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8/05/11 8:12 PMDecibel + Pollen Trio
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Time Saturday, May 14 ! 7:30am - 10:30am
Location Street Theatre, Canberra.
Created By Cat Hope, Shoeb Ahmad, Lindsay Vickery
More Info Decibel perform a program of Lucier, Lamb, Hope and Vickery.
http://decibel.waapamusic.com/
http://www.messandnoise.com/news/4233155
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17/05/11 8:21 AMPeking Spring Festival: Decibel, Pollen Trio @ The Street Theatre, Canberra (14/05/11) on FasterLouder.com.au
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Peking Spring Festival: Decibel, Pollen
Trio @ The Street Theatre, Canberra
(14/05/11)Local News by MarissaJade , 16th May, 2011
About The Author
MarissaJadeMarissaJade joined us onthe 28th Mar, 2010 and is acontributor.
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Peking Spring Festival: Decibel and Pollen Trio
May 14th, 2011
THE STREET THEATRE, CANBERRA
On a frosty, chilly Saturday night, the Peking Spring Festival was brought to a
close in the rather quaint Street 2 at The Street Theatre.
The festival, presented by HellosQuare Recordings has had somewhat of a
monopoly on live Canberra performances for the past three weeks, with shows
featuring HellosQuare artists, plus guests taking place at venues such as the
aforementioned Street Theatre, Smith’s Bookshop, ANU Bar, Bar 32 and The
Phoenix. The aim of the festival was to showcase the very best in creative and
experimental music, and if the final show on Saturday was anything to go by, the
mission has well and truly been accomplished.
After milling about in the cosy foyer and trying to warm up blue, freezing hands,
the crowd was ushered into the small theatre in order for the night to get under
way. Upon sitting down in the rather intimate setting, I marveled at how nice it
was, just this once, to get to see a gig without having to stand on tired feet while
jostling with intoxicated fans. After all, every now and then it’s nice to indulge
your inner grandma.
The night’s entertainment began with HellosQuare old hats Pollen Trio. One of
the label’s first bands, Pollen Trio, are locals who play experimental jazz that is
best heard to be appreciated. With an organ, a trumpet, drums, and other bits
and bobs, Pollen make music that on paper sounds like a cacophonic mess. But
on hearing, it becomes apparent that the seemingly random and dissonant
sounds are in fact, an intricate moray of melody and disconnection. What begins
as a mess becomes atmospheric; what sounds like randomness becomes
organic, and what is at first disconcerting ends as spellbinding. Their half an hour
set was enough to lull the crowd into a hypnotic, other-worldly state that was
difficult to shake when it came time for the interval.
After enough time for a drink and a chat, the theatre once again filled up for
Decibel. Hailing from Western Australia, Decibel is a five-piece experimental
orchestra whose complex creativity and vision make for one intriguing listening
experience. The band uses an array of instruments such as the cello, flute and
sax, plus a magnetic pitch creator called The Infinity Machine, and works side by
side with a computer program to create pieces in which the listener is challenged
to find beauty and sense between the conventional notes. The role of the
computer is to give each member of the quintet a particular part of a particular
song. Thus, no two shows by Decibel will be the same, with the computer giving
different instructions each time. From the opening bars of Improbable Games to
Music Videos Gig Guide Festivals FL Bands Photos Forums Community Win Tickets
17/05/11 8:21 AMPeking Spring Festival: Decibel, Pollen Trio @ The Street Theatre, Canberra (14/05/11) on FasterLouder.com.au
Page 2 of 3http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/28546/Pollen-Trio-Decibel-The-Street-Theatre-Canberra-140511
Matt Walters @ The Vanguard, Syndey (11/5/11)
Kyuss Lives! @ Big Top, Sydney (07/05/11)
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Maitland (07/05/2011)
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Arena, Sydney (25/4/11)
Washington, Lissie, Deep Sea Arcade @ Metro,
Sydney (5/5/2011)
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Trail @ The Smallest Gig, Syndey (1/5/11)
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the haunting finish of Ever Present, Decibel captivated, mesmerized and
challenged, leaving behind some pretty skewed perceptions of how music can
be created.
In a testament to the fact that music doesn’t always need lyrics, Pollen Trio and
Decibel played sets that were impressive, haunting and not soon to be forgotten
by all who were in attendance.
Peking Spring Festival: Decibel and Pollen Trio
May 14th, 2011
THE STREET THEATRE, CANBERRA
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17/05/11 8:21 AMPeking Spring Festival: Decibel, Pollen Trio @ The Street Theatre, Canberra (14/05/11) on FasterLouder.com.au
Page 3 of 3http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/28546/Pollen-Trio-Decibel-The-Street-Theatre-Canberra-140511
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17/05/11 7:51 AMRealTime Arts - Magazine - issue 102 - in the loop – may 10
Page 1 of 3http://realtimearts.net/article/102/10303
realtime 102 contents Choose... search:
e-dition may 10
in the loop – may 10
realtime news and advance word
Sunwrae String Quartet
photo courtesy of the artists
new music to your ears
There’s a busy two months ahead for new music lovers. First, Mike Majkowski
(Earbash and RT97) and Decibel (RT94, RT97) join forces for concerts in Canberra
and Sydney. Decibel will also be performing at PICA in the second of three concerts
there with new works by ensemble members Lindsay Vickery and Cat Hope as well
as by Chris de Groot, Thomas Meadowcroft and John Cage as well as an
arrangement of Scott Walker's Benito's Dream (you can hear some of Decibel's work
in our Sound Capsule and keep an eye out for Chris Reid’s review of their CD in our
next e-dition). The Sunwrae String Quartet is also on tour (and will be reviewed in
RT103), with concerts in each capital city, a guest appearance at the Camden
Heaven Music Festival in Port Macquarie and a trip to Vietnam. Finally, Canberra is
again hosting its adventurous International Music Festival (see our 2010 review).
Decibel and Mike Majkowski, Canberra, May 14, www.thestreet.org.au and
Sydney, May 15, www.cityrecitalhall.com; Decibel, Concert 2, PICA, June 20,
www.decibel.waapamusic.com; Sunwrae String Quartet, Eavesdropping Tour,
May 5-June 9, www.sunwrae.com; Canberra International Music Festival, May
11-22, www.cimf.org.au
music theatre at home
Chambermade Opera continues its series of intensely intimate operas (The Itch,
Another Lament and Target, with Dwelling Structure, subtitled “An Opera in 8 Time
Use Episodes." Citing poet Emily Dickinson, CMO suggests “you will dwell in
possibility, a doorless house??," in what promises to be a highly unusual work
created by sound artists Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey with writer Cynthia
Troup and "visual assemblage by Neil Thomas, and neighbourly interruptions by The
Suitcase Royale." Chambermade Opera, Dwelling Structure, May 26-28,
www.chambermadeopera.com
back
17/05/11 7:51 AMRealTime Arts - Magazine - issue 102 - in the loop – may 10
Page 2 of 3http://realtimearts.net/article/102/10303
Kit Wise, Xanadu 2009, HD video installation, silent
6:00, mirrored glass, Digital production Darin Bendall,
an Experimenta Commission
image courtesy of the artist
old new media
From new music to new media…if you missed it in Melbourne last year, you can catch
Experimenta: Utopia Now on tour at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. The
show features the work of Patrick Bernatchez (Canada), Michael Burton (UK), Cao
Fei (China), Christopher Fulham (Australia), Christian Jankowski (Germany), Laurent
Mignonneau & Christa Sommerer (France/Austria), Scenocosme (France), Kit Wise
(Australia) and dynamic Melbourne duo, Van Sowerwine & Isobel Knowles, all of
whom investigate the double meaning of utopia as the “good place” and/or “no place."
In her RealTime review last year, Saige Walton said the “selected works ranged from
joyous and humourous to desolate and unnerving” (RT96). There’s more media art to
be seen at the Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art. Drawing from its collection, the
gallery's latest exhibition, Physical Video, explores the use of the body in video art,
featuring work from the early 1970s through to the present day. Artists include Bruce
Nauman (US), Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba (Japan/US/Vietnam, RT46, RT50), Dennis
Oppenheim (US), James Oram (New Zealand) and Mike Parr (Australia, RT102)
among others. Experimenta: Utopia Now, Mornington Peninsula Regional
Gallery, May 12-June 19; www.experimenta.org; Physical Video, GoMA,
Brisbane, May 14-Sept 4 2011; www.qag.qld.gov.au
the winner: douglas sirk box set
Our thanks to all the entrants in our competition who informed us how the Madman
Douglas Sirk box set would improve their lives. The winner was Melbourne
choreographer Phillip Adams, who wrote:
"For those of you who know me, I am strictly a 50s man. From Featherston chairs to
Palm Springs chic and my car—a 1959 Merc. The delights and the details in the
designs of Sirk’s films in the box set would keep me enthralled hour after hour. The
inspiration from the set decorations alone would be like a home magazine filled with
retro gems: styles, suits, gloves, backdrops, kitsch all rolled into one. Well, I might
even go as far as having Written on Wind playing nonstop as my bedhead artwork.
Sirk is a man after my own heart."
The 9-DVD box set of the great films of the 1950s master of aesthetically and socially
incisive Hollywood melodramas, Douglas Sirk, was generously provided by Madman
Entertainment.
17/05/11 7:51 AMRealTime Arts - Magazine - issue 102 - in the loop – may 10
Page 3 of 3http://realtimearts.net/article/102/10303
Ash Keating, Label Land (2009), Human Rights Arts
and Film Festival
photo courtesy of the artist
the politics and poetics of human rights
It’s 50 years since the United Nations Refugee Convention was established, which
makes the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival particularly relevant this year. The
festival starts in Melbourne with a program that includes film, visual art, poetry, theatre
and public forums. The films will be shown at ACMI in a week-long program of
documentaries, animations and shorts. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is
presenting Not Only My Story, a play in which refugees collaborate with artists such
as Yumi Umiumare (RT39, RT71, RT94). There is also artwork by Ash Keating
(RT77, RT86, RT91). Smaller versions of the film program will tour Canberra, Alice
Springs, Brisbane, Sydney, Byron Bay, Adelaide and Perth. Human Rights Arts and
Film Festival, Melbourne May 12-22, national tour May 26-June 12,
www.hraff.org.au
Robyn Stacey, Tall Tales and True, Stills Gallery
photo courtesy of the artist
head out to head on
Head On Photography Festival is now in its second year. There are over 130 indoor
and outdoor exhibitions, events, seminars and workshops across Sydney over seven
days. Of particular interest is Robyn Stacey's show Tall Tails and True at Stills
Gallery, Paddington, as well as the group exhibition at Roslyn Oxley9 featuring
Destiny Deacon (RT66), Bill Henson, Tracey Moffatt (RT102), Julie Rrap, Patricia
Piccinini (RT43), TV Moore (RT57), Isaac Julien (RT42, RT97) and Anne Zahalka.
There are also two interesting tours on offer: one to a camera obscura in Centennial
Park and another of the Powerhouse Museum’s basement, which houses a
considerable collection of 19th century cameras and photographs. Head On Photo
Festival, May 5-June 11, www.headon.com.au
RealTime issue #102 April-May 2011 pg.
© RealTime ; for permission to link or reproduce apply to realtime@realtimearts.net
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17/05/11 7:57 AMBMA Magazine Canberra Streetpress Features Decibel
Page 1 of 2http://www.bmamag.com/articles/features/20110510-decibel/
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HOME CANBERRA GIG GUIDE EXHIBITIONIST GALLERY ADVERTISING INFO CONTACT MUSIC DIRECTORY COLUMNS REVIEWS
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DECIBEL
Column: Features | Date Published: Tuesday, 10 May 11 | Author: Lauren Bicknell | | 6 days, 10 hours ago
COMMENT HERE: 0 Comments and 0 Reactions « New!! Check it out!
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The abstract beauty of darkness really interests me
A HIGHER DECIBEL
Dark images of someone rocking
back and forth while they eat
their own hair and mumble
quietly to themself can somehow
find a way of creeping into your
mind when listening to
experimental music but Cat
Hope from DECIBEL explained
there’s more to it than may first
meet an unprepared ear.
The mind behind the group from
WA said experimental music can
be defined as testing
boundaries. “For me,
experimental music is music
that’s adventurous, trying things
out… this idea about music that
it doesn’t feel like it has to behave in any certain way but comes out freely.”
Decibel’s boundary testing music uses dissonance, a lot of reverb and is often without the familiarity of tonal
structure, which is why people sometimes don’t know how to react to it.
“When you go to a concert, I think its really important the way it’s programmed so that… when something gets too
nasty or too hard or [people] don’t get it or don’t like it then it’s not too long before the next thing that might offer
something different.” She said Decibel tries to keep performance pieces under 15 minutes to keep things varied.
Their pieces can conjure up a myriad of feelings from darkness to sensuality to peace but Cat says with Decibel’s
music, emotional expression is often a coincidence. “Art is, for me, something quite abstract… the abstract beauty
of darkness really interests me or I find that those kind of sounds and atmospheres are really beautiful or
rewarding or appealing and that’s why I create them in my music.”
With plans in the near future to collaborate with artists from all over the world as well as record and perform
regularly, Cat says Decibel will keep on truckin’ despite little funding. “I guess I take the approach to just play
concerts, make recordings and take as many opportunities as you can to get your stuff out there.”
Decibel will be testing Canberra’s boundaries soon with four pieces that are sure to engage and entrance
audiences. A fascinating feature of the night will be their infinity machine. They had it built just last year by two
West Australian sound artists.
“It’s this quite odd machine made of wires that have currents running through them and as the current intensifies,
they get softer and little magnets are used to control the sound of these wires as they become increasingly
sensitive. A musician or two will play with the infinity machine and the changes in air pressure change the way
the machine reacts or the way it sounds.”
Another, more traditional, feature of the show will be guest musician, James Larson, a Canberra based Cellist.
You can catch Decibel with The Pollen Trio at The Street on Saturday May 14 as part of the Peking Spring
festival. Tickets are $12 concession, $18 adult, and are available through www.thestreet.org.au .
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17/05/11 7:58 AMBMA Magazine Canberra Streetpress Features Decibel
Page 2 of 2http://www.bmamag.com/articles/features/20110510-decibel/
HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE JAMES BLUNT
JEBEDIAH LOTEK PEGZ
PROPAGANDHI
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