My friend Guy Birkin, who did the art for “This Is My Horn, Vol. 1” and will continue hopefully with the future volumes wrote up a post explaining his process for the art. I’ve long admired his visual art, music, and writing, so I’m grateful for his contribution all around. Read his post here:
23.12.05 – this is my horn, vol. 1 out now
Hi all, pleased to share this first release in a series I hope to periodically revisit called “This Is My Horn”. Cover and info below. I’ve also amended some of my approach and all releases are freely available on the Releases page. I will, for now, continue to post them on Bandcamp as well. Thanks to my friends who helped and are credited below.
Connor Bell – sound
Guy Birkin – art
Josh Mason – text layout
Billy Gomberg – words
Most musicians have a passion for listening that matches their passion for playing. Tracing the influences and reflections that end up on a single recording can be a messy task if we commit to real geography of the phenomenon, instead of the poetic, abstracted interpretation we end up listening to and weaving into our own archives.
Connor Bell has been practicing and playing and releasing music for a while (as Shedding and in various bands), and on TIMH he connects his own listener’s passion and musician’s commitment into process and product. Working from his love of solo jazz recordings, Connor approached a design of his synthesizer as something capable of gestures that move through texture and a free sense of melody. An instrument he can play, a language we hear and start to understand.
Leaning back into a wistful bearing on easy tempo solos, Connor’s performance finds overlays of timbre like mutated multiphonics, resisting calm while gathering a soft neon glow as edges appear, suddenly bristling or momentarily melancholy. Given his intention, Connor’s solos hold an inviting space to a listener – robust and skilled, this is deceptively complex music keeping a room warm for you.
fall excursion imagery (23.10.19-23.10.21)
Just a note that the St. Paul, MN show on the 22nd has had to be cancelled due to illness.
fall excursion (23.10.19-23.10.22) + GERUNDS show (23.11.12)
hi all, life is starting to get back to normal after a weird few years of personal and global drama. i haven’t played a shedding show in many years. no one in louisville really asks anymore and frankly i’m not that motivated to play to the same friends so much anyway. so between that and the tumult, my first shows in over four years are coming up in october. three of these shows i’m excited to be doing with my buddy andrew fitzpatrick. it’ll be great to discuss the finer points of big black ‘songs about fucking’ or helmet ‘betty’ in the car like we did so many years ago when i toured with his old band all tiny creatures. there’ll be some old friends and venues and some new friends and new venues. all the info on shedding shows is below. i’ll be sharing some new flock studies i’ve been working on.
- thursday, 23.10.19 at tritriangle in chicago, il (1550 n milwaukee ave.)
- shedding with andrew fitzpatrick and sam scranton / andy danstrom
- friday, 23.10.20 at the jazz gallery in milwaukee, wi (926 e center st.)
- shedding with andrew fitzpatrick, chris rosenau, and john mccoy
- saturday, 23.10.21 at communication in madison, wi (2645 milwaukee st.)
- shedding with andrew fitzpatrick, davi music, and jnana
- sunday, 23.10.22 at studio z in st. paul, mn (275 4th st e unit 200)
- shedding with pooch karton, mykola haleta, and lee noble
finally, my friend dustin (aka hairbrushing and fellow founding member of the free electronic association of louisville) and i will be doing our mutant techno duo GERUNDS in november. might as well share that here too. we don’t do that so often either, so i’m excited.
sunday, 23.11.12 GERUNDS with jon mueller and a jon mueller / tim barnes performance at camp social club in louisville, ky