Friday, August 30, 2013

360 View (Almost) of the Exhibit and a Kickstarter Update

I shot a little instagram video of the show before we drove (well I drove; Christa pulled an all-nighter to finish up hanging the art so she slept) back to North Carolina. Watching this video is not quite like being there (scale is essential to this one) but it does give a sense of the work and the space. Can't wait to see some of you at the artist's reception in Bluffton on Sept. 22nd.

The Kickstarter campaign is going well. We've almost reached our goal, which is really exciting. The show is up and the gallery is open but there's still a lot to do (and costs to incur) planning the Sept. 22 event, preparing for a possible documentary, getting people organized to help give away the art, getting the word out, etc. So if you want to help us finish things up, get to the Kickstarter page soon. Once we hit our goal, the money we receive goes towards giving away the art at the reception. (Alternately, if you want to put money towards us giving away art, wait a couple days and then pledge!)

One other thought -- most of the backers so far for this thing have given pretty decent sized amounts (from my perspective anyway, it's relative), but part of what's cool to me about the whole crowd sourcing thing is that people can give very small amounts. It's about being part of something, not about how much money you have to give, so if you're excited about this thing but are broke, give two bucks. Or if that's too much write us a note. We've appreciated the feedback we've gotten so far, and some of the best encouragement that's helped us push through on this has come from people giving advice or offering to help. Funds are important, but no more so than the rest of the pieces that bring vision to reality.


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Saying Goodbye

My family recently sold the land that has been the hub for our family on my dad's side for many decades. I spent some of my best growing up years at "the Woods" as we call it. I've been working through it by writing songs. Some sad, some a bit angry, some hopeful and hopefully (eventually) moving towards truth and wisdom. The trees are one of the things I'm saying goodbye to:


"Tune my heart, God, to how to let go
It's that start-stop dance 
that we all know we'll get to know
Soon or late 
break the news
to my family..."

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Kickstarter campaign launched




We just got a kickstarter page up for You Have Not Seen: Roots & Wings (Christa's upcoming show at Bluffton and all the stuff that's happening around that). We made a video in which Christa talks about her work and the project. This is a first of sorts, and while we need to fire the camera man, it gives a good window into what's happening.

Check it out, learn something, and help us finish this project!


Sunday, August 18, 2013

Upperhand Studios

As part of the You Have Not Seen show Christa is doing at Bluffton College, I wrote four pieces of music and recorded them with Gabriel OBrien in Wooster, OH. "Wrote" is a partial misnomer -- the whole approach was different than usual -- refreshingly so.

Christa's art in this show is, in part, a response to place and landscape. Gabriel and I approached the music in the same way. These four bits of music will be playing quietly in different corners of the gallery during the show -- we wanted it to be like walking past a house and hearing someone playing on the porch or in the stairwell. So we recorded it that way.

For the track called Water Sight we set up mics on the front porch at 1am and I played quietly to the sound of crickets and an occasional passerby or car. All this became part of the track, and I improvised around the themes that emerged.

All this was quite different from my last recording, Watershed, which was one of the most tightly produced, focused things I've done to date. It was great to stretch in a different direction and I'm excited to see how what we came up with works in the gallery space.


Friday, August 16, 2013

You Have Not Seen


Christa is hard at work installing, adjusting, troubleshooting, creating. I am doing the same for the music and also planning for the Sept. 22 event...

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Crunch

Christa and I have been putting in long days getting ready for her upcoming show at Bluffton University. It will be called "You Have Not Seen" and it's the culmination of three years of work, and the largest show she's ever done.

I wrote music that will be part of the exhibit as well. We're at that phase where everything is coming together (or will have to soon). More news to come soon. It's been one of the most interesting and challenging projects I've ever worked on... and it hasn't even opened yet. I'll tell you more about it soon.