Musical Showcase – Double Diamond ‘Love Somebody’ – Six Foot Sessions

Williamstown-based Double Diamond has played FreshGrass at MASS MoCA, Dream Away Lodge, and many other venues. Their lyrical music engages and stirs hearts. Founding members Sarah McNair and Karl Mullen perform outdoors, six feet apart, for all of us.

Producer
Jack Criddle
Series
Musical Showcase
Category
Studio Shows & Interviews

Musical Showcase – Bearthoven ‘American Dream’

Bearthoven (Karl Larson, piano; Pat Swoboda, double bass; and Matt Evans, percussion) releases its second album, "American Dream", featuring the works of composer Scott Wollschleger, including his "Gas Station Canon Song", "American Dream", and "We See Things That Are Not There". Karl Larson describes American Dream as “a reflection of the contemporary American state of mind.” Rather than making a direct political statement, the works on the album reflect the paradoxical nature of the “American Dream” in our current socio-economic climate. Wollschleger says, “This music expresses the strongest sense of urgency I've experienced in my entire life, channeling feelings of doom, optimism, hopelessness, and the sublime. Much like a dream, these pieces weave an interconnected musical fabric of contradictory worlds.” Bearthoven (Karl Larson, piano; Pat Swoboda, double bass; and Matt Evans, percussion) releases its second album, "American Dream", featuring the works of composer Scott Wollschleger, including his "Gas Station Canon Song", "American Dream", and "We See Things That Are Not There". Karl Larson describes American Dream as “a reflection of the contemporary American state of mind.” Rather than making a direct political statement, the works on the album reflect the paradoxical nature of the “American Dream” in our current socio-economic climate. Wollschleger says, “This music expresses the strongest sense of urgency I've experienced in my entire life, channeling feelings of doom, optimism, hopelessness, and the sublime. Much like a dream, these pieces weave an interconnected musical fabric of contradictory worlds.” The title work on the album, Wollschleger’s American Dream, is a substantial trio for piano, double bass, pitch pipes, and a wide array of percussion instruments including vibraphone, water crotales, and vibrators. The piece consists of numerous “broken songs” dispensed throughout a fragmented time-field. This formal dissonance, often heightened by disruptively recurring drone-clusters, sets the tone for the entire album: the beautiful/hopeful is pervasive but constantly shadowed by the repugnant/forlorn. We See Things That Are Not There engages the vibraphone and piano in a constant repetitive dialogue with one another – both instruments recite the same phrase back and forth without an ultimate agreement. Gas Station Canon Song for solo piano is an unscrambled statement of one of the “broken songs” from American Dream. It was inspired by the synchronous existence of the beautiful and the grotesque encountered by Wollschleger in an I-80 gas station, a direct reference to a modern American paradox: how the majestic and the repellent always seem to coexist in a state of flux, no matter the medium. Released on Cantaloupe Music

Producer
Jack Criddle
Series
Musical Showcase
Category
Studio Shows & Interviews

Musical Showcase – Bearthoven ‘Decision Fatigue’

Decision Fatigue, for Piano, Bass, Drum Kit, and Electronics. Written by Hunter Hanson for Bearthoven during their 2019 NYU Residency. Recorded live May 9th, 2019 at Scholes St Studio, Brooklyn, NY Piano - Karl Larson Bass - Pat Swoboda Drums - Matt Evans "Decision Fatigue incorporates a rhythmic structure comprising a random selection of notes locked to a 16th-note grid. I gave up control (aka removed myself from the decision making process) over the initial rhythmic composition to a patch I made in Max/MSP and forced myself to work with the material that the computer spat out. In doing so, I arrived at an interesting "groove" that isn't really a "groove," but it still seems to "groove" doesn't it? The electronics part of this piece incorporates samples I made of the band pre-composition." - Hunter Hanson

Producer
Jack Criddle
Series
Musical Showcase
Category
Studio Shows & Interviews

Musical Showcase – Ciarra Fragale ‘Ultimate Lover’

Ciarra Fragale is an indie pop act born and raised in NY's Hudson Valley. By blending the nostalgic traditions of songwriting with unique new-wave sensibilities, she creates a sound all her own. Ciarra spent years playing solo, until early last year when she joined forces with Kingston drummer Eli Marzano. Since then they have brought their dynamic set all across the Northeast, opening for renowned acts like Sammy Rae & the Friends. Ciarra's second full-length release "Call It What You Will" is available on all streaming platforms.

Producer
Jack Criddle
Series
Musical Showcase
Category
Studio Shows & Interviews

Musical Showcase – Pat Irwin and J. Walter Hawkes ‘In Another Time’

Pat Irwin (guitar, electronics) was a founding member of the NYC No Wave bands, 8 Eyed Spy and The Raybeats and a touring member of the B-52s. He has composed for Nurse Jackie and Bored To Death, Rocko’s Modern Life, and SpongeBob SquarePants. J. Walter Hawkes (trombone, electronics) is a four time Emmy winner who has played/ recorded with Norah Jones, among others, and composes for television.

Producer
Jack Criddle
Series
Musical Showcase
Category
Studio Shows & Interviews