Interview: Graham’s O’Brien’s Drum Controller Video Series

Posted on June 2, 2016 by John C.S. Keston

Graham O’Brien is an exceptional and inventive drummer, composer, and producer. It has been my privilege to play with him at dozens shows and on at least five separate projects over the last eight years. His latest solo endeavor is a series of five videos titled Drum Controller. Graham had discussed his goals for the project with me, but when I saw/heard the videos I was immediately impressed. I wanted to know more about how he was able to trigger these beautiful and complex electro-acoustic arrangements without touching anything other than his minimal kit of kick, two snares, high hats, and a ride.

Note: Graham will be performing music with his Drum Controller setup and Thomas Nordlund on guitar at Honey in Minneapolis this Sunday, June 5, 2017. Read on for the interrview and a look at his video series. Continue reading →

Moogfest 2016 Workshops

Posted on April 30, 2016 by John C.S. Keston

I’m pleased to announce that I will be giving two workshops at Moogfest 2016. Audiovisual Scores for Electronic Music is on May 19 from 5 to 7pm and Sound Art and Sonification is on Friday from 2 to 4pm. The location for both workshops is 21c Museum Hotel, Gallery 6 111 N. Corcoran St, Durham, NC 27701. Details are on the Moogfest schedule site.

Thank You, Prince (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)

Posted on April 22, 2016 by John C.S. Keston

There will be volumes written about the icon known as Prince, AKA the artist formerly known as Prince, and originally Prince Rodgers Nelson in the next few days. I am just one of hundreds of humble musicians who have lived their careers in the shadow of this physically diminutive yet metaphorically giant monarch of Minneapolis. Prince’s influence is inescapable in this town. Virtually every artist here owes some fraction of their success, vision, and motivation to his legacy. Prince put Minneapolis on the map maintaining his presence here despite his celebrity. Wherever I have travelled, anywhere around the world, and told people I live in Minneapolis the first words out of their mouths are, “Ah! Prince!” Whether or not you’re a fan there’s no denying the enormous talent of this man. Although few artists from Minneapolis sound quite like him, he helped define the music scenes in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Working as a musician in the town that Prince built leaves no room for slouches. Regardless of style or genre we have had the impeccable musicianship, virtuosity, creativity, and showmanship of Prince to live up to. The Twin Cities, Minnesota, and the world at large are simultaneously mourning and celebrating Prince’s life and music for good reason. Every show of his I experienced was unforgettable. My heart goes out to everyone he touched. He was “dearly beloved” and will be dearly missed. Thank you, Prince.

J. Anthony Allen on Art + Music + Technology

Posted on April 4, 2016 by John C.S. Keston

J. Anthony Allen is a fascinating artist with whom I have the honor being a colleague and collaborator. J was recently interviewed by Darwin Grosse for his podcast Art + Music + Technology. Give it a listen to learn more about J’s background, artistic direction, and projects at large.

In addition to the podcast J also will be releasing a remix album titled Conic Arias of which I played a part by remixing the track Time Givers from Aniscorcia. The album comes out April 5th, but you can hear it now on SoundCloud:

Taming of the CPU 3.0 March 12, 2016

Posted on March 4, 2016 by John C.S. Keston

On March 12, 2016 the third edition of The Taming of the CPU will commence at The Nicollet (now called Reverie), 1931 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis. Music will begin at 9:00pm. The Taming of the CPU is a series of live electronic music sets paired with live video performances. Chris LeBlanc who was interviewed here recently will provide the visuals for all three musical segments. The musical artists include John Keston (that’s me), Mike Hodnick who recently wrote an article here about his experiments with the Roland System-1m, and Lucas Melchior with whom I produced Dueling Tempests and four Dueling Monotribe videos.

Each time we organize one of these events we perform new material or new versions of our material. Chris is continually evolving his techniques and refining his approach to the visuals. For this event he’ll be bringing in Michael Lund as a collaborator. Be prepared for a pyramid of gorgeous, vintage CRT displays driven by Machael’s liquid light show and Chris’ state-of-the-art, modular, analog, video gear. I always look forward to these shows, not just for the opportunity to perform, but to see and hear what Chris, Luke, and Mike have up their sleeves. What’s more is that we are planning a short collaborative set at the end of the night. More information about the event is available on the on the Facebook event page. Have a listen to Luke’s (MKR) exceptional set from last time to whet your appetite: