Ben McAllister: Solo + Big Audience Composition Experiment

Ben McAllister (Guitar Cult, Degenerate Art Ensemble, Medicine Hat, Tuktu) brings his unique musical language to two sets: a solo set involving projected notation and homebrewed software slicing-and-dicing, then an hour of audience collaboration which will result in 3 (or more) new compositions, education and, potentially, enlightenment. Bring your voice or another unamplified pitch-making apparatus.

“This night is about exploring a line between planning and spontaneous. In lockdown, I really got into music notation in a way I hadn’t before, and so many questions arose. Why do I write and read music? Does it serve anyone besides me? If I die tomorrow, will the notation hint at the sounds I have in my head? This kind of thing.

The solo half of the set won’t be 100% improv or 100% planned, but somewhere in between. You’ll see some visuals that may help you see where my heads is at while I play. In the second half, we’ll switch gears as I guide you through a little bit of my thinking in notating and organizing sound, then we will use a few of these guides to make some music as a group.”