Racer Session #401 | John Kammerer | November 19, 2017

Opening Set:

John Kammerer (tape loops, 4-track cassette recorder, amplified cactus, computer)

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Improv 1: Evan Woodle (drums), Chris Cole (trumpet), David Nicholson (clarinet), Ryan Kotler (bass)

Improv 2: Simon Henneman (guitar), Jeremy Gonzalez (alto sax), Casey (drums)

improv 3: Heather Bentley (viola), Neil Welch (tenor sax), Gregg Miller (alto sax), Ian (drums), Andrew Olmstead (piano), Tom Scully (guitar)

Improv 4: Ryan Kotler (bass), Wilson Shook (clarinet), Griffin Boyd (piano), David Nicholson (clarinet), Geoff Traeger (voice)

Improv 5: Ian (trumpet), Simon Henneman (guitar), Chris Cole (trumpet)

Improv 6: Casey (drums), Neil Welch (tenor sax), Tom Scully (guitar), Noel Kennon (viola), Wilson Shook (clarinet)

Improv 7: Evan Woodle (drums), Simon Henneman (guitar), Andrew Olmstead (piano), David Nicholson (clarinet), Ryan Kotler (bass), Gregg Miller (alto sax)

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Greetings, Racers!

This weekend, we are excited to be hosting new Seattle resident John Kammerer, originally from Ohio and by way of Texas. John is a composer, sound designer, and computer musician. John’s musical endeavors reside primarily within the realm of new, electronic, and digital music with an emphasis on human-computer interaction, experimental performance techniques, and the creation of new digital musical instruments.

John has written a bit about what he plans to present for us - If you're a fan of new technology and experimental music, this is definitely the session for you. Take a look, and make sure you get to Gallery 1412 tomorrow at 8pm to see it all happen!

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"For this session I wanted to stretch myself, to find, explore, and utilize performance techniques foreign to me, and to purposefully create personal discomfort with the process, all while still finding peace in the creation.

"I found this in tape loops, old 4-track cassette recorders, and living organisms, each piece interacting, droning and articulating, providing a palate with which to draw from and move with. Fidelity, be it low or high, must be welcomed, unaltered. Hiss and noise, sound degradation, imperfections, accepted like old friends, valued for their unique qualities and contributions, woven into the texture. Each adding their own unique touch to the sound.

"At the base of this set live a series of down-pitched piano chords, recorded and played back on a microcassette voice recorder. The dictaphone dictates direction. Chordal drones are provided via the 4-track cassette deck, each track containing a separate chord, allowing the tape machine to be “played” like an instrument.

"Amplified cactus is processed and pitched via resonators, and also serves to trigger, arrange, and reorganize semi-randomized fragments of literature via MaxMSP. Ambient textures are provided via tape loops."