Carving Space with Sound

admin — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:58:36 +0000

I was at a jam session the other day with a couple of the regulars (Wake, Allan) and one of my new musical friends, Michael Andrews. He’s an awesome piano player, from whom I am happy to jam with, considering the learning opportunities his presence presents for this particular keyboardist wannabe (though I’m sure he’d contest his viability as an influential source, which makes him all the more amiable). That said, in betwixt jams we were taking a break outside (mostly they were being polite as I indulged in a cigarette) discussing music as musicians inevitably do, and Mike said, “carving space with sound.” It was the second time that I’ve heard him say this during one of my self-indulgent time-wasting smokefests. I was fascinated the first time, this time – I was compelled to delve more deeply into the semantics of what “felt” like a very true statement. I’m extremely interested in the relationships between physics and aesthetics (particularly those affiliated with sound), and I’m also particularly fond of dissecting language. A couple of things took me immediately. “Space” was the first word that really grabbed me. Not because the usage of the word “space” was such a big deal in and of itself, but the mentioning of “space” without the mentioning of “time” struck me as puzzling. As far as my base understandings go, these two are virtually the same. Then, it began to hit me…music is a temporal art. Music requires time. So, that being true, then one can assume the “time” element of “space” as understood (remember Algebra? And how certain values are simply understood because of other present elements? Yeah, me neither, roll with it.).

Music is a sound based temporal aesthetic experience; not unlike watching a movie (particularly in this electronic age in which we can listen to damn nigh whatever we want to for a buck or so). It requires more of the listener than the viewer of a film, as it doesn’t please as many of the senses (that’s totally just my opinion), but is nonetheless an experience, that effects the perceiver in an emotional and/or intellectual way, that requires time. It can be just as much of a linear narrative as a film. And, like film, it can be just as convoluted. Such are the wonderfully womanly wiles of art. (Sorry for the sexist comment, ladies…but, for what it’s worth, those womanly wiles of which I speak were preceded by the adverb “wonderfully.”)

So, according to this interesting quote, musicians are “carving space-time with sound.” Now for the fun non-mathematic part…”carving.” Ah, how I love language! Carving! Carving involves sharp blades and resistance. Carving is an extremely physical experience. Carving is dangerous. Carving can make you bleed. My family owned a butcher shop when I was young. I have worked a great deal in construction. I have cut, sawed, whittled, and shaven with many a blade; I have drawn my own blood on more than one occasion (not purposefully…through haste and negligence mostly); and my hands have dried and cracked for the work. I have many scars on my hands because of these experiences. Playing music is a very visceral experience. You get tense, you sweat, you have to use your muscles, both large and small. It’s work. But, it’s viscerality isn’t just in its physical manifestation (i.e., playing music) it’s visceral because of the temporal aesthetic experience that is playing music. You didn’t think all the fun was had solely by the listener, did you?

So, in the end, you have an extremely visceral and physical experience that quite literally effects the space-time human experience of the listener. I gotta say, I really got a lot outta the notion that we as musicians are “carving space with sound.”

Me and My Acoustic Guitar…

admin — Wed, 04 May 2011 22:49:51 +0000

I’ve been playing guitar a long time. And even though I am primarily marketing myself these days as a keyboardist/singer/songwriter, I do (and have done) most of my songwriting with my Taylor 314-CE. I love that guitar, and it’s been good to me. This particular part of the blog will be devoted to “demo” and “dummy” recordings…just as a way to give people an opportunity to hear what I’ve been working on lately, and what I have worked on in the past. Here are a couple of teaser recordings to get you started. Check back often! I have a bunch of solo acoustic recordings and will be posting them intermittently! All songs were recorded, mixed, mastered by Johnathan Walker, unless otherwise noted.

The song “Bones in My Pocket” is about the Robert Johnson legend. I mention this because I have always been fascinated by the folklore surrounding this particular story. There is a superstition in some occult traditions that states that if one intends upon meeting the Devil, one must take the bone(s) of a black cat and bury it where the hoodoo practitioner intends the Devil to appear. Hence the title.

Bones in My Pocket

Precious Time (recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jason Huntsinger)

Don’t They Look So Pretty (I cheated, the strings are from my keyboards)