Composers At Play Podcast

CAP17 Franz Nicolay

Sophocles — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:24:43 +0000

I speak with Franz about putting the “show” back in show business, “intelligent hedonism,” the importance of the extra-musical within a music persona, the freedom that comes from working as a producer, and the Anti-Social Music collective.

Intro: Job 35:10 (from “Luck and Courage”)
Outro: Quiet Where I Lie (from “Major General”)

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CAP16 Andrew Shapiro

Sophocles — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:51:47 +0000

Andrew and I talk about haters and lovers, artists moving beyond their biggest hits, Michael Reisman, the score to Truman Show, and of course McDonalds.

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CAP15 Gabriel Kahane

Sophocles — Sat, 28 May 2011 02:46:12 +0000

Mohammed on stage, February House at the Public Theater, and love songs to buildings. Gabriel Kahane has the world by the balls as he takes over the worlds of song, stage, and symphonic music (I might have forced the alliteration on that last one).

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CAP14 Jamie Drake

Sophocles — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:22:29 +0000

I catch up with Jamie (the) Drake on a visit to NYC. She tells me about setting up crazy ambitious challenges for herself (like playing a weekly gig for 7 months!), going unwittingly electric, the advantages of co-writing songs, and in a CAP podcast first she offers up a LIVE PERFORMANCE – of a new song at that! Giving KCRW a run for their money (Sophocles Becomes Eclectic?).

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CAP13 Corey Dargel

Sophocles — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:39:30 +0000

Corey Dargel graciously joins me at the Papavasilopoulos homestead. We talk about how getting ear tubes emotionally damaged me, escaping South Texas with your soul intact, the pros and cons of growing up gay with and without the internet, the power of detachment as a form of expression, and his upcoming shows.

Intro: What Will It Be For Me (from “Someone Will Take Care of Me”)
Outro: The Opposite of Love (from “Every Day Is The Same Day”)

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CAP12 Caleb Burhans

Sophocles — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:39:20 +0000

Speaking from his vaulted music lair in upper Manhattan, Caleb Burhans and I discuss the multiple multis that he inhabits, absolute music as a logical outgrowth of being a performer/improviser who composes, Ligeti as punk rocker, why Caleb hates both Brooklyn (he doesn’t) and the label “alt-classical” (he does).

BTW – the composer’s name I was trying to remember at around minute 8 was Lutoslawski (duh).

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CAP11 Sleeping Giant

Sophocles — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:51:19 +0000

I’m joined by 5 of the 6 members of the composers collective, Sleeping Giant: Ted Hearne, Christopher Cerrone, Robert Honstein, Jacob Cooper, and Timothy Andres (we missed you, Andrew Norman). We tackle the new music scene (or scenes or lack of any such thing), composers/performers supporting each other in the wilderness outside of established institutions, along with the influence of Bang on a Can, Christian Metal, and full bladders. Join them on June 15th at Brooklyn’s Littlefield for the Sleeping Giant summer show.

Intro: Excerpt from “A Beautiful Show” from Jacob Cooper’s opera “Timberbrit”
Outro: Excerpt from “Home Stretch” by Timothy Andres

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CAP10 Conrad Cummings

Sophocles — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:30:26 +0000

In the throes of orchestrating his luminous opera “The Golden Gate” (about which the opera world is all abuzz), I join Conrad to talk “twinkling, shining, clanging” San Francisco nights; harpsichord kits; 1950′s marriage manuals, and good advice from Phil Glass.

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CAP9 Bobby Previte

Sophocles — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:44:21 +0000

He’s done it all and with everybody who’s anybody. When talking to Bobby Previte, it’s hard not to use the phrase “giants in their field” when discussing his work (I used it twice). We talk about New York as “one big yes,” along with the upcoming premiere of his new piece “Terminals,” and his stage/multimedia pieces “The Separation” and “The 23 Constellations of Joan Miro.” Then there’s the love-hate relationship to subscription/cloud-based music services and we get all existential/phenomenological on each other. It was hot.

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CAP8 Ben Vandermeer (aka Ben Mundane)

Sophocles — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:10:42 +0000

Renegade composer, keyboardist, producer, and all around good guy, Ben Vandermeer (aka Ben Mundane) talks with me about setting up a new studio, fun with foley, the brilliance of Talk Talk and Scott Walker, Gen- Xers as a transition generation, and mastering the squeaky floorboard.

Featuring excerpts of his pieces:
The Peaceluffness,
Solo piano improv performed at Artswatch in Louisville,
I Ching #1 and #2

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CAP7 Paula Matthusen

Sophocles — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:11:13 +0000

The non-stop musical force that is Paula Matthusen and I discuss electro-acoustic music, growing up around radio tech and chamber ensembles, my penchant for yelling at strangers, spacialization, and her pieces Forgiveness Anthems and Lathyrus.

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CAP6 Jenny Olivia Johnson

Sophocles — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:40:48 +0000

Coming to you from a very spotty, super compressed (but listenable) Skype feed (apologies!), I speak with Jenny Johnson about the life of a newly minted tenure track professor (assistant professor of composition and theory at Wellesley College). We also discuss her chamber pop song “Dollar Beers,” and her on-again-off-again gigs as drummer/percussionist for the band Magnetic Island and the power duo Winter Company (with Paula Matthusen).

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CAP5 Clara Latham

Sophocles — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:54:28 +0000

I’m joined by Clara Latham and her friend, Mike, who, among many other musical ventures, form part of the group Starring. We discuss the well-worn of path of musicians who move through “music schools” and into the broader indie pop world, creating music whether or not under the influence of money, an evening in the embrace of a Four Loko “triple threat,” all while never once mentioning Radiohead.

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CAP4 Mary Bragg

Sophocles — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:20:37 +0000

At the tail end of the production for her third album, I speak with Mary Bragg about working with the producer Lee Alexander (Norah Jones, Amos Lee), the joys of Kickstarter and cooking for your fans, and Type A techniques for organizing the life of a singer-songwriter. Includes exclusive excerpts from the as-yet untitled album! Look for it come May 2011.

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CAP3 David Nelson

Sophocles — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:02:41 +0000

Featuring David Nelson: trombonist who’s stomping grounds include Broadway and on Sufjan Stevens’ lastest album. He’s also an active composer and songwriter. We discuss serendipitous dwellings, West Side Story, A Soldier’s Tale, Louis Andriessen as muse, and battling gearheaditis.

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CAP2 Alex Ness & Jim Altieri

Sophocles — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:33:26 +0000

I speak with Alexander Ness and Jim Altieri. We discuss their work as part of the band Glissando bin Laden along with their individual compositions. We also talk about the use of video in live (or recorded) performances and the joy of baffling New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini. Forgive my hoarseness and occasional cough as I’m operating a bit under the weather in this one.

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CAP1 Matthew Quayle

Sophocles — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 03:43:38 +0000

Welcome to the inaugural podcast. My first interview features Matthew Quayle, composer and pianist. We discuss his current projects — including a woodwind trio and a set of cabaret-style songs — along with pieces from the recent and distant past. Topics include the primacy of the performer in his music and the role of incorporating a variety of historical, modern, classical, and vernacular styles.

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