Viola and electronics duo Hanna Brock & Will Soderberg will draw from their considerable range of influences during a unique performance this Friday at Transistor, headlining what should be an exciting night of musical creativity and experimentation. Also set to perform at the Boystown gallery and shop are one-man math rock band The Roarer, and electric guitar soloist Christopher Riggs.
Chicago-based violist, electronic musician and sound engineer Hanna Brock is a wild card. Her compositions range from pensive string explorations to ethereal meditations and the occasional android nightmare. Blending elements of pop, electronic, jazz and classical music with rhythms and melodies that seem other worldly, Brock has established herself as a truly dynamic force capable of realizing nearly any sonic vision.
In short, she’s the perfect kind of artist to team up with Will Soderberg, another futuristic renaissance man who casts spells in dozens of languages. For this show he’ll be live re-sampling sounds from Brock’s viola while also manning some small modular synths. Brock describes their collaboration as “harmonic noise with an emphasis on grooves,” which sounds right in the duo’s wheelhouse.
Lake County, Illinois’ EJ Singson won’t let a lack of a playing partner stop him from performing. In fact, he never has. His current math rock project The Roarer was inspired by a paucity of folks to jam with. Singson ultimately doesn’t need bandmates, as he’s more than capable of creating glistening, chaotic tunes via his double-neck, drum machine and loop pedals.
Guitar wizard Christopher Riggs rounds out the evening’s lineup with a solo set of six-string magic. He employs a variety of techniques and odd accouterments to conjure his weird sounds, including playing his guitar with springs, magnets and a violin bow. That he achieves such alien tones without the aid of processing or effects is wondrous in its own right. As the former head of experimental cassette label Holy Cheever Church Records, Riggs is a bonafied expert in ‘out-there’ music and audio art and should feel at home among Transistor’s selections of quirky, handmade electronic instruments and local artwork.
It all goes down on Friday, January 15th at Transistor (8 PM, FREE, All Ages). RSVP on Facebook
Hanna Brock Official | SoundCloud
Will Soderberg Official | SoundCloud | Bandcamp