Nathan Bontrager

Solo set video from Elm Bar

nathanbontrager — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:54:51 +0000

Some new shows added to the calendar (note this Saturday’s Dr. C’s show is moved from Brooklyn to New London, CT…go figure). Don’t forget the Dr. Caterwaul’s Valentine’s Day Speakeasy show on Feb 14th. Come out and dance!

The Uncertainty Music Series (www.uncertaintymusic.com) has recently expanded to include twice-monthly shows at Elm Bar in New Haven. I had the privilege of playing some solo and duo music (with Carl Testa on electronics) on the most recent installment of the series. Below are two videos from the opening of that set which featured an extended improvisation for solo cello. Part 1 involves a loose structure I’ve frequently used as a starting point for improvising in a modernist compositional style. I use the open strings as pitch centers for microtonal clusters, moving from pitch center to pitch center by way of rhythmic and motivic exploration based on the beating patterns created by the microtonal intervals. Part 2 is a series of variations on a dodecaphonic tone row with contrasting, improvised transitions. There’s a bunch of bar noise in the background which, frankly, I find a welcome addition to the recording.

Video of another piece, for gamba, cello, and laptop to come soon!

New Dr. C’s video

nathanbontrager — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:54:15 +0000

Why not take a gander at the Dr. Caterwaul’s Facebook page located here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Caterwauls-Cadre-of-Clairvoyant-Claptraps/180243015342559

We had a great time playing with our good friends Wood Spider and Tyler Bussey last night. You can check out a bunch of videos from the show posted on the FB page including one of me earnestly trying to sing in French.

Audio from the Loft

nathanbontrager — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:55:35 +0000

While in Cologne in November I had the opportunity to play with the KlangDrang Orchester (orchester.klangdrang.org). This group functions in much the same way as the New Haven Improvisers Collective, the group which, in many respects, got me started on my current path upon arriving in Connecticut. Peter Wolf, who directs the ensemble, graciously allowed me to join the Orchester for a performance at the Loft of free and conducted improvisation. You can follow the link below to hear audio from that night. Peter wanted to give me space as a traveling musician to do some solo playing which can be heard as an introduction to group improvisations on tracks 1 and 8.

http://orchester.klangdrang.org/music/concerts/111119_kdo/flashmp3player/111119_surprise.htm

Also, please know that you can subscribe to this site for updates and can subscribe to my Facebook page at the bottom of this page.

Berlin duo

nathanbontrager — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:31:44 +0000

Here’s a link to the archived webcast from the final show of my Europe tour in November. The first part is a solo improvisation then follows a duo with the violinist/vocalist, Simon Jakob Drees. I was really privileged to get to meet and play with Simon on this trip, I believe you can see/hear in the video that we really connected musically. Sorry the video is sort of choppy, it’s from an archived webcast. Many thanks to Quiet Cue for making this recording of the evening.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18650719

Last-minute show and new audio

nathanbontrager — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:39:17 +0000

Due to performer illness I’ll be stepping in with some others to play some improv compositions by Nate Trier tomorrow night at Neverending Books in New Haven:

http://www.uncertaintymusic.com/

Also, check out Adam Matlock’s soundcloud page for a few tracks from the recent Dr. Caterwaul’s show at the Outer Space. It was great to play a bunch of tunes with Andru Bemis and Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, we wish them the best as they continue to ride the roads and rails on their way to Mexico City:

http://soundcloud.com/gzarapanecko

Duo in Berlin

nathanbontrager — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:27:36 +0000

One of my favorite moments from the European tour was a somewhat random and roundabout connection to a fantastic violinist/vocalist in Berlin, Simon Jakob Drees. Simon and I met through a referral from a German Klezmer bassist I met at a summer backyard jam session in Hamden, CT of all places. Simon and I had a great connection musically and I greatly appreciated his generous and humble spirit. He does very interesting work fusing improvisation and music therapy. You can learn more about him here: http://www.simonjakobdrees.de/

Here’s a shot from a duo performance we did in Berlin at the Quiet Cue series.

Don’t forget, if you’re in CT, Dr. Caterwaul’s has two shows this week. Wednesday at BAR with the David Wax Museum and Thursday at the Outer Space with Andru Bemis and Elisabeth Pixley-Fink.

Long overdue update

nathanbontrager — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:57:25 +0000

I’ve finally updated after an excessively long break. I’m fresh off of a European tour where I had the great pleasure of collaborating with a ton of great musicians. So many new and exciting voices to interact with and generous hospitality at every turn. A big thank you to all who helped put together shows, gave me a bed, made me breakfast, and generally made for an experience of a lifetime. Can’t wait to go back!

Lots of show updates starting with two Dr. Caterwauls performances next week. Excited to be sharing the bill with great artists:

The David Wax Museum: davidwaxmuseum.com

Andru Bemis: www.andrubemis.com

Elisabeth Pixley-Fink: http://www.reverbnation.com/elisabethpixleyfink

Dr. Caterwaul’s media explosion

nathanbontrager — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:15:27 +0000

Dr. Caterwaul’s Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps had a great show the other week at Lyric Hall in Westville (which is quickly becoming New Haven’s go-to venue for creative performance). We played a few tunes, performed live soundtracks to two short silent films, and backed up Tyler Bussey for a short set. The technology eventually behaved and the whole evening was a great success. Below you can find audio/video for most of the program:

First off, we have the audio from our set of tunes now released on Bandcamp:

http://drcaterwauls.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-lyric-hall-3-6-11

And here are the films matched up with the live audio. First is “The Doctor’s Secret” by George Melies with music written by Adam Matlock:

Second is Cecil P. Hepworth’s early adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” with music written by myself (note that we used a video that was slightly longer for the performance but matched the audio to a shorter version for technical reasons so some of the transitions seem delayed from the video):

Dr. Caterwaul’s Demo

nathanbontrager — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:56:38 +0000

Dr. Caterwaul’s Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps has gotten off to a quick start. It’s been exciting and challenging to follow all the musical pathways that have opened up in a few weeks of playing. We’ve put together a rough (very rough) demo taken from the last shows and some basic home recordings. Dr. Caterwaul’s is happy to be a part of the folkroutes network of artists, our audio can be found on their website: http://folkroutes.org/profiles/drcaterwauls/

From a show at Neverending books

Hope to see you at a show soon!

Broadcloth at Local 269

nathanbontrager — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:40:48 +0000

It’s been a while since Broadcloth has played in NYC and we’re looking forward to getting back to that vibrant hub of experimental music on Monday evening. Local 269 (http://thelocal269.com/The_Local_269/Home.html) is a mainstay of the downtown music scene and features an appropriately diverse spectrum of ensembles. Every Monday evening features the Evolving Voice series which is devoted to experimental music which involves voice. Our set begins at 8pm and be sure to stay around for the rest including Jeremiah Cymerman on winds and electronics.

Jeremiah Cymerman