Published January 19, 2012 in the Chicago Reader’s “Show us your [____]” section, by Kevin Warwick.

Photo by Andrea Bauer

Gregory O’Drobinak, Eric Leonardson, and Ed Herrmann
play the Baschet Aluminum Piano

2:00 pm, Friday, September 30

Museum of Contemporary Art
220 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago IL 60611

Admission to the museum is $12 or $7 students. Free for SAIC students. There is no extra charge for the performance.

This is another chance to hear a rare musical instrument - the “aluminum piano” designed by Francois and Bernard Baschet, and owned by the Museum of Contemporary Art. The performance will last about 45 minutes and is part of  “Motor Cocktail: Sound and Movement Art of the 1960s,” an exhibition that runs through October.

More event information:

http://www.mcachicago.org/programs/event_detail.php?id=921

(more…)

Sunday, March 13 at Enemy

1550 N. Milwaukee Ave., 3rd floor

Chicago IL 60622

www.enemysound.com

Seeded Plain is Bryan Day (Decorah, Iowa) and Jay Kreimer (Lincoln, Nebraska), two experimental instrument makers who have been performing with new and unusual sounds on instruments made from everyday objects and materials. Their Entry Codes CD on Creative Sources (Portugal) was described as “playfully cranky and enjoyable…well worth the listen.” See their March 2011 Mini-Tour schedule here.

Also on the bill:

Aaron Zarzutski + Nick Hoffman
Their LP “PSYCHOPHAGI” on Pilgrim Talk was made using disassembled turntable, sewing machine, and amplified sheet metal.

Pelzwik
Duo from Minneapolis, (Birthday Set with: Dinger/Talking Computron ) “…noisy drone stuff on modified toys with some melodic elements. Probably more accessible than anything anyone else is doing…” http://www.myspace.com/pelzwik

Eric Leonardson
Enemy resident performs with self-built instruments made of coil springs, wood, and other pieces of hand-held, amplified detritus.

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The August 2010 issue of furthernoise.org features four reviews of Mimeomeme’s new releases, including my CD, Rarebit with Steve Barsotti.

Mimeomeme is the Seattle-based label for “…unusual sound art made by an eclectic collective of artists involved with phonography, no- and low-fidelity recordings, raw digital data, plunderphonics, primitive analog synthesis, noise, infrasound, tape cut-ups and other oblique, not-yet-classified sonic epiphenomena.”
(more…)

7:30 Thursday, July 22

Goodman Theatre
170 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60601

The Tenth Muse, in An Evening of Original Music and Performance

A new opera by Chicago-based composer Elbio Barilari, The Tenth Muse celebrates the life and poetry of the extraordinary Mexican writer, poet, musician, scientist, thinker and feminist, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. This 40-minute work is performed for one night only in the 5th Latino Theatre Festival (June 19–July 25), in the Owen Theatre at the Goodman.

I perform on springboard with a neo-baroque ensemble performing on period instruments.

This program is part of an evening of original music composed by local artists in association with the Latino Music Festival (Chicago), Lyric Opera of Chicago, Collaboraction and Aguavá New Music Studio. Tickets are $18/$9 (Students w/ID)

Dear Friends,

Please join us as my Instrument Construction students perform with their new and unusual musical instruments…

8PM Saturday April 24

Enemy

1550 N. Milwaukee Ave., 3rd floor

Chicago IL 60622

Admission: FREE

Waveforms is a showcase of student sound works held every semester, organized by Sound Department grad students at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). My class will perform as the 8 Ohm Danger Squad. Here’s a video, shot by my TA Kyle Evans, of some of the instruments as they were building and testing:

This semester Ryan Dunn has organized Waveforms under the theme “Remains.”The show includes a performance by Kyle Evans, my TA for Instrument construction, and inventor the electronically modified didgeridoo, performing to real time generated video in addition to this wonderful instrument.

03.18.2010 post on Margaret Noble’s blog, a showcase for recordings of all types from around the world. Visit and listen…

Springboard Solo

Categories: Unusual Instruments & Gear

The 2nd Annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition ended Saturday, February 27 at Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta. Severe snow storms in New York made it difficult, if not impossible for some entrants to make the trip. I didn’t win a prize, but I did have a highly rewarding experience, some of which I can share with you here in the form of video, images, and links.

Visit this page to read Georgia Tech’s March 15 announcement of the 2010 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition winners.

Steven Litt auditions CrudBox

Steven Litt auditions the CrudBox for the 2nd annual Guthman Musical Instrument competition at Georgia Tech. This is a self-built instrument using solenoids, piezo pickups, and sequencing with an Arduino board. Out of eight finalists Steven was one of the four prize winners. The other winners were Tomas Henriques, Keith McMillen, and Loud Objects. (more…)

Music performed on traditional and invented instruments with electronics

A rare trio performance of Greg O’Drobinak - invented instruments, electronics; Christopher Preissing - flute, percussion, electronics; Eric Leonardson - springboard, electronics

10 PM Saturday, January 30

Hotti Biscotti

3545 W. Fullerton Ave. (corner of Drake Ave.)

Chicago IL 60647

773-292-6877

21 and over, no cover

Google Map link 

Listen an excerpt of Greg O’Drobinak’s music

Here’s a Chicago Reader review of 84 Charlie Mopic, the 8 PM movie screening preceding our performance: www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/MovieTimes?oid=1067859

My submission for the Second Annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition was accepted last week. The competition will take place at the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology on Friday, February 26, 2010 and Saturday February 27, 2010. As mentioned in the earlier post about my recent video, Wired also featured this article about last year’s competition.

I will make more details available here as they become available, or visit the Georgia Tech website.