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 Vocalist and performer Laurie Amat of San Francisco performed at The Super Coda at Vaudeville Park on April 5, 2012. The show was constructed so that Ms. Amat, along with a standard solo set, improvised with 5 different performers whom she had no previous knowledge of until directly before show.The performance is described below in degrees.Degree 1 “The Spark” : Laurie performs Bernd Klug with Prehistoric HorseThis is a quartet. Cello (Valerie Kuehne), guitar (Lucio Menegon), snare drum (David Grollman), and Laurie on vocals. She is jolly. Dressed in black, petite, with close-cropped hair she organizes the stage to her liking. Drums here, no, there, and performers enclosing here. It is the quintessential fire build. The sticks laid, not to many attendees yet but that will change as the fire grows. The show begins with a vocal pieces, somewhat randomly dedicated to the next performer Bernd Klug (an ideal name no doubt for Laurie’s often nonsensical phrasing) and is quickly developed into the in-depth story of THE BERND KLUG. After a few minutes of soft, warming experimentation’s on guitar, drum, and cello, Grollman strikes the match of BERND KLUG. First Bernd is a superhero with a beautiful cape-the flame jumps-now he is a demon, now a battleship steaming against the ecstatic fusion of guitar and cello. Laurie in the center vocally counterpoints Grollman’s tale. Most of her vocals sound like operatic exercises. Her words, though often simply gibberish, are gripping and always slightly on the edge of breaking from beauty to destruction. Now the fire is caught. Bernd Klug is coming, he’s going, he’s hurling fireballs, he’s sinking us all. BERND KLUG is HERE.Degree 2 “The Flame”: Bernd KlugBernd Klug takes the stage solo. He is as tall as his upright bass, with a swatch of blond, tousled hair scattered over his eyes. Both his design, his name, and his accent betray his Viennese heritage. The bass is amplified. The slightest touch sets it smoking. We all move slightly closer to the edge of our seats, anticipating our first  introduction to fire. Like a flame Klug’s tones are varied and not wholly apparent. First, the prominent orange, bright, the traditional “sound” of the bow on strings. Below that the electrified blues, deep, heavy, echoing, almost painful. Finally, the white transparency at the base of the flame. The sound not heard but implied even when the bow lingers inches from the string, live with the electricity of the instrument. It is the hottest, most dangerous part of the flame. Laurie takes the stage at the end of the solo piece. She stands directly across from Klug, breaking taboos in the tradition of facing the audience, looking at Klug fully in the eye. Laurie thrusts back and forth, spurting out vocals, hands waving, choppy, jumping movements. Bernd responds in kind, gyrating his bass, more jazz, no longer amplified, bobbing in response to Laurie. Their symmetry is blazing. Laurie crescendos, sings wildly, removes her sweater due to the heat. No more fuel need for this fire, time to let it burn.Degree 3: “The Bonfire” Taka KigawaBefore sitting down at the piano Kigawa removes the top, opens the lid, lets the fire breathe. Now it will be a robust bonfire. The NYT called Kigawa’s playing ”quietly poetic and considerate,” and their synopsis is accurate, save for the deep reservoir of personal feeling that Taka (though briefly) showcases in his music. Like a good fire, he knows his job is to give the people what they want: strong flame, a little Chopin, some Beethoven. But like all fires, were he a bit more deviant, he might break free. On some level he does, riffing off the masters, swelling from one expertly played piece to the next, breaking it down, burning up the musical construction after all its traditional use is gone. He is well-tended, keeps us warm, flickers beautifully. Laurie quietly takes the stage to partake in vocalizations. Now we are by the sea, the fire burning strong. Like the waves, Laurie’s notes bend and turn with Kigawa’s scales. The bonfire is the centre of this whole and Laurie stands close, places her hand on the piano, and with Kigawa’s aid flawlessly creates the uncanny moment of flame reflected on the sea.Degree 4: “Primitives Dancing with Torches” FAHEYNow come the primitives. The duo composed of Jeremy Gustin and William Graefe called FAHEY takes the stage. Graefe with an aqua blue guitar, and Gustin with an amber-colored drum set. The stage is rearranged once more so Gustin and Graefe can clearly hear. Laurie stands slightly off the side, her tools set on a stack of full beer cases being used as a table. FAHEY is dedicated to a spectrum of Fahey covers and as the room becomes the fullest it’s been all night, it’s clear that this is what most people are here for. The primitives tell Laurie to join in anytime, and with little intro dive into familiar avant-garde progressions. The spirit of Fahey is being summoned. Surprisingly, this is the least amount of dancing from Laurie we’ve seen all night, but her minimalistic approach is perfectly in tune with the toe-tapping of Graefe and Gustin, who armed brushes, beats an off kilter rhythm so forcefully he has to pause every couple of beats to salvage his rouge bass drum. The spirit of Fahey has arrived. None of the musicians play the same thing, and they are all perfectly in harmony.  Laurie suggests everyone get spiritualized and join in!  She is using bird calls, everyone is stomping. Nobody is tending the fire. Nobody cares to. The speakers start to crackle and pop with the noise, we wait for one of them to blow out with the sound of breaking, burned limbs nullifying down the spaces between the flames until it is 90 percent flame and 10 percent fuel, hottest at its core.Degree 5: “The Slow Burn” Natura MortaThe final performers Natura Morta take the stage. The fire has burned down to a pile of smoldering embers. Many people are clearing out for the night but to assume the slow burn is not the one of the most dynamic portions of the evening would be a mistake. Made up of Sean Ali on viola, Carlo Costa on bass, and Frantz Loriot on drums, Natura Morta utilizes all that is left of burning mound and their self-professed “heated silences” are as compelling as their undefinable sounds, made from prepared instruments and unprepared musical structures. Ali taps on his viola, while Costa rubs his hands on the bass, caressing and patting its curves. Laurie takes center stage and her cues brilliantly from the clockwork construction-squeaks, bumps, meows, wind gushes with the combination of mouth, glass tubes, wood objects and hands. The beasts are coming out after the fire has burned down, sniffing out the meaning of scorched earth left behind.http://the22magazine.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/review-the-5-degrees-of-laurie-amat/ 

Photos by Edwina Hay.  Outsider Musician Jandek (born Sterling Richard Smith) performed two sold out shows in Brooklyn, NY's Vaudeville Park on Friday, March 23rd and Monday, March 26th.  Photogrpaher Edwina Hay attended the Monday night show which featured Rachelle Lalonde on vocals, Alan Lewandoski on guitar, Michael Hafftka on godin glissanter, and Ian M. Colletti, founder of Vaudeville Park, on various instruments.  http://www.imposemagazine.com/photos/jandek-at-vaudeville-park

 Legendary “outsider” musician, Jandek (aka Sterling Richard Smith), will be returning to NYC for two shows this month. The reclusive and enigmatic musician will be performing on March 23rd and March 26th at Brooklyn’s Vaudeville Park with a cast of well-pedigreed Brooklyn musicians including Ian M. Coletti, Valerie Kuehne, Rachelle Lalonde, and Alan Lewandoski. The Facebook invite indicates the ad-hoc group will be plucking classical guitars, harps, violin, and lending additional vocals to whatever Mr. Smith chooses to play on those evenings.The Jandek discography stretches back 34 years and numbers at over 60 releases (all released through the single-minded imprint, Corwood Industries), and it was only in 2005 that the first Jandek performance took place in Glasgow, Scotland. Since then, “typical” performances consist of Smith playing a variety of instruments backed by an array of musicians usually sourced from whatever town the show takes place. Jandek conspirators have included a who’s who of modern experimental music including Tom Carter, C. Spencer Yeh, Nautical Almanac’s Twig Harper, Richard Youngs, David Keenan, and Loren Connors, just to name a few.Tickets for the Brooklyn performances are on sale now and can be purchased here. Here are a few clips of recent Jandek performances, including one with bassistMike Watt (Minutemen/fIREHOSE), another with modern noise-master Aaron Dilloway, and one with a killer Texas funk band. See more at:http://www.eastvillageradio.com/content/content.php?id=3324

-The new Ian M Colletti composer/ performer site!www.ianmcolletti.comUpcoming "Vaudeville" "On The Hudson" teasers (Spring 2012), upcoming art& music showcases, full listening catalog, soundcloud, tumblr blog and film/ video reel. *Also, the official Itunes launch of "Auto-Matic Vaudeville"'s 2nd record, "Method of Survival"(2007), never released until now.  Auto-Matic Vaudeville's first record (2004/5), the single "Support" and "You Care (about you)" also available on Itunes.It is with my sincere hope you find some magic in your day, and spend a few minutes on this composer site. Nose around, and allow yourself to get lost in the world of sounds, cognitive imagery, sweet delights and the harmony and horror that is the music of my world.Warmest Regards,Ian M Collettiwww.ianm.colletti.comwww.vaudevillepark.org