Richard Brewster's Synthesizer » Performance

Practice In the Park

Richard — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:48:49 +0000

I tried out my busking gear. It includes a loaded portable cabinet, a powered speaker, a mixer, and a DC to AC power inverter. There weren’t many people in the park. Lots of birds, though! DIana captured it on video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AaNfhWqxyo

Synth Jam

Richard — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:06:09 +0000

I was invited to an Open Studio jam session at the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative on February 28, 2009.

The Bridge PAI

I jammed with four other players, including two synthesizers, drums, and a musician switching between accordian, cello, percussion and voice. It was completely improvised. I actually don’t have the names of all the musicians, so please add these if you know them and wish to comment. This was one of several sessions held that day; it was quite a mix. Unfortunately I don’t have recordings. I’m the one in the middle, standing behind one of my portable cabinets.

MegaHz Festival Videos

Richard — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 02:00:19 +0000

Hal McGee has posted videos of the MegaHz Festival, including my first piece en toto. He said:

“Video collage by Christopher Miller of shots inside and outside The Bridge PAI gallery, including Richard Brewster in performance; Hal McGee, Ironing, and Projexorcism doing sound check; audience views and gallery shots behind the scenes; plus the first five minutes of Doofgoblin’s performance:”

Megahzfest Charlottesville 101108

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSNfd-TltPM

MegaHz Festival 2008

Richard — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:47:32 +0000

I gave my first live performance in twenty-five years this weekend! The HzCollective graciously offered me a spot in a lineup of eleven acts of “experimental and avante-garde” music.

MegaHz Festival

The festival was hosted by the Bridge Progressive Arts Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, where I live. The stage was set up on a carpet laid down at one end of an art gallery. The wall hangings were part of the current exhibit. The logistics of setting up and tearing down everyone’s equipment between the successive acts was well-managed and everyone was amiable about it all. A variety of styles was represented, ranging from traditional acoustic instruments played in non-standard ways (a violin duet) to full blown noise feedback and multimedia. As a clue to the innovation level, consider that the table my equipment sat on (in the photos below) was later incorporated as an integral part of a percussion instrument that was played by light finger taps on the table edge. I won’t hazard further attempts at characterization, because whatever I’d say would be inadequate. I enjoyed all the performances.

The following MP3s are of my live performance. The first is yet another incarnation of the Cross Product patch incorporating the CGS Bi-N-Tic Filter for darkness and edge. The second is a version of Aleatoric Double Harmonic (recorded, unfortunately, at a rather low level).

Update: I’ve added a third MP3, a rehearsal recording of Aleatoric Double Harmonic, the same patch but with different settings. It’s an interesting contrast.