Sounds
Since graduating from McGill music school in 1999, I've had the opportunity to slowly rediscover sound and music from a non-classical perspective. Some of the projects I've had the opportunity to be involved in include:
What here sounds like - The first in a series of collaborative global sonic moments, brought to you by ascent magazine online.
The Sally Fields - Sally is typically made up of one individual, my dear friend Scott W. Gray. Scott is a singer-songwriter who mixes beats and layers into his catchy tunes. I was privileged to get to record cello on several tracks for his 2004 release, They Think They Can Take Us, and to be an honourary band member in 2004 and 2005. It's time the world discovered Sally, so check it out.
Western Bearing - A star-crossed love-in that lasted a few short months in Montreal in the Spring of 2005. Made up of close to a dozen talented musicians that seemed to have uncanny connections to one another, we recorded an album, played one show and then disbanded. But look out for little Mikey Wray, crooner/hipster extraordinaire (now in Montreal bands Sayit Stranger and Dorian Hatchet). The kid's got something.
Heartstrings - A multi-media performance piece composed by Freida Abtan, which involved acoustic string quartet playing live by candlelight and synched to a video projection. We performed it at Montreal's now defunct Electric Tractor in April 2005, and then again at the Roy Street Collective for Tabernacle in September 2005.
Choeur Maha - A feminist choir that I was part of in 2004/2005. Made up of approximately 20 women of all ages, this choir has a heart of gold. Good practice for putting feminism into practice, and though the result wasn't always pretty, the experience was well worth it. Led by Kathy Kennedy.
Brian Lipson - US ex-pat Brian Lipson is one of the most talented musicians I know. Though I've never been able to decide how ironic his vocal aesthetic is meant to be, I am always blown away by his writing and (trumpet sucker that I am) by his smooth trumpet playing. Although it took almost two years before I actually got to play with him, the one show I sat in on at the Casa del Popolo in September 2005 was a highlight.
Black Ox - Montreal band signed to Constellation. The extent of my involvement was a Sunday afternoon jam at Montreal's famed Hotel to Tango that I got invited to a couple of hours before it started. The band arranged for an orchestra of about 20 hipsters to converge to record one song for their upcoming album. Strings, winds, brass, percussion, vocals (in Yiddish)...you name it, it was there. The result: a messy, unrehearsed and charming as hell sounding take.
Old Skool - As much as McGill music sucked my life energy away, and as long as it's taking me to recover, my time there still included some of my all-time favourite musical experiences. In fact, my dream career is still to be a cellist in a professional string quartet. If I could I'd perform Brahms, Beethoven or Bartok strings quartets every day of the week.
The Sally Fields, performing at Casa del Popolo. Montreal, 2004.
Western Bearing (R.I.P.) in the rain. Montreal, 2005.