artist JarrodBarker

This is my first text to speech blog and fittingly the topic this time around is another novelty: Last sunday at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in the bustling metropolis of Port Dover I had the opportunity to perform new material composed in a new process and performed in a new process at an painting exhibition. This was a very interesting and different experience. I had worked out the skeletal elements of the main composition at the artists studio while he worked on the paintings that would be exhibited.

This was a new form of collaborative and inspirational work- the imagery and motion of the painter Delaney created a momentum and an energy which i allowed to guide the sonic structure of the composition. Having a direct connection to the painter while I worked was an immediate experience for both of us. We developed an artisitc communication that guided our work and connectted the pieces. The painter and I had felt like this was a novel way of developing a tasteful and connected sonic ambience for his exhibition. I believe we were able to meet that goal based on the wonderful feedback which was received during the reception.

While the main piece was a preconceived compostion, the real excitement for me was the live improvisational layering of complementary loops and media streams- much in the manner of the painter's technique. Allowing space for the sonic brushstrokes was a vivid, and at times surreal experience. I am looking forward to my next commission and perhaps this type of composition and performance will appeal to other visual artists interested in exploring new media alternatives to the "tailed pianist".

I will have some raw a/v footage up on Youtube in the near future. Stay tuned to this blog for the link.

If you are within striking distance of the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover, please stop in and visit Blue Obama and Pink Palin. 'tell me Jarrod sent you.

Special Hello's and thanks to: Tara, Marguerite, Claire, Liam, Rich, Johnny Mac, Sarah, Deirdre and the gang at Gentlemen's Breakfast, Tommy and Tia, Glen, my bro Si.

That sucked. I just lost about 15 minutes worth of honest, down to earth, blogging. This site is in a new revamped guise. JOY! my browser doesn't agree. It just sort of went BELCH and I lost my posting. PISS!

SO what was I saying? Yeah, i mentioned the old '61 Canonet, the dabbling in the late 80's in super8 with my brother Si. And then the reference to my favorite Christmas movie. (Die Hard) and then.....the BELCH.

In fairness I was trying to embed a link and then everything sort of gets confusing. Like a time loss or an UFO abduction. But I have learned....be proud readers. I am going to copy this text to my clipboard before trying to insert the link........here goes:

http://citizenshift.org/user/jarrod-barker

Yah, that's the spirit!

I had thought about rambling on and on but then the voice of Officer Maclean was in my head. Guiding me on what to include on this post:

"Just the fax, maam"

Just the facts indeed......

 As you already know I have used my R3 blog to preview and showcase works in progress (so far audio works). I thought it may be kind of fun to highlight some of the other mediums that I work with.
I began this piece by building on an earlier instrument that I made and played on some of the audiocosm tracks. That instrument was proclaimed to be a "bolorado" by Liam, my Son, who was 9 at the time of its manufacture.
It was a soft, triggerable pad of lo-fi sounds that were burned onto ROM chips and originally designed for audio books and greeting cards.
So, a few weeks ago I returned to the bolorados as I have been in preproduction of some new "songs" (audiocosm 2?) and really felt engaged by both the look and the sound of them.
So I have begun working on a skeletal sculpture, using a multitude of ROM's wired in series and I have some good conceptual ideas in place for a final form. My interest is in sharing the wonder and the profundity in how such a teeny tiny little "thing" can be manipulated into creating a "huge" juxtaposition of sound- and in fact, sounds that are startling and very visual.
I will add more to this later as things move into finalization.
Jarrod

 This is one of my fave  Moon pictures. Schmitt prospecting out near a boulder during his Apollo 17 Mission. How can anyone honestly say that the Moon is boring? Almost forty years have passed since this picture was taken and the argument that we should take care of the Earth before we spend on extra planetary expeditions is just as relevant today as it was then.
The problem is, no nation has spent $$ on returning to the Moon in forty years, and I ask myself, is the Earth better for it? Has this $$ been re-directed into bettering our planet?  No.
 Would a coordinated effort to return to the Moon create a new international awareness of the delicate beauty of the Earth? Maybe.
I applaud the effort to return to the Moon and plan for Mars and beyond. I have uploaded a piece of music that I used for an interactive media machine project. That music called HEAVEN seems to fit my sense of where space travel may lead us to..........
JB

Well it sort of looks like an egg: the classic Airstream trailer, icon of American wanderlust (Siobhan if you're reading this you know where I'm going LOL).
The thing is, travel is such a complicated and misunderstood concept. To some, it is a necessity, a gauge of refinement: "This year we are going to New Zealand and after that we are spending some time in Antartica. Last year Hawaii was sooooo provincial"  That kind of thing.
Take a look at the Airstream trailer at the top of this posting. Even though it has been updated and refined, it still has that mid 20th century space age look: silver, black, ovoid and clean. The perfect vehicle to practice wanderlust in.
Click on this link to view a recent behind the scenes video of the Airstream used by NASA astronauts on their way to the space shuttle- the ultimate vehicle for extra planetary wanderlust. Notice the armored car trailer that is part of the motorcade. Now that is something I didn't expect to see.
http://www.nasa.gov/346574main_P1010318.MOV
  If anyone can comment on the influence of space age design on the airstream trailer please drop me an email.

"a picture is worth one thousand words"

So the first person to email me what they think I am doing in the picture along with the phrase "one thousand words" wins a free signed EP......
pretty kuhl huh?

Here are the experience design parameters for tomorrow's class:

 

--Wall--

Reverse weather

Flowers blossoming down from ceiling

Fill the wall with aquarium

Time lapse (Secondary)

 

---Cups—

Cups responding based on proximity

Cups changing color

Flowing animations through cups

Color coded cups based on temperature and quantity (Secondary)

 

--Table—

Cup on table= wall animation

Table drawing/ animation (you can write on table)

Tables connected to other tables

Tables where flowers blossom around objects

 

 

It's one of those wonderfully strange events that happen in places you don't expect. Fortunately, my buddy was around with his digital camera otherwise I'm not sure I would have believed it:Two weeks ago, I traveled to Long Point and decided to walk up the beach for a bit of R and R. The thing was, winter was still kind of hanging around and after months of ice and wind action, the Lake had been transformed into a miniature Arctic Circle. It was cool.The waves had piled up ice into a kind of sugary mountain and the shallow water that pooled between the ice and the sand had a thin but crystal clear layer of ice on top. Now to add even more wonder, I found this old bleached stump on the beach that looked like a seal. It was too much to resist, I had to act like a seal trainer and find a suitable rock to substitute for a ball. I added a bit of circus music for effect and voila' ersatz seal on Lake Erie glacier.....click here for the image with audio: taming a Lake Erie seal   It seems that the CBC are really operating on a budget these days- they have cut back on some of their server space and so my links are being "matted" from their full size so for the full size seal, copy and paste this into your browser:http://www.execulink.com/~barkers/CFC/longpointartpiece1.htmland then a bit further on, I found some interesting pieces of driftwood and made a cool kinetic piece that balanced nicely and sort of looked like an organic telescope. click here for that image with audio (the audio is a bit hot so turn your speakers down) <br /> <a xhref="http://www.execulink.com/~barkers/CFC/longpointartpiece2.html">using the driftwood telescope</a> <br />and copy and paste this into your browser if you'd like to see the full size image:http://www.execulink.com/~barkers/CFC/longpointartpiece2.htmland then a bit further on, I found some interesting pieces of driftwood and made a cool kinetic piece that balanced nicely and sort of looked like an organic telescope. click here for that image with audio (the audio is a bit hot so turn your speakers down) using the driftwood telescopeThanks to Delaney for the photos.

Spoiler alert: if you don't want to know he is the best hockey player in the world stop reading.....

Alex Ovechkin has been making headlines for the past week and a half. In case you didn't know, he has been heavily criticized by Don Cherry and the "old Guard" on his scoring celebrations but for all of his detractors, there a few sensible types that remind us not so long ago Tiger Williams had a celebration routine worthy of Vegas. And there were others, too many to list. They had to work HARD for each and every point that they earned and that was reflected in their celebrations. So what? It's professional sports, it's showbiz. Ali anyone?
I think what really is at stake here is the fact that we may all have to acknowledge the fact that ONE of the best players in the world right now is a Russian. The problem is - most hockey nuts are thinking of the wrong Russian.
My kid just finished his third season of Hockey. In fact, he has only been skating for four years but right from the start his love of Hockey was remarkable.
He plugged away like most "housers" as the elitist minded Hockey parents like to call them, playing in a system of Minor Hockey not set up for fair play and equal player development but  a system of old town heirarchy and "old Guard" politics. Sure, it's all about fun at this level isn't it? The fact that some 10 year olds are learning to lose on purpose in order to drop down into an easier division to secure a playoff is no big deal right? The fact that we now have "rep" tykes (thats 7 year old rep players) is okay right? And the big issue on the lips of minor hockey these days: don't celebrate your goal too much because that's disrespectful to the game. What a bunch of nonsense.
This year my kid scored 21 goals and notched 16 assists- on a "houser" team with at best average coaching, at best average ice time, at best below average line mates.........now what does this have to do with Russian hockey players?
Ahh, here's the rub: Illya Kovalchuk is fifth in scoring, on a "basement" team with at best average coaching, at best average line mates.......you get the idea? Any guess as to which jersey my kid wears 24/7? It isn't an Ovechkin jersey, it isn't a Malkin jersey, it isn't a Crosby jersey. It's Kovalchuk. Possibly one of the most overlooked elite players EVER.....but what do I know? My kid is a "houser" right?
Oh, and the best hockey player in the World? That's easy, it's my kid.

As I write this, the first signs of Spring are everywhere: The bulbs are poking up out of the soil at the front of the house, the woodpeckers are getting busy and working out some wonderful rudiments, the birds are chirping and while out running this morning, the people I met were all smiling. Here's hoping the mild weather sticks around and spring arrives soon.
I have been working on a piece of music which I wrote using PD data. I created a program of oscillation banks. I have just posted it if you get a chance to listen. The distortion you hear is intentional so turn down your treble control before listening.
The picture for this post was taken last week and I hope it's the last snowball I see for awhile. Sarah, Brendon, Milan and Nevena are my fellow residents at the CFC- missing from the photo is Arthur. A great bunch of folks!

 I've immersed myself in school. I am incredibly fortunate to be in residence at CFC (The Canadian Film Center) but I just do not have as much time to blog as I would like.......so I apologize ahead of time and will get time here and there to add a bit.
talk soon.
J
ps been reading a bunch of reference material on Primitive art (which I think is a very unfair description of ancient world art---it is far from primitive).
I have included a quick digital sketch of an idea I had to create a Dogon figure using components from PCB (geek talk for computer board parts like solder, IC chips etc.)

Like the title? Pretty witty eh? What- silly you say? Tsk Tsk. Now- Now
I have been returned to musique concrete (don't ask me to spell again please). I am collaborating with a very talented peer of mine.....google the band: BAT for an insider's report.
Anyway- this project is turning out to be uber kuhl. I am using acousting drums, percussion, electric drums, electric percussion, samples, loops, found sounds and foley. Foley is a nod to the film and video industry. It sometimes means crumpling up old newspapers and recording this sound to be used as a substitute for "crackling logs, or a roaring fireplace". Believe me, it works very well and avoids trips to the after hours emergency room.
So the title of this blog begs the question: what the hell do I mean?
I had some fun recently playing a drawer full of spoons and tearing up a sheet of printer paper. You can listen right here on my page, the track has the uninspiring title: sounddesign II (urrg sorry had to take down that sample but i will put it back up shortly)
Hope it takes you back to splicing, and dicing!

Jarrod

It's -7 outside and I am enjoying the cozy basement. I have made it my temporary work space. I have been busy creating, editing, finding, archiving, modifying, testing, eating and sleeping "beats"
(Actually I'm eating extra spicy curried chicken with rice and green peppers. Yum.  A very comforting yet healthy food for this time of year.)
I have a couple of projects on the go. I am in a very creative  and productive "space" right now. The fireplace is glowing and I'm toasty. I wanted to share some happy vibes with you.

Happy 2009! What made this year's holiday special for you?  I will send out a free CD or MP3 download to the first one who emails me with their answer.

cathodeRay. I still that is one of the better band names I have been involved with. Back in 2004 when I began talking with Kev about life and music he asked me if I had anything in the works. I said I had an idea- a few sample recordings, a four track recorder and a project name: cathoderay. He asked me about the name. Something to the effect of what it meant. I didn't really know how to articulate it at the time but I think I can manage it now. It was an homage to the vacuum tube era. It was a mixed metaphor. It was a form of predictive obsolesence, something we both felt a kinship to as we were recently seperated from our spouses.
I went on record as saying back then, that in the next few years, we would enter an age where the glorious vacuum tube, the cathode ray tube, would be made obsolete by the then burdgeoning market of lcd and plasma panel television monitors. We had a discussion about the ultimate role of the cathode ray tube (crt) television: they would be at the end of driveways in no time, ready to be picked up by the garbage man or one of the guys that drive around in panel vans picking up shit. You know the one's I mean.
Tomorrow night marks the 4th year anniversary to the day that Kevin and I working as cathoderay recorded the bedding tracks for our folky tinged song: partial immunity. I remember that we poured a lot of emotion into those tracks. I remember that we were melancholic- neither one of us having our kids for Christmas eve celebrations. I remember working out the off-kilter 3/8 and 7/8 pre-chorus and how great it felt to be looked in to that cadence with Kev. The time signature seemed emotionally fitting and musically appropriate.
I bumped into Kev as the expression goes, a couple of weeks ago in the Post Office and we ended up going to his and Megan's home overlooking the Lake. A beautiful spot with a warm, cozy ambience. We talked a bit about life and about music. Kevin has been writing and I have a few pieces too. We'll see what happens.
http://radio3.cbc.ca/play/band/Cathoderay/Partial-immunity/

Weird. Sort of, kinda. Yesterday or the day before maybe  I was knocking around NMC and I found a very short blog by a staffer asking what we are all currently reading. I went back there just now to add my book and I couldn't find the blog.
Now this leads me to a point I have been making a lot lately. Sometimes too much information is worse than not enough information. That is the bane of the digital world: anyone call upload any content. There are no traffic lights, traffic cops or one way streets. Okay- there are one way streets  (they're called content laws) and traffic cops (they're called administrators)  but that is beyond the scope of this article.
So, perhaps the original blog I was looking for is still there, buried by all of the disproportionate new blogs. There was a lot of content posted within the past 24 or 48 hours........sort of makes reading The Hound of the Baskervilles even more relevant don't you think?
Ahhh irony- the best of the best emotions.

Yikes. An anti-climax. It's taken about 90 days but I finally have audiocosm distributed digitally for download at emusic. But you know what? The very first thing I did in my insecurity was to check if it had been rated or reviewed. The good news is that as of this blog, 3 people had purchased at least one track each. The bad news, only 1 had bothered to rate it......2 stars. Now before I sound like some pessimistic complainer, let's put things in perspective- it could be worse, I could have a wooden leg and if the other 2 people had found it disproportionately "crappy" they would have rated it 1 star or 0 stars. And placing it in the avante-gard category can be good or bad depending on your point of view, time of day and which direction the wind is blowing from.........lol........I mean no avant-garde track on that site had anything higher than 3 stars. Hold on a second. Stars? Other tracks? Classifications? Remember that blog about "pure art". That is all that matters.
 It doesn't take much for the thought of commerce to creep in and cloud up the artistic sunrise. Seriously, I am going to worry less about how it's received and more on what the work stood for. Isn't that really all any of us can control?

http://www.emusic.com/artist/Jarrod-Barker-MP3-Download/12128355.html

If you are like me- you may have a bunch of computer accessories that are not regularly being used. Perhaps, it's due to the lack of desk top space or power outlets or maybe it's just that having all of those flash drives hanging out of the back of your notebook is messy and bothersome. Hmm,  OCD anyone?
So it brings me back to this post. It's sort of fun to have pieces of your work "out there". This affords a certain degree of reflectiveness and like an asset in the bank, an opportunity for accruing.
Here's a random sample of some of the 'forgotten' folders that I just  found on my  465 GIG external USB harddrive:
Wait, this might be kind of fun if I pay an homage to Letterman (remember how radical and innovative  he was in '88?). I'll make this my TOP TEN LIST OF FORGOTTEN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOLDERS. Anton, drum roll please...............
#10 passportimages
#9   stopmotionmay2k8
#8   transfer to laptop        (uh, right I'll do that after I finish this list)
#7   artgalleryontariosubmissions  (still waiting for the "dear john' letter)
#6   myfavorittypos
#5   stuff
#4   streptococcuspyogenescrystalmatrixexperiment
#3   me with wires (don't ask)
#2   seti
and the #1 FORGOTTEN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOLDER is.........................harassingphonecalls

Damn- I can't get back to sleep. What to do? I know- I'll check my email there should be one or two spam messages that work better than nite-eez.
But wait, there's a new message from Rik (my sometime collaborator and several time zones away in California). Ahh- he has heard some of my new ideas I ftp'd to him via my server and he sends me this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c3ldpfFyj0&fmt=18
He says they share my sensibilities, I hope he's right, because I feel a kinship to some of their music and in fact this new batch of "krautrock" (not my term, see 70's music journalism ) is exciting. I think the retro-future is here again. (special merit badge awarded to the granddaddie's Kraftwerk)

Hmmm- this is a pretty cool stone. It is HEAVY. It is oblong but has a convex "side". It is almost pinkish-white in color. It has "dimples" on the convex surface which are called regmaglypts ( http://odeo.com/episodes/15178993-Regmaglypts ) It has signs of smoothing from erosion.
What is it?
To be sure- I do not know. It might be a meteorite but if so, this would be an incredibly rare rock. Most meteorites are tiny and the common ones that are found are usually smaller than your fist......So I'm not sure.
Is it some kind of fossil? Perhaps- but that doesn't explain its weight.
Is it magnetic? Again, this is a tough call. I need a strong rare earth magnet to confirm. I will try a magnet compass in its proximity and see what happens.

The past couple of months have been very productive and I have a good basis for my next full length release. I have expanded into a bit more of an organic sound- using more acoustic instruments and sensibilities. I am extremely happy to say that the multi-talented Nicole Andrea Aube (she has a page right here on Rad3) has joined the project and is on board for at least one track. Her honey suckle voice will turn heads........wait until you hear what I've got up my sleeves.
release some time Summer '09

Bit music is one of my favorite definitions of a style of music. To me the name suggests fragmentation and cragginess. Some of my listeners prefer the term "circuit" music as in circuit bending and although I have experimented with circuit bending I do not emphasize that as my exclusive modus operandi. Bit music refers to computers and more correctly to the "word size" of digital processing. In layman's terms, an audio signal or "sound" is converted into a series of one's and zero's to represent that "sounds" characteristics: It's volume, it's pitch and timbre, it's decay and so on. Vinyl records sort of work in a similar way in so much as they rely on a series of grooves which are tracked by a stylus or a "needle" The grooves are more diverse than a group of 'zeros and ones' but the principal is the same. The groove is tracked and that sound is amplified to recreate the original signal that created the groove.Now, that sounds confusing and it is, otherwise we'd all be audio engineers. See  hyperlink at the bottom of this post for a more "web based" explanation.Let's get back to those 'zeros and ones'. The clarity and arguably the quality of a digital encoding and decoding system depends on the "word size' or the bit length of the sampling used to encode the signal. That's right all you anti-sampling folks: every CD you listen to is in a sense a sample because it has been turned from one type of sound into the final batch of 'zeros and ones' So what about this 'bit music'? In the simplest of terms, by using low fi sampling or small "word size" encoding- a grittiness is added to the overall flavor of the audio. It takes a while for the subtlety to become apparent but it's there- and to my ears it adds an element of analog warmth. So that is bit music: sound design with lower word size. You should care because there is a nostalgic touch created by the grittiness. It allows your imagination to add in hidden and missing pieces of timbre. This is a pyschoacoustic phenomenon beyond the scope of a blog posting but it's out there. If you are fortunate enough to have subwoofers in your car or in your home or in your space age earbuds (some do)- then you are in for a treat because you will really hear a warm rumble. Check out my CD audiocosm from www.indiepool.com It's a good bunch of bitmusic for less than the price of a 12-pack of beer............more on digital encoding and word size/length: http://arts.ucsc.edu/EMS/Music/tech_background/TE-16/teces_16.html

Yesterday I traveled to Oakville to have my Summer tires replaced with Winter tires. I have never used Snow or Winter tires before and I have driven a lot of cars through all kinds of poor weather starting with a 1979 Z-28 4-speed manual transmission rear-wheel drive and ending before the Smart car, with a 1996 Saab 900 S 5-speed manual transmission front-wheel drive.
I remember a brutal winter in 1990 when I was living in Hamilton and the Z-28 fishtailed everywhere. I remember a brutal winter last year and the Saab did very well with all season tires. Those swedes know what Nordic means and that car only failed me once- climbing an extremely long and steep curving hill which had about 4" of mid pack snow on it. And I almost made it to the top before I started sliding back down.
So now its the Smart car. You know one caveat: you don't want to look dumb or do things that can be considered dumb when the name of your car is Smart. Case in point: Winter tires.
So I procrastinated just long enough to not appear 'dumb' and had the tires swapped yesterday. Not a moment too soon I might add- on the way back from Oakville I stopped for diesel in Jarvis and encountered (you guessed it) the first  real snowfall of the season. I must say I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test the tires so soon and as I write this blog I'm looking outside the basement windows and watching the flakes fall from the sky. There's more on the way and I can't wait to make a run up that Saab killer hill.

It's Wednesday and I'm getting ready for this afternoon's students. I am into my second month of teaching hand drumming and I'm loving it. Last week one of my students came to class with the world's smallest djembe- drum. How small was it? It was so small I tuned it with a disposable lighter. (aah now you'd have to be a hand drummer to get that joke)I have developed a system of instruction based on mechanical analogy. For the uninitiated, this system gets results in a relatively short period of time. I modify a hand shake into the proper hand drum strike.

Okay I have to admit, I wasn't sure at first. I have been driving old SAAB 900's for over a decade now and I needed a new car. Though I can't say anything too badly about the SAAB (when it worked it worked flawlessly and it worked 99% of the time, when it stopped working it REALLY stopped working=$), the SMART was a late addition to my list of candidates.
I drive into work (about 45 mins- regional road and some short highway) and the price of gasoline finally pushed me over the edge.
My turbo charged SMART Diesel Cabriolet Passion (I know its a mouthful) is amazing. This might be one of the most under-rated gems out there. Forget all the "is it safe", "can you lift it off the road" stuff- they are just jealous.
This car is like a space pod. You get in it and you are transported. Add a GPS and your IPOD and you might just believe you've stepped into the future. Well, okay I'm exaggerating, but it's pretty damn cool.
The two biggest payoffs: people smile at you when you drive by them, I filled up my car for 17$ this week. Now that is going to take some getting used to.

Visit 451 smart fortwo

Don't you just love titles like the one above? Makes you think of Easter Island statues, UFO's and Bigfoot.
Since I  have been busy revamping my internet presence, forming some unity and direction for my music, video and all the other 'stuff'- my Blog here has been suffering.
This is the first blog I actually ever spent any real time maintaining. And frankly I doubt that anyone other than me and my helpers ever find it! But I digress......archaeological mysteries: what are they, what do they mean?
The easiest thing to begin with is to point you to www.archaeolgicalfieldwork.com where many of my postings are included with pictures and cool debates from the other members. Notably the thread:: Comet explosion over ice age Lake Erie which suggests that some of the "beach glass" found in my neck of the winds may in fact be "glass" formed by a comet explosion.  It will be worth the effort to Google "Libyan desert glass" for background on this archaeological mystery.

Months. That's how long......but lot's of things have been happening. My first full length space music release is finished and should be available as I write this. I'm not sure how well received this project will be, I tried to push boundaries with this one and I am proud of the result.
It might be the soundtrack to my mind. Now that is a scary thought. I have expanded the early bit music experiments and incorporated some traditional instrumentation such as electric guitar and djembe to add a bit of organic life.
I have used new instruments which I have created. The bolarado is based on a children's storybook with pressure sensitive keys originally designed to add an interactive element of sound to the pictures and words. I find this hybrid fascinating. I began by taking the books apart and seperating the voice circuits from the print. I rewired the sound modules and terminated them with phone jacks to facilitate using them as real time triggers via mixing board and/or p.a.
I designed another interesting trigger based on a vintage vinyl Regal doll. You can see a photo of her, here on my profile or see more pics of her at my facebook page. (Jarrod Barker- send me a friend request)
I used the original "air" hole designed to emulate drinking out of a "milk botlle" as a pressure trigger to activate a piezo transducer. Essentially, when the doll is "spanked" a voltage is created which is sent into a EMU sampler and allows those sounds to be used in a creative, improvised fashion. When I played in Los Angeles back in April, I had some issues with the night time temperature (the California Plaza is an outdoor venue and the chilly 12 degrees air "shrank" the crystal in the transducer and she didn't fire on all cylinders) Still, the point got across and she created a real buzz.
I hope to have some mp3's up soon after I convert the master tracks.