JCHRants

Poll: Tour 2014

06.10.2014

So the good news is that The Solid State Siren is ready to go. The other good news is that I’m ready to get out there again. So, please click here if this is of interest so I can schedule about a dozen shows starting in September 2014.

No Robots

I’ve seen/heard a lot of recent experiments by Tom Wilkinson (aka Squarepusher) and others using a variety of techniques whereby some automaton composes and/or plays something labelled as ‘music’. This sort of urge seems to occur every few decades (Google ‘aleatoric’ for an instant migraine.) They are always failures. The annoying part for me is because I am so aware of my prejudices against ‘machine music’ I go out of my way to be open-minded. I think I’ve subjected myself to more repetitive/random crap than any repetitive/random hater ever. I just want to be clear that going on ‘auto-pilot’ is not the show you’re gonna see. In any case, I can heartily recommend the records where Squarepusher actually plays.

Since I first heard John Coltrane, it has always amazed me why talented people reach their high point and then feel compelled to go off the deep end. When you finally get to a certain level, shouldn’t that be satisfying? I understand the idea of always striving for ‘more’, but it’s as though sex with one super-model or eating at El Bulli every night can never make it anymore. And that’s something I personally cannot understand. Enough should be enough.

(If you’re unfamiliar with the program, let me summarise. Traditionally, I poll interested parties before scheduling a tour and use the responses to plan an itinerary. This is more important now than ever since this is a test of my current energy.)

Now there are some places that are more likely than others—I definitely want to make an extra effort to get to places I didn’t get to last summer. But hey, the market rules. Or is it democracy? One or the other. 😀

So What’s The Gimmick This Time?

In keeping with the theme of the new record, I’ll be bringing more electronic gear: Blinking lights; Knobs; Oscilloscopes. That sort of thing. It’s basically a lot of kit a DJ would be right at home with. The difference is that I’m not looking to visually impress or automate more stuff. Rather, my idea is to introduce some element of ‘danger’ to the gig. The more stuff? The more things to go wrong. Let’s say that I’m after a certain amount of ‘unpredictability.’

My theory is that a good show always has a certain amount of ‘danger’. If you see a magician, you know it’s ‘safe’ and that it’s all worked out. But if done well, at some point in the show you forget all that and start to feel like ‘what if it does go off the rails?’ That’s why most people respond so much more to real playing than pre-recorded stuff. We like to see the ‘magic’. Admit it: it’s like watching an auto race where at any moment someone might crash. In this case, I’m not trying to get you to feel the thrill; this junk just isn’t that exciting. Rather, I’m trying to get me a bit worried.

I’ll Drive Myself, Thank You

Let’s face it: We could have self-driving cars today. But we’re gonna have trouble accepting them because a big part of driving is the feeling of ‘control’. It feels good to know that your fate is in your hands (and feet) even when that’s not logically the best way to travel. There’s a great deal of satisfaction in changing lanes, jockeying for position, doing 100 totally unnecessary things to keep the ‘challenge’ in the journey. Knowing that I’ve got way too many buttons to push, keys to press, notes to sing keeps me on my toes and makes for a better performance. Theoretically.

To paraphrase the famous words of Piero De Medici: “I’d rather govern badly by my own hand than well, by others.” Of course, I think he came to a rather poor end, but hey, it’s a hell of a quote!

So, fill out the form or just contact me directly and let’s get this show on the road.