Trinity Arts Live! at Backbeat Cafe in Dallas 3/10/10
I had reservations about doing this, given the disappointment from the last time I played there, but Gary offered me the "featured artist" slot, so I could play for 30 min. and develop a good set. The only downside of the evening was of course driving to Dallas (but traffic was cooperative) and the lack of attendance.
But I like playing there, it's a nice warm, medium sized room with a high ceiling and good acoustics. If I lived in big D, I would probably visit frequently.
Once I got onstage I was able to drop into the zone fairly quickly. I tried a different kind of intro, layer/looping an ebow drone, then chord washes over that, and away we went. Not so much off the cuff improv, mainly vamping on tried and true motifs, like Blue Hour and Up the Chupacabra, and ending with an abbreviated version of Hymn. I was pleased with how it went, and apparently it touched a lot of people there, got some good feedback afterwards.
The "treehouse" folks are so nice and supportive, I love being around and communing with all of them. Discussing with Gary afterwards about how different people deal with or approach music like this. In a listening space, when "ambient" or improvised music is being played, the audient must choose between letting the music take one over, or get up and do something else, which is all dependent on the disposition of the listener, and what intention or agenda they have brought to the performance. Most people just prefer a song with emphasis on melody, structure and usually lyric content. What I play has almost none of that, relying on a rhythmic and tonal center and letting "found" electronic effects suggest the overlaying SOUND.
Intitial listening of the live recording sounded pretty good, thanks to the aforementioned attributes of the room. Didn't need to add any reverb or much else, just boost the gain a bit and compress slightly.
Here's the first six minutes, which was my favorite part of the set.
