowd was 
feeling it, too.

>        The more I write, the more I realize the importance of leaving 
>chance 
>        and risk in the formula, to allow stuff to evolve and grow. How 
>you 
add
>        structure around the chance, or add looseness to a strict 
>composition 
is
>        a dilemma we modern electroids all have to deal with.

No kidding, Miko.  Well said.

I really appreciated your comments, Matt.

laurie



>From owner-boogie-talk@listserv.duc.auburn.edu Tue Mar 24 14:42:16 1998