| 1961 |
Emenee
Organ |
church
hymns |
I
taught myself to play by ear and figured out how the notes in the
hymnal matched the music. Never said anything about it -- I assumed
everyone did the same thing! |
| 1963 |
Piano |
first
compositions |
Walked
into a piano store with Grandma. I wanted to try out a piano.
Salesman wouldn't let me until I agreed to wash my hands.
I sat
down and asked Grandma "What do you want to hear?" Grandma
started calling tunes and I played them. She was pretty
amazed.
She informed my parents and they ended up purchasing a piano
and
set me up with lessons. My parents figured music was a
passing thing and I wouldn't stick with it. (Then again, maybe Kevin will be
another Liberace!) |
| 1964 |
First
tape recorder |
JC
Penny portable |
3
1/2" reels and no capstan. Most kids my age wanted toys for Christmas.
I wanted a tape recorder. |
| 1965 |
First
Electronics
Kit |
oscillators
'n stuff |
Got
an electronics kit from Burstein/Applebee electronics. I wish
I
still had it. It had two transistors. Could change
the
frequency of the oscillator with a pot. Reinventing the wheel
was
fun! (My
parents' Liberace dream starting to fade.) |
| 1966 |
Hammond
E-100 |
tone
wheel sound |
the
"Harp Sustain" stop made spacey sounds. I wrote a song called
"Trip to the Stars" (original name, huh?) and people still remember it. |
| 1966 |
Better
tape recorder |
3
3/4 ips (!) |
Another
Penny's recorder
with 5" reels. A screw-on capstan sleeve
allows
two speeds. Do you think I did chipmunk music? :) (Parents' feeling frustrated
now. My music sounds like noise to them. And how do
you put a candelabra on an oscillator?. Doesn't work
into the Liberace plans.) |
| 1966
- 1969 |
VOA,
Moog, and Carlos |
What
is this mysterious new instrument? |
When
listening to
VOA programs on the short wave radio, I heard one (perhaps more)
interviews with Dr. Moog about a new instrument that could make
interesting sounds. Heard my first snippets of "Switched-On
Bach"
on short wave radio. When I went into record stores asking
about
this album, people treated me like I was an idiot. Though the
album came out in 1968, I couldn't locate one in Kansas City until
1969.
To hear this music was a life-changing event.
What were all those mysterious knobs? How
does a
synthesizer work? I absolutely had to play one of these mysterious
instruments.
I spent much time staring at the Moog on the Switched-on-Bach album
cover trying to figure it all out. Alas, the pic was too
blurry! |
| 1972 |
First
stereo cassette player/recorder |
bouncing
tracks now |
My
first lesson about noise buildup. I used the "Reiteration"
control on the Hammond to create click tracks. |
| 1973-1975 |
Work
with friends' stereo reel-to-reel |
more
track bouncing |
With
little money, I had to borrow equipment from friends. One was
a
two channel Roberts recorder that allowed one to listen to the left
channel while recording on the right.
Using the Hammond's line-out as a source of
electronic sound. |
| 1976 |
Teac
A3340s |
4
channels, life is good |
I
got a part-time job at BA electronics to get the employee discount.
All the equipment that I purchased then still works!
Continuing to use the Penny's recorder as a distortion unit --
when I overdrive the input with the Hammond organ's line output, I get
some nice clipping and Inter-modulation distortion. |
| 1976 |
Aries
Synth |
an
affordable kit from a great company |
Terms
were 50% down, 50% COD. When I called Aries asking for the
delivery time, I wasn't trying to see how FAST I could get the stuff --
I wanted to see if I'd have enough time to earn the other 50%!
When they told me the order would be delayed because of a
back-ordered part, I'd say "Great! I'll place an order!"
One time when the shipping time was up to a few months, I
increased my order on the spot! |
| 1977 |
Live
performances and Parker Academy |
paying
for college |
The
Aries was one of the best investments I ever made! I managed
to
get a teaching job for electronic music which payed for the rest of my
college and got to introduce dozens of folks to electronic music.
I played a set of (mostly) switched-on classics at local art
shows, brown bag concerts, and the like to make extra $$.
This
was great fun! |
| 1979 |
Aries
Expansion |
a
big synth to fill up four tracks |
To
add more tracks was too expensive. My solution to get more sound from
four tracks was to expand the Aries
synth. Towards the end of this project, Aries went out of
business. To their credit, they followed through on every
part of
every order. Someone may have gone into their own pocket to
fulfill my final order. Not only did they have a great
product,
they proved to be an extremely honest and ethical company. |
| 1982 |
Bachelor
of Music degree |
the
piece of paper |
Managed
to finish my degree with a major in Pipe Organ performance. |
| 1986 |
Casio
CZ3000, 1040ST, Dr. T's KCS |
MIDI
= my musical life forever changed |
The
first convincing demonstration of MIDI was at a wonderful music store
in Davie, FL: Universal Language Music. When the store's
owner
pressed "enter" on his PC Clone the entire room burst into resplendant
music. There are few times in one's life where a single event
changes everything. This moment shook me to the core. |
| 1987 |
CZ-101 |
up
to 12 channels |
The
CZ-101 added another four channels... |
| 1988 |
CZ-101
(sixteen channels) |
16
channels! |
...
and the second CZ-101 added four more. Since the three Casio
synths support multi-timbral mono mode, I finally realized my dream of
working in 16 channels! |
| 1991 |
AAGO
Certificate |
this
was a lot of work |
I'm
strong in music theory however I am less than a walking encyclopedia of
music history facts. Took me three tries to get through the
written test because of those darned music history questions!
The
third year the questions included questions about pipe organ stops and
minimalism. Woohoo, got it at last! |
| 1992 |
Falcon030
and Cubase Audio Falcon |
non-linear
recording, goodbye to scissors and splicing tape |
Finally,
have more than four audio channels and the facility to burn my own
cd's. In 1976 when I purchased the four-channel recorder, to
have
eight or sixteen channels seemed like something that would never happen
for folks like me. These are great times for composers and
electronic musicians! |
| 1999 |
VZ1 |
touch
sensitive |
Analog
synths are now in high demand, so I am now on Ebay getting great deals
on digital stuff. :) |
| 2000 |
FZ10M,
Midi to CV converter |
keep
the Aries up to date |
To
see my beloved Aries synth gathering dust was painful. So
many
good sounds yet no MIDI capability. Built Paia's MIDI-to-CV
converter and now my Aries has a whole new life. Paia is a
great
little company from OK. Is there any electronic musician that
hasn't built at least one of their kits? |
| 2003 |
K2600 |
I
love this synth! |
I
wanted to acquire a more modern synth and went for the Kurzweil.The
K2600 is an awesome synth and I still haven't scratched the surface of
this remarkable instrument. |
| 2005 |
Theremax
and Etherwave Pro |
how
a $180 project becomes a $5000 project. |
When
I visited Paia's website to acquire the MIDI-to-CV converter, I read
about their theremin kit. They had a link to some tracks from
Clara Rockmore's "Art of the Theremin" cd. I thought, that is
beautiful, expressive playing. If I had a Theremin, I could
control my VCAs from it and impart some nuanced shading that I
couldn't achieve with foot pedals.
When my son wanted to build an electronics kit with me, not needing
anything in particular, I decided to break down and order the
Theremax. Once constructed, I discovered that I could
actually
play tunes on it -- a very unexpected turn. A couple of
weeks
later, I ordered an Epro figuring that I could probably resell it if
I couldn't play it. I discovered that I could play
it!
Decided that I wanted to perform live on Theremin with backing tracks
(and someday, perhaps with other musicians). So acquired a
nice
Mackie PA system. |
| 2005 |
Spellbound
and Thereminworld |
Spent
an outrageous amount of time (around 40 hours) to learn and record
"Take me out to the Ballgame" on the Theremin. |
My
first recorded work was done for one of Thereminworld.com's monthly
contests. My rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was
broadcast on the Spellbound internet radio program. I have
been on the Spellbound artist list since that time. |
| 2006 |
mp3
and live Theremin Performances |
playing
live again! |
Played
a Theremin set with backing tracks for a large, by-invitation, outdoor
party. Looking forward to more live performances.
Submitting Theremin performances to the Spellbound program on a regular
basis. |
| 2006 |
First
Record deal |
Discovered! |
One
of my heretofore unreleased tracks: "PCT 125" has been
selected
for inclusion on an upcoming cd: the
electronic bible Chapter 3
This CD is being produced in the UK by White Label Recordings. |
| 2006 |
David
Vesel's latest project |
Performed
the Theremin part on David's cd. |
David
Vesel asked me to perform the Theremin part for "I'll Still Be Here
Tomorrow" -- a track from his latest CD "Your
Mileage May Vary" .
I recorded the Theremin part in my Kansas City studio and
David mixed it in his St. Louis studio. |
| 2006 |
The
output and
expertise of my fellow thereminists was very strong in 2006.
To be recognized along with them is a genuine honor.
|
"Meteor
Mallets"
is selected as the winner for 2006 in the neo-classical
category.
In addition, the "Ricercare"
is
nominated for Best Classical Performance of 2006. |
 |
| 2007 |
Electro-music
2007. |
A
live performance of my
original compositions. |
I
am happy to have been
chosen as one of the performers for the electro-music
2007 festival
to be held in Philadelphia. This performance will be streamed
live via the internet. Consult the link above for details on
the
festival and the streaming audio broadcast. |
| 2007 |
Organ
music for Andrew Shirley's film "Chicken Pox" |
How
do you play "dirty blues riffs" on a pipe organ? |
As
the
independent film producer, Andrew Shirley, started to edit his latest
film "Chicken Pox" he thought that a pipe organ would add a distinct
sound to some of the movie's scenes. After a few emails,
phone
calls, and recording sessions I put together some pipe organ tracks
that will fit nicely into the film. (Don't have a release
date on
this film... stay tuned!) |
| 2007 |
Plaza Art Fair |
One of the oldest and largest Outdoor Art
Fairs in the United States. |
Besides visual artists, the Plaza Art Fair
showcases
musicians from all over the country. I played at this Art
Fair in
the late 70s (on my Aries Synthesizer) and to return to the Plaza Art
fair after 30 years is great fun! |
| 2007 |
Electronic
Music Midwest Festival |
Two day
Electronic Music Symposium. |
The
Electronic Music Midwest festival
showcases both
established and up-and-coming talent in the electro-acoustical music
world. Besides performing "Three-Legged-Race" for theremin
and
live loops, I got to meet many accomplished composers and listen to
their music on a spectacular 12 channel sound system. |
| 2007 |
Y2K7
International Live-looping festival |
Pattern-based
compositions with live-looping techniques. |
The
Y2K7 Live
Looping festival was held in Santa Cruz, CA on October
20-21. I performed a new looped work for theremin (untitled
as
of this writing) and ended the set with
"Three-Legged
Race". Everyone at the festival brought a high level of
energy,
talent, and expertise that made for a great festival.
I
don't think anyone wanted it to end! |
| 2007 |
H.M.S.
Beagle Science Club |
Three
theremin presentations for all ages!! |
The science
club, sponsered by
the H.M.S.
Beagle Science Store
, has regular monthly meetings that include presentations of scientific
topics. The topics include natural science, physics,
astronomy,
and, in my case, the use of electronics to produce music with the
theremin. I played music and introduced the history,
operational
principles, and performance technique to the club.
Afterwards,
everyone had the opportunity to play on the Etherwave Pro, Theremax,
and Gakken theremins. The science store was filled
with
the electronic sound of these instruments -- perfect music for a
science store! |
| 2007 |
Spellbound's
"Best of 2007" program.
|
Another
year of great theremin music. |
"Three
Legged Race" recieves the "Spellbound" Best
Avant-Garde Performance of 2007 award.
"The Sad Little Ghost"
is selected as a runner-up for 2007 in the Neoclassical
category. |
| 2008 |
Ethermusic
Festival |
International Theremin festival sponsered
by Moog Music. |
The Ethermusic Festival was held in
Asheville, NC from
April 24 thru 27. I performed a solo set of original music on
April 24th and was joined, at the end, by Jason Danillo of
Moog
Music for an improvisation with the Moog Guitar and Theremin.
A
bandmate of Jason's joined in on Saxophone.
On April 25, I participated in a seminar on "perfect pitch".
I
also performed the Percy Granger's "Free Music" with Lydia Kavina,
Carolina Eyck, and Randy George. From the piano I
accompanied
Lydia for her theremin renditions of "Unforgettable" and the Bach
"Arioso". In the evening, once again on Theremin, I
performed in
Lydia's "Improvisation of the Stars" for piano and four theremins.
On April 26th, I accompanied Lydia's composition for the
Ether
Orchestra from the piano and I also performed my own composition, "Mummies and
Unholy Ghosts", on the theremin.
Besides my own music, Lydia Kavina kept me very busy with the
ensembles. The entire experience was fantastic and hope to be
a
part of future festivals. |
| 2008. |
"Virtuality" |
A CD by the award-winning composer/sound
designer: Amin Bhatia.. |
When Amin
Bhatia
decided that he wanted to include a theremin track in his electronic
arrangement of Ravel's "Bolero", he contacted me. To work
with
Amin was a pleasure and the CD is a definate "must have" for anyone
with an interest in vintage synthesizers. Note that a portion
of
the the proceeds from this CD benefit the Bob Moog Foundation. |
| 2008 |
Electro-music
2008 |
A return to this awesome festival. |
I have been chosen as one of the
performers for the Electro-music 2008 Festival to
be held at the Rennaisance Center in Kingsport, Tennessee, August 14 -
16, 2008. Called the "Woodstock of electronic music" by the
Philidelphia Enquirer, the program includes lectures, demos, jam
sessions, and concerts. As I did in 2007, my set will include some new,
never-before-heard, works. |
| 2008 |
Plaza Art Fair |
A return to the Plaza Art Fair! |
I'm honored to be asked to perform for the
second year in a row at this huge art fair. |
| 2008 |
Y2K8 Live Looping festival |
They asked me back! |
Performed once again at the premiere live-looping
festival in the country. |
| 2008 |
Golgotha |
A movie by Karla-Jean Davis. |
The score includes theremin music from
some of the
most active thereminists. The score includes my multi-track
theremin transcriptions of the Byrd "Ave Verum Corpus" (the 2006
version and a new version).. |
| 2008 |
UMKC Conservatory of Music |
A theremin lecture/recital |
I returned to my alma mater (for the first time in decades)
to perform and speak about the theremin and to discuss practical
approaches to ear-training. |
| 2009 |
Electro-music regional festival |
The first! |
I decided to take the plunge and sponser a regional
electro-music festival in Kansas City, Mo. and hold it at our
neighborhood clubhouse. Our first festival attracted five
participants for two days of electronic music-making and discussions.
We decided to make this an annual event! |
| 2009 |
Plaza Art Fair |
3rd year in a row |
I enjoy performing for the Plaza Art Fair audiences
and I'm pleased to be asked back for the third year in a row. |
| 2009 |
Y2K9 Live Looping festival |
Another year of live-looping |
My performance didn't go quite as planned -- my
computer crashed during my set. Well, I managed to get it up and
running and ended up with an impromptu performance of "Spiral Galaxies". |
| 2009 |
Electronic Music Midwest Festival |
2 1/2 days of electronic music in Kansas City, Kansas |
This festival attracts many pre and post graduate
college students and faculty. I've been away from college for
thirty years and it is really nice to hang with the university crowd
without the inconvenience of papers, juries, and exams! |