Monday, May 20, 2013

Electronics Projects Night Showcase @ Lily Pad Cambridge/Boston on May 25, 2013 with Bill T Miller Talk/Performance on Acoustic Laptop



(click images to see larger version)


ELECTRONICS PROJECTS NIGHT SHOWCASE - I will be breaking out my BTM ACOUSTIC ARTBOX LAPTOP and doing a short TALK & PERFORMANCE. I am slotted for 10 MINUTES TOTAL, 5 MINUTES for TALK. (approx ONE min intro & TWO min details of making of acoustic laptop & TWO min on contact microphones - etc) and then 5 MINUTES for PERFORMANCE. This will be first LIVE CONCERT appearance of my BTM ACOUSTIC ARTBOX LAPTOP and the first live in-person show I have played in four years (except for assorted studio and remote outdoor location performances for recording/videos.) The short but sweet time slot will only be a taste of a "lecture" and performance. The exact schedule on the evening has not been revealed to me, but i do know I will be on very early (possibly even as early as second in the line-up.) - The plan is to start as close to 7pm as possible, so in theory, I could be on as early as 7:10 or 7:15pm. So if driving allow time for parking in Inman Square.

* Over the last few decades most of my own music (with Orgy Of Noise, Zonkulator, OBE, Kings Of Feedback, Drum Army, King Of Slack) has been weird experimental noise... I have always played a variety of instruments from (the normal) guitar/bass/drums/synths to electric tennis racquet to circuit bent toys. My short performance will still be a heap of weird experimental noise, but will feature the slightly more ambient abstract acoustic side of my experiments.

* I shot performance and "making of" videos of my BTM ACOUSTIC ARTBOX LAPTOP in my studio in summer 2012 and am editing them now, so stay tuned.

* Without knowing it, like most kids, my younger brothers and myself were sorta playing/making homemade instruments in the 60s. (see - RacquetBand.com) Along with every other kid, I became a Beatles fan in 1964, eventually in 1966 (when I was ten) I set up a plastic trash can drum kit and an kind air guitar karaoke TENNIS RACKET GTR (sorta vintage version of Rock Band / Guitar Hero games.) Much later I added contact mic and springs and plugged in my racket. Somewhere back in there I made a cardboard cigar box guitar with several thick rubber bands as strings. Before that I had stumbled into electronic noise, while dialing static & squelch on the Mickey Mouse AM Radio that I got for my birthday (May '65.) I would plug-in the mono earplug and rock to WABC RADIO NYC. The cover of radio come off for easy replacement of battery and when I first touched the coil inside the radio and I noticed it would glitch out and creating weird sounds (sorta of theremin-like.) After playing the static, it just seem logical/natural that circuits would melt and spazz out when touched. So that was my first modified mutant synth experience. Electronics tinkering which had been going on eons - Telsa, Edison, Marconi, Moog, Ben Franklin, the list is endless. Since then that tinkering process when applied to the modification of existing devices/toys has been dubbed CIRCUIT BENDING (a phrase coined by Reed Ghazala.) I collect and use tons of circuit bent toys/gizmos in my own music. You can see some of my collection at: CircuitBending.com






* 2nd ELECTRONICS PROJECTS NIGHT SHOWCASE

Lily Pad in Inman Square, Cambridge/Boston
An evening of presentations and performances
by people using self-made electronics.

- 1353 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

http://www.lily-pad.net - $5 suggested donation * Jason Sanford (Neptune) & Andy Abrahamson (Royal Wedding, formerly of In-Out) - original electronic performance

* Jonathan F. Glancy (And Friend) - Original musical performance

* Vanessa LeFevre - Presentation / performance

* Michael Kaminsky and Andrew Kindman - Original electronic performance

* Bill T Miller (Orgy Of Noise & Zonkulator) - Creative Mic Technique, "Lecture" and performance

* Zachary Katz - Remote performance

* Unconfirmed Surprise Performers as well!

* Facebook Invite -----> https://facebook.com/events/359788440799525/

* Think of this as a sort of "Maker Fair" Workshop Show & Tell with LIVE PERFORMANCES. Hope you can make it out!

* JASON SANFORD & ZACHARY KATZ who teach an electronic instrument projects class at Cambridge Center for Adult Education are the hosts of the event. They will each perform/talk and many of their students will be presenting/performing with their own homemade custom built instruments. Most of you will know JASON from the band NEPTUNE. I first heard of NEPTUNE, when one of my bands (Orgy Of Noise with guest appearance by members of Melt-Banana) & another band I engineered/co-produced (Saturnalia) appeared on the Boston Underbelly Compilation. Neptune performed at that CD release show in Cambridge/Boston and I became fan/supporter of Neptune and have shot many photos/videos since then.

* see/hear NEPTUNE pix/vids: http://billtmiller.com/neptune/






+ Summer Solstice June 21, 2012 Jason Sanford and myself (Bill T Miller) did a super short live duo improv session at my Headroom Kitchen Studios and have plans to do another session (or live concert blast) somewhere on or near the Summer Solstice 2013. I released a digi online audio single of our jams and two videos. I will have a few copies of the JASON & BILL DVD at the show and a pile of my Orgy Of Noise CDs/DVDs and I will gladly give you one for FREE/.

* see/hear JASON & BILL pix/vids: http://billtmiller.com/jasonbill/

* NOTE: Jason and myself will NOT be playing together as a DUO at this Electronic Projects Showcase.... unless of course there is some sort of unplanned freak out bonus jam session with everybody at the end. Doubt there will be time, but IF there, I will try to make it happen. I will bring my favorite Circuit Bent Tron Toy Robot, just in case.


* I was glad Jason invited me to be part of the ELECTRONIC PROJECTS NIGHT SHOWCASE... it seemed like a simple way to get out and play a show without the overload of my Orgy Of Noise superduper big band freak out concerts. Any chance I can hear JASON play solo or with Neptune is a must see... plus I was also excited to see/hear the creations of his students and experience their joy and enthusiasm as they perform on their first instruments. Most of my adult life has been trying to recapture and keep alive my spirit as young child before the reality of the music biz and everybody is in a band or a recording engineer or a photographer - "look at me me me... i don't have the time to look at you" sorta vibe of today's internet barrage stream of art.

I plan to be at the showcase in an aura of childlike blitz. Hope you can be there.

PS: Facebook Invite: https://facebook.com/events/359788440799525/


No comments: