The Venue & the Principals
At Baltimore’s impressive Four Hour Day Lutherie, a
multi-purpose establishment where the practice of making stringed instruments meets
the practicing musicians who make stringed and other instruments “go forth to
song”, guitar player and singer Marian McLaughlin shared the bill on November 2nd
with the improvisational project Heterodyne, formed by Mariya Shesiuk (keyboards,
synthesizer, voice) and Ted Zook, basscello. Since Heterodyne invites an
extended family of guest performers to join their appearances, I eagerly joined
as “words.” In my experience, small performance spaces often facilitate some of
the most indelible displays of musicianship, and this event at the Lutherie would
hardly derail such a theory.
Marian McLaughlin
Marian McLaughlin might describe herself as an experimental folk musician, and to that, I’d add a few humble thoughts about her indigenous connection to guitar as well as her kindly relationship with audience. One could ponder the mastery of technique when watching Marian play and one could ponder the inevitable well of her abundant discoveries. I’d wager on the inner life of the artist, the sincere weights of her process, the implicit prevalence of her storytelling and imagery. What devotee of Debord would fail to register her travels through numerous stations of keen hypothesis? Marian’s beckoning voice can be observed in a constellation that clearly unifies audience members, the enviable concertgoers who thirst for this warmth of communion.
Heterodyne: Mariya
Shesiuk and Ted Zook
Heterodyne doesn’t simply certify a state of urgency. The consequential
partnership between Mariya and Ted establishes itself in a vaulting appraisal
that situates listeners amid dilemma, some parts nocturnal, some parts urban-nocturnal,
some parts the fluidity of human resourcefulness attempting to achieve salvation,
boot-sock, boot-sock. Even as our social contracts wobble, even as alarms
signal the absence of meaningful doctrine, the music of Heterodyne proposes the
kind of ambient elasticity that can enroll all the wayward bodies who might otherwise
drift toward despondency. Optimism, we are reminded, cannot be the province of superficiality,
but could accompany the exacting genesis envisioned by Mariya and Ted.
For a free recording of Heterodyne (plus “words”) at the Four Hour Day Lutherie, click [here]
For a free recording of Heterodyne (plus “words”) at the Four Hour Day Lutherie, click [here]
There Will Be Additional Ruckus
The very same lineup will renew the ruckus on November 16,
2017 at The Dewdrop Inn, at 8:00 p.m., in Washington, D.C. Come see Marian McLaughlin and Heterodyne (plus “words”) as we stamp our sawing & yodeling,
etc., onto worthy square footage of metropolitan terrain. Huzzah!
resurrection week editorial schedule:
Marian McLaughlin & Heterodyne
No comments:
Post a Comment