In the summer of 2012 during a heartbreaking time in my life, my good friend John Shaffer allowed me to plunk around on his piano while he was cooking dinner for his family. This proved to be a cathartic experience and although I am not a piano player (hence the title: User Error), I did purge some frustrations during the process. I'm flying by the seat of my pants. User error and system failure. I hope there is something here of some value despite the futility of the pursuit.
Jay Peele
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Having lost the ability to transfer microcassettes directly, I decided to make real time improvisational sounds over Per-Arne Hognert's tape and use my GoPro camera to capture the results. I sat the microcassette recorder close to the camera as the tiny tape played and improvised sounds and minimal visuals. Hop on! A: Parabola SKY "Hop-On" Arne-Wiese & Fiver's Stereo part 1 B: Fall day "Hop-On" Arne Wiese & Fiver's Stereo part 2
I resolve to participate in more mail art in 2019. I'm thrilled to have received this art/cds from Per-Arne Hognert (Arne Wiese in Sweden).
I can't wait to hear these 2 different versions of some microcassette collaborations between Rafael Gonzalez, Per-Arne Hognert, and myself ( I have no recollection of what I recorded and sent!).
Namaste E.C. friends and family... Jay Peele (Shatter Wax / Fiver's Stereo :)
(and electronic space jams with friends)
It is difficult to formulate words regarding tones and sonic vibrations. Working on music requires great discipline and respect for the art form. Taking a trip to inner space through drones, counterpoint, or garage rock riffage can often be a great escape hatch.Wading through seemingly unexplored sonic territory, channeling vibrations, or cathartic noise making is often more rewarding than the disciple of musical practice. I am happy that in 2018 some ephemeral electronic excursions with friends were recorded and shared. My good friend Aaron Abrams (the Glyph) just put up an improvisation he and I made on analog and modular synthesizers a few weeks ago. I am attempting to lock into a 5/4 groove motif on an Oberheim OB-6 as Aaron works the modular. I love the title he chose: "OhShit"
Words can be cumbersome. Difficulty in speaking, thinking, or vocalizing may often be remedied with non-lingual verbal sounds. I always thought Frank Zappa was responsible for a favorite quote of mine, but a cursory internet search revealed otherwise. I hope you'll find this to be as good of a read as I did.
Writing About Music is Like Dancing About Architecture
Dearest E.C. family and reader, I especially hope you'll enjoy these 2 analog electronic transmissions with Scott James and Mitch Cichocki from earlier this year. Both Scott and Mitch are incredible song writers and musicians who also dabble in the dark arts of free-form electronica.
"Added Realism" involves me showing up to their Ghost of Electricity jam with a Realistic MG-1 by Moog Music and a fat joint of OG Kush.
We turned off the drum machine for "Drones For Peace". Om
Be sure to check out Scott and Mitch's other 2 jams before I crashed the party and allowed the fog to roll in on the Ghost of Electricity Soundcloud page. :) Namaste friends...
Shatter Wax Jay Peele Fiver's Stereo
On July 17th, 2018 Jen Sandwich and myself met with Rob Demperio at WSLR in Sarasota, FL for an episode of Lumpytunes: Definitely Difficult Listening. I was armed with a half broken Realistic MG-1 synthesizer by Moog Music, my moogerfooger MF-104 analog delay (one of the first 1000 that Bob Moog produced during the Big Briar days circa 2000), microcassette recordings made during a massive drum circle circa 2009, a Steim Cracklebox (which was a birthday gift from Hal McGee in 2007) and a bag of random percussive trinkets.
Listening back to the show on the archive, just after the song "Piss On My Tiny Hands" by Billy & The Women (at 28:00), I think the soundcheck of my mic and MG-1 was broadcast (perhaps unintentionally). At 39:30 Rob introduces me as DJ Shatter Wax and I enjoy a spacey improvisation (starting at 40:20 through 48:16).
I gave Rob a copy of the debut album from Circuit Circuit (myself and DJ Wizard Wand -John Lackey) and Rob was kind enough to include "Egyptian Raga" on Lumpytunes. We recently made a music video for "Egyptian Raga" with video artist Aaron O'Laughlin where I got to wear a green screen suit and climb around on dead trees on the beach at Talbot Island in Northern Florida.
At 1:06:45 on the July 17th Lumpytunes show Rob starts talking about and playing tracks from The Electronic Cottage Compilation 004! (Tracks by Ditlev Buster, Frank, {AN} EeL, Thomas Park, Lord Litter, Phillip Klampe, Dylan Houser, osvaldo cibils, Jen Sandwich, & Shatter Wax were featured on WSLR on 7/17/2018)
At 1:34:00 Rob talks to Jen Sandwich about her track "False Memories" from Electronic Cottage Compilation 004 where she reveals her piece started as a spoken word piece that did not work out. Her instrumental track involves software synths and 1960s sound effects records.
Rob asked me to do a second live improvisation on the air which was unexpected yet proved to be a cathartic blast. It is a rare opportunity to get to do odd aural things live in front of anyone much less live on the radio. The second improvisation (involving my bag of noise making novelties) begins around 1:37:00 and ends at 1:42:30. It was an honor and a pleasure to perform live, represent Electronic Cottage, and be a part of an eclectic mix of music with such a friendly and exploratory host. Thank you Rob Demperio.
Jay Peele (DJ Shatter Wax / Fiver's Stereo / Cellular Terror / :) Photos by Jen Sandwich
May 24, 2018
So much for the daily updates from Moogfest 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. With a smartphone, I could have provided photos, video, and text on a real time basis. Real time coverage is common in this day and age with most people uploading content from wireless devices. When I used a modern phone for a few months and paused at a live event to post something to Instagram or Facebook, I always felt like I was no longer in attendance and was diminishing the experience. As a flip phone user and someone who just returned from the road late last night, I will now reflect on the 4 day festival and related activities. Intense fear as the police cruiser's headlights shined on me as I was smoking a joint of Hawaiian Haze in a near empty parking lot in Raleigh, N.C. He was driving straight toward me. I casually lowered my "cigarette" and looked the officer directly in the eyes and gave a confident nod. He nodded back and drove directly through a fragrant cloud of smoke I had blown out moments earlier. Security guards were swarming around the PRIMUS and Mastodon concert at the Red Hook amphitheater in Raleigh, N.C. on Sunday May 20th so I decided to wait 'til after the show to fire this thing off. On the way in to the concert, a young security guard asked me to empty my pockets and accused me of having weed candies. There were a couple of crumbs of weed lurking around in the packaging because a joint was stashed in it earlier. They let me through without too much hassle, but I really should have been more mindful before going through the security gate. I had considered attending The Sea and Cake, who were performing at one of the Moogfest live music venues called Pinhook in Durham but decided that Chaka (my loyal service dog and best friend) would enjoy an outdoor show more than a small indoor event. Throughout my life, I have seen PRIMUS (and Les Claypool related projects) live more than any other artist (I lost count, but probably over 20 shows). PRIMUS is one of my favorite bands and witnessing their new album "The Desaturating Seven" (based on Ul De Riico's book THE RAINBOW GOBLINS) live is an incredible experience both aurally and visually. I am happy to report that the track I fired off (just before leaving for Moogfest) to Shaun Robert at Institute for Alien Research for: IFAR Musique Concrète 4'33" in 3 movements; 3 sections; in each piece;;; the silence is awaken;;; storms raise;;;; the wind blows;; where am i compilation is now available online. My piece utilized circuit bent Wiggles guitar (bent by Theta Landers- CReepINgthinGE), real world sounds, Theremin, micromoog, and turntables. Four Thirty Three in 3 Movements, by Fiver's Stereo
The entire compilation of international sound experimentalists is highly versatile and very relaxing.Highly recommended for a cloudy afternoon and to unwind after an electronic music festival.
--------------- I am also happy to report that my friend John Lackey (DJ Wizard Wand / Elf Cum) and I (DJ Shatter Wax / Fiver's Stereo) followed through on our late night audio excursions and printed 100 CDs for our new project: Circuit Circuit. I attempted to have the CDs sold at the main Moogfest merchandise store. The manager was helpful and took on 15 CDs but was unable to display them due to contracts and red tape. John was part of an informal modular synth jam in the vault of 21c Museum Hotel and sold a few copies of our record to other participants. Lackey and I are both thrilled with this record and are making plans for our first live performance. We intend to print vinyl of this album or a new one and hope to perform at Moogfest 2019.
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On Thursday May 17th, Jen Sandwich, my dog Chaka, and I parked at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, N.C. and walked directly to Ralph Steadman's exhibit which was sharing the room (Bay 7) with the Modular Marketplace, Moog Music store, and a bunch of vinyl vendors as part of Reverb LP. I have had the pleasure of seeing Steadman's work in person on a few different occasions during Art Basel Miami. We walked to the Carolina Theater and watched "For No Good Reason", a documentary on Ralph Steadman made by director Charlie Paul over a 15 year period. Johnny Depp does a great job talking with Ralph about his passion for civil liberties and human rights and reminiscing about Hunter S. Thompson's Gonzo journalism exploits and gun fights with William S. Burroughs.
Suzanne Ciani + Layn from Berklee College of Music presented a live score to the classic silent film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Utilizing cello, flute, modular synthesizers, laptops, and other instruments, Ciani and her all female ensemble created an enthralling soundtrack to the film with a smooth blend of composition and improvisation. The sound system in the Armory this year was called A3 (an immersive 360-degree sound system with 24 independent sources). Author & Punisher utilized the A3 sound system melting everyones ear drums with his sludgy bio-mechanical industrial doom. Tristan Shone out of San Diego, CA is a mechanical engineer and artist who custom makes his own "dub machines" and "doom machines" from raw materials and open source electronic circuitry. It looked like he was playing a massive joystick and screaming through a fencing mask. We also caught Madame Gandhi at Motorco Music Hall and Jon Hopkins (DJ set) back at the armory.
Friday started off at the 21c Museum Hotel with a multi instrumental 4 hour durational performance by Wes Borland and a drummer (who was also playing a Moog). I've known Wes since the late 90s when Limp Bizkit was first gaining momentum out of Jacksonville, Florida and onto the international music scene. He has always been an experimentalist and a bit at odds with his success from Limp Bizkit so it was nice to hear him in his natural improvisational habitat. It was great to catch up with Wes, find out he lives in Chicago now and check out his 2016 double LP called "Crystal Machete".
An electro/acoustic metallic percussion and modular synth installation called Frivolous Artist by Wild Actions was clangy and loads of fun.
Later Friday evening after getting our heads knocked in by Suicideyear and Kyoka at Motorco Music Hall, we had to walk through a heavy downpour to the Carolina Theater to catch Mouse on Mars. Despite wearing my rain jacket, my shoes and socks and shorts got throughly soaked. I removed my socks and shoes and somehow thought the bass frequencies would dry them out. This Mouse on Mars set utilized extreme bass and although I was wearing ear plugs, I found myself wondering if I could take anymore of the low end assault.It was enjoyable yet I was thankful my dog Chaka was safe back in a hotel room.
On Saturday we attended a talk by Michael Stipe (lead singer of R.E.M.) discussing his forthcoming book of photography and his Moogfest 2018 video installation called Thibault Dance.
Hal McGee highly recommended we attend a performance by ONO from Chicago. It was a refreshing organic approach with a six piece live band. Lead vocalist Travis Travis Travis belted out "Where is your altruism now, where is your altruism now?" changing in and out of frilly costumes, whacking a trash can lid with a chain, and finally coming out into the audience to engage the attendees.
After ONO it was time for headliners Psychic TV who delivered a refreshing live avant pop rock 'n' roll performance. Yet another refreshing electro/acoustic performance featuring loads of found percussion was from a group called Georgia. I was super excited for master MC KRS-ONE (Kris Lawrence Parker) who broke it down and knocked everyones skulls in with some old school authentic hip hop and improvisational rhyme skills. Kris is master of the mic and has been a poetic master for 30 years. Afterwards Mouse on Mars teamed up with some Sonic Robots and put on a much more intimate and quiet set in true 3 Dimensional sound at the Armory.
Nicole Mitchell (flute, synthesizers, Theremin) put on a 4 hour durational concert on Sunday. It was an intensely intimate and personal experience. After the performance a woman asked Nicole if she owned all of the gear she was using. Apparently Moog Music loaned her much of the gear to experiment with a week before Moogfest. She exclaimed "That is how they get you. How am I going to give all this up now? I hope they give me a good discount". I can imagine after a romance with the new grandmother Moog, analog drum machines, and other Moog gear one would be inclined to invest in the modern Moog musical instruments. Jay Peele May 9th, 2018: Part of my day was spent with an open window and a microphone aimed at the world for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. After adding a bit of Micromoog, Theremin through Moogerfooger analog delay, and a dash of turntablism, Fiver's Stereo (that's me!) submitted a track for a forthcoming Institute For Alien Research 4'33" in three movements music concrete compilation. I've submitted a few basic questions to Shaun Robert about IFAR and his creative processes to be addressed in an upcoming Electronic Cottage feature. My friend John Lackey (who is attending this year's Moogfest on a press pass through MOVEMENT Magazine based in Jacksonville, FL) and I have been combing through records mixing spoken word and obscure electronic sounds with old school hip hop beats and mixing in circuit bent toy, Micromoog, and theremin. We hope to complete a recording and produce some CDs or tapes to take with us to Moogfest 2018. Although I did not attend Moogfest in Durham, N.C. last year (2017), I did volunteer at the the festival in May of 2016 on the weekend closest to Bob Moog's birthday. Here is a live clip from Morton Subotnick's set Gary Numan, Laurie Anderson, Suzanne Ciani, GZA, and The Orb also stick out in my mind from 2016. I attended every Moogfest that took place in Asheville, N.C. (2010, 2011, 2012, & 2014). In 2014 Kraftwerk played 3 nights in a row, I met Bernie Worrell, Keith Emerson, & Michelle Moog. Highlights from 2012 include Thomas Dolby, Morton Subotnick, Shpongle, Orbital, Ahleuchatistas, and Primus in 3D. In 2011, I worked Moogfest as a stage hand and although I missed Brian Eno's illustrated talk and the Adrian Belew power trio, I did get to take in Amon Tobin: ISAM, Suicide, M83, and Tangerine Dream. 2010 was the first Moogfest held in Asheville and I happened to be living there at the time. I was a street musician, so to score a job with the local stage hand union was a big deal at that time in my life. Working Moogfest 2010, I was fortunate enough to catch some great acts such as Thievery Corporation, Massive Attack, DJ Spooky, Dan Deacon, and Panda Bear. I am super thrilled to be attending Moogfest 2018 in Durham, North Carolina on a press pass through Electronic Cottage. I intend to submit daily updates (text, photos, and videos) from the many live performances, workshops, panels, discussions, and art exhibits. Now it is time to make the donuts...
"Don't you dis-respect Ronnie James like that... You fucked it up" said the drunk man as he pushed the microphone into my face nearly chipping one of my bottom teeth. In a high pitched metal falsetto scream I called the guy out and suggested: "next time you sing it brother." and added “Ronnie James Dio, rest in peace.” I did screw up the end but I started off strong with Dio's "Holy Diver" at Rain dogs’ (a bar in the 5 Points area of Jacksonville, Florida) karaoke night. I paid five bucks to support a metal band called Cringe from Ohio who was playing in the back. Cringe was tight so I purchased a split cassette they were selling. Their side is titled MEMENTO MORI and includes three songs: "Searing Sin", "Tribulation", and "Flesh Famine". Crypt Rot fills the other side of the tape with a two song offering entitled NOCTURNAL DETERIORATION including "Butchered Slumber" and "Serpentine Atonement". Perhaps when my ears stop ringing I'll listen to the cassette. I missed the three opening bands as I was eating nachos, smoking a joint, and singing Peter Tosh's "Legalize It." Earlier from 6 to 8:30 PM I played 12 string acoustic guitar and sang for mostly elderly women in a model home in some sort of gated golf community in Fernandina Beach. I heard that their husbands were all drinking scotch and playing putt putt. For some reason I decided to film the process of my dog Chaka and I driving to Earth Fare to fill our 5 gallon BPA free water container, purchase Kombucha's, and fuel up the Prius. The entire process took 55 minutes, and I later deleted the footage.
Swimming in a pool, walking along the freshly eroded gulf coast in Lido Key. At 1 AM Rob Demperio, Jen Sandwich, and myself all left WSLR in Sarasota, Florida. Rob was kind enough to invite us to partake in his radio show Lumpytunes! Definitely Difficult Listening 420 edition. The show airs every Tuesday evening from 11 PM til 1 AM and has for the last ten years. He talked to us about the experimental/noise scene in Florida and spun the live sets of Hal McGee, Fiver's Stereo, Dylan Houser, and Tom Miller from the Apartment Music 28 CD. The performances were recorded onto a type II chrome cassette at Hal McGee's apartment on March 24, 2018. I was happy to introduce Rob to the music of Ahleuchatistas from Asheville, North Carolina and had a blast hanging out during his radio show. Listen to Lumpytunes from 4/17/2018 at the WSLR archive link. Editor's Note: on the WLSR Archive page, SEARCH for "Lumpytunes". Narrow Carolina coastline
Eroding into the Atlantic Winds shift and sand stings the skin The state released rattlesnakes to kill the rabbits Displaced coyotes now roam the streets during the off season It was the state who turned them loose Along with the acid rain in the 1980s Shortly after the dye plant killed off most of the Herring population They now charge one hundred dollars per fish To protect the environment in their wallets and purses They ask why the building is not the proper distance from the road When it was them who paved the error long after the fishery was built They ask who gave permission to pile sand on the marshy ground When it was they who put it there to clear the road after a major storm The transplanted diamond backs remain protected Who is really endangered by their stealthy presence? The devil's pocket book stinks As do the rotting Portuguese man 'o war tentacles But not nearly as bad as the bureaucrats and tax collectors - Jay Peele
Fiver's Stereo has a track on "No Port Of Call: Songs From The Flying Dutchman",
the latest experimental music compilation of the Argali Records Netlabel. "No Port Of Call" is a collection of experimental music tracks based around the theme and tales of ghost ships throughout the ages.
"No Port Of Call" also includes tracks by Subversive Intentions, Anastasia Vronski, mhzesent, {AN} EeL, The Implicit Order, T.R.I.v.M., and 14 others
including Dave Fuglewicz (listen below). |
Shatter WaxJay Peele Archives
June 2019
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