Tag: dawn of midi

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Weekly Roundup 7/7/15

Reading: Some basics on musical acoustics (so confusing!), and picking up Practicing: A Musician’s Return to Music by Glenn Kurtz this week.

Arranging: n/a

Practicing: Alternating lip trill work with multiple tonguing. I have some tricky runs in the arrangement of Rolling Thunder that Metro Brass is doing at the Hudson Bandshell!

Rehearsing: Nice little breather from rehearsals until the 19th.

Performing: Midnight in Moscow, July 12th at Centennial Lakes in Edina. Metro Brass July 23rd at the Hudson Bandshell. I have a new performance calendar! Bookmark it, subscribe to do, do what you gotta do- see you at the gig.

Listening: My brain’s been in a little rut lately, not wanting to process many things, and when that happens I like instrumental things- in particular, soundscape-like music or minimalist works. Dawn of Midi, John Luther Adams, Brad Mehldau.

Teaching: My friend and colleague Brad’s excellent Keys By Degrees worksheet (see my studio resources for a PDF). An excellent way to train your fingers or your slide to follow your ear, and not worry about memorizing key signatures!

Relaxing: Camping up in Northern Wisconsin last weekend. So necessary.

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Recent Discoveries: Dawn of Midi

I am an unabashedly loyal fan of RadioLab, the monthly WNYC podcast that explores everything from blood and poop to colors, sounds, textures, and grand ideas, all through the lens of science and social humanism, and then filtered again through experimental sound and music techniques. They’ve introduced me to so many new ideas, and I can’t even begin to pick my favorite episodes (but you can start here: Colors, or a classic: Goat on a Cow).

They also use original music in their episodes, either from bands they’ve discovered or from composer’s who’ve contributed for a single purpose. They put on live shows and it was through one of those broadcasts that I discovered Glenn Kotche’s amazing solo percussion career (Kotche is better known as the drummer for indie rock pioneering band Wilco).

Recently they did a short about Dawn of Midi, a three-piece Brooklyn outfit that takes minimalist music (see: Steve Reich; Philip Glass) into this generation and has created mesmerizing, beautiful sounds with their latest album, Dysnomia.

Perfect for listening while drinking tea, cooking a pie, or just staring at the ceiling. Listen, support, and enjoy.