Yeahhh, so I’ve been dragging my feet getting lots o’ live recordings online for streaming and such. The number of unedited live recordings had become rather overwhelming, and then I forgot how to edit the WAV files to boot, having been long out of practice. So, anyway, I decided to figure it out and at least take a bite out of it the mountain of raw recordings. putting the contents of five shows up in the last couple days.
Keller House Concert (9/21/2013): A set of music at the home of one S. Keller and friends on September 21, 2013. Also featured on the program were A Light Sleeper and Origin of Animal.
Wayne Street Block Party (8/17/2013): A live recording of Gunnelpumpers at the Wayne Street Block Party in Chicago, Illinois on August 17, 2013. The drummer Steven Rutstein had come down with a nasty case of bronchitis and was unable to perform, resulting in an extremely rare membranophone-less set.
Martyrs’ CD Release Party for Montana Fix: This is a live Gunnelpumpers set performed at Martyrs’ in Chicago on July 24, 2013. Performances by The Ham Council and Sophisafunk rounded out the evening. This was the CD release show for Gunnelpumpers fourth album, Montana Fix.
Gallery Cabaret (4/27/2013): A live recording of Gunnelpumpers at Gallery Cabaret in Chicago on April 27, 2013. We were the last of four bands and started very late, the crowd having thinned significantly by the time we played. Guitarist Steve Roberts, who was playing Book of Mormon, had planned to join us but ended up leaving before our set due to a matinee the next day. This is one of those rare performances where we seemed to draw everything from thin air, without any previous grooves known to us. The three groups preceding us were Hannah Frank and Company, The Red Apples, and whitewolfsonicprincess.
Stage Bar (9/22/2012): This is a live set performed at the Stage Bar in Chicago on September 22, 2012. Also featured on the program were Chris Bock and whitewolfsonicprincess. One strange thing that happened this evening was that Gunnelpumper Michael Hovnanian was on his way to play with us after his concert with the Chicago Symphony, and before he arrived, the television in the bar showed that the symphony had just gone on strike moments before the concert! Fortunately, they were able to resolve their differences in a number of days.
To see all of our live recordings online, go to http://gunnelpumpers.com/live/ or click Live under the Recordings menu. Clicking a musician’s name will display all of the live shows that individual performed on.
“Well. hello there.” From Peter Schickele Presents an Evening with P. D. Q. Bach (1807–1742?)
Just a quick dang doodle email about an upcoming show this Saturday night, April 27, at Gallery Cabaret at 2020 N. Oakley, the best possible address in hindsight. Four bands, no cover, a plethora of musical goodness.
Hannah Frank & Co. will open the evening around 10pm, followed by The Red Apples, followed by whitewolfsonicprincess (with whom I will get to play their great tunes!), followed by Gunnelpumpers. At 12:30 or 1:00 am! Yes, burning the midnight oil. Some serious night owlage ‘Twill be mucho Spaß!
The fair and balanced Gunnelpumpers lineup will feature John Meyer (and possibly Steve Roberts) on guitar(s), Michael Hovnanian, Tom Mendel and myself on basses, and Randy Farr and Sir Robert Garrett on skins. And the neighbors thought we were too loud last time…
I will have on hand our new CD “Montana Fix”, which you can only get from me until it becomes widely available the day of our CD release party at Martyrs on July 24. In fact, if you see me anywhere between now and July 24, just ask me how far away the nearest copy of Montana Fix is, and I will probably try to get you to trade $10 for it. It’s a fair deal. Oh, yes. Indubitably.
A couple of final thingalings pertaining to Access Contemporary Music (ACM), with whom I get to make wonderful music from time to time. I’ll be performing May 21 at Architectural Artifacts with them, the 1,001 Afternoons in Chicago program in collaboration with the Strawdog Theater Company. Check it out at http://www.acmusic.org/attend/concerts/1001-afternoons-chicago.
Finally, ACM is taking the highlights from the last eight year of The Sound of Silent Film to NYC on June 7 and 8. The SOSF features modern silent films paired with music composed by living composers for these films, thereupon said films are shown with a live performance of the film score in front of a live theatre audience. I’m sure there’s a better way to say that. No matter, one of my few written-out compositions, “Die Wunderkammer”, was composed as part of the 2010 SOSF for the Quay Brothers’ “The Cabinet of Svankmajer”, a fascinating 14-minute stop-motion animation picture, scored for flute, b-flat clarinet, violin, ‘cello, piano and percussion. Anyway, I just put the finishing touches on this version of the piece, and if you’re in NYC June 7 or 8, you can see the performances at the Anthology Film Archives at 32 Second Avenue in Manhattan.
Anyway, that’s enough for now. Be well.
Douglas Johnson
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