I’m very excited to announce the release of a new CD sum and difference, a collection of duets with laptop improviser Sam Pluta, also featuring duets between Sam Pluta and the incomparable trumpeter Peter Evans. Continuing our violin/computer work from the larger band Glissando bin Laden, Sam and I have been pushing each other to find new sounds, volumes, and speeds that are only possible in the context of duets.

The duets between Sam and Peter showcase the match between their modes of virtuosity – they are both extremely fast players who explore the boundary between tone and noise. However, the long line – the longest track on the album – takes a single melodic gesture and carries it through all of its sonic implications.

sum and difference is available on Carrier Records – streaming for free, downloadable for a donation, or available as an actual plastic disk for a bit more money. Please consider donating for mp3s; Carrier Records has been an extremely positive force in releasing and promoting challenging new music from young New York composers, and they need your support to stay alive.

Sam, Peter, and I will be playing a few shows in early March to promote the CD, in Brooklyn, DC, and Baltimore. At our CD release show in Brooklyn, a free CD is included in the price of admission. See my events calendar (to the right) for the details about these (and other) shows.

For those of you who have been following my work, you’ll know that I’ve been collaborating more and more with the excellent Pearl and the Beard, a Brooklyn indie-folk-pop trio. In the past I’ve played violin and accordion with them at NYC shows, and I contributed a couple of string arrangements to their debut album, God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson. This autumn, I engineered, produced, and mixed two songs on their brand new EP Black Vessel. Please check out this EP, which you can listen to for free online, or download for a very reasonable fee. This winter, I’ll be collaborating with them a bit on their new (as-of-yet-untitled) album, which will be produced by the virtuosic troubadour Franz Nicolay.

In early November, I had the lucky opportunity to perform (violin) in a new piece by Matt Marble – musical accompaniment for Rebecca Davis’ what I’m saying is born from the weather. It was an exciting ensemble, featuring a few of my favorite musicians (including Bob Jones on bass). We performed in the historic Judson Memorial Church, and Matt has graciously included some audio excerpts here.

Rounding out the season, I finished recording an album with Sam Pluta and Peter Evans. The album is just duets between Sam and me, and Sam and Peter. We’re really excited about the sounds on this album – they’re completely new to our ears. The album is due to be released early February on Carrier Records. For a taste of what to expect, check out some video that was shot at our recent concert at The Tank. In addition to the video below, we have a trio, and another duet.

The friendly folks over at NewMusicBox asked me to write an article about the Yellow Swans‘ final album, Going Places. These guys were friends and collaborators of mine in Portland, Oregon, and I was honored to put together some words.

Ben Ratliff from the New York Times seemed to really enjoy a recent Glissando bin Laden show at the Issue Project Room.

I’ve taken up the accordion lately, and have been having a great time. I’ve been playing that and the violin at a lot of Pearl and the Beard‘s recent New York shows. They’re one of my favorite bands, so it’s a real honor to play with these musicians.

Tatters & Rags will be releasing our first single (on vinyl) this Spring. The release party is on May 8th at Glasslands Gallery. We will be rounding out the rest of May with an every-Wednesday residency at Pete’s Candy Store (shows on the 12th, 19th, and 26th). The show on May 12th will also feature a performance by Poo Poo Jim and Pee Pee Girl, my brand new project of (often inappropriate) songs with the incredibly talented Jocelyn Mackenzie of Pearl and the Beard.

In a turn of events that I’m sure would surprise my professors from college, I’ve made my second cameo appearance in a book from a university press. This time, my tattoo of John Cage’s infamous silent piece is featured in Kyle Gann’s new book, No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage’s 4’33

Glissando bin Laden is a group of musicians with whom I have been playing for almost three years. They are other musicians I met while teaching at The Walden School, a summer program in New Hampshire for young composers. They are Carrie Mallonee, Alex Ness, Sam Pluta, and Meighan Stoops, and they are four of the finest musicians I’ve ever met. They are also some of my favorite people in the world. Our instrumentation includes two violins, bass clarinet, electronics, and vocals. We have recorded several pieces together, collaborating as composers, arrangers, and performers. The pieces include elements of different traditional, classical, and experimental musics, and hopefully reflect the fact that this music is so fucking fun for us, that we usally play with big dumb grins on our faces. We would love for you to listen to this album at the Carrier Records website.
It is our plan to mainly distribute this music electronically, because we can’t really afford to print a bunch of plastic things that nobody buys.

The title of the album, Drone Level Orange, comes from an after-rehearsal session at our after-rehearsal bar, in which we discussed the possibility of putting together a European tour. We are all amusedly concerned with the obstacle that our band’s name may create, and the fact that planning and undertaking this tour may be detected by an overeager NSA email-reader and result in some sort of heightened security situation.

With regards to subjects like printing CDs and traveling places and bail, we would very much appreciate if you can afford to fund your download by donating to our band via the easy to use Carrier Records website, although it is also available for free. We are all happy to invest our time in this music, and your choice to invest in the music as well will make it easier for us in the future to share it with you and other people. Obviously, please feel free to put the tracks on your mixes, portable devices, radio shows, podcasts, playlists, blogs, etc. In fact, if you enjoy the music, please try to share it with someone else who you think might like it. We’d love to begin expanding our community of listeners!

We’ll be playing our last show in New York City for a few months on June 20th, at Monkeytown in Williamsburg. We’ll be playing music along with a live video improviation by Sam Pluta. If you’re in town and have some time, please come by!

Saturday, June 20, 7:30pm
Glissando Bin Laden with Dan Iglesia, Pradeep Ratnayake, and The Draftmasters
58 N 3rd St
(btw. Kent & Wythe)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211

At a recent Eidolon performance, I had the good fortune to have my brand new three basses performed by a truly remarkable trio of bassists. Head over to the music page to hear or download the recording, or check out the score.

I’ve been in the studio with Tatters & Rags recording our album. It should be out by early Summer, check back here for details. Come check us play a set at Matchless, in Greenpoint on April 4th.

My band, Glissando bin Laden and his Musichideen, is also working on a full-length album, to be released by Carrier records. We’ll be playing a set, including some new material, at The Tank on April 8th.

Hot Air Tight Strings, a duo of students at Bard College, commissioned me and several other young composers from New York City to write duets for them. They’ll tackle my over/under for violin and bass flute on April 24th at Bard, and April 26th at Roulette in NYC.

One of my favorite bands, Pearl and the Beard, asked me to contribute some string arrangements to fill out a couple tracks on their new album, God Bless Your Weary Soul Amanda Richardson, which will be released at Joe’s Pub on April 25th.

Also, for reminders of performances and occasional updates, follow me on Twitter.

Tatters and Rags is a rock band with drone, country, and post-punk leanings. Here’s a clip of a song from a recent performance at Cakeshop, courtesy of Punkcast:

Owen Lake is the synth-country project of composer Jeff Snyder. I contributed violin and backup vocals to a few tracks on this EP that I describe to my friends as “Dolly Parton meets The Postal Service.”

I’ve also begun playing violin with Tatters and Rags, a Brooklyn-based “drone country” band. My first show with this band is November 5th, at Cakeshop, in the lower east side of Manhattan. Details soon to come.

Also very exciting is my new piece for recorder and computer, Postcards from New Amsterdam, currently being toured around North America by Terri Hron. Look for it in a city near you!
Tour dates:
October 27, 2008 @ 8 pm – U of A, Fine Arts Building, Studio 27, Edmonton
October 29, 2008 @ 8 pm – Meridian Gallery, San Francisco
November 1, 2008 @ 8 pm – The Western Front Society, Vancouver
November 2, 2008 @ 8 pm – The Music Gallery, Toronto
November 3, 2008 @ 8 pm – Oberlin Conservatory, Oberlin
November 7, 2008 @ 8 pm – Tabler Hall, SUNY Stony Brook
November 10, 2008 @ 8 pm – Harvestworks, New York City