Halifax Jazz Fest – Day 4 – Backward Music!
Of the many, many shows and workshops taking place all day
for the Halifax Jazz Festival, there will be an exceptional cornucopia of sound
at The Peggy Corkum Music Room (8pm). Forward Music Group is presenting its
experimental subsidiary label, Backward Music, comprised of Halifax’s
Tim Crabtree, Nova Scotia native Joshua Van Tassel and Brooklyn’s Bing &
Ruth. Last night was the first time all three acts shared the same stage (in
Riverport NS), and they’ll be riveting crowds again tonight with their fusion
of exploratory instrumentals. Arts East recently caught up with Crabtree
to find out how Backward Music came together and his excitement to meet
Bing & Ruth in the flesh!
Get a taste of the wonderful sounds of Backward Music by visiting the website designed by local artist Daniel Espeset: http://www.backwardmusic.com/#vol-1
How did the concept of Backward Music come
to fruition?
TC: Kyle Cunjak of Forward
Music has wanted to set up an experimental label for sometime, now. He'd had a
lot of success with Forward Music Group (the label has put out releases by
Snailhouse, Gypsophilia, the Olympic Symphonium, Gianna Lauren and Paper Beat
Scissors to name just a few), but had an itch to set up a label that could be a
home for music that didn't quite fit into the Forward stable. Music that was a
little more experimental. Last year Kyle and I finally got the thing rolling,
and thanks in part to a grant from the province we put together a compilation
of music that we were digging ( and that I was making :) ). Kyle has played
music with Josh in the past, and was excited to release some of his music, both
on the compilation, and to put out Josh's new album which was the second
Backward release. I've been working on some more ambient and electronic
material, so that made its way onto the comp, too. Finally, I've been a huge
fan of New York's Bing and Ruth for the last couple of years, and when Kyle and
I were bouncing around ideas of who else to include on this compilation, they
were my absolute first choice, and I was elated when they wanted to get on
board.
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| Tim Crabtree |
How would you describe the cornucopia
of Backward Music styles?
TC: 'Experimental'
is probably the best label that we have for what we're doing, as it leaves the
door open for a lot of different styles. The first compilation
runs from orchestral to acoustic to electric to electronic in terms of
instrumentation. It's certainly ambient, and pretty much entirely
instrumental, but I don't think we will hold ourselves to those genres as
limitations in the future. We just want to put music out there that's exploring
new areas and that’s outside of the mainstream (that it would have more limited
opportunities of being heard and being distributed without this kind of label.)
What can audience members expect from tonight’s performance?
TC: Something
hypnotic and involving; music that will exercise their brain at the same time
as giving it a little massage—something special. I'll be building some evolving
sonic landscapes with my electric guitar and computer, Josh has an amazing band
that will carry everyone along with him, and Bing and Ruth will use grand
piano, clarinets, cello and more to create patterns and movements and then lull
you into hypnosis before snapping you back into the present with discord and
distortion.
How have you enjoyed your latest tour
and which places have you performed?
TC: I've been on
tour in my other guise as Paper Beat Scissors for the last two months - a six-week
European tour (mainly focusing on Germany) and two weeks travelling west from
Toronto out to Victoria (with a somewhat doomed attempt to play at Calgary's
Sled Island during the flood, there). It's been amazing, not the least
playing shows with and meeting some of my musical idols in the shape of the
Notwist and the National (the second meeting happening randomly on the street
in Toronto). That said, I'm very excited to have a little time at home in
Halifax, and to work on my set for the Jazz Festival.
Which acts do you want to catch at this
year's Halifax Jazz Fest?
TC: Bing and
Ruth are the topmost top of my list. I've been a huge, huge fan for a few
years, now, and so excited to hear them play their beautiful, hypnotic music
live. A Tribe Called Red will be a wicked party, and SKY AM I (local violinist
Gina Burgess' collaboration with Inuit artists and a New York electro artist) promises
to be something special too.
For more information on other Halifax
Jazz Festival events, visit:
http://halifaxjazzfestival.ca/schedule-grid* Note that tonight, Tuesday and Saturday evenings there will be free concerts at the Halifax Jazz Festival Tent!
