Purgatory - performed live at the Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, May 4th 2022

Featuring:
Alex Lui(Clarinet), Dr. Alexander Miller(Electric Guitar), Aidan Moravec (Bass), Benjamin Nicholas (Tenor), Cassandra Duschane (Soprano), Clara Kelly(Soprano), Clint Koehler(Marimba), Dakota Noxon(Tenor), Emma Holm(Alto), Eric Cornwell(Bass), Jason Griffin(Piano), Jinsei Goto(Trombone), Jonathan Wright(Tenor), Julie Morimoto(Trumpet), Lisa Yoshida(Violin), Loren Herz-O'Brien(Flute), Marisa Ramey(Viola), Natalie Do(Cello), Tegan Roberts(Soprano), Tessa Delee(Alto)

Purgatory (live)

long generative string piece featuring more of Simon Stockhausen's gorgeous programming for Alchemy. Driven by Stochas, a fun probabilistic sequencer.

In Memoriam Harold Budd

'in drops of dew will I sink down and mingle with the dust' is a line taken from the Hymns of the Night by the German Romantic poet, Novalis, which envisions night as the threshold between life and death. Novalis died far too soon, at the age of 28, and his work has been an important and guiding light in my own 28th year. I was immediately struck by the imagery of this line and wanted to translate the motion of absorption between water and dust into the sonic medium, a descending into the earth. A harmonic texture is set-up which becomes decentered in its development, forcing it to journey through uncomfortable and odd territories before it reaches a level of satiation. 'in drops of dew will I sink down and mingle with the dust' was written for Ensemble Dal Niente.

-Ensemble Dal Niente
Emma Hospelhorn, bass flute
Zachary Good, bass clarinet
Matthew Oliphant, horn
Ben Melsky, harp
Kyle Flens, percussion
Theo Ramsey, violin
Juan Horie, cello
Michael Lewanski, conductor

-live recording: 3/8/23, Martinos Auditorium @ Granoff Center - Providence, RI

in drops of dew will I sink down and mingle with the dust (2022-23)

A bit of this winter's ambient output another solo live to 2 track ambient piece utilizing Plague Bidule as a host for my soft synths and loopers along with my guitar and pedalboard.

Glass Houses - Global Warming Isn't Waiting for You to Acknowledge It

Glass Houses 3

A collaboration between myself, Amorphous Euphoria https://soundcloud.com/jonas-heimbecker and Spencer Zweifel. This was Spencer's first outing in the ambient world and we had a fine time improvising these pieces!

Glass House On The Beach

In A Date With Reality, two people have a dinner date amidst an ecological catastrophe in Los Angeles where rising tides flood the city, even the wealthy neighborhoods. As the date progresses, it becomes apparent the man is completely delusional about the impending doom he is facing, and so the woman at first tries to dispel his fantastical notions that everything is okay. Exasperated by his inability to grasp the situation, she then unleashes an excoriating diatribe that ruthlessly exposes his flimsy complacency and privileged conceits. 

The piano accompaniment starts bright and optimistic with the man's fantasies about cheap romance and nostalgia for walks in his favorite park, but devolves into a shadowy, watery resonance of the righteous despair felt by the woman.

In all of us, there live similar mundane delusions. In reality, the ponderous world rests upon a pinhead above oblivion. 

A special thank you to my librettist and friend, Jerod Mose, my teacher and mentor Ted Hearne, my friend and the recording engineer Greg Heimbecker, the wonderful performers, including my friend Allen Adair who spent so much time finding performers, and my alma mater Greeley Central High School for hosting an initial recording session. 

Libretto and assistant producer: Jerod Mose

Music, text-editing, production, mixing, and mastering: Conner Leigh Shaw

Mezzo-soprano: Kristin Gornstein

Baritone: Allen Adair

Piano: Zerek Dodson 

Recording and engineering: Greg Heimbecker

Libretto © Jerod Mose.

© ℗ C.L. Shaw Music 2019-2024. All rights reserved.

Walk Down Nostalgia's Lame

My take on the infamous "low key" sample, this was incredibly fun to make and I learned a lot while doing it!

Much like my HXRY remix, the first drop is all manipulated vocals, and the second drop is all sound design. I really like the vibe this creates, and hope to do more with vocal manipulation in the future!

Thank you for listening and supporting! <3

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jistixmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jistixmusic

Low Key

for eight amplified violins and electronics
Atmospheric Entry attempts to translate the process of a probe passing through an atmospheric membrane into sound using eight violins. The electronics are originally taken from the Huygens lander’s descent to the surface of Saturn’s moon, Titan. Atmospheric Entry was written for the studio of Lina Bahn at the University of Southern California.
Played by Nick Bentz

Atmospheric Entry (2020)

Today is a day or EARTH. Sing your praise to Mother Earth for all she provides, rejoice in the sturdiness of the ground beneath your feet and the stone will of your heart.
Or just write a song about dirt. Your call!
LET'S GO!

*unfinished and meant to loop.

Walk Down Nostalgia's Lame

Conner Leigh Shaw (C.L. Shaw)

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