Top: Cory Arcangel plays some glockenspiel parts he added to Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run, at vertexList last night. You may or may not know that that record already, in fact, has glockenspiel on it--it's the tinkly, xylophony sound that Springsteen included on some songs, along with strings, to make the music more "produced," orchestral, and/or Phil Spectorish. I didn't know it, but I have a hard time caring, since I don't like Bruce Springsteen's music at all. I also don't know what Arcangel's relationship is to that music, or the glockenspiel--ironic? admiring? a little of both? In any case, for this performance, he played over the album, karaoke-style, pinging poignantly on the glock in a milieu that might be described as "Dada meets the hits of the '70s meets mallet instrument fan fiction." Whatever I think of Springsteen, I enjoyed the effect this patience-testing performance had on the crowd, which perhaps wasn't expecting something so modest, or arch, from an artist known to do surprise virtuoso pieces.
In the bottom photo, Paul Slocum more straightforwardly rocks the audience with his '80s home computer ensemble--note piano keys positioned over a seriously fat QWERTY keyboard. Unlike others in the plinky, fun, 8 BIT school, Slocum makes dark, dense, dreamlike music--a la the Velvet Underground, only with chipdrones instead of guitars and a rhythm box instead of Mo Tucker. Pedal effects to boost the volume and filter sweeps to bend the notes create an engulfing wall of sound. You can hear tunes within tunes inside all the distortion. The occasion was the opening of his solo show at the gallery, and he was playing without his usual Tree Wave partner Lauren Gray. Her vocals were missed but the performance (and his show) were excellent. Also in the exhibit is Slocum's piece Deep House for Symphonic Band and Choir, 2006. It was great to see it in person and confirm this favorable preReview.
(BTW, the woman to the right in the picture isn't giving the photographer a significant look, I swear-- she's watching the mesmerizing, Slocum-designed, psychedelic pixel display on a wall-projection behind me. No, really.)
Updated several times with new info and thoughts.
OK, but what's the story on the brunette in the bottom pic?
Post updated, thanks. I knew there was something I needed to cover before I went to sleep last night.
no way Tom, she is checking you out!
"That man with the camera...he seems so...dedicated."
Is that the same Cory that's appearing tomorrow night at Berkeley's ATC and interventions lecture series at 105 Northgate Hall?
that looks suspiciously like a commodore 64 paul slocum is playing. it has a special keyboard overly to 'emulate' piano keys. if i remember correctly they respond very unlike piano keys and are notoriously difficult to play.
the c64 came packaged with it in the 80s in a 'creative' themed box set - along with a light pen for drawing directly on your tv screen and a speech cartridge. it was seriously cool, i wish i still had it.
why don't you like springsteen? Just curious.
Bruce Springsteen is to me completely middle of the road, "middlebrow" rock. I don't like it, but there's nothing there strong
enough to hate.
I'm basically a prog and techno head. My taste in rock leans more to Krautrock, Stooges, Velvets, Feelies, Ramones, Doors, Meat Puppets, etc. Of '70s pop, I even prefer Steely Dan to the Boss, because they're smart, exquisite song writers. Or Todd Rundgren. Yeah.
Fair enough. One thing Springsteen is definitly not is prog/techno. However, as far as songwriting is concered, I'd really recommend his first acoustic album Nebraska, especially "Highway Patrolman". Just my humble opinion.
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Top: Cory Arcangel plays some glockenspiel parts he added to Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run, at vertexList last night. You may or may not know that that record already, in fact, has glockenspiel on it--it's the tinkly, xylophony sound that Springsteen included on some songs, along with strings, to make the music more "produced," orchestral, and/or Phil Spectorish. I didn't know it, but I have a hard time caring, since I don't like Bruce Springsteen's music at all. I also don't know what Arcangel's relationship is to that music, or the glockenspiel--ironic? admiring? a little of both? In any case, for this performance, he played over the album, karaoke-style, pinging poignantly on the glock in a milieu that might be described as "Dada meets the hits of the '70s meets mallet instrument fan fiction." Whatever I think of Springsteen, I enjoyed the effect this patience-testing performance had on the crowd, which perhaps wasn't expecting something so modest, or arch, from an artist known to do surprise virtuoso pieces.
In the bottom photo, Paul Slocum more straightforwardly rocks the audience with his '80s home computer ensemble--note piano keys positioned over a seriously fat QWERTY keyboard. Unlike others in the plinky, fun, 8 BIT school, Slocum makes dark, dense, dreamlike music--a la the Velvet Underground, only with chipdrones instead of guitars and a rhythm box instead of Mo Tucker. Pedal effects to boost the volume and filter sweeps to bend the notes create an engulfing wall of sound. You can hear tunes within tunes inside all the distortion. The occasion was the opening of his solo show at the gallery, and he was playing without his usual Tree Wave partner Lauren Gray. Her vocals were missed but the performance (and his show) were excellent. Also in the exhibit is Slocum's piece Deep House for Symphonic Band and Choir, 2006. It was great to see it in person and confirm this favorable preReview.
(BTW, the woman to the right in the picture isn't giving the photographer a significant look, I swear-- she's watching the mesmerizing, Slocum-designed, psychedelic pixel display on a wall-projection behind me. No, really.)
Updated several times with new info and thoughts.
- tom moody 10-15-2006 11:04 am
OK, but what's the story on the brunette in the bottom pic?
- steve 10-15-2006 5:41 pm
Post updated, thanks. I knew there was something I needed to cover before I went to sleep last night.
- tom moody 10-15-2006 6:52 pm
no way Tom, she is checking you out!
- marcin (guest) 10-15-2006 10:25 pm
"That man with the camera...he seems so...dedicated."
- tom moody 10-15-2006 10:40 pm
Is that the same Cory that's appearing tomorrow night at Berkeley's ATC and interventions lecture series at 105 Northgate Hall?
- joester 10-15-2006 11:23 pm
that looks suspiciously like a commodore 64 paul slocum is playing. it has a special keyboard overly to 'emulate' piano keys. if i remember correctly they respond very unlike piano keys and are notoriously difficult to play.
the c64 came packaged with it in the 80s in a 'creative' themed box set - along with a light pen for drawing directly on your tv screen and a speech cartridge. it was seriously cool, i wish i still had it.
- rich (guest) 10-17-2006 2:46 am
why don't you like springsteen? Just curious.
- anonymous (guest) 10-27-2006 1:19 am
Bruce Springsteen is to me completely middle of the road, "middlebrow" rock. I don't like it, but there's nothing there strong
enough to hate.
I'm basically a prog and techno head. My taste in rock leans more to Krautrock, Stooges, Velvets, Feelies, Ramones, Doors, Meat Puppets, etc. Of '70s pop, I even prefer Steely Dan to the Boss, because they're smart, exquisite song writers. Or Todd Rundgren. Yeah.
- tom moody 10-27-2006 1:37 am
Fair enough. One thing Springsteen is definitly not is prog/techno. However, as far as songwriting is concered, I'd really recommend his first acoustic album Nebraska, especially "Highway Patrolman". Just my humble opinion.
- anonymous (guest) 10-27-2006 8:44 am