Racer Session #563 | Rendition (Bellingham) | Sunday April 16th, 2023 at 7pm
Greetings, improvisers!
Without intention, April 2023 will go down as the month of curation for cello / drum set duos, and we’re here for it! After a great set from Lori Goldston and Chris Icasiano on the 2nd, we are looking forward to welcoming the great Ruth Davidson and Steven Arbuckle of Rendition, all the way from Bellingham, this Sunday at 7pm.
Rendition create a sound that is restrained in tone, but unfettered in scope. As improvisation it is avant-garde, but it remains more ethereal than cerebral, more exploratory than explosive. Each performance offers a cinematic score to accompany the images it evokes. Cellist Ruth Davidson employs a clean and clear tone to become the melodic center. Sometimes adding percussive elements or unexpected sounds, they also produce the soaring and searing lead lines. Steven Arbuckle sits behind a standard drum kit, but behaves more as a percussionist. Playing off of the drums more than on them, he serves as metronome for an ensemble which does not keep time.
L-R: Ruth Davidson and Steven Arbuckle of Rendition
Steven wrote a great blog post outlining the origin stories of Rendition’s foundation, and giving more context behind the way they improvise together and collaborate - we invite you to read on and get inspired for their set! Hoping to see you this Sunday at Cafe Racer, music at 7pm.
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“When COVID hit, musicians everywhere thought about our bands, and how long it might be before we'd play music with other people again. Then, as we learned that we could be reasonably safe if we wore masks and stayed outdoors, the warm and dry summer weather began. A crew of about a half dozen improvisers -- including drums, electronics, spoken word and more -- started coming together every week to experiment with both music and socializing, and Ruth and I met when each of us was invited to take part.
One of the more memorable sessions took place in a public park, in the shade of some trees that followed a creek. The players lined up on the banks, and from time to time people walking the path would slow down to listen. I think that more than a few of them saw my upright bass and Ruth's cello from a distance, and thought they were going to hear some classical music. In reality, what they got was something very different...
As that group drifted apart, Ruth and I realized that we had a musical chemistry worth investigating. We formed Worldwide Levitation, a loud and intricate 'noise band,' and we also kept improvising, playing one-off gigs here and there on a variety of instruments.
Soon we settled on a drum kit and a cello, and started inviting others to sit in with us. We found that we didn't produce wild and skronky freakouts, but instead produced long, linear, shifting movements with twists, turns and dynamics that would paint a mental picture. We began to refer to our music as 'cinematic,' since the results often sound that something that could be used to score a film -- usually a dark, moody and eerie film.
We also found that we both respond well to 'scripts,' or loose musical roadmaps that give us abstract direction. One of us might start with a solo, then state a theme or melody for the other to join and alter. When we play with guest musicians, we might come up with a series of solos, duets and group movements, and we might decide on clocks, visual cues or instinct to decide when it's time to change between these movements.
There is only one rule that we haven't broken: we always play together. Rather than reaching for the edges of what's possible, we consider ourselves responsible to listen and respond, to create cohesive songs and soundscapes that can transport us, and our audience.”
- Steven Arbuckle
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More info about Ruth and Steven:
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Ruth Davidson (they/them) has been active in the underground / DIY music community most of their adult life. A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Ruth spent much of their childhood enjoying classical training in cello, guitar, piano, voice, and theory. After graduating high school, they were drawn to the cultural flexibility and community spirit of the DIY music world, where they have been active for over 20 years as a performing/recording artist and community/events organizer. Ruth's body of work reveals command of a large and versatile music vocabulary ranging from crust and noise rock to subdued and intricate lo-fi composition and free improvisation.
Steven Arbuckle (he/they) started auditioning a variety of musical instruments at a young age, and has mostly settled on stringed instruments, drums and turntables. He began playing live shows, releasing recordings, producing live events and running sound as a young adult. Within the last few years he has adopted the bass, both electric and upright, as his primary instrument, and has embraced improvised music as a favored method of expression.