Standing in the Stream - John Lane: Recent Episodes
John Lane
Standing in the Stream, hosted by percussionist and composer John Lane, features conversations with various creative artists in the field of music, visual art, writing/poetry, filmmaking, dance, and anything in between.
Libby Larsen is one of America’s most performed living composers. Her catalogue of some 500 compositions spans every genre from vocal to chamber music to massive orchestra and operatic works. Including a Grammy winning album in 1993, she has over 50 recordings to her credit. She continues to be in demand for commissions and premieres by artists worldwide.
She is the co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Form, now the American Composers Forum, and has held residencies with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony.
Percussionist and composer Scott Deal’s work is characterized by a deep interest in technology. His curiosity of new and emerging technologies spurred his founding of two collective projects. Scott founded the Telematic Collective, an Internet performance group of artists and computer specialists, and he is a founding member and percussionist with the computer-acoustic trio Big Robot.
As a performer, Scott has concertized worldwide and has recordings on labels including Albany, Centaur, Cold Blue and SCI. He has received funding for his research from organizations including Meet the Composer, Indiana Arts Council, and the Arts and Humanities Institute at IUPUI, where he is also a Professor of Music and Director of the Donald Louis Travel Arts and Technology Research Center.
Poet Dean Rader and I share an interest in engaging with socio-political themes in our creative work. In our previous conversation (Ep. 47), we ended with the idea that we’d come back and revisit this idea in a part 2. We are also both curious about interdisciplinary work and how one practice brushes up against another, so it seemed like a good follow up conversation. Instead, Dean ended up having a lot of questions about my work as a percussionist/composer and I ended up having some long answers. So, there you have it. I want to say a special thanks, again, to Dean for his interest in my work and the terrific conversation. Stay tuned for a potential part 3 with Dean down the road.
This week’s guest, Dean Rader, has published widely in the fields of poetry, American Indian Studies, and visual culture. His poetry has garnered a number of awards and recognitions including the T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize. His newest collection of poetry, Self-Portrait as Wikipedia Entry, was recently published by Copper Canyon Press. A native of Western Oklahoma, he is now based in San Francisco where he is professor of English at the University of San Francisco.
Andrea Polli is an environmental artist who works at the intersection of art, science and technology. Often her works express, in some way, the scientific data obtained from collaborations with scientists. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation and Fulbright. Her latest book is Far Field: Digital Culture, Climate Change and the Poles. She is currently Professor of Art and Ecology at the University of New Mexico.
I got to meet composer Charles Corey when I visited the Harry Partch Institute at the University of Washington in October of 2016. In this episode, Charles gives us a tour of the Partch Institute at UW. Chatting with Charles was also a great opportunity to get his very unique perspective on Partch and how Partch's work has influenced his own.
Jessie Marino's work as composer, musician and media artist pays attention to the virtuosity of common activities, explores ritualistic absurdity, and delights in the archeology of recent media. She is co-founder and director of the experimental performance collective, On Structure; and co-artistic director and cellist with Ensemble Pamplemousse. We chatted a lot about how vital community and friendship is to her work, how it informs the kind of work she makes. Jessie also has a great perspective on the intersection of music and socio-political ideals.
Drawing on his deep curiosity about science, technology, philosophy and many topics in between, David Huntsberger has cultivated a unique voice in comedy. In this second part, we chatted about making a career in comedy and the history of some creative projects. David has a great perspective on living/sustaining a creative life, too, and offers up some wisdom and good advice for all creatives. Make sure to catch the 16-second story from the latest Junk Show, his weekly variety show in LA, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzDFGNMFxCA
David Huntsberger is a unique voice in stand-up comedy. Drawing on his deep curiosity about science, technology, philosophy, and many topics in between, his comedy is intellectual, pointed, and self aware. In part one of our conversation, we touched on his background, making a career in comedy, and his creative process.
Artist Dawn Scarfe’s work investigates resonance, perception, and environmental atmospheres by utilizing a variety of forms and contexts, including site-specific installation, performance, and field recording. This episode features an in-depth discussion of her background and work.
This episode features an in-depth conversation with installation artist Craig Colorusso.
"Truth is a knife..."
So begins a short essay from 1975 by Richard Herbert Howe--an artist, photographer, and creator of New York in Plain Sight: The Manhattan Street Corners--written, I think, when he was a student of the iconic composer Herbert Brün at the University of Illinois.
This essay was given out as part of an introduction to a course in percussion literature and history with Allen Otte at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which some may think an unlikely place to encounter such a profound concept. The statements here about the nature of truth are as relevant today as they were when I first got this faded photocopy in 2006 and, I have to assume, as relevant as when he first started handing it to students in 1979.
We have arrived at a puzzling and troubling post-truth moment in our society. When the truth is inconvenient, it is tossed aside in favor of "alternative facts." In the parlance of an earlier age, these would simply have been called lies.
On the auspicious occasion of Allen's retirement this year, I've been reflecting on his teachings, in particular about the lessons learned in that class, but also on all the things I gleaned from all our interactions. Most of the revelatory learning moments for me--like the time he laughed at my first attempt at composition; not because it was bad, but because he said it made him happy--were deep lessons in being present. Al provided us a window into how to be in the world: how to be open with and contributive to each other, to our communities and society.
November 9, 2016: I was traveling and preparing to give a clinic at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and reeling from election results and what seemed to be an upending of the direction I thought America was headed. As I boarded for the flight to Indianapolis, Clinton was giving her concession speech. It felt like I had been punched in the gut. I realized that there was no way that I could give a presentation and not say something to at least acknowledge the deep feeling in my heart and the proverbial elephant in the room.
Then, there was Al, who suggested the best way to comment would be to make a creative response. I stayed up almost all night trying to come up with something. I couldn't quite get a new composition out of it, but I did draft the following statement, which I read at the end of my presentation:
"In the context of recent dramatic social events, which have provoked powerful and emotional responses, I am proud to be here celebrating art, education, and our community. Over the last eleven years of teaching, I have seen the transformative power of education. I choose to believe in an enlightened future.
I agree with Christopher White, who wrote to his students: "I teach because I believe communication and expression through art is a crucial tool for understanding ourselves and each other and (hopefully) improving the world around us." [You can read Christopher White's letter to his students at University of Massachusets-Amherst here.]
The composer Frederic Rzewski once said that, "music probably can't change the world, but it is a good idea to act as if it could. At the very least you stand a chance of making some good music. And music is always better than no music."
January, 2017: I'm still responding. Every day there seems to be something new to protest or fight. I have a feeling this will continue for some time. I'm curious to know how other artists are responding. So, I'm going to be doing a series of posts and/or podcasts dedicated to responses from artists who want to talk about their role as an artist in our culture/society (or perhaps the role of art in society in a more general sense) and how their work may or may not change as a result of these troubling and uncertain times. I'm also interested in the intersections of art and activism.
Stay tuned.
Deborah Pearson is a writer, performer, and producer. She makes and tours solo theater pieces and works collaboratively as a dramaturg for companies including Made in China and Action Hero. She is an associate artist with Volcano productions in Canada. In 2007 she founded the multi-award winning organization, Forest Fringe, which she also co-directs. Deborah also hosts the podcast, The Whole Darned Thing.
This episode features a conversation with Hal Rammel: musical instrument inventor, composer/improvisor and visual artist. Equally at home in the fields of music and visual arts, Hal's work (spanning 45 years) includes instrument design/invention, composition, performing/improvising, photography, drawing, sculpture, collage, and cartooning.
This episode features part two of my conversation with percussionist Jan Williams, who has had a brilliant and multifaceted career. In addition to being one of the world's finest percussionists, Jan has been an arts administrator, educator, conductor, and composer. Deeply invested in contemporary music, he has worked closely with luminary composers including Morton Feldman, John Cage, Lukas Foss, Frederic Rzewski, and many more. As a performer, he has appeared worldwide and has been an important proponent for the development of literature for percussion instruments. Jan spent much of his career at the University of Buffalo, where he was one of the first class of Creative Associates in the 1960's. He went on to serve as a faculty member and chair of the music department. While in Buffalo, he also co-directed the North American New Music Festival and served as artistic director for the Center for Creative and Performing Arts.
This episode features part one of my conversation with percussionist Jan Williams, who has had a brilliant and multifaceted career. In addition to being one of the world's finest percussionists, Jan has been an arts administrator, educator, conductor, and composer. Deeply invested in contemporary music, he has worked closely with luminary composers including Morton Feldman, John Cage, Lukas Foss, Frederic Rzewski, and many more. As a performer, he has appeared worldwide and has been an important proponent for the development of literature for percussion instruments.
Based in Hudson, NY, composer, sound artist, and musician Nathan McLaughlin makes hauntingly ethereal music using string instruments, field recordings, and reel to reel tape machines. In Nathan’s hands, the tape machine becomes its own instrument. He performs as both a solo artist and as a collaborator in a variety of settings including work with Cody Yantis and Joe Hoopert, in the group Tilth), and with musician/multimedia artist Seth Chrisman.
In 2007 we hosted composer John Luther Adams at Sam Houston State University for our annual Contemporary Music Festival. Part of his visit included a session with young composers. In one of the classes he talked about his process of first using a pencil and paper when working on a new composition before going to the computer for engraving. He encouraged the young composers to work in whatever way they felt comfortable, but urged a consideration of how tools influence creative work.
Beethoven was a constant reviser. You can trace his revisions because they were preserved in literally thousands of sheets of sketches.
This is one of Beethoven's many sketches.
Lou Harrison's calligraphy was so important to him that he had a font created of his handwriting!
Score sample of Lou Harrison
There are two important things that we miss when we work digitally: We miss seeing the process through which we arrived at our end product, and the performer misses the connection with the composer's hand.
In the last blog entry I wrote about Austin Kleon's books Show Your Work and Steal Like an Artist. In Show Your Work, he talked about how he has divided his studio into two sides: analog and digital.
Austin Kleon's divided work space.
This is a terrific way of giving yourself an opportunity to make use of some analog tools. Even if you don't want to divide your workspace completely in half like Austin did, I think establishing some kind of dedicated analog space and having a few tools at your disposal (like pencils, paper, scissors, tape, sticky notes; or, if you are a composer, things like blank/staff paper, pencils and rulers) will go a long way in boosting your creative ideas.
"Inherently most tools are neither good nor bad. But I always try to be aware of the subtle and profound ways in which the tools I use shape the music I make." - John Luther Adams, Winter Music: Composing the North
Drawing by Austin Kleon from his book Show Your Work.
I recently discovered two terrific books about creativity by Austin Kleon: Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work. The latter was particularly resonant, given the kinds of conversations I've been having with guests on my podcast and the personal/artistic journey that I've been taking over the last couple of years. Both books are quick and simple reads, but are rich with ideas and inspiration.
One of the concepts in Show Your Work that resonated with me most was the idea of tapping into a "scenius," a world Kleon borrowed (he would probably say "stole") from Brian Eno. The first chapter, "You Don't Have to Be a Genius," reflects on the idea that great creative ideas are borne through one's interaction with a group of creatives—a scene—that makes up an "ecology of talent," rather than the idea of an artist as the "lone genius" toiling away in some isolated creative headspace.
"Scenius doesn't take away from the achievements of those great individuals; it just acknowledges that good work isn't created in a vacuum, and that creativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds." - Austin Kleon
The New York School of composers is a good examples of scenius in recent music history. An advantage of the digital age is that scenes are easily found and cultivated online through websites and social media. An "ecology of talent" is exactly what I've been after with the podcast. The artists I've had on the podcast have all been people I found through an interest in their work. Through our discussions we get to "stand in the stream" together.
I thought I would ask Austin Keon to be on my show, but then I found an interview with him on a podcast by Jeff Goins: The Portfolio Life.
http://goinswriter.com/austin-kleon/
Turns out, he asks exactly the same questions that I would have asked. I highly recommend checking out Jeff's podcast!
I've wondered, given that I have precious little time to devote to creative pursuits with everything else going on in my home life and work, if I should hang up the microphone and headphones and simply carry on with my work having been refreshed and rejuvenated by the podcasting experience. After reading Kleon's book, I realize that my podcast is a necessary part of finding/generating creative ideas and a way to make meaningful connections with my "scene." So, at least for now, I'm going to keep standing in the stream.
This episode features a conversation with composer Marc Satterwhite. Marc's music has been performed worldwide by ensembles including the Boston Symphony, the Utah Symphony, and new music luminaries eighth blackbird and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. He is currently Professor of Composition and Music Theory at the University of Louisville School of Music, where he also directs the Grawnemeyer Award for Music Composition. We chatted about his transition from a professional bassist living and working in Latin America to professional composer and academic, his compositions inspired by the photography of Flor Garuño, his take on the creative life, and much more.
This episode features an in-depth conversation with Zen monk, writer, and punk rock musician Brad Warner. We focused on his new book, "Don't be a Jerk," which is an entertaining, yet insightful paraphrase and commentary on the 800-year old Zen Buddhist text, The Shobogenzo, by the Japanese Zen monk Dogen. We also talked about meditation practice and how it relates to creativity.
This episode features an in-depth conversation with composer Jeff Herriott. Much of his work is delicate and unhurried, music that often explores repetition and subtle variations. Recently, Jeff composed music for the film Bone Tomahawk, which was written and directed by S. Craig Zahler and stars Kurt Russell. He also teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he coordinates the Media Arts and Game Development program.
Composer Steven Snowden’s work includes acoustic and electro-acoustic music, sound-collage, live electronic improvisation, interactive multi-media installations and many things in between. Drawing on memory, nostalgia, and the cylclic nature of history, Steven’s work is grounded in human perspective. With deep roots in American folk, bluegrass, and rock music, Steven’s work to me springs forth as a freshly invented American sound. A native of the Ozarks, he is currently based in Austin, TX, where he works as a freelance composer. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Fast Forward Austin Music Festival.
Monica Pearce, currently based in Toronto, is a composer and the co-founder of the Toy Piano Composers, an emerging composers collective. She also serves as Executive Director of The Music Gallery, Toronto’s Center for Creative Music. We discussed some of her latest chamber music and her work with opera, writing for the toy piano, gender issues in music, and her work as an arts administrator.
While primarily a composer and vocalist, Amanda Schoofs takes a decidedly interdisciplinary approach. Her work encompasses a set of diverse practices including improvisation, painting, drawing, printmaking, poetry, installation and movement. We chatted about her process and work, improvisation, teaching (Amanda’s on the composition faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), and her ideas about sustaining a creative practice.
This week's episode features a long form interview submitted by one of my previous guests, Atlanta-based artist Craig Dongoski. Craig speaks with art students/collaborators who participated in a project combining art, music, and film: Passing Through.
In a break from my normal format, this episode was entirely produced by sound artist/designer Tim Prebble. Based in New Zealand, Tim runs Substation, a sound design studio, and has created a large sound design library called Hiss and a Roar. He has a number of feature film credits (check them out on IMDB), but has recently been making his own works using sound, photography, music, and more. This episode takes us on a journey through sound to reveal insights into Tim's work and his deep creativity.
This episode features a conversation with Miguel Isaza, a composer from Medellin, Colombia who is dedicated to sound, both in research and in practice. His electronic music explores expansive sonic terrains through the use of field recordings, sine waves, and various acoustic instruments.
John Roach is a California-born, Brooklyn based artist who, in his own words, is most happy when he's, "jamming things together that don't seem to fit." He works in a variety of media including sculpture, video, installation, internet collaboration and sound art. In this episode we discuss many of his works and various collaborations, which is a key element of his practice. Drawing on his long-time teaching career at Parsons: The New School for Design in NYC, John has excellent insight and perspective on teaching. John also has some great advice about finding and maintaining a path as a creative artist.
This episode features an in-depth and personal conversation with poet Patrick Phillips. We discussed two of his collections of poetry, Elegy for a Broken Machine and Boy. We shared deeply personal reflections about the experience of being a father (a new father, in my case), made some connections about the mortality of our own fathers, and how these (and other) life experiences find their way into creative work. Patrick also has wise and timely advice for living and sustaining a creative life.
Artist Sonja Hinrichsen examines urban and natural environments through exploration and research. Her work manifests in immersive video installations and, what she calls, interventions in nature. We talked about her large and ongoing participatory project, Snow Drawings. We also discussed the intersection of place and human perception, especially as it relates to the American West. She also has some great advice for living and sustaining a creative life.
Artist Mark Lee Koven embraces an interdisciplinary and multi-media approach to art making. We talked about some of his recent work, which explores anthropological behaviors, data collection/visualization and renewable energy. He is an artist engaged in finding out how art can become a component of real world applications and problem solving.
Based in LA, P. J. Evans is an actor, writer, and director. We talked about his journey as a creative person--from a stint as a punk rock musician to various projects as an actor on stage and in television and film. He also has some great advice for living and sustaining a creative life.
This episode features a conversation with calligrapher, painter, Zen scholar and writer Kazuaki Tanahashi. We talked about his one-stroke and Zen circle paintings and the intersection of Zen and art.
This episode features my conversation with award winning composer (and long-time colleague) B. P. Herrington. He joined me in the home studio to talk about his recent music and performances, growing up in the Texas Big Thicket and the musical influences of Pentecostal church music. He also has some really great advice on living/sustaining a creative life.
This episode features a conversation with percussionist Allen Otte, a founding member of the Blackearth Percussion Group and the Percussion Group Cincinnati. Allen is a former teacher and mentor of mine, as well as one of my closest friends. We chatted about his associations with composers John Cage and Herbert Brün, the history of percussion music in the US, the role of the artist, living and sustaining a creative life, and socially conscious music.
This episode features a conversation with prolific Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist Eric Leonardson. We chatted about his work as an instrument inventor/improvisor, his history with experimental theater in Chicago, and acoustic ecology.
Texas filmmaker Stephen Beyleu discusses his background, influences, and working as an independent filmmaker in Austin, Texas. Topics include the making of his first feature, Dig; his new film in pre-production, The Father; digital vs. practical effects; and his interest in shooting on film.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, instrument designer/builder Tom Nunn has had a long career of creative music making. We talked about his instruments (the Skatchbox, the Crustacean, and the Sonoglyph), considerations for instrument design, and free improvisation.
This episode features a conversation with composer/experimental sound and visual artist Steve Wanna. We delved into several of his works, process, and talked about the intersection of a variety of creative practices.
Originally from Australia, now based in the UK, Graeme Leak creates in a variety of areas including music composition, theater, performance art/comedy, instrument making, sound sculpture, and large-scale installations.
Mark Applebaum, composer and professor of composition and theory at Stanford University, joined me for an in-depth conversation. We discussed some of his work, including his instrument design/building and his massive graphic installation work, "The Metaphysics of Notation." Mark also has some great advice on living a creative life.
Based in Vancouver, Lindsey Hampton works in a variety of media including ceramics, graphic design, photography, and music. Our conversation focused on her background and work. Lindsey also has some great advice about living and curating one’s creative life in the age of the internet and social media.
In this brief conclusion to my conversation with Sharon Louden, artist and editor of "Living and Sustaining a Creative Life," we talked about Sharon's artistic practices and her advice for living and sustaining creative practice.
This week I caught up with artist and editor of the book, "Living and Sustaining a Creative Life," Sharon Louden. During the first half of our conversation, we talk in depth about her book and get some background on her own work.
This week I caught up with composer and painter Michael Gatonska. We talked about his large scale orchestral works, his work combining acoustic instruments with natural soundscapes, asemic poetry, his work as a painter, and much more!
Atlanta-based artist Craig Dongoski's work intersects a variety of artistic practices including drawing, painting, sound design, and more. We talked about his work with amplifying the sound of drawing and his research in making art with a chimpanzee named Panzee--which began at the Language Research Center in Atlanta. We also touched on some deeply philosophical points about the nature of art and practice.
Bobby Byrd is an award winning poet based in El Paso, Texas. Bobby's publishing house, Cinco Puntos Press, recently won some major awards. Check them out: www.cincopuntos.com
This week is part one of my conversation with poet Bobby Byrd. In this part, we discuss his adventures as a young man growing up in Memphis and he reads some poetry influenced by his border town home of El Paso, Texas.
This episode features an in-depth conversation with composer David Farrell. We talked about some of David's current work, the craft of composing, teaching, and much more.
This episode features a discussion with sculptor/artist Evan Holm. We talked about his work, Submerged Turntables, his film, Antique Sound, another new work in progress, and much more...
This week features a conversation with Tucson-based sound artist Glenn Weyant. A portion of our conversation is about his on-going work, The Anta Project. The Anta Project is a series of improvised recordings made by playing the border walls, fences and assorted ephemera found along the U.S./Mexico border. Glenn also talks about his explorations at the intersection of journalism and sound art, which produces fascinating and socially conscious works.
This episode is the conclusion of my conversation with poet Nick Lantz. In this hour we talk more about his poetry, collaboration, artistic careers, and the creative process.
This two-part episode features a conversation with poet Nick Lantz. We chatted about his poetry and creative process, defining "success," collaboration, and teaching.
This episode features a conversation with composer Jennifer Jolley. Urban environments, city sounds, and nostalgia influence Jennifer's music. We chatted about humor in music, the wilds of academia, and what she is doing to bring opera to a wider (and younger) audience.
This week features a conversation with Danish composer, sound artist, and musician Jesper Pedersen who is currently residing in Reykjavik, Iceland. We chatted about "visual music," the Theremin, and how a good ski day in Reykjavik can mean no one will come to your concert!
This episode is a conversation with San Francisco-based composer Danny Clay as he talks about the creative life, current work, and innovative creativity in elementary music education. Make sure to check out his website: dclaymusic.com.