second act

Amanda Chaudhary Solo Set at Second Act, San Francisco

We pick up our reports from the epic musical month that was June.

Amanda Chaudhary at Second Act

On June 15, I performed a brand new solo set at Second Act in San Francisco, part of a monthly evening of experimental electronic music. It was a bringing together of my more experimental electronic work with the jazz and funk direction my music. The modular and Moog Theremini were featured heavily, but so were the Moog Sub Phatty as my “left hand” bass, and of course the Nord Stage, aka “The Big Red Keyboard”. I also used a Casio SK-1 extensively. You can hear the entire set in this video.

Amanda at Second Act June 2016 from CatSynth on Vimeo.

I thought it went quite well musically. I like how the funk bass worked with the Sub Phatty and Phonogene on the modular. The venue was full, and I got an enthusiastic response from the audience. I don’t think they were expecting this level of jazz and funk, but seemed to really appreciate it. I will definitely continue working in this direction in future solo sets.

The concert began with a noise set by Passions Nouveau, who performed with synthesizers and sundry electronics.

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The set unfolded as a single continuous soundscape, with noise pads and drones, but occasional loud swells and complex details.

I was followed by bran(…)pos. It had been a few years since I shared a bill with him, but has excited to hear what he had come up with recently. As per his pervious appearances, he performed inside a tent onto which a mixture of live and processed video was projected.

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And once again the performance centered around the use of his face and voice visually and sonically. But the instrumental accompaniment was a new direction, mixing sounds from the turn of the 20th century with pitched synthesizers and beats. It was a very polished and complex sound overall, bringing a tightness to his unique style of performance and presentation.

Overall, it was a great performance, and I was happy to be a part of it. Performing at Second Act is always a great time, and I would like extend my thanks to the folks who continue to make this venue and series work for the musical community.

KrOB, bran(pos), Amanda Chaudhary, Passions Nouveau at Second Act (SF)

Another week, another show, or so it has seemed since late May. This one will be a solo set, combining my jazz and funk keyboards with experimental electronics on an analog modular synth; and of course the Theremini. Plus, hopefully, a mix of music and fashion if a recently acquired dress gets back from the dry cleaner in time. If you are in the Bay Area tomorrow, details are below.

Wednesday, June 15. 7:45PM
Second Act, 1727 Haight St, San Francisco

KrOB
Subholy priest of the subgenius, KrOB knows that sight and sound are united most when most they are exploding. Heads seem always to blossom in gore, pants burst timely into flame, and each babystroller leaps from its screaming caregiver right on cue. Come get your sweet spot pummeled by the best of the very best, the lowest of the unfathomable.

Podcasts

bran(…)pos
Diehard fans have seen every interior of the bran(…)pos writhe into view via handbuilt multimodal apparatii of self-extrusion. From costumed dissimulations and facial piezoelectrics, to Great Oz-headed video, circuit-bent stiletto, mic swallowing and pharyngeal-cello right between the knees. But until now, the engine at the center of it all has remained hidden: the bubblegum. Keep your eye on the event horizon as the first wad hoves into view at this tape release show for The Bubblegum Forgeries, first in a four volume series.
https://branpos.bandcamp.com/album/the-bubblegum-forgeries-vol-1

Amanda Chaudhary
Modular synthesizers, kids’ toys, and all manner of folk instruments combine to confound and awaken heretofore undiscovered sensibilities of her audiences. Chaudhary is also a photographer, fashion model, designs technology for creativity, and operates the foremost blog on cats and synthesizers, CatSynth.
http://www.amandachaudhary.com/

Passions Nouveau
Glen Park sound artist and Ka coach repurposing homemade electronic instruments as accompaniment to raw field recordings of degenerate ultra underground sex culture.
TorLink to dark stream available on request.

Idris Ackamoor Quartet, Amanda Chaudhary, IMA, Voicehandler. Second Act SF

Today we look back at a memorable show I played in a couple of weeks ago at Second Act here in San Francisco. Four acts each brought a different style of performance, instrumentation and experimentation to the stage.

First up was IMA, an electro-acoustic duo featuring Nava Dunkelman and Jeanie-Aprille Tang. Their sound blends the noisier edges of percussion with a range of electronic sources, including loops, samples, and percussive hits that complement the acoustic sources. It was a loud and intense affair, but with quiet sections. Dunkelman also used her voice during the performance as another instrument.

Then it was time to take the stage. This was another set featuring Moog Theremini and analog modular synthesizer. The color theme for this performance was blue.

[Photo by Tom Djll]

As with many of these electronic improvisation sets, it starts off very structured and then moves in different directions based on the audience, room, instrument behavior and inspiration. You can see the full performance in this video.

Amanda Chaudhary at Second Act from CatSynth on Vimeo.

Overall I was quite pleased with the performance and the audience reaction.

Next up was Voicehandler, a duo of Danishta Rivero and Jacob Felix Heule.

Their sound was a bit more subtle than the previous acts. It featured Rivero on extended vocal techniques with a water-based electro-acoustic instrument of her own invention, the Hydrophonium; and Heule on extended percussion techniques that were often subtle and precise before veering into more energetic territory.

The final act was a quartet led by Idris Ackamoor featuring Mark Heshima Williams on bass, Bob Marshall in drums, and David Molina on guitar and laptop with Ableton Live!

Several of the musicians and musical pieces were familiar from Ackamoor’s renowned “afro-futurist” group The Pyramids. Indeed, the performance followed a similar structure with both a rhythmic entry and recessional. The rhythm section of Williams and Marshall was solid and perfect for some of the funkier grooves; and Ackamoor managed to move effortlessly between roles as horn-player and solo tap-dancing. It was interesting to hear David Molina and his guitar+electronic work, which I have heard before as a solo project, blended into this context.

All together it was a good show from all four groups, a diverse range of music. The large audience seem drawn to all the acts even if they initially came following one. And it’s great to see spaces like Second Act continuing to host shows like this in San Francisco. I hope to play there again sometime soon.