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Thursday
Apr082010

TU + Lori show

Some photos and video tidbits from the performance last weekend at the Kirkland Performance Center. We're still searching around for more pictures and are itching to get our ears on the audio recordings.

This was a very rewarding show. Everyone I spoke to said they were taken by the diversity of the material, and yet it all held together quite well. For myself, the show was an 8 of 10 - which is damn high, and possibly one of the best TU shows ever.

The first half was Pat and I on our own. We worked out some new transitions between pieces and grouped things more compactly than we had in the past. Our version of Jacaranda closed the first set. Video for the first half came from animators Jiri Barta and Jan Swankmeyer.

The second half began with myself playing two short pieces with my instrument on my lap as I sat on the ground. This was two firsts for me: 1. playing horizontally while seated on the ground, and 2. playing solo -- and I mean solo, solo. no delays, no effects, no nothing, just fingers on strings. The first piece was from a series I have been writing that is played on just one string.

Then Lori joined us for a new piece of mine, that has a part Native American vibe and part Irish gig vibe. I stayed put on the ground. The first half of the piece has Lori playing these big shifting chords under my bouncy melody. The second half has her improvising a melody on one string while droning on a second. I love the cello and I love how Lori uses it.

Then we segued into an arrangement of a Radiohead piece that Lori and I have been working on for a few weeks. I think our delivery of it was fairly subtle, though for me I felt like I was holding up a giant sign that said "WE'RE PLAYING A RADIOHEAD TUNE NOW!!!!" But I'm sure that was only my experience, being so familar with the tune.

At that point I shifted back to playing standing up and we did a three piece version of the KTU track Optikus followed by a wonderful piece by Lori called "Walking Sideways." Lori uses a very unconventional approach to the cello on this one. She puts away the bow and strums across the strings like an acoustic guitar.

Then..... we did "21st Century Schizoid Man." The whole piece, with a full-on cello solo in the middle and all the twiddly bits.

And not to be outdone by Kimmo playing harmonica on Untamed Chicken -- the KTU version -- we did a TU version with Lori.

Video for the second half of the performance came from Kurasawa's "Dreams."

 


Lori with her super fuzz on

 


Lori going through here piece "Walking Sideways"

 

sound check photos:

 

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Reader Comments (10)

Wow! Sounds like an amazing gig. I have to ask; is there a chance that this will be available someday?

Sounds like all sorts of avenues are open...

April 9, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterKram Namloc

Hi Trey!, everything looks great!
you are using effects from the mac?

April 9, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterCristián

Awesome!! Thanks for sharing; can't wait to see (and hear) more!!

April 9, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterRoss Smith

I think Absinthe is spelled with an "e" at the end.

April 9, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterrtm

I bet this was fantastic - hoping you make the audio available in the not-too-distant future!

April 9, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterjw

The show was amazing! I lok forward to seeing you (and Pat and Lori) at KPC again real soon.

April 9, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterjt

I cant wait till we get the the Smith Art Centre open here in las vegas, with our downtown being revitalized into an arts district,,finally we may get some culture that sticks! .I,m definitely going to pester them about having some incarnation of your band here!!!!

April 9, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterReginald Manning

Trey,

Did you record this concert and will it be available for some sort of release (hint hint)?

April 11, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterDan Anderson

Itching to hear more TU material. I'm especially keen to hear the fully solo Warr Guitar pieces too. Your post inspired me to play some new ideas.

April 12, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterWill Cruttenden

You can hear some of the normalizer [modulator] of trey,s work at cdbaby they are posting samples// i have alex,s album and it is awesome...

April 16, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterreginald manning

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