8/11 - New Video From SSR

I've been holding off on posting a follow-up to the SecondStory Repertory show, because I really wanted to be able to post some video as well. Now, if you missed the show (or even if you just want to see it again), you can see Time for a Change as it was performed last Saturday.

The show had a bit of a rough start, due to some technical difficulties, but by the middle of the first set, the music had taken over. One of my favorite things about seeing Dan play at SSR is that, because it's a theater, it's all about the performance. No chatting, no cell phones, none of that constant background noise you get at a bar. I mean, I like to hang out with folks while the band plays at the Rover or wherever, but sometimes I just want to focus on the music. When Dan plays at SSR, I can do that, and it's a wonderful thing.

After a short second set, the audience got first-hand experience with the other reason for Dan's partnership with SSR: it's a great venue for developing his Wildvine project. In a more informal discussion format, Dan presented three ideas that he's working on with Wildvine. With Hello World, samples are recorded from him, from individual audience members, and/or from sections of the audience, and these samples are layered such that everyone sampled becomes part of the performance of the song. The "singing soccer balls" demonstrated the idea of translating movement (of the balls, or, eventually, of dancers) into sounds or effects. Finally, for Tear it Down, Dan played while a scene was performed behind him, offering visualization of the story or mood of the song. The discussion that went on around these ideas was great - the vine is growing!

Dan will be returning to SSR November 20 at 8 pm. Don't miss out!  If you want a taste of Wildvine in the meantime, come out to SoulFood Books on the second Wednesday of each month (including tonight!).

See you there!

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