Artist Extraordinaire Archive
Extraordinary Artists
Thursday April 2nd at the Tin Angel Cafe
Saturday, March 28th, 2009Live looping—acoustic guitar and crazy jazz vocals—soft, sultry sounds of artsy music-see and hear it Thursday April 2nd, from 7-9pm.
This is the core of my music—exciting, jazzy, rich sounds in wealthy scape’s of lyrical aptitude. Please attend and be prepared to be inspired by the ambiance, the art, dishes of edible delights, fantastic hosts, and fine music! Experience it.
the tin angel is located at 365 W 400 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 328-4155
Reservations are recommended for all my shows.
Stay “tuned” for my newest song and article. Subscribe to my articles and be the first to get them.
-Shannon
Inspirational Improv-My Process
Monday, January 26th, 2009The music I compose is deeply rooted in my experiences and also extremely improvisational. When asked what I do, I say—
Extreme musical improv, and you?
I ran into Mr. Avery at Big Ed’s, a local diner; he popped his head in, sat down with his friend, commented how big my son Ronan was getting, and began to fill us in about how grad school was going. He told me that in his communication class they discussed how every human interaction was improv. I thought that’s it! That is: I converse musically in an improvisational way.
I don’t write sheet music; it’s all by ear. I read and play jazz music and I think I enjoy the essence of the unknown in music. So essentially I memorize my stuff, and it’s complex because of all the layering I do. When I perform, I know the basic premise of the tune, but the rest I make up on the spot. I wouldn’t have any other way. The process keeps my mind alive.
I just recorded a song called
All I Want is You
I listened to it and realized that I’m sniffing again—sniffing out rhythms. I’ve been doing it since I was a child. Using my breath as a staccato metronome, I sniff the beat. I make up rhythms using my nose by puffing my breath though it. If you listen carefully to the baseline, you can hear it.
Extraordinary Inspiration
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008I experienced a fantastic performance on Black Friday. At the Tin Angel, I played my new song called Extraordinary. And the evening was extraordinary. Some friends attended the performance and shared their insight and inspiration.
The first line goes:
It’s the extraordinary that I find in the ordinary
One of the offered insights was that this song was directly correlated with the artist experience. Artists find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Essentially an artist observes life and discovers it’s nature through their own direct experience with it. For example Da Vinci watched water in a stream, trying intently to capture what the movement of liquid looks like on a static page, amist discovering the water’s nature and disposition. Art comes out of observing and experiencing life and our own interpretation of it.
I paint with sound. I use a technique called looping. And like water in a stream, I discovered the nature of looping and layering my own voice. I added sound where it needed more color and body, and I also limited sound to add variety and simplicity.
Fundraiser at Tea Grotto for KUER
Friday, November 14th, 2008
Flourishing, Nourishing
The Tea Grotto flourished last thursday night for KUER’s fall fundraiser. Rebecca Sheeran hosted delightful tea and chocolate parings. The cast of the radio show attended. I had the opportunity to meet the jazziest voice on the radio, Steve Williams.
The chocolates were crafted by Katie and Stephen Hatch of Hatch Family Chocolates, they were simple, yet decadent delights. Some of the Tea Pairings included ~
- Mint Chocolate Truffle with Jasmine Silver Tips Green Tea
- Thick Dark Chocolate Draping Fresh Raspberries with Strawberry-Lemon Tea
- Sliced Polenta Topped in Fresh Pesto, Pine Nuts, and Greens with Genmaicha
- Chocolate Rum Nut with Marsala Chai Tea
I entertained the guests for the evening. I played classic jazz and my original compositions.
Deya Dova
Thursday, July 31st, 2008I found someone spectacular, and I want to introduce her to you.
Deya Dova is this week’s Artist Extraordinaire! A powerful vocalist from Australia, she loops her vocals, creating harmonies with herself. She revels in the World Music genre. She’s tuned to herself and to her environment. Her live shows mix performance art and Shamanism.
Please check her out.