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Dean Magraw

Wednesday, March 27, 2019 Sound / Simulacra presents Dean Magraw at Jazz Central Studios. Composer, arranger, producer, guitarist Dean Magraw has fine-tuned his “Heavy Meadow” approach to music from years of performing and recording with some of the finest musicians in the United States, Europe, and Japan. His first recording, Broken Silence, came out in 1994 and won the NAIRD award for Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year. Dean has since produced myriad passionate albums, including his latest release, Fire on the Nile (Red House Records), a duo collaboration with renowned percussionist, Eric Kamau Gravatt.

Set I – Dean Magraw (solo guitar)
Set II – Dean Magraw + Cody McKinney (bass, voice, electronics), John Keston (piano, Rhodes, synth, electronics)

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Adam Svec

Longtime collaborator of John and Cody’s, songwriter Adam Svec, attempts to leverage melodies and simple song structures to tell stories. As an improviser, Svec brings the listener familiar scaffolding filled out by sonic architecture that is oddly unique, typically driven by his northern vision of the country.

Adam Svec was the guest of Sound / Simulacra on January 24, 2018. Adam started the night off with a solo performance playing four improvised pieces on guitar, Roland JX-3P, and voice. John C.S. Keston (piano, Rhodes, Moog Sub 37), and Cody McKinney (bass, electronics) joined Adam performing four more pieces.

Set 1: Adam Svec Solo (guitar, voice, electronics)

Set 2: Adam Svec plus John C.S. Keston (keyboard, synth, electronics) and Cody McKinney (bass, voice, electronics)

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Aby Wolf

Wednesday, February 27th, 2019 at 8:30pm at Jazz Central Studios, Sound / Simulacra presents Aby Wolf.

Aby Wolf is a passionate collaborator with an elastic skillset. Whether writing vocal arrangements for Dessa’s sold-out appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra, fulfilling commissions from American Composers Forum, Prairie Fire Lady Choir, and Cedar Cultural Center, or performing with everyone from The New Standards and Doomtree to Chastity Brown and JT Bates’ Grain Trio, Aby brings a palpable element of joy to whatever endeavor she pursues. Thanks to a 2019 Arts on Tour grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, Wolf will tour greater Minnesota with her newest musical collaboration Champagne Confetti, an 11-piece electro-acoustic chamber ensemble featuring strings, percussion, and vocal harmonies. Champagne Confetti premieres in Minneapolis this spring 2019.

Set 1: Aby Wolf solo performance
Set 2: Aby Wolf with John C.S. Keston and Cody McKinney

View this event on Facebook

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DeVon Russell Gray & Patrick Pegg

On December 27, 2017 Sound / Simulacra featured DeVon Russell Gray and Patrick Pegg. DeVon and Patrick started of the evening with an uninterrupted 38:10 minute set of acoustic piano and esoteric electronics. In the second set Cody McKinney (bass and electronics) and me (Rhodes and Moog Sub 37) joined the duo to perform a 34:09 minute piece followed by final 8:47 minute piece in closing.

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John C.S. Keston & Graham O’Brien Recordings

On Wednesday February 22nd, 2017 Sound / Simulacra featured Graham O’Brien at Jazz Central Studios. This was only the second event in the series and somehow these recordings captured by Dave Kunath slipped through the cracks. Fortunately I came across them recently so I can share them now. This concert was shortly before Graham and I performed for Merce Cunningham: Common Time at the Walker Art Center. During this period we were trying a lot of things with aleatoric techniques. This included graphic scores with chance elements, randomized digital sounds that Graham triggered from his acoustic drums, and randomized sound design I was triggering from the PreenFM2.

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Michael Masaru Flora

On Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019 Sound / Simulacra will start off the New Year presenting Michael Masaru Flora at Jazz Central Studios.

Flora is a Minneapolis based artist working with sound in various contexts. Within the intersections of art, science, music, and mathematics, he creates work that examines sonic morphology, spatialization, and human perception. Flora’s practice includes installation, performance, recording, and curation as well as numerous collaborations with artists in the fields of transdisciplinarity, visual arts, dance, and performance art. His work has been presented at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), St Cloud State University (Minnesota) as well as clubs, galleries, theaters, warehouses, and universities throughout North America. His latest recording “Xi” was published by Minnesota based label Sympathy Limited.

Sound / Simulacra is a monthly series produced by John C.S. Keston and Cody McKinney which explores musical improvisation as a “faithful and intentionally distorted” representational process. Sound / Simulacra brings together some of the Twin Cities most unique voices to “recreate, distort, and create the hyperreal.”

Set 1: Michael Masaru Flora solo performance
Set 2: Michael Masaru Flora with John C.S. Keston and Cody McKinney

Here’s a link to the event details on Facebook

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Cellist Michelle Kinney

Wednesday, November 28, 2018, Sound / Simulacra will feature cellist Michelle Kinney

While living in NYC for 13 years, Michelle was lucky enough to work with some of the most respected innovators in new music, including the unforgettable Butch Morris, Henry Threadgill, Jason Hwang, Brandon Ross, Stomu Takeishi, Myra Melford, Bun Ching Lam & Shi-Zheng Chen.

Michelle’s current projects include Maithree – The Music of Friendship, a collaboration led by South Indian Veena virtuoso Nirmala Rajasekar, Michelle also leads her own band What We Have Here, performing Michelle’s original compositions. She also co-leads the two cellos and tabla/drum quartet Jelloslave which has made two critically acclaimed recordings which as performed all over the Twin Cities and the state for the last 12 years.

Michelle’s work as a composer/performer has been recognized and supported by the The McKnight Foundation (Composer Fellowship, 2014), Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, 2014, The Bush Foundation (Bush Artists Fellowship 2004), The Jerome Foundation, MN State Arts Board, NEA/Rockefeller, Harvestworks/Studio Pass, and the American Composers Forum.

Set 1: Michelle Kinney (cello, electronics)
Set 2: Michelle Kinney (cello, electronics) / John Keston (keyboards, synthesizer, electronics) / Cody McKinney (bass, voice, electronics)