TAP 4.0: The Nyxology Sessions

Social, 7 PM; Music, 8 PM. Donations accepted as cash or via Venmo, Square Cash, Zelle or PayPal to wcsartanddesign@yahoo.com.

TAP 4.0: The Nyxology Sessions are high-level experiments in the art and craft of designing and presenting simultaneous, multi-participant and multi-discipline live performances, or “art-theater”, that inhabit a venue’s on and off-stage spaces and feature the live-scores of The Antenna Project as the core audience experience.

GUEST PERFORMERS
Garth Stein, the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain and Matt Southworth, the co-creator of the hit ABC TV series Stumptown based on his comic book series of the same name, team up for the action-packed coming of age story about a mutant from the Pacific Northwest, The Cloven! Garth will be pontificating on the origin of this mutant species while Matt will be drawing via projector, for all to hear and see… precisely what they present will remain completely unknown until it’s happening!

Bring a yoga mat, bring a pillow, bring your favorite dance shoes, bring a pencil and sketch pad, bring a camera, bring a friend or lover, bring a deck of cards, bring a book, bring your favorite armchair I don’t care. Just allow yourself to focus on being Present and the experiment will doubtless be an authentic success on every level.

Founded in 2002, Christopher Hydinger‘s The Antenna Project provides Instrumental Live-scores (improvised context-specific audio compositions) for all variety of experiences. Amplified electric guitar, an effects pedal and various methods of interfacing are used to create full-registered music ranging from subdued waves of droning minimalism to exuberantly celebratory maximalism. The project’s mantra is Devoted to the Present, a double nod to both the “present” as current moment and as gift.

Luke Fitzpatrick / entr’acte

Experimental violin and piano duo entr’acte presents Zombies. Formed by violinist Luke Fitzpatrick and pianist Laure Struber, entr’acte was created with the goal of expanding the sonic possibilities of the violin and piano duo. Zombies was written to recontextualize older melodies into a meditative exploration of sound colors. The piece uses an extensive amount of inside the piano techniques and emphasizes the resonance of the instrument. 

Opening the concert will be The Tomb: the complete works for adapted viola and intoning voice by Luke Fitzpatrick. As a long-time member of the Harry Partch ensemble, Luke has written and performed an extensive amount of music for the combination of adapted viola and intoning voice. His complete works are presented here for the first time.

With This Very Body I Enter Hell

An audiovisual dispatch from a world of purple mountains and pornographic websites. Featuring Gabe Fabens (electronics), Sage Folkins (guitar), Charlie Fwinkins (creative direction), Ian Gwin (synths).

Under the direction of enigmatic auteur, Charles Fwinkins, WTVBEH has produced videos such as “I Saw Jesus Die,” “Fresh Kills” and “The Lantern’s Gone Out, The Lantern’s Gone Out.” Examples of their work can be viewed on the streaming zine Wordo. 

Bit Graves / Benjamin Marx / Mason Lynass

Bit Graves, Benjamin Marx, and Mason Lynass perform contrasting sets of dystopian drone music, generative electronic music, and songs for guitar, cello, and viola.

Bit Graves is an experimental electronic duo. Dave Segal of The Stranger describes them as “utter masters of their dystopian domain [who] excel at suspense-building dynamics and creating a sense of perpetual ascension”. They’ll play a series of drone duets from their recent album Murmur, which makes use of the Chapel’s natural reverb.

Benjamin Marx is an American composer, producer, and songwriter. His latest work, feynman diagrams for percussion, synthesizer and samples, premiered in May 2023 at Octave 9 under the auspices of the Seattle Symphony. He’ll be performing selections from his upcoming record On the Benefits of Staying in One Place (While Your Lover Moves Away), featuring Rose Bellini, cello, and Erin Wight, viola.

Mason Lynass is a performing musician and computer programmer living in Seattle, WA. Mason has engaged in musical work as a drummer & percussionist, composer, producer, engineer, and sound designer, and currently enjoys making generative electronic music, controlling digital instruments through MIDI in Ableton Live. His recent musical output explores themes of quantum listening, personal introspection, and human connection to nature and technology.

Lisa Cay Miller & Friends

Vancouver-based pianist Lisa Cay Miller presents a night of solo improvisations and combinations with local Seattle players Greg Campbell (drums and percussion), Heather Bentley (viola), Leanna Keith (flutes), James Falzone (clarinet), and Bonnie Whiting (percussion).

Lisa Cay Miller (she/her) lives and makes music on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations. She has performed with many great musicians all over the world, including Ken Vandermark, Nicole Mitchell, Butch Morris, Ingrid Laubrock, John Dikeman, Ig Henneman, Michael Moore, Wilbert de Joode, Jasper Stadhouders, Vicky Mettler, Kenton Loewen, Dylan van der Schyff, Peggy Lee, Joshua Zubot, NOW Orchestra, NOW Ensemble and many more (Vancouver)Miller is the Artistic Director of the New Orchestra Workshop Society (NOW), proudly presenting Vancouver improvisers in regular concerts and workshops. She has released recordings on the greenideas (Sleep Furiously, Q, waterwall) and Trytone (682/281) record labels. Miller’s compositions have been premiered internationally by mmm…(Tokyo), L’Ensemble SuperMusique, le GGRIL, Quatuor Bozzini (Montreal), Vancouver New Music, Standing Wave, Turning Point Ensemble, Rachel Iwaasa, and Hard Rubber Orchestra, among others.

(photo: Cristina Marx)

NonSeq: Jackie An

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Addict is a string trio composed by Jackie An that explores the undercurrents of addiction.  

This work is my first foray into graphic and text-based notation, as I have historically used dance choreography as a visual score or a loop pedal for composing. Using acoustic string performance, found sound, sound object, and fixed media tape, I’m sharing my reflections on how I moved through the world as a young person. My addiction recovery has taught me that the past will request an audience until it becomes a demand. As I’ve learned to meet this demand by bearing witness to my past, I have created this work as a portal for the fearful and dissociated. May you have safe passage into the future, may your path be gentle.

For Friends of Bill

This  drowning in a glass of water
Is  dependent on every breath held
A  tidal surge so mean even friendly otters lose their grip
First  the silica molecules bubble apart
Step  on sand
Share  a shipwreck

Community Care 

Please wear a mask; some masks will also be provided at the door.  

Resources from Peer Seattle will also be available at the door. There will be a talkback with the composer and ensemble after the performance at 8:45, moderated by Jesse Roth.   

Jackie An (they/them) accompanies their audience through the themes of life, death, horror and delight through the many voices of the violin. Like a bowerbird, they have collected learnings and experiences from across their lifetime in order to construct a nest for community healing to hatch. Jackie is also a Somatic Educator in the Tradition of Thomas Hanna, guiding people back home to their bodies.

Lori Goldston is a cellist and composer from Seattle. Her voice as a cellist draws connections between far-flung idioms and explores timbral thresholds of her instrument, driven by a restless curiosity and informed by a long, widely varied history of collaborations with bands, ensembles large and small, composers, film makers and choreographers.

Seattle-based violist and composer Heather Bentley has trailblazed a career as one of the West Coast’s most visible improvisatory musicians, specializing in creating evocative atmospheres and textures. Relentless in her pursuit of creativity, she continues this work as co-founder of Kin of the Moon, a 501(c)3 organization which fosters collaboration between artists in service of creating unique art.

Jesse Roth (she/her) is a writer, theatre artist, and dramaturg. She is the Communications Manager for The Williams Project, a living-wage theatre company. Her essay Good Housekeeping for the Sick has been published by Bitter Bill Press.

Curated for Nonsequitur’s NonSeq series by Michaud Savage.

WOYNICH + Shoyei + Huggy Pillow

Immerse yourself in a captivating sonic journey from local PNW artists WOYNICH, Shoyei and Huggy Pillow. Step into a realm where ethereal melodies intertwine with pulsating rhythms, creating an otherworldly tapestry of sound that transcends traditional boundaries. Surrender to the waves as they ebb and flow, carrying you through a landscape of intricate textures and atmospheric layers. The stage will come alive with an array of synthesizers, digital manipulations, and live looping techniques, skillfully wielded by our talented electronic artisans. Prepare to have your senses enveloped in a cocoon of sonic bliss, where time seems to stand still, and the boundaries between performer and audience blur into a seamless fusion of energy.

WOYNICH, an entity scholars believe to be from the 5th dimension, were allegedly invoked into the physical plane earlier this year through an unauthorized incantation of The Manuscript. The invokee is still at large, and any information should be reported directly to the FBI. It is unclear when they are from, and there is no consensus as to whether WOYNICH are extraterrestrial or simply interdimensional. Their exceptional skills in sound design, which evoke an intriguing mix of tranquility and urgent communication, have raised eyebrows in the national security and global intelligence communities. Contrary to insistent claims and aggressive propaganda campaigns by the entity known as “Barbara”, there is no confirmed affiliation or representation between the two.

Huggy Pillow is the playtime vibe of Koji Hendrix and Julius Watt. Koji is an intrepid naturalist dedicated to innovative expressions of love, comfort and softness. Julius is a research technologist focused on micro-electronics and affective computing. They are best friends and total nerds.

Shoyei is a producer, DJ, and synthesist working in deep, reflective sound design spanning across multiple electronic music genres. They love exploring complex texture, sample mangling, other-worldly harmony, and destructive dissonance.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of sonic exploration that will transport you to uncharted sonic dimensions.

Christoff + Goldston + Icasiano

For this concert Stefan Christoff and Lori Goldston will build on their improvised duet exchanges that have been in exploration since 2017. The Punk Equinox duet album, with Lori on cello and Stefan on organ was released to critical acclaim on the Thessaloniki based label DASA Tapes. This album was highlighted on the Adventures In Sound And Music program of Wire magazine in winter 2023. In fall 2022 Lori and Stefan recorded a second duet album of cello and piano duets in Brooklyn that will be released in 2024. Christopher Icasiano will play solo drum set. Join us for an intimate and beautiful musical exchange in Seattle. 

Stefan Spirodon Christoff is a pianist, media maker, community activist and artist living in Montréal. Stefan hosts Free City Radio, broadcasting weekly on CKUT 90.3FM, CJLO 1690 AM, CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg, CFRC 101.9FM in Kingston, Ontario, CFUV 101.9FM in Victoria, BC and shared globally as a podcast (Spotify + Apple Podcasts). Stefan coordinates Musicians for Palestine and makes music with many people globally, including Rêves sonores, Sam Shalabi, Lori Goldston, Adriana Camancho, and Anarchist Mountains. Stefan is on the board of the Immigrant Workers Centre in Côte-Des-Neiges and works with Cinema Politica Network. Stefan is working with the Social Justice Centre and is also a history student at Concordia University.

Lori Goldston is a cellist and composer from Seattle. Her voice as a cellist draws connections between far-flung approaches and explores timbral thresholds of her instrument, driven by a restless curiosity and informed by a long, widely varied history of collaborations with bands, ensembles large and small, composers, film makers and choreographers. She performs throughout the US and abroad, and has released recordings on Sub Rosa, Woodland Fauna, Marginal Frequency, Yo Yo, K Records, Second Editions, Sub Pop, Mississippi, Eiderdown, Substrata, State 51, Ed Banger, Full Spectrum, PIAPTK, SofaBurn, Broken Clover, and No Sun.

Christopher Icasiano is a Filipino-American percussionist and composer from Redmond, WA. Based now in Seattle, he has been performing and touring professionally for over 15 years. His specialization in free-improvisation and experimental music combined with his vast with pop and rock have made him a highly sought after collaborator in all genres of music. He co-founded the grassroots arts organization Table & Chairs, as well as the Racer Sessions, a weekly performance series and free-improvisation jam session. He is committed to anti-racist and anti-sexist organizing within Seattle’s DIY and art communities in order to create more accessible and safer spaces. He is a member of Pure Bathing Culture, Bad Luck and Fleet Foxes.

Alia Swersky, Hannah Rice & Tom Baker Quartet

Integrating music and dance through free and structured improvisations, the Tom Baker Quartet and movement artists Alia Swersky and Hannah Rice will meet for an exploration of the aural and physical space of the Chapel.  

Alia Swersky is a movement artist, performer, and educator deeply engaged in dance improvisation, durational time based work, site-specific work, and environmental installation. Hannah Rice is a mixed media performance artist interested in exploring physical states, collaboration, and fluctuating states of truth. The Tom Baker Quartet is an active and long-standing presence in Seattle’s improvisational and avant-garde music scene; the quartet consists of Tom Baker (guitar), Jesse Canterbury (clarinet), Brian Cobb (bass), and Greg Campbell (drums). 

(Photos: Haley Freedlund, Jim Coleman)

Tom Varner’s Sound Vespers 2023

Join jazz French horn ace Tom Varner with members of the Seattle Phonographers Union and some of Seattle’s top improvisers for another version of Tom’s Sound Vespers, where improvising musicians join forces with field recording-laptop artists. This time time the lineup will include brass, reeds, strings, and of course our Phonographers. Always different, always beautiful.

Tom Varner, French horn
Jim Knodle, trumpet
Jenny Zeifel, bass clarinet  and clarinet
Greg Campbell, percussion and mixed brass
Steve Peters, field recordings
Pete Comley, field recordings
Susie Kozawa, field recordings

PLUS other special guests on reeds, strings and field recordings, TBA!