dude, congrats!!! that fucking rad!
be well.
 

And here are the original questions with my full answers unedited.
We did it via email.
He took out a bit that might have pissed off a few Olympians. :)

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- For those familiar with Dead Air Fresheners and Bloodclot shows, what
can be expected out of your solo cello show coming up at Le Voyeur?

My solo performance is probably more akin to Bloodclot than the DAF, although more closely related to modern 'classical' and synthesized musical forms.
The show will consist of myself playing acoustic/electric cello accompanying a slide show I made of manipulated, undeveloped film, the original version of which I premiered at the 12th Olympia Experimental Music Festival in 2006. This one uses most of the same slides with a few changes in order and a reprogrammed dissolve unit.




- Will the set be largely improvisational? How do you prepare for such a
thing?

Yes, for the most part. There are certain tones, effects combinations, techniques, and tricks that have a tendency to resurface now and again. Repeating ideas is inevitable, just as in spoken conversations. But sometimes a new insight, transition, or happy accident occurs which revamps everything. It also depends on the environment and my own mental state. If I am too present then it is likely to become complacent. If I am too absent then nothing of substance is conveyed and can meander way too much, losing its cohesiveness.

Preparing for shows takes place in a few different arenas.
A) I have to have my cello chops up to snuff just as if I were to play Dvorak. Every technique, be it of my own creation or from that whole classically oriented training, just adds to my colour pallet and allows me to freedom to think about other things. The whole 'wax on, wax off' idea.
Not only is this working on bowing, picking, and fingering techniques, I also try to push myself into different improvisational and stylistic realms to an extent that would be completely silly and pointless on stage. For example I did a multi-layered version of "Adore" by Prince the other week for probably three hours. Great fun but i would hate to watch or listen to it. Basically wanking the hell out of the instrument.
B) The electric cello work, which is done with a pickup on the same acoustic instrument, has to be done separately as the approach towards technique and tonal ideas are very different. I view the cello more as a stringed synthesizer, particularly when I'm playing the effects pedals. Most of the time one doesn't recognize that it is a cello at all.
There's also a fair amount of trouble-shooting, working with the EQ, figuring out which batteries and cables have decided to work against you, and rerouting pedals. Working with a looping pedal presents its own issues. Such as trying to make the most of it and not sound like every other person who owns the same gear.
and
C) Fine tuning the slide show and creating new slides is an ongoing affair. Eventually I hope to have multiple shows I can have available but that's going to take a lot of time to create. The slide show for Le Voyeur will be slightly different than the one I presented at Gallery 1412 on Aug 1st and the following show on Sept 19 in Portland will be vastly different from any previous.



- What's your goal with a solo cello performance? What are you trying to
get across to the audience?

Ah damnit, that's just the question I was asking myself. The reoccurring: "what's the point?" "who really gives a damn?" "why do I spend most of what I make in a year on this?" You know, the simple questions in life.
Honestly, I'm not always sure. I could give some bullshit answer about how I'm trying to awaken the imaginations of the audience and give insight into the human condition but that's a bit pretentious.
It's something that I'm rather compelled to do. If I don't perform for a long period of time I begin to lose my grounding in life. My moods will be more erratic and my thought processes slow down. However, if I have just one mediocre performance my state of mind will be pretty bad for a week or two post. I don't even mean a bad performance, just a so-so one.
What I do know is that when I watch another performer who is absolutely into what they are doing and are conveying a strong sense of honesty I am deeply moved. My brain becomes clear and ideas begin to ping around from hemisphere to hemisphere. It doesn't even matter what style of music they are playing or how 'gifted' they actually are. That intimacy and honesty are what I most strive for. When I don't achieve a deep level of personal truth I feel I have cheated the audience and will mope for a week post.
The slide show enhances the experience, I believe. They, the images and the cello, make sense together. We have become a society of visualization with everything. It's very difficult, even for me, to sit and watch a stoic performer such as myself without a wandering attention. My strongest responses have come from shows with the slides. So something must click with them.




- What's something uber-cool about the cello that not many people probably
realize?

It's better than any other instrument in the world.
In actuality, I can't think of another instrument that has the tonal variety or versatility of the cello. Winds and brass always sound like winds and brass. Plucked, fretted instruments are very limited due to the way they are attacked. Sure someone will rebut with "but the electric guitar..." to which I respond, "i can do that and way more on the cello." The violin and viola pretty much always sound like that. Compare fiddling with a Tchaikovsky concerto with Pendereki. The styles are vastly different but it all sounds pretty much the same.
Now for cello, compare a Bach suite to Xenakis to Apocolyptica to Hank Roberts to the folks in the Portland Cello Project. All acoustic. All completely different sounding.
The worst part about the instrument is the cost and traveling.



- Why do you believe Olympia's such a good home for what you do? Or is it?

Olympia is great to a point. Living here is cheap. There is a high concentration of artistic individuals who are all very supportive to each other, for the most part. It's a beautiful place and is a nice mid-ground to play Seattle or Portland. One can very easily develop their ideas and skills here. And what other small town has so many awesome shows a week? So much activism, progressive thought, nature, the Olympia Film Society, festivals, etc. There really is no other town like it.
However, playing shows to the same 15 people can be a bit redundant. All ages clubs have a really difficult time staying open for various reasons. I'm still pissed the Tropicana got ran out and that was 25 years ago! Audiences tend to be small because everyone else is out performing as well. Being in your mid to upper 30's can be a bit isolating at times since most people in the music/art community are in their 20's. It's also way too easy to be 'the best' at something here since there really isn't much competition, as it were. Big fish, small pond kind of thing. Olympia is not a very diverse town when it comes to ethnicity, religion, culture, or economics. We don't have the kind of people who can afford to support the arts in any large capacity as a real city does.
Also, I think Oly is going to be in for some difficult times. Part of it is due to the shift in economics in the music industry. Oly doesn't have the same underground pull as it once did. Kill Rock Stars has left for Portland, as have many of our long time residents. Our festivals aren't as influential because every town has its own festivals now. Aside from the arts, the local economy is hurting as it is in many places. What the city council and developers decide to do will dramatically alter or enhance this town. So many store fronts downtown are vacant as are many lots.
For me, it's one of the reasons I plan to leave for the East Coast. I have lived in Olympia for 30 of my years, having only gotten away for a few years after high school. I want a place where nothing is familiar and I have to work my ass off to make things happen so complacency will be less likely to set in. A place with new influences, cultures, languages, people, ideas, and hopefully kids my own age once in a while. I'm already sad to leave and it's still a year away.



- Musically speaking, what doe the future hold for you? What should people
know?

I plan to release two records over the next year. One of compositions written for me by various people around the US and the other a live recording. Those will both be on the Aphonia Recordings label (www.aphoniarecordings.com) which is ran by two fellow Evergreen alum, Ben L Robertson and Andrew Senna.
Fun will be incorporated into performances! Somehow, some way I'll add some fun to the mix. It won't all be brooding, contemplative, meditative catharses.
And before I move I am going to perform a large, free, 'thank you/so long, and thanks for all the fish' concert consisting of collaborations, improvs, and compositions by living and dead composers. I'm sure my final piece will be something by Arvo Paert and I will show my true identity is that of Batman. Ah damnit, I let it slip.