indianapolis 2010

I went to Indianapolis earlier this week to conduct a concert of my pieces at Brownsburg High School and had an extra day to kill so I decided to kick it with Kelly Lusk in downtown Indy for a night. (You might know him better in his role as the brilliant playwright/librettist for my opera, We, The Boys.) Here's a picture I took out my window whilst waiting for him in which a phantom pile of hotel magazines makes its way down the street (via the reflection in the window).















We didn't get into any trouble (besides the usual general mayhem) and I only post this horrendous picture because a) I have a sense of humour about myself and b) he wouldn't want me to. Let us not mention here what time of day (read: morning) it was taken or the amount of gemutlichkeit which clearly may or may not have been involved (id est the superheroic pose we're attempting to strike).

After a night's romp around Indy, Kelly and I headed to the suburb of Brownsburg to get down to opera business and brunch at the local Bob Evans restaurant. I feel like I should say here that the only reason I mention the fact that we went to some grease-y, franchise-y place like this is that I asked to go there. The only time I've ever been to Bob Evans's's's pride-and-joy is when I've been in Brownsburg working with the choirs. So...it's kind of a welcome, high-calorie tradition. That being said, I won't shed any tears if it takes another three years for me to down a couple more of those biscuits.

Later that evening the director at Brownsburg High School, Debi Prather, took me out to dinner at a local joint called Boulder Creek Dining Company. The pinot grigio was good, the mahi-mahi was delicious and the conversation was even better. (I only say something so pedestrian because I want an excuse to show this halfway decent picture I took of my crazy-good entre.)

The students at BHS were working on 4 of my published works as well as a newly-commissioned piece called Spring so there was plenty to do over the course of two days in rehearsal. Here are Ms. Prather and I before Tuesday's concert which she creatively titled An Evening with Joshua Shank. It included some fun lectures on the creative process and a brief Q & A session alongside the performances. (Here I will parenthetically pretend that this didn't really inflate my ego.)















Debi is an absolutely incredible teacher; one of those rare beings that floats among us mere mortals with a massive amount of educational information in her brain combined with the soul of a genuinely caring person. Her balance of heart and mind leads these choirs to sound like very few high school ensembles I've ever heard.

And they had t-shirts printed up.

Now imagine you're an interloper on the BHS lifestyle like myself and you walk in on dozens of teenagers wearing something like this.

It was a bit surreal. You don't see a bunch of people with "Shankfest: You've Been Shanked!" proudly displayed on their chests every day. (This was one of the few times in my life that I've been thankful that my last name is a synonym for stabbing someone in prison.)

I was busy flapping my arms during the concert that night so I gave my camera to a few girls in the Bel Canto choir to watch over. I found some good--and creative--pics when I got it back. My favorites are the blurry, artistic ones. (Thanks, girls!)

These "kids" (and I use that term loosely as it popularly relates to the abilities of a group of high school students) sang the shit out of these pieces. Period.

At every school there is usually some sort of de facto "top ensemble" that is supposed to be the most impressive or the most committed or something like that. Not at BHS, my friends. For some reason it doesn't work like that.

• The mixed choir was one of the best, most well-balanced ensembles I've ever heard at any level.
  
• The women's choir sang the SSA stuff with the same, incredibly nuanced skill.
  
• Their high school men's choir eats 4-part rep for breakfast. FOR BREAKFAST!

It's crazy. We are known for growing a ton of singers here in MN but, damn, I don't think we have a garden like this (pardon the clumsy metaphor).

One of the most meaningful things that occurred to me during the course of my stay in Indianapolis happened when I was really, really tired...like more than just your usual travel nonsense. I was existentially tired; preternaturally exhausted in a pre-zombie state of mind.

That was when one of the tenors in the Madrigal Singers, Jake, was tasked to take me back to my hotel for an hour's nap (as if that were going to do any good). He was genuinely excited to show me his hometown of Brownsburg and, since he wanted to give me a full tour and I was only there for a couple of days, I decided to heed Warren Zevon's words and just go with it. Once I acquiesced he made sure I got strong coffee and a good dose of our mutually-enjoyed ska music with the windows down. Subsequently, we had a crazy-fun time seeing the local racing stuff, the town hall where their "part-time mayor" works and the local park, Arbuckle Acres.

Thanks, Jake! And, tacitly, this should extend to all of the other amazing people I met during my stay there: teachers, poetry readers, first-and-middle-name sharers, stalkers, fellow singer/songwriters, aspiring composers, budding music theorists, parents, sopranos, basses, tenors, altos, principals and oh-my-god-you're-incredible accompanists.

Thank you so much, Brownsburg! You made me feel--undeservedly--like a rock star for a few days. Go Bulldogs!

john adams is cantankerous + superfluous star wars reference

So, periodically, I'll drop in on John Adams' blog, Hell Mouth, just to see what he's got to say. As with any internet space that people get to say whatever the hellmouth they want, it can be good or it can be bad. His latest post, however, has me thinking that JA was hammered when he put it up there.

Here, read it. (Seriously, you need to read that.)

I won't parse that here because, unlike John Adams (apparently), I believe that a person can say whatever they want when they create something (a blog or a piece of music, for instance). But...damn...that shit gets vindictive, right? Having read his brilliant memoir, Hallelujah Junction, last summer, it makes me think that he didn't actually read this whatever-it-is before he posted it.

I mean, I suppose it's humorous...I guess. It just seems like a really high-school-bitchy entry by one of America's most respected composers. Ecce homo:

The composers with Max MSP in their pieces usually wear torn jeans, high-tops and a black tee shirt with the logos of a metal band or a portrait of Franz Kafka on the front. They will be the most intellectual and "indie" looking of those in the class, whereas those students who write trumpet sonatas or choral anthems usually dress more conservatively, favoring Dockers and in rare instances, especially in Utah, neckties.)

See that weird parenthetical at the end? I didn't forget to write a starting parenthesis. That's his actual notation and one of the reasons I think he was wasted or something when he wrote it. And why are we talking about clothing? Who cares? If doing a master class makes you all pissy why not just avoid it in the first place? It's like that old adage about the guy who goes and tells the doctor that "it hurts whenever I (blank)." So the doctor just says something like, "then stop doing (blank)."

And then he adds all these weird hyper-links that I think, based on the fact that they are extreme (Saint Sebastian, a cow's mouth, etc.), are somehow supposed to desensitize the reader to the acerbic things he's writing if you're curious enough to click on the highlighted text. What is going on here? One of my favorite composers isn't making rational sense!

And here I said I wouldn't parse that entry. It just gets so mean.

Bleh. (I make a hand washing motion.)

Anyway. Have you guys all seen Star Wars Uncut? A bunch of folks got together and have "re-filmed" the first Star Wars movie in 15-second clips with rudimentary implements. It's incredibly interesting, hilarious and definitely worth a look. They just up a trailer for the dog fight scene.

happy birthday blog + the california republic + nico, sam & nadia

I'm currently sitting in my hotel here in Brownsburgh, Indiana pissing away a few hours before dinner. Watching hotel room cable makes me feel like I'm not getting anything done so the obvious choice was to get a blog post written (because that's, you know, incredibly productive). In any case, the blog's third birthday has come and gone and, in the interest of my yearly tradition of taking stock, here's how this year shook out:

Month with the most entries:
August 2009

Single entry with the most pictures:
My trip to Montreal

Best meal
Trattoria Stella in Traverse City, Michigan (this one took place in a former insane asylum...so it was obviously pretty memorable)

Most verbose:
i heart smart conductors

Most useless: the Google Alerts appearances of a few doppelgangers
yet another joshua shank
god bless the googles: microwave fight edition

Personal favorites:
a composer divided against himself
cary ratcliff and i are in a fight

Shows atteneded:
Nico Muhly & Sam Amidon @ the Southern
Casanova's Homecoming @ the Ordway
Steely Dan @ Northrop Auditorium
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra w/ Dale Warland
Ben Folds @ The Minnesota Orchestra @ Orchestra Hall
Chris Koza/The Wars of 1812/JoAnna James @ Cedar Cultural Center
The Decemberists @ the State Theater
Premiere of Evensong w/ VocalEssence
Grizzly Bear @ First Avenue
Kevin Smith @ the State Theater
President Obama @ the Target Center
The Dave Karr Quartet @ the Artists' Quarter
The Sunny Era/Laarks/the Small Cities @ the Triple Rock
Steve Miller Band @ Interlochen
Chris Thile & WYSO @ Interlochen
The Ahn Trio & WYSO @ Interlochen
Mason Proper & Ra Ra Riot @ Interlochen
Third Eye Blind @ First Avenue
Nico Muhly & Son Lux @ the Southern
Jenůfa @ Ted Mann Concert Hall

Trips taken:
Los Angeles
Dallas
Interlochen
Spain
Montreal
LA (again)

Pieces premiered:
Trois Méditations
One I can't talk about quite yet
Naalah (Cry of Grief)
Cinque Chansons des la Vigne

Albums reviewed:
I See the Sign (Sam Amidon)
Go (Jónsi)
Halfway Home (Alicia Wiley)
Live in Las Vegas (Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds)
July Flame (Laura Veirs)
Broken Bells (Broken Bells)
Rarefaction (Adam Svec)
Heartland (Owen Palett)
The BQE (Sufjan Stevens)
One Fast Move Or I'm Gone (Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard)
The Fame Monster (Lady Gaga)
Light (Matisyahu)
Path of Miracles (Joby Talbot)
Milwaukee at Last! (Rufus Wainwright)
Ocean Eyes (Owl City)
Live At Sin-é (Jeff Buckley)
Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (Dave Matthews Band)
Ellipse (Imogen Heap)
In Living Cover (Jay Brannan)
Veckatimest (Grizzly Bear)
The Dan Band Live (The Dan Band)
Lux Aeterna (Polyphony & The Britten Sinfonia)

Not a bad year at all. I'm itching to talk about my secret piece listed there because it got some really good press...but I have to wait on something legal to proceed. Yuck. Music and estates don't mix particularly well.

I went out to California last week to attend the premiere of my piece, Trois Méditations, for soprano, piano and harp. It was performed amazingly by Jessica Hardy on the campus of Chapman University and, although I have absolutely no pictures of she and I (and her gowns were incredible!), I did get a few from my day trip out to Mission San Juan Capistrano. It's the oldest building in California and it's where the swallows return to every year (someone wrote a song about it or something). Getting to walk around historical locations is something I love to do and this one had some really fascinating things.

The main chapel was lit in such a way that your eye is immediately drawn to the high altar. The roof is quite a bit taller over the altar than it is over the nave so a window lets natural light in to illuminate the massive sculptures in the front (thanks, mom, for the architecture lessons over the years). It's a really cool trick that makes a huge difference.
Here are some other cool shots from around the grounds. Take a gander at the Wikipedia entry if you're curious about some more history because the Spanish missions in California are a unique part of the history of the state (and the country, I suppose). We don't have that stuff in Minnesota.

However, the most memorable thing that I did while I was out there was go to Disneyland. The Hardys found out that I had never been there before and, since it's nearby in Anaheim, they decreed that we would spend part of Friday at the Happiest Place on Earth. It was a weird status thing in my little catholic elementary school in Iowa to have been there so I can finally check that one off the list and those little taunting, uniformed kids can stop haunting my dreams.

It is so incredibly fun...like in a ridiculously stupid-grin-on-your-face, I-don't-care-how-long-I-have-to-wait-in-this-line-because-I-will-have-my-Space-Mountain way and, frankly, I freaked out a little bit (over the actors portraying Mary Poppins and Burt, no less) on my first glimpse of the park. Luckily I got my shit together shortly thereafter and was surprised to find out that, during my temporary absence of adult behavior, Chris and Jessica had bought me a gift (that they made sure I got a cel phone shot of...you can see part of Future Land behind me).















They even got it emroidered with "Josh 2010" for me. Thanks, guys!

After the concert there was a huge gathering at Roy's for some incredible Hawaiian fusion food. I went with the butterfish fillet (because what's "butterfish," right?) with this cool wasabi and sesame seed-encrusted rice thing.

Last, but by no means least, was the incredible concert that Nico Muhly and Sam Amidon put on at the Southern last week. Here's composer Daniel Nass in front of the marquee showing how excited he was.





















Dan and I met years ago when we both had pieces on the program with the Young New Yorkers' Chorus. He wrote this intimidating thing in the Anishinabe language and, since he moved to Minneapolis, it's always fun to hang out with him.

I also went with a few other Twin Cities composers and after the concert we all went out to eat with Nico, Sam and the other collaborator on the program, violist Nadia Sirota. We headed to Grumpy's for some after-concert nonsense which included, among other things, the Taking of Pictures to Record that Something Happened.

It was incredibly fun and, during the course of the evening (and Jocelyn and Tim's massive plate of tater tots...like way, way more than anyone could ever eat), I found out a few things.

1. I love Ghostbusters as much as Nico Muhly does.

2. I knew a violist joke that Nadia did not (and I don't know many).

That being said, I hate pictures like those because they pale in comparison to the amount of fun we actually had whilst imbibing and devouring.

This picture, however, does it complete justice. Watch out, ladies.

(I don't have a clear memory of the taking of this picture but I think Nico may have actually been the one behind the camera...getting up for work the next day proved...interesting).

On a final note, if you don't have Nadia's album, First Things First, you should head straight to your internet-music-provider-of-choice and download that thing. How many times are you going to find a full album of brand spankin' new stuff for the viola that is both written well and played impeccably?

short blog: blood on the highway + currently listening

Minneapolis just had its first thunder storm since last fall (at least as far as I can remember). I'm a big fan of the natural world (via the City Life, of course) and rain storms are among my favorite things ever. The first one is always memorable for me and, although I'm far from some dirty hippie running around dancing in this stuff, I love it; re-remembering the smell of rain, the first sight of lightning and that satisfying crack of thunder. It reminds me that I'm ultimately not in control of anything (not in a theistic way or anything...just in a regular way) and it's probably just best to calm down.

Also, on the way to work this morning, I saw a police officer fire a few slugs into a dying deer on the side of the road.

So that was fun. How do you suppose he called that one in?














I've been listening to two incredible albums this week that you have to go out and get. First up we have Sam Amidon's I See the Sign.






What he does is complicated but, if you had to boil it down to an easily-consumed soundbite, you would probably say that he sings old, old folk tunes dressed up in a modern way. That terrible watering down of what he does aside, it is incredibly moving. "Pretty Fair Damsel" gets me weepy and introspective every time I listen to it and "Way Go, Lily" is a study in singing beautifully and delicately about some really violent shit ("Gonna rule with a shotgun...").

The song that critics will often mention in their reviews is "Relief" because, mysteriously, it's a cover of an R. Kelly song amongst all these old lyrics about horses and soldiers and blood and brothers. What they miss, however, is that Amidon combined it with a beautiful Sacred Harp piece to form a gorgeously-made, Frankenstein's monster of a song.

I'm going to see him play a show with Nico Muhly at the Southern tomorrow and I'm ridiculously excited.

The other album I'm on about is Jónsi's Go. He's the lead singer of Sigur Rós just putting out his first solo album and, boy howdy, it's amazing. I trend toward singers who have a style of delivery that is unique (i.e. Colin Meloy, Rufus Wainwright and, my god, Joanna Newsom) and Jónsi's high, spinning falsetto is right up there with things you're not going to hear on anything considered "mainstream" by the mainstream people who like mainstream things in a mainstream way.

The word I've seen most often used to describe this thing is "ecstatic" and it's not hard to see why. Nico Muhly added some frenetic, whirling orchestrations to a few of the tunes (most of which are sung in English as opposed to Jónsi's native Icelandic) that are the perfect garnish. "Go Do" and "Boy Lilikoi" feel like flying to me and are easily worth the price of admission.

spain: Park Güell

Second round of pictures from Spain. These were all taken in Antoni Gaudi's amazing park in the el Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site (deservedly so) and is easily one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.