Me and my tuba

Following on from my initial dabbling with tuba, Hog and bass amp at Supersonic Festival this year, I have decided to take it up properly. Not only that but myself, Ben Waddington and Stuart Estell have formed a tuba trio, around a great idea. More on that as things develop.

Luckily Stuart is a tuba player of some merit already. In fact he’s a really amazing musical all round and he’s kindly offered to teach us. It’s all pretty damn daunting but it’s also one of the most exciting instruments I have ever attempted to play. It’s a full-body physical experience! It’s also pretty chuffing hard. Nobody can deny that I have a mountain to climb. I am taking on the dual tasks of learning a new instrument to performance standard and learning how to read music (bass-clef). Apparently I am off to a solid start but it is definitely time for some serious practice. Wish me luck!

Ooh, and here she is:

(now that is HEAVY METAL!)

Supersonic Sam

With my workshop and midi-octopus performance at the British Science Festival complete I thought I’d update you on what’s next >> Supersonic!

Yep, it’s official, Supersonic 2010 will see me rushing around like a fookin mad man!

Saturday kicks off with me doing Big Sounds for Little People at the mac. Then I will be rushing over to VIVID to run a workshop to build Supersonic Noise Boxes on the Saturday afternoon. Then a brief rest before playing tuba in a gimp mask on the Saturday evening as part of the Lash Frenzy Big Band (with KK NULL). Finally, on the Sunday I will be performing a specially adapted version of Steve Reich’s Pendulum Music, for four Supersonic Noise Boxes and four torches.

That is a pretty full-on schedule and one I am very proud to have been asked to deliver! Nietzsche would agree that if it doesn’t kill me it will certainly be very cool ;)

Thanks to Andrew Moscardo-Parker for offering me a part in the Lash Frenzy Big Band, Richard Hawley and his friend who owns a tuba for sorting me out with that, and of course Capsule for allowing me to do all this wicked stuff.

Before all this kicks off though, I am going on HOLIDAY!! See you on the other side.