on hiatus

This blog is going on hiatus.

You can find updates on me or the VOC Silent Film Harmonic on facebook.

The Registry Theatre is where we play locally - their website is www.registrytheatre.com

Night of the Living Dead – the original zombie movie! - with a live & original soundtrack performed by the VOC Silent Film Harmonic

Night of the Living Dead – the original zombie movie! - with a live & original soundtrack performed by the VOC Silent Film Harmonic

Saturday, June 21^st at Kitchener City Hall.

Free!  Starts at midnight!!  Outdoors!!!  Zombies!!!!

They keep coming back in a bloodthirsty lust for HUMAN FLESH!  Pits the dead against the living in a struggle for survival!

THIS is the zombie flick that started it all.  This classic will be presented as a silent film - subtitled and with a live & eclectic mix of funk, jazz, blues, and epic space rock by the VOC!

Dress up as a zombie, bring your blankets, chairs, and a picnic/midnight snack of human flesh!

The VOC is rightly chuffed to be part of the Summer Lights festival – a fabulous-a-rama of great events in downtown Kitchener & uptown Waterloo, starting at 9pm on the longest day of the year.

We will be playing on the Dehors stage of the Civic Polis hub of the festival (if you’re facing City Hall from King St., we’ll be in the back left corner) and the movie will be projected on the front of the building.  That’s right – 900ft zombies! (In case of bad weather, we will be in the Kitchener City Hall Rotunda & there’ll only be 450ft zombies.)

For info: www.summerlightsfestival.com

Warning: the movie is gory, gruesome, ghastly, grim, and in 1968 scared Roger Ebert and a lot of adults & little kids.  There is some brief nudity, too.

VOC personnel:

David Hunsberger – clarinet, percussion

Jeff Cowell – drums

Michael Mucci – guitar

Neil Ballantyne – keyboard

Ted Harms - bass

To contact the VOC:
vocmusicATyahoo.com
find us on facebook!

VOC Silent Film Harmonic accompany Buster Keaton's "The General"

Thursday, March 27th, 8pm at the Registry Theatre!


This 1926 comedy classic is set during the U.S. Civil War - Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive with his girl on-board; undaunted, he pursues it straight through enemy lines.


Pre-film talk by Andrew Hunt!

Advance tickets: $15 via centreinthesquare.com or call 519-578-1570
Admission at the door: $15, $10 w/Food Bank donation, $5 eyego.

To contact the VOC:
vocmusic@yahoo.com
storiesseenandheard.blogspot.ca
find us on facebook!


RADIO! RADIO!

Ted Harms will be a guest on the following radio shows:

Wednesday, March 19th, starting at 4pm on SoundFM, 100.3 FM with Coral Andrews.  Listen and win free tickets to the show!  listen live - soundfm.ca

Monday, March 24th CKWR, FM 98.5 with Randy Johnston on Tuesday the 28th around 8:30am; listen live - www.ckwr.com

VOC Silent Film Harmonic - accompanying Night of the Living Dead!

Night of the Living Dead!

Saturday, Feb 1st, 8pm at the Registry Theatre!

They keep coming back in a bloodthirsty lust for HUMAN FLESH!  Pits the dead against the living in a struggle for survival!

Ah, the zombie flick that really started it all.  This classic will be presented as a silent film - subtitled and with live music from the VOC!

Pre-film talk by Andrew Hunt!

Warning: the movie is gory, gruesome, ghastly, grim, and in 1968 scared a lot of people and little kids.  There is some brief nudity, too.

Advance tickets: $15 via centreinthesquare.com or call 519-578-1570
Admission at the door: $15, $10 w/Food Bank donation, $5 eyego.

To contact the VOC:
vocmusic@yahoo.com
storiesseenandheard.blogspot.ca
find us on facebook!

This show is part of the Registry Film Festival with great movies on Friday and Sunday afternoon, too!  www.registrytheatre.com for more info!


RADIO! RADIO!

Ted Harms will be a guest on the following radio shows:

CKWR, FM 98.5 with Randy Johnston on Tuesday the 28th around 8:30am; listen live - www.ckwr.com

SoundFM, 100.3 FM with Coral Andrews on Wednesday the 29nd starting at 4pm.  Listen and win free tickets to the show!  listen live - soundfm.ca

Live on CFRU

Tuesday night, Dec 17th, live on the "Let's Get Lost" show on CFU (univ. of guelph radio) - the dulcent tones of Neil Ballantyne, Ted Harms, Bradford Nowak, & Michael Mucci.

We'll be on 8pm-ish;listen here

Neil Ballantyne & Ted Harms - Silence, Friday 8pm

 

Neil Ballantyne (keyboard & electronics) & Ted Harms (double bass & electronics)

We are proud to be returning to Silence this Friday on the occasion of the venue's first anniversary!

We will have copies of our recording "Faithful Beasts" available! If you'd like one but can't make the show, please get in touch.

A few audio clips here: https://soundcloud.com/ballantyne-harms

8pm, pwyc ($10 recommended)

Also on the bill: Alaniaris

46 essex st. guelph

www.silencesounds.ca

 

 

Friday, Oct 4 at the Registry Theatre - VOC accompanying Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

Sunrise: a Song of Two Humans - Friday, Oct 4th at the Registry Theatre!

Live soundtrack by the VOC Silent Film Harmonic!

Sunrise begins with a farmer under the seductive sway of a woman from the city, who wants to him to sell the farm so they can run off together, and soon a plan is hatched to kill the farmer’s wife and make it look like an accident.  The plan unravels, though...

Admission at the door: $15, $10 with a Food Bank donation or $5 eyego.
Advance tickets: $15 via centreinthesquare.com or call 519-578-1570
Please check the Registry website for more information - www.registrytheatre.com
Find us on facebook

Nels Cline

...and this is WAY late but I have an interview with Nels Cline on allaboutjazz.com.

I talked to Nels at the 2012 Guelph Jazz Festival

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=44127

and this Saturday, Aug 17...

If you're in the Hamilton area Saturday, August 17th,

we’re very excited to return to the Pearl Company!

It's a Surrealism double bill - we'll be accompanying

"Un Chien Andalou" & "Fall of the House of Usher"

It starts at 7:30pm & all part of Pearl Co's 

Theatre Festival! 

Pearl Company
16 Steven Street, Hamilton
phone: 905-524-0606

http://thepearlcompany.ca/ 

2012/13 season at the Registry!

We are please to announce our upcoming season at the Registry Theatre!

All films will be performed at the Registry Theatre and begin at 8pm.

Admission at the door: $15, $10 with a Food Bank donation or $5 eyego.

Advance tickets: $15 via centreinthesquare.com or call 519-578-1570

Please check the Registry website for more information - http://myspace.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e39a366eb0a761d6e730d67c0&id=0cec46c547&e=18a6da117f.

To contact the VOC, email – vocmusicATyahooDOTcom



Sunrise - Friday, Oct 4th

Sunrise begins with a farmer who is under the seductive sway of a woman from the city, who wants to him to sell the farm so they can run off together, and soon a plan is hatched to kill the farmer’s wife and make it look like an accident.  The plan unravels with the farmer’s moral quandary and strong love for his wife.

Winner of 3 Oscars - best picture, best actress, best cinemtography - at the very first Academy Awards.


~~~~~~~~

Night of the Living Dead – Saturday, Feb 1st

Night of the Living Dead is a ground-breaking and genre-creating black-and-white horror film.  Directed by George A. Romero and starring a cast of unknowns, the story follows Ben, Barbra, and others trapped in a rural farmhouse in Pennsylvania which is attacked by unnamed & unexplained "living dead" monsters.

Due to an error by the distributor when it was released in 1968, this film is in the public domain.  The VOC will be showing this as a silent film with subtitles.


~~~~~~~~

The General – Thursday, March 27th

The General is a 1926 Buster Keaton comedy film.  Johnnie (Buster Keaton) loves his train ("The General") and his girlfriend, Annabelle Lee. But as the Civil War starts, Johnnie is unable to enlist as he's more valuable as a train engineer than a soldier; unfortunately, Annabelle believes it's because he's a coward. But when Union spies steal his train with his girlfriend onboard, Johnnie springs into action.

2, count 'em 2, shows coming up!

Upcoming Shows!!!!

On March 30^th, we’re very excited to be at the Pearl Company in Hamilton to accompany 5 Buster Keaton short films!

The films: Cops, One Week, The Goat, The High Sign, The Playhouse

Time: 8pm

Cost: $15 /$10 students/all artists

Where: 16 Steven Street, Hamilton

Phone: 905-524-0606

More info: http://thepearlcompany.ca/?m=20130330

~~~~~~~~

On April 11^th, we’ll be having a Surrealism night at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener!

The films: Daphnie (dir. Jean Painleve), Un Chien Andalou (dir. Luis Bunel & co-written with Salvador Dali), The Fall of the House of Usher/Chute de la Maison Usher (dir. Jean Epstein)

Time: 8pm

Cost: advance - $15; at the door - $15/$10 with food bank donation/$5 eyego

Where: 122 Frederick Street, Kitchener

More info: http://www.registrytheatre.com/voc-silent-film-harmonic-double-bill-un-chien-andalou-la-chute-de-la-maison-usher/

~~~~~~~~

Ted Harms knows he’ll be on the following radio shows, but he could always be on more…:

M. Mucci’s shows “Sounds from the Tall House” on Sunday, April 7^th starting at 10am on 93.3 CFRU www.cfru.ca & www.tallhouserecordingco.blogspot.com

Coral Andrews’ show “Coral FM” on Wednesday, April 10^th starting at 4pm on 100.3 Sound FM.  soundfm.ca/ & www.coralandrews.ca

~~~~~~~~

Find us on facebook! 

 

VOC show - Friday, Jan 11th

The VOC will return to the Registry Theatre this Friday with the movie - The Man Who Laughs! Bwahahahaha.  This is a 1928 classic directed by Paul Leni and starring Conrad Veidt (previously seen in two VOC shows of Hands of Orlac, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) and Mary Philbin.

Here's the imdb page and the wiki page.

Many thanks to Jeremy Davis of CKWR for interviewing me on Monday and on Wednesday, I'm on the radio of special friend of the VOC, Coral FM.

As usual, it's $15, $10 with Food Bank donation, and $5 eyego and it all starts at 8pm at the wonderful Registry Theatre.

Next show: April 11th at the Registry- a Surrealism double bill of Un Chien Andalou and The Fall of the House of Usher

Catching up

Hey, it's been a while...

>>>
I reviewed the 2012 Guelph Jazz Festival (yah, I know this was a month ago) for allaboutjazz.com; it's here.

Once I get my crap together, I'll transcribe my interview with Nels Cline (who played three times in 24 hours at the GJF!) and post it, too.

>>>
And if you're not doing anything tomorrow (I'm writing this on Oct. 12), head to the lovely Registry Theatre in Kitchener for the VOC Silent Film Harmonic accompanying three short(ish) films by Charlie Chaplin.  Registry page here.

Advanced tickets at the Centre in the Square box office are $15; at the door of the Registry, tickets are $15, $10 with a Food Bank donation or $5 eyego.

>>>
And since you're here, might as well spill the beans on the next VOC shows:

Fri, Jan 11th -The Man Who Laughs (1928), starring the great Conrad Veidt; his character's grotesque smile is the inspiration for the Joker.

Thurs, April 11th - A surrealism double bill: La Chute De La Maison Usher (1928, aka The Fall of the House of Usher) and Un Chien Andalou (1929)

(these are the proper dates & movies; I previously had the order of the films & dates incorrect.)

Open Ears Environmental Rhythms & Buster Keaton

A preview of the Open Ears Environmental Rhythms that I wrote was in Thursday's Record.  For now, it's here.  The article features Jesse Stewart, who's playing Friday, and Morris Palter, who's playing Saturday.

And, the VOC will be performing an outdoor show on Saturday, June 2 at the Public Space outside of the Shops at Waterloo Town Square - we'll be on around 9:30pm.  It'll be a repeat of the Buster Keaton film-a-rama we did back at the Registry.

This event is brought to you by the City of Waterloo (yeah!) and The Princess Cinemas (yeah!)

Best of all, it's FREEEEEEE!  Bring your blankets or lawn chairs and spread out to enjoy the show.  Treats and snacks will for sale.

Two articles

First of all, big thanks to everybody that came out to the Buster Keaton show at the Reg- it was a great crowd and the band had a blast playing ACTUAL SONGS (though we shamblized them pretty good...)! Looks like we'll be repeating the show for an outdoor gig in a couple weeks.... check back here for details!

Two new interviews of mine are out:

At last year's Open Ears festival, I sat down with Scott Thompson of The Rent (and joined mid-way through by band-mate Susannah Hood). Get their cd here. That interview is in the latest and greatest issue of Eartrip - get it in a variety of formats here Do yourself and get all the back issues!

And I sat down Gerry Hemingway during the last Guelph Jazz Festival. That talk is in the new issue of Critical Studies in Improvisation here. Gerry's webpage is here


Belated mention that my preview of the Colin Stetson show at the Perimeter Institute last Saturday appeared in the Nightlife section of the Record the Thursday before... Doesn't look like it made up on the Record website. :(

VOC Silent Film Harmonic - upcoming show!

Buster Keaton is the world renowned master of slapstick. Watch him elude the cops, jump from moving cars, foil criminals and get the girl all the while in floppy shoes and a porkpie hat. Here are 5 of his best short films!

Friday, March 16th, 8p.m.

The Registry Theatre: 122 Frederick St., Kitchener www.registrytheatre.com

Advanced tickets at the Centre in the Square box office are $15; at the door of the Registry, tickets are $15, $10 with a Food Bank donation or $5 eyego.

The VOC Silent Film Harmonic are: Ted Harms (bass), David Hunsberger (clarinets), Steve Lederman (percussion, brass), Bradford Nowak (drums), and Wade Whittaker (guitar).

'nother VOC show!!!!!!

The VOC Silent Film Harmonic will be accompanying Pandora's Box on Saturday, Feb 4th at 8pm.

As usual, we'll be at the fantabulous Registry Theatre. $15 at the door, $10 if you bring a food bank donation, $5 for eyego

Pandora's Box documents how a naive & innocent woman destroys everything she touches. There - that's it in a nutshell. If you want more, here's the imdb link, here's wiki

The VOC Silent Film Harmonic are still: Ted Harms (double bass), David Hunsberger (clarinets), Steve Lederman (percussion, brass), Bradford Nowak (percussion, trumpet), and Wade Whittaker (guitar).

Please tell any interested parties, mention us around the water cooler, or put up the poster wherever cool cats like you can be found.

Laurie Anderson article

Ms. Anderson is playing the Perimeter Inst. this Thursday, Jan. 19. PI website

A preview of her show was in last Thursday's Nighlife section of the Record. Check your better local libraries for a copy or, for now, it's up on the Record website here.

VOC Silent Film Harmonic - upcoming show!

The VOC and the Registry Theatre present…

An original soundtrack to the 1924 classic “Hands of Orlac”

Thursday, Nov. 24th, 8p.m.

The Registry Theatre: 122 Frederick St., Kitchener www.registrytheatre.com

Advanced tickets at the Centre in the Square box office are $15; at the door of the Registry, tickets are $15, $10 with a Food Bank donation or $5 eyego.

Paul Orlac is a world-renowned pianist who loses his hands in a horrible accident. A surgeon is able to attach a new set but they are from a convicted murderer! When Orlac feels compelled to kill, have the hands taken over his body?

Reuniting two of the principles from “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” – director Robert Weine and actor Conrad Veidt – this classic is all grim ambience and b&w mood. (imdb, wiki)

The VOC Silent Film Harmonic are: Ted Harms (double bass), David Hunsberger (clarinets), Steve Lederman (percussion, brass), Bradford Nowak (percussion, trumpet), and Wade Whittaker (guitar).

Upcoming VOC shows: Pandora’s Box – Feb. 4 and Buster Keaton short films – March 16; if you come out to Hands of Orlac, advance tickets for the next two shows will be on sale at a reduced price!

Feel free to tell any interested parties, mention us around the water cooler, or put up the poster wherever cool cats like you can be found.

more new words

Belatedly, I have an interview with Ajay Heble in Sept/Oct. issue of Music Times. I'm sure they're all gone by now as it is nod mid-Nov.

I interviewed Gerry Hemingway during the Guelph Jazz Festival; that will likely be published soon-ish.