soundBarn

Location Ensemble CD now available on Tape Drift Records

2012-01-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

Debut release from this upstate NY guitar ensemble. Seven or eight guitarists and a rhythm section thundering through a delicious set of heavily Branca, Ranaldo, and Chatham-inspired pieces. Massed electric guitars building to ecstatic peaks. No wave, drone, minimalism, maximalism, it's all in there, but given fresh life. This release captures one of the group's rare live sets, performing three original works. Players were Matt Weston, Ray Hare, Thomas Lail, Holland Hopson, Eric Hardiman, Patrick Weklar, Howard Glassman, Tara Fracalossi, and Jason Martin.

www.tapedrift.com

Tape Drift Records and "Valentine" on Foxy Digitalis

2012-01-20T16:14:00.001-08:00

"Eric Hardiman’s Tape Drift Records also blew me away this year, with great tapes like the Code: Suite 104 tape from Frank De Gallo (otherwise known as the man behind Hobo Cult) and an amazing split tape with Sparkling Wide Pressure and Rambutan. Other excellent releases included Jefferson Pitcher’s “To Light the Snow” and soundBarn’s “Valentine”–two different approaches to the guitar that entertain and stretch the possibilities of the instrument at the same time."

See the article at:
http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/?p=26348

Albany Sonic Arts Celebrates the UAG Benefit, Sunday Jan 29 and Limited Edition Location Ensemble

2012-01-17T17:27:00.000-08:00

soundBarn is pleased to be on the bill as Albany Sonic Arts presents a benefit show to help save the Upstate Artists Guild in Albany! Performers to include Matt Weston, Holland Hopson, Century Plants (performing Spacemen 3's "Dreamweapon"), Parashi, soundBarn, Jason Cosco Asa Morris, and more to be announced, including special guests!

soundBarn is on at 5:15

4pm - 10 pm, Sunday January 29th.
Upstate Artists Guild
247 Lark St. Albany, NY

AND... this just in ... for the occasion Tape Drift records will release a limited edition recording of Location Ensemble- a large scale experimental music group described as an "underground super-group" by Nippertown. This is the first release by the seven guitar, bass & drums group and features works by Eric Hardiman, Holland Hopson and Thomas Lail performed at Saratoga Arts in Fall '11. Get 'em while they last... for a good cause....

http://upstateartistsguild.org/

WBNY Upstate Soundscape, 2011 in Review: soundBarn, 'Valentine'

2012-01-14T07:23:00.001-08:00

While soundBarn is the experimental guitar project of Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar, the name soundBarn also refers to a performance space–run by Lail and his artist/gallerist wife Tara Fracalossi located in Valatie, NY–which often hosts performances by the Albany Sonic Arts Collective. Furthermore, soundBarn exists as a press entity and recently published a series of poetry chapbooks including one from Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth.

The connection between the music of soundBarn and Sonic Youth is apparent on the duo’s 2011 CD Valentine whereby–true to Sonic Youth ideals–the duo utilizes prepared guitars to create sprawling tracks loaded with feedback-laced mayhem.

Yet, for a recording of some guys simply making noise with their guitars, there are moments throughout Valentine that defy what one expects. What is particularly striking about the recording is how, as the sound unfolds, the listener is able to find a wide range of moods and emotions to be enveloped in. There are points where the screeching noise drops down to delicate-sounding spots, where it then builds back up to a cacophonous clatter, or eerily shifts into a horror film score-like atmosphere. In other words, this diversity and unpredictability makes this one of those longer tracks that you are able to keep on repeat, letting the sound circle you while the shifting moods in the track color the experiences around you.

Surprisingly, Valentine, released by Tape Drift—the label of fellow Albany Sonic Arts Collective member Eric Hardiman–is the duo’s first release in the twenty years of their making music together. The single track that comprises the release was recorded live at the soundBarn venue around Valentine’s day (hence the name) with only minimal editing prior to its release.

Valentine is a great release and hopefully it will not take the duo another twenty years to release something else. Fortunately, the duo performs regularly in the Albany area, and at the soundBarn venue, including an upcoming fundraiser for a local gallery and ASAC venue the Upstate Artists Guild.

Listen to an excerpt of soundBarn: valentine here
__________________________________________________________

Review by Andrew White

http://upstatesoundscape.com/2012/01/13/2011-in-review-soundbarn-valentine/

Thomas Lail solo set recording now on WGXC

2012-01-05T05:42:00.001-08:00

A streamable version of Thomas Lail's solo set at Spotty Dog, Hudson, NY is now available on WGXC. Thanks to Sam Sebren for the recording (and, as always, thanks to the "unstoppable bar talkers" for providing "that live feel")

http://www.wgxc.org/archives/3603

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soundBarn Press: new chapbooks now available

2011-12-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

New soundBarn Press chapbooks by Lee Ranaldo and James Cullinane.are now available on soundbarn.blogspot.com.

Visit the store here.

soundBarn Press is pleased to announce the publication of new poetry chapbooks by Lee Ranaldo and James Cullinane.

Lee Ranaldo is a musician/visual artist/writer and founding member of rock band Sonic Youth. “how not to get played on the radio” collects twenty-two of Ranaldo’s signature poetry writings-- many never before published. His swirling fragments of observed and found text map an American terrain seen through the hazed glass of tour busses, airport windows and the avant-garde voices of the past century.

James Cullinane is an artist and writer whose visual works have been seen in New York for the past twenty years. History, politics and the heritage of Williams and Olsen find new footing in the twenty + poems of “Found a Little Jawbone…” From the opening epigram to the concluding image of a ruined roman aqueduct, Cullinane assembles the triumphs and failures of his surrounds. This is the first publishing of Cullinane’s poetry.

soundBarn Press inaugurated the chapbook series in early 2011 with artist/musician and soundBarn founder Thomas Lail’s first collection of poetry, “May 08- Feb 10.” Like his other works in sound and collage, Lail’s poetry combines and juxtaposes fragmentary glances into arcing structures-- them selves minimalist shards-- populated with history, ideas and stolen fragments of the everyday.

All titles are $9 postage paid. soundBarn Press titles are available online at soundBarn.blogspot.com and at various online and actual locations.

soundBarn Press is an offshoot of The soundBarn, a performance venue for experimental music sited in rural Columbia County, New York. soundBarn Press seeks to complement and further the commitment of The soundBarn to new and experimental forms and emerging voices by publishing experimental writings and poetry.

Thomas Lail solo set, Spotty Dog, Hudson NY

2011-12-13T05:30:00.001-08:00

Short notice.... soundBarn's Thomas Lail will play a solo set tonight at The Spotty Dog in Hudson, NY. Century Plants and Matt Weston will also be performing.

Info: http://www.thespottydog.com/blog/?page_id=11

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5 Acts at The soundBarn

2011-12-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

Pictures from 5 Acts: An evening of experimental music with Valerie Kuehne, Jeffrey Young, Paul Pinto, Century Plants and soundBarn at The soundBarn, December 11, 2011

Valerie Kuehne http://dreamzoo.bandcamp.com.

Paul Pinto http://pfpinto.com/forstefanos

Jeffrey Young www.jeffrey-young.com

Century Plants http://www.myspace.com/centuryplants

Paul Pinto

Century Plants

Paul Pinto

Century Plants

Valerie Kuehne

Century Plants

Valerie Kuehne


Jeffrey Young

Five Firsts: Patrick Weklar of soundBarn

2011-12-07T11:31:00.001-08:00

Five Firsts: Patrick Weklar of soundBarn

NAME: Patrick Weklar
BAND AFFILIATION: soundBarn, Location Ensemble
INSTRUMENT: Guitar

1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … Not entirely sure, but it’s a safe bet it was a Beatles album – or albums – since I used to buy them 2-3 at a time. The record store was on the way home from my job, so I usually arrived home on payday with empty pockets and an
armful of LPs.

2. THE FIRST CONCERT THAT I EVER SAW WAS … Ronnie James Dio at the Glens Falls Civic Center in ’84 or ’85.

3. THE FIRST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT I EVER OWNED OR PLAYED WAS … A 1960s-era Sears Silvertone guitar. It was one of the Danelectro-style amp-in-case models. I inherited that from my brother when I was probably six or seven years old and used to goof around with it until my parents gave it away to my cousin. I now have his old Sunn cabinet, so I guess we’re somewhat even.

4. THE FIRST SONG THAT I EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC WAS … “Mother” by Pink Floyd. A few friends and I got together a band for the high school talent show. About halfway through the song, the school sound system went haywire and brought the show to a halt. We then launched into an “unplugged” version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and left the stage. I don’t think we won.

5. THE FIRST BAND I WAS EVER IN WAS … My first “real” band – after the high school talent show debacle – was the Fauves with current bandmate Thom Lail. I played bass at the time. During our first public performance at the College of St. Rose we actually interrupted a wedding that was taking place across the campus at the college chapel. I recall somebody jogging across the lawn coming over to tell us to keep it down. I’m pretty sure we proceeded to turn it up a few notches once he left.

Patrick Weklar will plug in and crank it up with Thom Lail in soundBarn at – where else? – The soundBarn in Valatie on Sunday (December 11). “5 Acts: An Evening of Experimental Music” will also feature performances by cellist Valerie Kuehne, composer-vocalist Paul Pinto, violinist Jeffrey Young and guitar duo Century Plants. Showtime is 8pm, and suggested donation at the door is $8; students $5.

http://www.nippertown.com/2011/12/07/five-firsts-patrick-weklar-of-soundbarn/Link to the Nippertown page

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Sunday Dec 11: 5 ACTS -- An evening of experimental music at The soundBarn

2011-11-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Jeffrey Young photo: vitalphoto.com

The soundBarn presents: 5 ACTS -- An evening of experimental music.Sunday December 11 8PM Suggested donation $8/ $5 student

The soundBarn in Valatie, NY is pleased to present an evening of experimental music featuring Valerie Kuehne, Paul Pinto, Jeffrey Young, Century Plants and soundBarn from New York City and the Capital Region.

"Electrically-charged virtuoso of all-purpose cello," Valerie Kuehne from New York City performs a musical collage for cello and voice of dark and comedic vignettes about shopping, food, and drugs. http://dreamzoo.bandcamp.com.

Paul Pinto performs For Stefanos Tsigrimanis , an elegy scored for two turntables, voice, guitar and electronics for Pinto’s friend and collaborator whose life was cut short after a bicycle accident in September 2010. Paul Pinto is a composer, vocalist and founding artistic director of thingNY in New York City. http://pfpinto.com/forstefanos

Jeffrey Young premiers a new set of alternatively energetic and deeply meditative work for violin, voice, and live electronics. Young is a composer and violinist from Brooklyn, NY who specializes in experimental classical and rock music. www.jeffrey-young.com

Century Plants are the Albany-based experimental guitar duo of Eric Hardiman and Ray Hare who have been described as “part raging metallic clang by way of the holy Shred, part meditative feedbacking in total Zen style.” Century Plants are highly regarded in the international underground noise/psych/rock/drone scene and have released music on labels from all over the globe. http://www.myspace.com/centuryplants

soundBarn has been mining the possibilities of extreme guitar for years. Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar ply prepared and altered guitars, overprocess signals and pile loops of sound to orchestrate an arching instrumental tale of creation and destruction. www.soundbarn.blogspot.com

The soundBarn

330 Maple Lane

Valatie NY 12184

south drive

LOCATION ENSEMBLE on Nippertown!

2011-11-18T14:55:00.001-08:00

Matt Weston, Ray Hare, Patrick Weklar & Holland Hopson

LIVE: Location Ensemble @ Saratoga Arts Center, 11/12/11

The performance by Location Ensemble at the Saratoga Arts Center last Saturday began and ended with gifts to the crowd. Before the show started, free sets of ear plugs were offered up to attendees to blunt the impact of the experimental sound troupe’s eight guitarists and one drummer.

And the show ended when ensemble members passed plastic cups filled with fizzling champagne around the audience – a bit of participatory theater that concluded their fascinating final piece, “Electric Guitar II” by Swiss experimental composer Valerian Maly.

“This last piece happens mostly on the floor. It’s quite a bit less loud than what you just heard, for the most part,” announced guitarist and ensemble member Holland Hopson before he knelt on the floor and placed a champagne flute on his guitar strings – a process repeated by each guitarist, one-by-one.

Champagne corks were then popped and the vibrating glasses filled atop a roomful of guitars, creating a dynamic, clanging hum before the experiment was over when ensemble members and the crowd drank up.

Thomas Lail & Tara Fracalossi

Before the effervescent finale, Location Ensemble – featuring, on this night, drummer Matt Weston and guitarists Tara Fracalossi, Howard Glassman, Eric Hardiman (who also played bass), Ray Hare, Hopson, Thomas Lail, Jason Martin and Patrick Weklar – performed three original pieces, accompanied by live video projections from Albany-based noise and video artist 1983 (Jason Cosco).

The group came together in 2010 as a way for local sonic experimenters to write pieces for a large ensemble.

During Eric Hardiman’s krautrock-influenced, minimalistic “Diversion #3,” a spiny fossil-like figure spiraled on the large video backdrop as Hardiman conducted the guitar army, indicating when they should rise up or mellow out as they played a single chord in multiple paired configurations.

Organic-looking images – from yellow flowers to blue-washed hairy roots – accompanied Hopson’s portrait of decay, “Six Chords Every Rock Guitarist Should Know,” as ensemble members played off each other, strumming chords and then waiting for their own sound to fade away before picking up again, creating multi-faceted layers of sound.

And “Untitled (All the Times She Loves Me),” written by soundBarn co-founder Thomas Lail, repurposed two alternate tunings used by Sonic Youth for their song, [“I Love Her All the Time.”] Half of the group played in one tuning and half in the other, recalling the dissonant, lonely and haunting mood that Sonic Youth evokes so well.

Howard Glassman, Eric Hardiman, Matt Weston, Ray Hare, Patrick Weklar & Holland Hopson

Review and photographs by Kirsten Ferguson

http://www.nippertown.com/2011/11/18/live-location-ensemble-saratoga-arts-center-111211/#more-62961

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Nippertown!: Be Here Now: Location Ensemble @ Saratoga Arts

2011-11-11T17:56:00.001-08:00

Be Here Now: Location Ensemble @ Saratoga Arts Center, 11/12/11
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
There’s a new band in town, and you can bet your last peso that Location Ensemble is not like any other band on the Nippertown scene. And that’s because, well, there’s no other combo around that features a bassist, a drummer and seven – count ‘em, 7 – guitarists.

It all began last year when the experimental duo soundBarn joined forces with members of the Albany Sonic Arts Collective to perform Rhys Chatham’s legendary 1977 piece, “Guitar Trio,” a swirling mass of minimalism-meets-punk rock.

They decided to make the collaboration a semi-permanent performing unit, and the underground super-group was christened Location Ensemble.

On Saturday evening Location Ensemble will be unleashing their unholy sound once again with a concert at the Saratoga Arts Center in Saratoga, featuring new works by ensemble members Eric Hardiman, Holland Hopson and Thomas Lail, as well as an expanded score of Valerian Maly’s “Electric Guitar II.” The performance will be accompanied by live projections created by digital/video artist 1983.

For Saturday’s performance, the members of Location Ensemble will include guitarists Tara Fracalossi, Howard Glassman, Ray Hare, Holland Hopson, Thomas Lail, Jason Martin and Patrick Weklar, as well as bassist-guitarist Eric Hardiman and drummer Matt Weston.

The performance by Location Ensemble will take place at 8pm on Saturday (November 12) at the Saratoga Arts Center in Saratoga Springs. Admission is $8; students $5.

http://www.nippertown.com/category/be-here-now/

Location Ensemble! Saturday Nov 12, Saratoga Arts

2011-11-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

Join us for this special event - a rare performance by LOCATION ENSEMBLE! If you're not sure what that means, think "ecstatic and hypnotic massed guitar orchestra" and you'll be close.

LOCATION ENSEMBLE performs, with video projection by 1983.
Saturday, November 12, at 8pm
The Arts Center, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY
$8 / $5 for students and members of the Albany Sonic Arts Collective

Location Ensemble, a supergroup sprung from the Capital Region's underground music scene and comprised of seven guitarists, bass player and drummer, will perform a program of original compositions and a new classic of experimental sound art at The Arts Center in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, November 12. The musical program will be accompanied by the projections created live by digital/video artist 1983.

In 2010 sonic experimenters soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts Collective joined forces to perform at Saratoga Springs' Arts Center and two other venues Rhys Chatham's fabled Guitar Trio (1977), a swirling mass of sound where minimalism met punk rock and changed the state of music by ushering in the art-noise-rock scene of the early 1980's. With the last chords still ringing, soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts members decided to make the group a semi-permanent performing unit and christened the project 'LOCATION ENSEMBLE'.

LOCATION ENSEMBLE has recently expanded its repertoire, serving as the core of two performances of John Cages's Imaginary Landscapes IV, scored for twelve AM radios.

On November 12, LOCATION ENSEMBLE sets aside their radios to pick up their guitars, bass and drums once again. This time the ensemble will perform new works by members Eric Hardiman, Holland Hopson and Thomas Lail with an expanded score of Valerian Maly's Electric Guitar II.

Valerian Maly (Born Switzerland 1959) is a composer, performer and music director of experimental theater. His projects include collaborations with John Cage, David Tudor and Alvin Lucier. Influenced by the Fluxus-artists, Maly’s Electric Guitar II (1994) employs electric guitar & champagne as a form of trauma therapy; a response to the musical education of a Swiss conservatory. Maly lives and works in Bern, Switzerland.

For this show, LOCATION ENSEMBLE will include:

Tara Fracalossi - guitar
Ray Hare - guitar
Howard Glassman - guitar
Holland Hopson - guitar
Thomas Lail - guitar
Jason Martin - guitar
Patrick Weklar- guitar
Eric Hardiman - bass & guitar
Matt Weston - drums

Video projections to accompany this concert will be provided by 1983 (Jason Cosco), an Albany based noise and video artist, co-founder of the Upstate Artist Guild, and a member of the Albany Sonic Arts Collective.

Upcoming:

2011-10-17T08:47:00.001-07:00

soundBarn Plays Hitchcock, Tuesday Nov 1, Sage Auditorium, RPI, Troy. 7pm

Location Ensemble (soundBarn + Albany Sonic Arts) performs new work, Saturday Nov 12, Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs, NY 8pm

Live at The SoundBarn, bill TBA, Sunday Dec 11, The SoundBarn, Valatie, NY, 8pm.

And soundBarn Press releases by Lee Ranaldo and James Cullinane...

soundBarn plays Hitchcock: Tues Nov 1

2011-10-11T08:29:00.001-07:00

soundBarn will perform a live improvised score to accompany Alfred Hitchcock's 1929 film "Blackmail." The performance is organized by artist and Rensselaer faculty member Michael Oatman for "The Man Next Door: Alfred Hitchcock and the Architecture of Fear."

Tuesday November 1, 7-9:30 PM
RPI Main Campus, Troy, New York
SAGE 3303 Auditorium (off Sage Avenue).
Click for Map Parking on Sage Avenue

The event is free and open to the public.

About the film: Originally conceived as a silent film, a large portion of the "Blackmail" was then reshot with sound, using the RCA Photophone sound-on-film process. Both versions of the film were released theatrically, although the sound version is the one modern audiences will be the most familiar with. In "Hitchcock/Truffaut", Hitchcock relates how he used the Schufftan process to shoot certain scenes in the British Museum, where the light levels were too low. (See IMDB.)

soundBarn: Cage, Hitchcock

2011-09-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

soundBarn will perform as part of Location Ensemble for an encore reading of John Cage's Imaginary Landscapes IV. The piece will be part of an evening of performances coordinated with the opening of the exhibition Wired Kingdom at the Arts Center, Troy, NY. Performances start circa 7pm. www.artscenteronline.org

soundBarn will perform improvised accompniament to Alfred Hitchcock's 1929 film BlackMail 7pm, Tuesday November 1, Sage Auditorium, RPI, Troy.

Cage 99

2011-08-26T20:20:00.001-07:00

Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar of soundBarn and Tara Fracalossi, co-founder of The soundBarn will perform John Cage's Imaginary Landscapes IVwith Location Ensemble (+ guests) as part of Cage 99 at The Arts Center in Troy, New York on September 10, 2011. Location Ensemble has previously performed Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio and Holland Hopson's Swallowtail. Lail will also read from Cage's text "Art is Either a Complaint or Do Something Else" as part of the evening's event.

Click here for more information.

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soundBarn Press

2011-08-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

Coming in September: new soundBarn Press titles from Lee Ranaldo and James Cullinane.

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soundBarn's Thomas Lail in Transport......

2011-07-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Transport: Tara Fracalossi, Thomas Lail, Leah Singer, Lee Ranaldo

Galeria Cypriana Majernika, Bratislava, Slovakia

Opens Wednesday July 6, On view through September 4

Transport

Thomas Lail, Untitled (Dome IV), wood, hardware 2011

Thomas Lail, Untitled (Domes Over Bratislava), ink jet prints on acetate on extant windows, 2011

Transport: Tara Fracalossi, Thomas Lail, Lee Ranaldo, Leah Singer, an exhibition to be held at the Galeria Cypriana Majernika, a publicly supported gallery focusing on modern and contemporary art in Bratislava, Slovakia will present video, installation and works on paper by visual artists Tara Fracalossi, Thomas Lail, Leah Singer and Lee Ranaldo. The exhibition also includes a Boite-en-valise of small works by 25+ American artists. This project has been developed in collaboration with Bratislavan curator Richard Gregor, Director of the Galeria Cypriana Majernika.
http://www.artdispecing.sk/?IDe=117035

soundBarn on WGXC archive

2011-06-25T19:52:00.001-07:00

An archive of the WGXC interview and performance is streamable at the WGXC archive:

http://wgxc.org/archives/2475
http://wgxc.org/archives/2476

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SoundBarn on WGXC

2011-06-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

soundBarn will appear live on WGXC radio as Airtime Visiting Artists-- Saturday June 25, 4-5pm. Streamable at wgxc.org
Info at: http://wgxc.org/events/3459

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soundBarn: Valentine CD on Tape Drift Records!

2011-06-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

Tape Drift Records- New Releases!

TD40 soundBarn – Valentine

soundBarn has been mining the possibilities of extreme guitar for years, and Tape Drift is thrilled to present their debut recording. The single long-form track of Valentine finds the duo creating fields of sonic sprawl that defy easy definition.

Recorded live in their performance space/ studio at a turn of the century, rural, Upstate New York orchard, soundBarn’s Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar ply prepared and altered guitars, overprocess signals and pile loops of sound to orchestrate an arching instrumental tale of creation and destruction.

Weklar and Lail have been collaborating for over twenty years and were founding members of Upstate New York’s long-ago post-punk band, The Fauves. Tape Drift's release of Valentine includes cover and a trifold insert images by artist Tara Fracalossi and soundBarn images by Mark Lunt, Larissa Tapler and Lail.

soundBarn - Valentine (excerpt)

Tape Drift Records

$6 each ppd in the US, email us for international prices. $21 for the entire batch, ppd, US only. Email for batch rate to international locations. Reach us here: hardiman04@gmail.com

soundBarn will appear as Airtime Visiting Artists on WGXC Saturday June 25th at 4pm to perform live and discuss soundBarn, their performance space, "The soundBarn" and the new CD. wgxc.org

VALENTINE: MAY '11

2011-05-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

soundBarn: Valentine... Tape Drift Records... May 2011

River of Drone III: May 22

2011-05-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

Albany Sonic Arts Collective and The soundBarn present:

RIVER OF DRONE III

11am – 4pm, Sunday May 22 at The soundBarn, Valatie, NY.

Albany Sonic Arts Collective and The soundBarn are pleased to present River of Drone III a free, long-form sound performance that will center on the extended sounds of drone and will develop through a five-hour performance.

This year will mark the third annual River of Drone and the second Drone collaboration between Albany Sonic Arts and The soundBarn.

Set in a former orchard cooler with views of the Catskill Mountains, The soundBarn is a uniquely suited location for visitors to lounge, listen and linger for an hour, a few minutes or the entire performance. The audience is encouraged to make themselves comfortable and to bring pillows, chairs, food and drink. Listeners are encouraged to move around, watch the accompanying video projections, wander in and out and discover new relationships to sound through immersion, reflection, deep listening, meditation, and concentration.

We hope you will join us to listen, meditate, bliss out-- or to simply enjoy a swim in the RIVER OF DRONE!

River of Drone III is a collaborative presentation of Albany Sonic Arts Collective and The soundBarn and will be presented at The soundBarn, 330 Maple Lane, Valatie NY 12184

soundBarn is the experimental music duet of Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar. The soundBarn is a project of artist/musician Thomas Lail and artist/gallerist Tara Fracalossi and is located on what was once Heald Orchards in Valatie, New York.

Albany Sonic Arts Collective is a grassroots organization located in and around Albany, NY dedicated to building a thriving community of listeners and performers of music that exists outside of traditional boundaries with a special emphasis on forms that stress freedom and exploration of new ideas.

For more information visit: soundbarn.blogspot.com albanysonicarts.blogspot.com

The soundBarn

330 Maple Lane

Valatie NY 12184

south driveway

Pictures from A Thousand Fibers, March 26

2011-03-27T17:57:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Insect Posse and Holland Hopson for joining us at The soundBarn for "A Thousand Fibers." We missed Fossils From The Sun... Feel better, Brother Ray. Thanks to all those who made it out... Here are some pictures:

Insect Posse
Photo: Thomas Lail

Holland Hopson
Photo: Larissa Tapler

Holland Hopson
photo: Thomas Lail

Thomas Lail, soundBarn
Photo: Larissa Tapler

Thomas Lail, soundBarn
Photo: Larissa Tapler

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soundBarn Press now available for online purchase

2011-03-06T17:29:00.000-08:00

The inaugural soundBarn Press publication, Thomas Lail's May 08-Feb10 is now available for online purchase at the soundBarn site. 14 pages, 81/2x51/2" color cover images by Tara Fracalossi: Archive (walls) 2010 ed. of 100

May 08/ Feb 10 is the first publishing of soundBarn member and founder Thomas Lail’s poetic writing . Like Lail's other works in sound and collage, May08-Feb10 combines and juxtaposes fragmentary glances into arcing structures populated with history, ideas and stolen fragments of the everyday. Thomas Lail is a musician and artist whose works have been shown nationally and internationally. He is Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Hudson Valley Community College, SUNY, Troy, New York.

soundBarn Press is a project of The soundBarn that furthers its commitment to new and experimental forms and emerging voices by publishing experimental writings and poetry by associates of the soundBarn and related others.

Forthcoming publications from soundBarn Press include poetry by musician/visual artist/writer and founding member of rock band Sonic Youth, Lee Ranaldo and poetry/writings by artist James Cullinane.

A Thousand Fibers Saturday, March 26

2011-02-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday March 26 8PM

The soundBarn presents:

A Thousand Fibers

-- An evening of experimental sound with members of Albany Sonic Arts Collective and the soundBarn.

Insect Posse--- "First up was the guitar-wielding duo Mark Lunt and Chris Bassett collectively know as Insect Posse – who coxed tone and feedback from there [sic] instruments including their feet with great effect." Nippertown

Fossils From the Sun-- Ray Hare (Century Plant...s, Burnt Hills, Twilight of the Century, etc) delivers hypnotic and haunting motifs, feedback trails gently coaxed into existence and an addictive reminder of why the electric guitar remains a mainstay of modern music.

Holland Hopson-- a composer, improviser and electronic artist, Holland was Metroland's "Retro-futurist" of the year in 2010.

soundBarn is the experimental music duet of Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar. "soundBarn had at it with mallets, bows, possibly screwdrivers and a fleet of effect pedals. Both Lail and Weklar were founding members of long-ago Albany post-punk band the Fauves." Nippertown

Albany Sonic Arts Collective and soundBarn have collaborated on numerous projects including full-length performances of Rhys Chatham’s famed “Guitar Trio” at Flywheel in Easthampton, Ma. and Saratoga Arts in Saratoga Springs, NY.

The soundBarn is a project of artist/musician Thomas Lail and artist/gallerist Tara Fracalossi and is located on what was once Heald Orchards in Valatie, New York. The soundBarn has recently initiated soundBarn Press publishing limited editions of poetry and experimental writing by associates of The soundBarn and related others. Forthcoming publications include poetry by musician/artist/writer and founding member of rock band Sonic Youth Lee Ranaldo and poetry/writings by artist James Cullinane.

Albany Sonic Arts Collective is a grassroots organization located in and around Albany, NY dedicated to building a thriving community of listeners and performers of music that exists outside of traditional boundaries with a special emphasis on forms that stress freedom and exploration of new ideas.

For more information visit: soundbarn.blogspot.com albanysonicarts.blogspot.com

the soundBarn 330 maple lane valatie ny
(please not that googlemaps locates the address incorrectly- the south drive entrance is located at the intersection of Maple and Blossom Lanes)

SoundBarn at DeepFreeZe

2011-02-27T07:10:00.001-08:00

Some pics from soundBarn's performance at Deepfreeze: Experimental sounds for snowy days. Many thanks to Albany Sonic Arts for hosting and to our comrades Insect Posse, Holland Hopson, Century Plants and Matt Weston for an evening of stunning sounds. These pics: Larissa Tapler.

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DEEP FREEZE: Experimental Music for Snowy Times

2011-02-03T06:07:00.001-08:00

Saturday Feb. 19th will mark the return of ASAC to the Upstate Artists Guild on Lark St. in Albany, with a very special night:

DEEP FREEZE: Experimental Music for Snowy Times

ASAC will be celebrating its first concert of 2011 with performances by some of the Capital Region's most exciting experimental musicians including Century Plants with Matt Weston, Holland Hopson, SoundBarn and Insect Posse.
...
DEEP FREEZE: Experimental Music for Snowy Times

HOLLAND HOPSON
CENTURY PLANTS with MATT WESTON
SOUNDBARN
INSECT POSSE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19
8:00 PM
UPSTATE ARTISTS GUILD (UAG)
247 LARK STREET ALBANY, NY
$5 SUGGESTED DONATION

About Century Plants:
ASAC members Eric Hardiman and Ray Hare have been collaborating for years as Century Plants, utilizing voice, guitar, and complex electronics setups to create haunting, evocative works. For this performance, they will be joined by Matt Weston on percussion and electronics, sure to add a new layer of intrigue.

For more information http://www.myspace.com/centuryplants and http://www.mattweston.com/

About Holland Hopson:
Named by Metroland as the area's "Best Retro-Futurist," composer Holland Hopson will present a set of his typically challenging work in a rare solo appearance on soprano saxophone and electronics. Holland is preparing for an upcoming three week residency with composer and live electronics pioneer David Behrman at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna, Florida.

For more information http://hollandhopson.com/

About SoundBarn:
soundBarn (Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar) use heavily processed and prepared guitar to construct ad-hoc compositions that span the space from spare, minimal soundscapes to full-on noise with ever-shifting rhythms, pace and moods. soundBarn has recently collaborated with Albany Sonic Arts Collective on full-length performances of Rhys Chatham’s famed “Guitar Trio” as well as performances at The soundBarn—a project of artist/musician Lail and artist/gallerist Tara Fracalossi located on what was once Heald Orchards in Valatie, New York. Lail formerly performed with the experimental trio Lukomski/Majer/Lail whose improvised sound Metroland weekly recommended "for those who are turned way on by the gloriously weird guitarscapes of Sonic Youth’s late ’90s SYR recordings, or the
dreamy, sometimes atonal soundwaves of Hovercraft…” Both Lail and Weklar were founding members of the long-ago Albany post-punk band The Fauves.

For more information http://www.soundbarn.blogspot.com/

About Insect Posse:
Insect Posse are the prolific and inscrutable Mark Lunt and Chris Bassett, purveyors of noisy yet hypnotic hymns to other worlds of nothingness.

For more information http://www.myspace.com/insectposse

There is a suggested donation of $5.00 for admission to support ASAC and UAG.

SEE YOU THERE!

facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy#!/event.php?eid=127423240660595

The soundBarn announces soundBarn Press

2011-01-26T05:31:00.000-08:00

The soundBarn announces soundBarn Press

The soundBarn is pleased to announce soundBarn Press-- a new project of The soundBarn. soundBarn Press will complement and further the commitment of The soundBarn to new and experimental forms and emerging voices by publishing experimental writings and poetry by associates of the soundBarn and related others.

soundBarn Press will inaugurate its publications with May 08/ Feb 10 -- poetry writings from soundBarn member and founder Thomas Lail. This is the first publishing of Lail’s poetic writing. His poems, like his other works in sound and collage, combine and juxtapose fragmentary glances into arcing structures. They are populated with history, ideas and stolen fragments of the everyday. Thomas Lail is a musician and artist whose works have been shown nationally and internationally. Lail is Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Hudson Valley Community College, SUNY, Troy, New York.

Pictures of BB

2010-12-15T11:17:00.001-08:00

Century Plants doing what they do at Benjamin Britten is Dead at the soundBarn:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Guitar Trio noted

2010-12-15T11:15:00.001-08:00

Guitar Trio at flywheel was noted in an article on Rhys Chatham by Jessica Higgins for Artist Organized Art :
http://artistorganizedart.org/commons/

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"Five Firsts"

2010-12-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thomas Lail of soundBarn, "Five Firsts" in Nippertown....

Swallowtail and Guitar Trio recordings

2010-11-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

Listen to recordings of soundBarn/Albany Sonic Arts Collective's performances of
Holland Hopson's "Swallowtail" and Rhys Chatham's "Guitar Trio" on Holland's blog:
http://fieldguide.hollandhopson.com/2010/11/28/swallowtail-and-guitar-trio-recordings/

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soundBarn & Albany Sonic Arts Collective: Benjamin Britten is Dead

2010-11-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

soundBarn & Albany Sonic Arts Collective: Benjamin Britten is Dead

Saturday December 4^th. 8 pm

The soundBarn, Valatie, NY. FREE

The soundBarn is pleased to present “Benjamin Britten is Dead,” an evening of long form improvisations that unite members of sonic experimentalists Albany Sonic Arts Collective and soundBarn on the anniversary of English composer Benjamin Britten’s death.

The sound explorations of both Albany Sonic Arts Collective (ASAC) and soundBarn delve deep into the realms of noise, drone, minimalism and free-improvisation. Employing instrumentation ranging from heavily processed and prepared guitar to 21^st century banjo, members of ASAC and soundBarn construct ad-hoc compositions that span the space from spare, minimal soundscapes to full-on noise with ever-shifting rhythms, pace and moods.

Albany Sonic Arts Collective and soundBarn have most recently collaborated on a full-length performance of Rhys Chatham’s famed “Guitar Trio” with performances at Flywheel in Easthampton, Ma. and Saratoga Arts in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Performers include: Eric Hardiman (ASAC, Rambutan, Century Plants, Burnt Hills,) Ray Hare (ASAC, Century Plants, Fossils From the Sun, Burnt Hills,) Thomas Lail (soundBarn), Patrick Weklar(soundBarn), and Metroland Magazine’s “Best Retro-Futurist” of 2010, Holland Hopson (ASAC) and others… Accompanying visuals by Tara Fracalossi.

For more information visit: soundbarn.blogspot.com albanysonicarts.blogspot.com

The soundBarn

330 Maple Lane

Valatie NY 12184

south driveway

soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts Collective Play Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio: Video from Flywheel, Easthampton MA Oct 9, 2010

2010-11-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

Video posted from the soundBarn/ASAC G3 performance at Flywheel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJhR7L2iZrg

soundBarn and ASAC play Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio, Saratoga Arts, Saratoga Springs Nov 20, 2010

2010-11-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

Ray Hare, Pat Weklar, Tara Fracalossi, Eric Hardiman, Thomas Lail, Matt Weston, Matt Ernst, Holland Hopson

Thomas Lail cues G3

Matt Weston, Drums

Thomas Lail, Tara Fracalossi: Guitar; Eric Hardiman: Bass

Matt Weston: Drums; Matt Ernst, Ray Hare: Guitar

Add caption

Eric Hardiman: Bass; Matt Ernst; Guitar; Matt Wston: Drums; Ray Hare: Guitar

Holland Hopson: Guitar, composer of "Swallowtail"

Tara Fracalossi and Thomas Lail performing Holland Hopson's "Swallowtail"

Thomas Lail: Guitar

Matt Weston: Drums

The G3 Ensemble in front of Robert Longo's "Pictures for Music"

soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts Collective Play Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio

2010-11-22T08:51:00.001-08:00

soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts Collective (ASAC) are proud to present the full length version of Rhys Chatham’s Guitar Trio.

Written in 1977, Guitar Trio is Rhys Chatham's signature composition. With a single, repeated chord, Guitar Trio (or G3 as it was later renamed to accommodate increased instrumentation of six to ten electric guitars) embodies an amalgamation of the textural intricacies of the avant-garde collided with the visceral punch of electric guitar-slinging punk rock. Chatham’s “Guitar Trio” created a new type of urban music. Raucous and ecstatic, the sound energized the downtown New York scene throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, prefigured the No Wave movement and cast a huge influence over the subsequent work of Chatham’s many protégés, including Glenn Branca and future members of Sonic Youth.

Accompanying the performance of G3 is the original visual projection Pictures for Music, created for the piece in 1977 by internationally known visual artist Robert Longo.

soundBarn and Albany Sonic Arts Collective will also perform Swallowtail for three or more electric guitars with electric bass and drums by Holland Hopson. Composed in 2010, Swallowtail is inspired by Guitar Trio and was written as a companion piece to Chatham's work to be performed by the ensemble on the same program.

The G3 ensemble includes: Thomas Lail, Tara Fracalossi, Patrick Weklar, Matt Ernst, Holland Hopson, Ray Hare, guitars; Eric Hardiman, bass; Matt Weston, drums

soundBarn is the experimental music duet of Thomas Lail and Patrick Weklar. The soundBarn is a project of artist/musician Thomas Lail and artist/gallerist Tara Fracalossi and is located on what was once Heald Orchards in Valatie, New York.

locations:

Oct 9-- Flywheel, Easthampton MA 7:30 w Christoph Heemann-ultra rare performance from the German surrealist sound master(HNAS, Mimir, Mirror) and Son of Earth

Nov 20-- Saratoga Arts 8pm

River of Drone II: Seven Hours of Sound

2010-11-22T08:48:00.001-08:00

RIVER OF DRONE II : SEVEN HOURS OF SOUND

Albany Sonic Arts Collective (ASAC) and The soundBarn are proud to present River of Drone II: Seven Hours of Sound. A very special, long-form event, River of Drone II is a free, seven-hour, improvised sound performance from 12 noon – 7 pm on Sunday May 16 at The soundBarn, Valatie, NY.

River of Drone II: Seven Hours of Sound is a collective sonic improvisation that will unfold and develop unlike any ordinary concert. From quiet, peaceful soundscapes to full-on noise, the ever-shifting rhythm, pace and mood will evolve as the ebb and flow of performers, energy and instrumentation progresses through the seven hour performance.

Set in a former orchard cooler with views of the Catskill Mountains, The soundBarn is a uniquely suited location for visitors to lounge, listen and linger for an hour, a few minutes or the entire performance. The audience is encouraged to make themselves comfortable and to bring pillows, chairs, food and drink. Unlike a traditional concert setting, performers will be located throughout the venue and listeners are encouraged to move around, watch the accompanying video projections, wander in and out and discover new relationships to sound through immersion, reflection, deep listening, meditation, and concentration.

We hope you will join us to listen, meditate, bliss out-- or to simply enjoy a swim in the RIVER OF DRONE!

River of Drone II is a collaborative presentation of Albany Sonic Arts Collective and The soundBarn and will be presented at The soundBarn, 330 Maple Lane, Valatie NY 12184

Musicians include: Jason Cosco, Matt Ernst, Tara Fracalossi, Eric Hardiman (Rambutan, Century Plants, Burnt Hills,) Ray Hare (Century Plants, Fossils From the Sun, Burnt Hills,) Holland Hopson, Thomas Lail (soundBarn,) Patrick Weklar (soundBarn) Matt Weston (Barn Owls), Linda Aubry Bullock, Mike Bullock, Jeremy Kelly, Mark Lunt, Chris Bassett plus special guests.

Videos by: Tara Fracalossi, Kyra Garrigue, Jason Cosco and more.

The soundBarn is a project of artist/musician Thomas Lail and artist Tara Fracalossi and is located on what was once Heald Orchards in Valatie, New York. The soundBarn is sited in a modern addition to the orchard’s 100 year old Dutch style barn. The cavernous, heavily insulated space served as the orchard’s cooler where apples and pears were over-wintered and chilled by the massive, still visible refrigeration system.