The Battle of Everyouth Rehearsal Segment Part 1

Posted on May 27, 2011 by John CS Keston

On Saturday, June 4, 2011 from 9pm until midnight I will be performing with DKO (Davis, Keston, O’Brien) and DJ Luke Anderson at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) for the Northern Spark Festival. Our experimental music will be live accompaniment for an amazing piece called the Battle of Everyouth (Jenny Schmid and Ali Momeni). Here’s a more detailed description of the piece.

The Battle of Everyouth is a projection-based performance which blends live cinema, participatory theater, music and live animation. A miniature set, the Circarama serves as a tiny stage for projections and stop motion animations, while wireless devices offer ways to engage with live theater and contribute to the resulting projection panorama on the facade of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

DJ Luke Anderson joins the amazing trio, DKO, which features Jon Davis (Bass, Bass Clarinet), Graham O’Brien (percussion) and John Keston (Rhodes, Pro-One, electronics) for live experimental music on the steps of the MIA.

Students from Washburn High School are audience guides. This group has been studying youth and violence in their Art, Geography and Literature classes during the Spring, 2011 term. Their studies have included a mock United Nations focusing on child soldiers, the reading of graphic novels Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Maus by Art Spiegelman as well as discussions about artists that address controversies about borders, faith and security.

Artists Jenny Schmid and Ali Momeni are stationed at a “mixing station” which combines live video feeds from these numerous dispersed performance contexts. Jenny layers drawings and words over the input imagery, while Ali animates and manipulates the many visual elements of this project.

In preparation we have begun rehearsals to formulate musical strategies and create a vocabulary of ideas. Here’s a short segment from one of these rehearsals featuring Luke Anderson on electronics, Graham O’Brien on drums, and myself on GrainMachine with some Rhodes toward the end.

Battle of Everyouth Rehearsal Segment (Part 1)

Czeslaw’s Loop and DKO

Posted on May 20, 2011 by John CS Keston

Art-A-Whirl is considered the largest open studio and gallery tour in the United States and it happens right in my fair city of Northeast Minneapolis. Along side all of the art are dozens of simultaneous musical performances. This year I have three Art-A-Whirl appearances.

First and second are daytime movements for the second and fourth acts of Czeslaw’s Loop (click for times, location, and other details). On Saturday this includes a five-channel sound art installation (essentially a variation on my piece Fives) that initiates “Act Two: Epiphany”. On Sunday, music performed under my Ostraka moniker contributes to “Act Four: Decline”.

Sunday evening is the debut performance of our post DGK trio, DKO (Davis, Keston, O’Brien). The venue is the Honey Lounge in Minneapolis at 10pm. Stop by to participate in an opulent evening of improvisation featuring Jon Davis (Bass, Bass Clarinet), John Keston (Rhodes, Pro-One, and electronics), and Graham O’Brien (Drums).

Upcoming Ostracon Debut

Posted on May 2, 2011 by John CS Keston

I am excited to announce the debut album, Unauthorized Modifications by Ostracon, my duo project with drummer Graham O’Brien. It is scheduled for release on Tuesday June 21, 2011 with a release show happening on Friday, June 24, 2011. I will be posting excerpts from each of the tracks weekly leading up to the event, which I will have more information about soon.

Probability Defect (excerpt)

Hand Made Music Minneapolis #6

Posted on April 30, 2011 by John CS Keston

Tonight I am demoing my Grain Machine Max for Live instrument at Handmade Music Minneapolis #6 (click for details). Lots of other people are showing off their goodies including Kris Peck of Xenharmonic Instruments, Adam Loper showing his DIY MIDI controller, MCTC students sound synthesis projects, and more. Here’s a few seconds of typical Grain Machine output to wet your appetite.

Grain Machine Demo

Pay What You Want for Precambrian Resonance

Posted on April 29, 2011 by John CS Keston

For a limited time Unearthed Music is offering the DRM free 320kbps download for my debut solo album, Precambrian Resonance by Ostraka, for as little as one penny. This album emerged during a year long period of random recordings and sound design experiments exhibited here on AudioCoobook.org during my One Sound Every Day project. Click on the title to pay what you want for Precambrian Resonance. Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the album for your listening pleasure. Thanks!

Three Phase Oscillator