2016 Voyager Music Festival – VoyagerFest http://www.voyagerfest.org Experimental. Progressive. Evolving. Fri, 10 May 2019 04:14:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 http://www.voyagerfest.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/cropped-voyager-favicon-32x32.png 2016 Voyager Music Festival – VoyagerFest http://www.voyagerfest.org 32 32 Delptronics http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/09/12/delptronics Tue, 13 Sep 2016 03:34:30 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1288 Mickey Delp is the founder and Chief Inventor of Delptronics, a manufacturer of electronic musical instruments. He also has a long abiding interest in blinky lights. His LED matrix has appeared at SXSW, MakerFaire, Classic Game Fest, and will be featured at the Fantastic Fest Arcade later this month.

Web site is http://delptronics.com

]]> The Science of Waveforms & Sound Exhibit presented by Daniel G. Benes Science Shows http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/09/12/science-waveforms-sound-exhibit-daniel-g-benes-science-shows Tue, 13 Sep 2016 03:06:14 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1275 Demonstrations of Science, Physics, Chemistry, & Electricity
Live Antique Science & Technology Exhibits as Thomas Alva Edison

Daniel G. Benes is a teacher & instructor savant. He has spent a lifetime learning some pretty awesome things about the world around him and it’s not fair to keep that knowledge to himself. Daniel’s demonstrations of working antique science and technology, cutting-edge chemistry, physics, and high-voltage electricity, and much more, have been seen by thousands of students from around the world at various schools, youth centers, STEM & STEAM academies, museums, large festivals, and on radio and television! His hair-raising demonstrations, antiques, and unbridled on-stage energy ties the old to the new in a way that makes you think, why hasn’t someone done this before?

]]> Touch Guitars at Voyager Music Festival 2016 http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/09/11/touch-guitars-voyager-music-festival-2016 Sun, 11 Sep 2016 19:01:46 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1240 The 2016 Voyager Music Festival will include an array of musicians playing unusual stringed instruments that are generally known as “touch guitars.”  A musician plays one of these devices by tapping and holding strings against the fretboard most of the time.  Electric guitarists often use tapping as an effect; in fact, jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan plays with two-handed tapping exclusively.  However, touch guitars are quite different from standard electric guitars and therefore played quite differently. The best known tapping instrument is the Chapman Stick that was used widely by Tony Levin with Peter Gabriel and with King Crimson in the 1980s and 90s.

Thirteen of Everything and the Chapman Stick
Saturday at 7:50 PM on the Ballroom Stage

mick_standard_stick
Thirteen of Everything’s Mick Peters

The Stick dates back to an experiment that Emmett Chapman, a California guitarist, tried back in 1969.  Most versions of the instrument include bass and guitar strings so it is possible for one player to cover two or even three parts.

Local melodic progressive rock band Thirteen of Everything includes Mick Peters on Stick, bass guitar, and acoustic guitar.  While he mostly plays a standard 10-string Chapman Stick (5 bass strings, 5 treble strings), Mick sometimes uses an 8-string Stick Bass model.

 

Herd of Instinct and the Warr Guitar
Saturday at 6:30 PM on the Ballroom Stage

mark_warr_guitar
Mark Cook of Herd of Instinct (photo credit: Angel Stephens)

Another touch instrument that has been around a while is the Warr Guitar.  The Warr dates back to the early 1990s and the best known player is Trey Gunn from King Crimson in the 1990s and 2000s.  The design is more guitar-like in that strumming is possible plus most players hold the instrument horizontally.

New to Voyager this year is Herd of Instinct from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  This band includes both Rick Read on Chapman Stick and Mark Cook on Warr Guitar.  In fact, Mark uses a 14-string model! Herd of Instinct played a show in Austin a few weeks before the festival and the combination of Warr and Stick was amazing. Mark and Rick freely traded between covering the bass parts, tapping chords, and playing leads.

cedric_u8_medium-2
Cédric Theys of DiM13NSiON

 

DiM13NSiON and the Touch Guitar
Sunday at 6:30 PM on the Chapel Stage

At Voyager, Austin locals DiM13NSiON will perform introspective and improvised music.  In this duo, Cédric Theys plays a U8 Touch Guitar using both tapping and strumming techniques. Their work has a film soundtrack feeling, with Thomas McGregor adding an organic touch with his violin.

 

Learn more about Touch Guitar
Saturday 1:10 PM on the Ballroom Stage

New at Voyager in 2016 are workshops. There will be so many unique stringed instruments at the festival that it’s only logical that one of the workshops is for touch guitars. On Saturday afternoon at 1:10 PM (get there early folks!) Cédric Theys of DiM13NSiON will lead a discussion of and play examples using Chapman Stick, Warr Guitar, and the U8 Deluxe Touch Guitar.

touchguitar

Touch Guitar through the Years and the Austin Connection

Markus Reuter, a German musician who studied with Robert Fripp in Guitar Craft, became known for his Chapman Stick and Warr Guitar playing.  He preferred to play a continuous instrument, not one with separate bass and guitar string groupings.  He designed a new instrument with Ed Reynolds (here in Austin!) and set up Touch Guitars to produce 8- and 10-string models.  Markus is the best known player of his instruments including tours with the Stick Men trio that includes Tony Levin on Chapman Stick:

Markus Reuter also performs ambient soundscapes:

This Trey Gunn Band performance of “Kuma” has some great video of his Warr Guitar playing:

In recent years the most visible Stick player has been Nick Beggs with Steven Wilson (watch this video of “Home Invasion” starting about 3:15:

 

 

]]> Trying Science http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/09/06/trying-science Wed, 07 Sep 2016 02:34:45 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1215
Drawing inspiration from several math-rock and post-rock influences, Trying Science is an original 4-piece aiming to bridge the gap between technical and musical – to appeal to both musicians and non-musicians alike.
With lyrical dynamic overtures, catchy melodies, shifting asymmetry, and more pedals and effects than their combined fingers and toes, Trying Science takes the audience for a wild and emotional ride while also providing moments of ambient reflection.

Quick to appeal and diligent on the delivery, their performance consistently turns heads and leaves listeners excitably anxious for more. This act is not one to miss, nor one to forget!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tryingscience

 

]]> Jam Therapy http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/08/29/jam-therapy Tue, 30 Aug 2016 03:14:10 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1204 With influences like Black Sabbath, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin; Jam Therapy presents a contemporary take on the heavy riffs and grooving rhythms of true rock’n’roll, successfully transporting their listeners back in time (where having vinyl wasn’t just “hip,” it was how you fed your ears.) Over the past few years, this four-piece suit has gained a steady following while captivating audiences around the southeast. With highly energetic and equally entertaining live performances, it comes to no surprise why the group has gained such a faithful fan base. Their enthralling performances have landed Jam Therapy multiple wins at various competitions, as well as recurring appearances in some of Northwest Florida’s premiere festivals and concert series.

Website: http://www.youneedjamtherapy.com

 

]]> Theremin: History and Performance Technique http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/08/17/a-history-of-the-theremin Wed, 17 Aug 2016 23:16:10 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1108 The Theremin~ The worlds first electronic instrument, invented in 1920, played without physically touching the instrument, music out of thin air. Leon Theremin~ Inventor, physicist, Russian spy.  Come learn about the pioneering instrument and it’s strong place in espionage history.

About the Presenter
Aileen Adler has been playing and performing the Theremin (live and recorded), for over 20 years. Her mission is to present the Theremin as a viable musical instrument.

This is the 10 year anniversary of “Theremin for the Masses”, her self-produced 13 song compilation documenting a snippet of an almost 10 year journey with her Theremin. Showcasing bands she was in, studio projects, and live clips, while creating experimental journeys through several genres.

]]> Touch Guitar Workshop http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/08/17/touch-guitar-workshop Wed, 17 Aug 2016 23:01:43 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1106 The Touch Guitar Workshop led by touch guitarist Cédric Theys, will introduce you to the mesmerizing world of this young, very proggy instrument. We’ll talk about its history, the various builders and what they bring to the table, the players and music made with these instruments and where to start when picking one up. The history of the touch guitar is being written right now!
About the Presenter
Cédric Theys
Touch guitarist, composer and producer
Cédric Theys is a French bass player & guitarist. After playing both instruments for over 20 years, he started using the touch guitar exclusively. The U8 is built by Touch Guitars in Austria. It’s an 8-string instrument with a range from a low 5 string bass to the high string on a guitar. He plays soundscapes, instant compositions, experimental & progressive electronic rock.
Cédric also produces and records various projects and is the founder of Mad Ducks Records. He currently lives in Austin TX.
]]> How to Build a Robot Drummer http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/08/15/build-robot-drummer Mon, 15 Aug 2016 21:13:57 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1098 Everyone has a Maker in them. We make for fun and exploration, we make to test ideas, and we make to solve real-world problems. Ponytrap wasn’t intended to be a Maker band — we just seemed to have a difficult time finding a drummer that wanted to play the classically-inspired tribal rhythm industrial music that we wanted to do. In retrospect, maybe that’s not a surprise, but at one point a couple of years ago, Quentin found himself stuck in the middle of a seemingly endless free-form jazz odyssey, and the idea to build his own drummer just kind of materialized. After several evolutions, dozens of burned out motors, and a lot of trial and error, Ponytrap has a solid drumline made entirely of robots.

Ponytrap is Quentin and Hilary Thomas-Oliver. They like to think of their art as tribal music for modern primitives — industrial music on classical instruments … along with a couple of robots. Quentin’s degree is in viola performance and Hilary is a professional writer. You can find them at their website PonytrapMusic.com.

]]> Ableton and the Beyond Beyond http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/08/14/ableton-beyond-beyond Sun, 14 Aug 2016 15:59:47 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1085 Ableton Live Certified Trainer, Jimmy Allison will take you into the outer depths. The workshop will focus on using Ableton Live in a live performance in combination with hardware synths and software. Everyone from beginner to advanced users stand to pick up some tricks from this session.

About the Presenter
Jimmy Allison,
Lead instructor and founder of Austin Ableton Tutor

Jimmy is a certified Ableton instructor, producer and bassist. He is based in Austin, Texas. He has been playing music since 1984, and has been offering 1-on-1 Ableton Live training for music production, live performance and DJ’ing both locally and online since 2007.

website:  http://austinabletontutor.com/
contact: Jimmy@austinabletontutor

]]> Lead Synth Workshop http://www.voyagerfest.org/2016/08/14/performing-lead-synth Sun, 14 Aug 2016 15:18:45 +0000 http://www.voyagerfest.org/?p=1083
In this workshop, attendees will learn lead synth performance techniques such as pitch bending, adding modulation, using other controllers, and configuring effects. The goal is to show fans how these parts are played in addition to providing tutorials for musicians. To illustrate specific techniques, the presenter and guests will play examples from fusion and progressive rock bands like Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd, and Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson band). Resources for further learning will be listed including solos worth studying, books about synthesizer performance/programming/effects, magazines, and YouTube videos.
Workshop Materials/Recommended Reading
Synth Solo Examples
LeadSynthWorkshop_SOLOS.pdf
About the presenter
Walter Daniel is a long-time synthesizer enthusiast going back to his original purchase of a then-new Micromoog. Engineering education helped him understand how synths worked while his jazz background informed his fusion playing style. Favorite synth players include Kit Watkins (Happy the Man), Jan Hammer (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck), and Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson).
Twitter: @WalterDanielATX
]]>