Current:
July, 2008
I'm very pleased to announce Kyzyl To Samarkand, a 5-song, 51 minute CD collaboration with Japanese dark ambient experimentalist Ryuta.K. A year in the making, the music is foreboding, ethereal, disturbing, plaintive and dense; diaphanous vocals float over surreal beds of field recordings, molten noise and nervous guitars, evoking the sound of an ominous journey on a pan-Asian silk road.
Ryuta.K (oVdk & Bunk Data, Overdose Kunst, Ryu) is based in Tokyo and Chiba, Japan. He creates electronic and electro-acoustic sonic textures that he describes as “post sampling kinetic non-hierarchical nonlinear non-equilibrium forth world muziq!"
Working with him has been challenging and inspiring. I hope you like what we've come up with.
Kyzyl To Samarkand is available at:
www.saraayers.com (CD)
www.musiczeit.com (download)
Archives:
January, 2008
December, 2007
July, 2007
April, 2007
August 2006
July 2006
October 2005
July 2005
May 2005
November 2004
September 2004
June 2004
August 2003
June 2003
_____________________________________
January, 2008
Marvelous and Spooky
If you're a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, or even if you're not,
check out this new film adaptation of The Raven that
uses my music. Mejpye's visuals and Urgelt's narration
are both first rate, and it all comes together in a delightfully
creepy little work.
You can view the trailer on YouTube or the 12-minute,
full-length version on LiveVideo.
The trailer is set to
Lachrymatory and the
film is set to Interiors.
Reminder - live performance this Friday...
I'll be performing with The Axe Iron Suns, along with
The Beige Channel and Twisted Pair, at this night of
bold live music and trippy, eye-popping projected visuals.
It's free and open to the public, so I hope you'll brave the
cold and join us for a night of dreamlike, hallucinatory and
surreal sound and vision.
Friday, January 25, 2008, 7:00pm
Chapel + Cultural Center at Rensselaer
2125 Burdett Avenue, Troy, NY
The Beige Channel
The Beige Channel creates sound art from outmoded, obsolete,
unimportant and even undesirable sound sources, framing them
within compositions to draw attention to the inherent characteristics
of sounds that may be heard but are usually not listened to. Working
with the listener as a collaborator, this focus on the overlooked and
the secondary elevates it to a level where it may be examined and
celebrated.
Twisted Pair
Twisted Pair acquired their notoriety as Albany's premiere visual
team in the area's burgeoning electronic dance scene. Their show
is a cutting-edge presentation consisting of video sampling and looping,
audioreactive psychedelia and 3-D imagery, running the gamut from
raves to progressive hip-hop to ambient and experimental performances.
Axe Iron Suns
The AXIS boldly mix musical conventions of improvisation, song form,
groove, sampling, music for film and visual media with modern studio
wizardry to produce a unique psychedelic fusion of avant-rock-improv-
tribal-jazz that varies from quiet meditation to a joyous cacophony
of sound.
_____________________________________
December, 2007
Hello, and a happy new year to everyone....
The New Shiny Things is an electronica band I started
with the late Billy Harrigan waaaay back in the early
eighties. We released two songs, "Changing Colors" and
"Breadlines and Dissidence" as a single in 1982. It's long
been out of print, but it will be re-released as a vinyl-only
single (with an additional bonus track by Billy's later
band, Operation Pluto) on Monday by Anna Logue Records:
http://www.annaloguerecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/newshinythings
---------------------------------------------------------
Live Performance: WAMC/Performance Place
I'll be appearing with The Axe Iron Suns on Performance Place,
radio station WAMC's live musical performance program,
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008 from 11:23am – Noon (UTC/GMT -5 hours).
Listen live over the web:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/ppr/index.shtml
____________________________________________
Following up on his Trapped in Ayer and Final Ooh manipulations,
two more remixes from the indefatigable DrewK:
When Angels Electrify:
http://drewk.org/muzak/whenangels.html
Cycle:
http://drewk.org/dl/Cycle.mp3
____________________________________________
Live Performance: Dreaming A New Real
As part of Loop Sanctuary: Dreaming A New Real, an art and
performance series I'm curating that runs through the month of
January, I'll be performing with The Axe Iron Suns, along with
The Beige Channel and Twisted Pair, at this night of bold live
music and trippy, eye-popping projected visuals. Come on down
and wig out with us:
Friday, January 25, 2008, 7:00pm
Chapel + Cultural Center in Troy, NY
2125 Burdett Avenue, Troy, NY
____________________________________________
I finally bit the bullet and created some MySpace pages.
Stop by if you're so inclined:
http://www.myspace.com/darkwoodrecordings
http://www.myspace.com/axeironsuns
July, 2007
Whoa, betcha didn't see this one coming:
I'm in a band.
We're playing a gig next week.
And no one's more surprised than me.
Axe Iron Suns
Live At The River Street Beat Shop
Saturday, July 28, 2007
2:00 pm
197 River St., Troy, NY
Free admission
The Axe Iron Suns features
Al Kash drums
Sean Mack - bass
Terry Plunkett - guitar
Steve Lynch - saxophone
Sara Ayers - voice/processing
The Axe Iron Suns will play a unique psychedelic fusion of avant-rock-improv-tribal-jazz, including selections from their recently released CD, Lunaberry Soup, at the River Street Beat Shop in Troy, New York, on Saturday, July 28 at 2:00 pm. Admission is free.
And if its not raining, you can expect to hear our hypnotic, experimental grooves reverberating down River Street as they play out on the sidewalk in front of the store. Come on down to River Street and enjoy the scene!
Lunaberry Soup is available at CDBaby.com
http://cdbaby.com/cd/axeironsuns
_____________________________________back to top
April, 2007
If I could, I'd send each of you some of the glowing
daffodils that are blooming in my yard after a long,
gray winter. Every spring I'm completely surprised
again
at how beautiful they are.
Here's my news:
Filmmaker Jeff Knight has created a 40-minute art
film based on my CD, A Million Stories. It's an
abstract, experimental look at the human mind and
spirit. And it's a puzzle - you really have to watch
it a few times before the narrative becomes clear.
You can see the trailer here:
http://www.knightowlentertainment.com/millionstories.html
Jeff wrote it, directed it, shot it and edited it.
We still haven't figured out where and when we're
going to premiere it. I'll keep you posted on that.
_____________________________________________
Speaking of A Million Stories, I finally got the
rest of the mp3 files posted on the web site. They're
fairly low resolution, to save some server space, but
they give you a good idea of what the CD sounds like.
_____________________________________________
DrewK, whom I met (virtually) way back in the Mp3.com
days, has created a remix based on samples from my
web site. Trapped In Ayer is a hypnotic, beat-filled
excursion through the land of dreams. You can download
it here:
http://drewk.org/menu/index.html
_____________________________________back to top
August, 2006
Thrice Thy Heart Shall Broken Be
As I teased in the last newsletter, Jeff Sampson and
I have collaborated
on a three-song CD, Thrice Thy Heart
Shall Broken Be, eighteen minutes
of pure vocal bliss.
It’s being released tomorrow on the Atmoworks label. It’s
available both as a traditional CD and as individual, high-
quality downloads.
Song previews and sales are being
handled exclusively at the Atmoworks
website:
www.atmoworks.com
Here’s the track listing:
1. Thrice Thy Heart Shall Broken Be dark chanting,
ringing overtones,
and ominous vocal washes combine
in a sinister yet sparkling atmosphere.
2. Not Even All The Stars a plaintive meditation featuring
gossamer vocals.
3. Thrice Thy Heart … (Sleepwalking Mix) an alternate
treatment of the
lead track that evolves into a hypnotic
and dreamlike journey.
Please note: I got Jeff’s website wrong in the
last newsletter.
www.burningshirt.com
_____________________________________
Last November, I participated in the Edison Groove Xchange
at the
Schenectady Museum, a one-day celebration of creativity
and technology.
My performance was recorded on wax cylinders.
I’ve posted a short piece,
entitled “What is the Past But a
Dream of the Future?”
The absurd use of technology makes me grin uncontrollably;
what you’ll
be listening to is (keep up with me here...) an mp3
file of a CD track of a
digital recording of a wax cylinder
recording of me singing live and processing
my vocals
through a laptop and a PA. Check out the noise made by that
rotating cylinder.
What is the Past?
_____________________________________
A reminder: you can still listen to and/or purchase the limited-
edition
3Pin compiliation CD, "Electricity Is Your Friend,"
from the 3Pin web site:
. Go ahead - expand your horizons and
clean
out your ears.
_____________________________________back to top
July, 2006:
Happy anniversary! It's been almost a year since I
sent one of these... chatty little thing, aren’t I? I'm
in grad school right now, learning how to write papers
summarizing Big Thoughts (so you'd think writing a
summarizing email would be second nature by now,
wouldn't you? Yeah, me too... sad how that works out.)
But I am still working on music, so herewith, the news...
_____________________________________
Electricity Is Your Friend
3 Pin Recordings has just released “Electricity Is
Your Friend,” a multimedia compilation featuring
an exclusive track of mine, “Leaving the Land of
Before.” Here is an excerpt of their official announcement:
Electricity is Your Friend is comprised of 16
tracks of musical pleasure and 4 of visual
entertainment in the shape of videos and short
films (accessible on the CD Rom part of the disc.)
It features the cream of the international
experimental and underground music scene,
crossing all genres, but more often than not
defying genre altogether.
The release is strictly limited to 300 copies,
with a full-colour 16 page booklet. The CD is
housed in a trigger case and comes in an
exquisite printed cloth bag that is hand
stitched by 3pin elves who have been whipped
into shape with polystyrene.
A couple of notes: they’re not kidding about “genre-
defying:. This is one of my favorite sorts of compilations:
stylistically it’s all over the map, a real ear-cleaning,
mind-expanding, eye-opening sort of CD. And the
packaging IS exquisite. Check out the 3-Pin website
for sound clips, additional information and other releases:
_____________________________________
Music For Films
Some of my music was featured in Euthyphro’s Dilemma,
a riveting feature-length psychological thriller by Jeff
Knight’s Knight Owl Entertainment, which has been
picked up for worldwide distribution by Imaginites.
The amazing thing is that he made this engrossing,
professional film with absolutely no budget to speak of,
and based on how well it turned out, he's in negotiations
with Big Financial People for some new big budget projects.
You can see film clips and find out more at
www.knightowlentertainment.com
_____________________________________
Stuff I’m Not Supposed to be Talking About Yet
Jeff Sampson is the vocal genius behind Akrude,
Embracing The Glass, SanRenSei, Woosh and
Tsuru as well as his own solo work.
He and I have collaborated on a 3-song EP.
It’s comprised entirely of vocals.
We’re in talks with a high-profile boutique label to release it.
And that’s all I’m going to say about it right now.
_____________________________________
Oops - I THOUGHT it was quiet around here
As embarrassing at it might be, I must own up
to the fact that in an anti-spam frenzy I accidentally
broke my website contact form for a few months.
If you wrote to me and didn't hear back, it wasn't
because I don't like you, just that sometimes I’m
completely clueless - please resend your missive.
October 2005
Groove Xchange
Sunday, November 6, 2005
Schenectady Museum
15 Nott Terrace Heights
Schenectady, NY
518-382-7890
www.SchenectadyMuseum.org
Suzanne Thorpe has tempted me out of temporary retirement with the
promise of recording my music on wax cylinder, a technology I haven't
seen since I was a child.
I will be participating in Groove Xchange, the first in a series of
related projects under the umbrella of the Edison Media Project,
which celebrates the creativity and innovation of the region, from
Thomas Edison to today's scholars and inventors. If you've never
heard a wax cylinder recording, come on out and coo at the technology.
Schedule:
12:45-1:15 The League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots' GuitarBots
perform; recorded on wax cylinder by Peter Dilg
12:45-3:00 Drop-in, hands-on activities for families
1:15-1:45 Collecting Sound: a lecture by Joseph and Raeann Rieping
1:30-3:15 Sara Ayers performs and the community gets vocal; recorded
on wax cylinder by Peter Dilg
3:45-4:30 Bob Gluck performs on electronically expanded instruments;
recorded on wax cylinder by Peter Dilg
_____________________________________ back to top
July 2005
There are a million stories, and just one.
I'm very pleased to announce the release of my new CD, A Million Stories.
It's 38 minutes of everchanging dark and bright voicescapes. Hear for
yourself: a new download of an excerpt entitled "Cumber" is available
on my download page.
(More downloads are on the way.)
_____________________________________
Sylvatica is back in stock. It's now being offered as a regularly manufactured
CD with a handmade, limited-edition cover, still only $10.00
_____________________________________
Also, some of my photographs are part of a gallery show next month:
Reno Brothers: New Works
Sara Ayers Dennis Herbert
Michael Eck G. C. Haymes
August 3-20, 2005
Reception: Thursday August 4, 4-8 pm
Firlefanz Gallery
292 Lark St., Albany, NY 12201
518.465.5035
www.firlefanzgallery.com
Hours: Noon - 6 pm Wed-Sat
Take a look at some photos of works from the show.
_____________________________________ back to top
May, 2005
A Million Stories:
My new CD, A Million Stories, is almost finished
(big exhalation of breath); I just have to finish the
CD cover art. I'm planning a June release.
It's a cross between Are You Coming Home
(from Sylvatica) and Interiors (the title track of
Interiors) -- a 38 minutes sound collage alternating
between despair and exhilaration. This one's more
on the experimental side, and not so pretty as some
of my earlier works. Or you could think of it as a
greatest hits package, with all the self-sampling I did.
If you'd like to hear a preview, you can download
"Induration" from my download page:
www saraayers.com/listen.htm. More details
(and downloads) as the release date approaches.
_____________________________________
And Sample This:
A sample from Everyday We Die A Little (Voices
CD) appears on the new Chemical Brothers' album,
Push The Button.
A small segment of Soundtrack to Angel #3
(Sylvatica CD) was used on VH1's Behind The
Music - Britney Spears (yeah, it seems a little
surreal to me, too).
_____________________________________ back to top
November, 2004
Live Performance:
Loop Sanctuary: Recurring Dreams
An evening of ambient and electronic music featuring
Sara Ayers (www.saraayers.com)
Embracing The Glass (www.burningshirt.com)
and Twisted Pair (www.twistedpairvisuals.com)
with stunning, trippy visuals by Twisted Pair
Saturday, November 20
8:30 pm / Free / All Ages
The Chapel and Cultural Center at Rensselaer
(www.rpi.edu/web/C+CC/ccc/ccc.html)
2125 Burdett Avenue
Troy, NY 12180
(518) 274-7793
This is also the closing reception for the
Loop Santuary art show, which includes dreamlike,
hallucinatory and surreal works by Robert Gullie,
Dana Rudolph and Sergio Sericolo.
_________________________________________
Angel #3, (www.gchaymes.com/angel3.php)
a sculpture by G. C. Haymes that I created
the sound for (an excerpt is on Sylvatica)
will be on display for one night only:z
The River Street Art Show
444 River Street, Troy, New York
5-11 pm Friday, November 12
ONE NIGHT ONLY more than 40 artists
__________________________________________
I'm a little thin on news about me right now, but
I will mention my new favorite CD: Messiah Remix
This is so absolutely, honking fabulous - if you
like adventurous music, (and if Handel doesn't
make you run, screaming, for the hills) you'll love
this: Phil Kline, Scanner, Evee Beglarian and
others do deconstructive remixes of Handel's Messiah.
Occasionally a "hallelujah" pops out, but mostly
it's exquisite orchestral, vocal and bell textures,
sometimes rhythmic, sometimes glitchy, sometimes
rapping, sometimes ambient. (www.cantaloupemusic.com)
_____________________________________ back to top
September, 2004
Sorry to inundate your mailbox with extra copies
of this newsletter last time -- it had been so
long since I sent one out that I forgot how to do
it. (Hmmm, am I really that pathetic?)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Performances:
Larkfest
Saturday, September 18
12:50 - 1:20 in the Multimedia Tent
Lark Street between Madison &
Washington Avenues, Albany, New York
Free / All Ages
http://www.larkstreet.org/festivals.php#Larkfest
I'll be performing solo with projected video.
Ambient Night at the Chapel
Saturday, November 20, 8:30 pm
The Chapel and Cultural Center at Rensselaer
2125 Burdett Ave. Troy, NY
Free / All Ages
http://www.rpi.edu/web/C+CC/ccc/ccc.html
Performing solo and together:
Sara Ayers
Twisted Pair
Embracing The Glass (from Worcester, MA)
with stunning, trippy visuals by Twisted Pair.
This is the closing reception and concert for the
second Loop Sanctuary art show, featuring new
hallucinatory, dreamlike and surreal artwork by
Robert Gullie, Sergio Sericolo and Dana Rudolph.
The exhibit runs from Sept. 22 - Nov. 22 with an
artists' reception on Sept. 22 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
Stop by if you can -- I'm curating it and the work is
jaw-dropping good.
------------------------------------------------------------------
• PiNG AMBiENCE Volume 2
As I mentioned last time, a new work of mine,
“I Sewed The Feathers To My Arms,” is included
on the newly released Ping Ambience Vol II.
This is the second in an ongoing series of
compilations of music from Toronto's AMBiENT PiNG
performing artists. Available online at
http://www.pingthings.com.
It's a great mix of adventurous music at a very
reasonable price, including music by: dreamSTATE
+ Susanna Hood, Alpha Wave Movement, Sylken,
Paul Royes, Anomalous Disturbances, earotica,
Solipsystem, karmafarm, Aidan Baker, Styrohead,
URM, James Johnson and me.
_____________________________________ back to top
June, 2004
I know, I know ... you think I fell off the
edge of the world. Actually, this is an
interesting place to be ... the sea monsters
are pretty cool.
I have been quietly (and not so quietly) working
on new music, art and video, but I'm going to
take a break from all that and do a short live
performance as part of a very impressive lineup
of musicians. Here's a copy of the original
press release:
_______________________________________________
Re:Soundings presents The DownTown Ensemble Upstate
There will be a potluck concert and dinner at
the old Catholic church on 12 Emily Street in
Valley Falls, NY on Saturday, June 26 at 4 pm,
free and open to the public. Come and sample
some music or just some food, or both (bring
your own plate and utensils, please).
Featured composers will be:
Sara Ayers <http://www.saraayers.com/>
Monique Buzzarte <http://www.buzzarte.org/>
Daniel Goode <http://www.soundart.org/dnlgoode.html>
Richard Lainhart <http://www.otownmedia.com/he.html>
Mary Jane Leach <http://www.mjleach.com>
The DownTown Ensemble <http://www.soundart.org/dte.html>
This concert will inaugurate the old Catholic church
in Valley Falls as a performance space run by
Re:Soundings and Mary Jane Leach. Ms. Leach has
been a member of The DownTown Ensemble for many
years. The Ensemble has performed a wide variety
of contemporary music, from Robert Ashley to
Peter Zummo, and all of the other letters and
styles in between. This concert will feature
purely acoustic work such as Daniel Goode's
"Petra's Thrush" for clarinet and organ to a
piece for piano and twelve ebows (!!!!) by
Richard Lainhart to work for processed trombone
by Monique Buzzarte.
Valley Falls is about thirty minutes NNE of
Albany, about thirty minutes west of Bennington,
and about thirty minutes SSE of Saratoga. So,
if you're in the area, or decide to take a nice
day trip, please come hear some music and have
some good food and conversation afterwards.
For information please email <info at mjleach.com>
__________________________________________________
A summary of other news:
I'm planning more live performances for the Fall.
A new work of mine, "I Sewed The Feathers To My Arms,"
appears on the newly released Ping Ambience Vol II.
(www.theambientping.com)
More about these in the next newsletter.
_____________________________________ back to top
August, 2003
* UPCOMING SHOWS:
Friday, August 22, 2003
Live solo performance
at The North Pointe Cultural Arts Center,
Kinderhook, New York (518) 758-9234
8:00 pm / all ages (it's a coffeehouse) / $10.00
Unfortunately, Twisted Pair has had to cancel this date,
but you'll get to see our cool slideshow instead.
Wednesday, September 3 - Saturday, October 11
Reno Brothers Group Show (Once a band, now an art collective)
Michael Eck / Dennis Herbert / G. C. Haymes / Sara Ayers
curated by Dana Rudolph
Fulton Street Gallery
408 Fulton St., Troy, NY
(518) 274-8464
Hours: Wed-Sat noon - 5pm, Fri noon - 7pm
Reception: Fri, Sept 5, 5-8pm
I'll be debuting a new sound/video piece
as well as some photos and sculptures.
Click here to see some of the our work:
http://www.saraayers.com/renobros
Saturday, September 6, 6:30 PM
Sunday, September 7, 4:30 PM
Live solo performance at The Philadelphia Fringe Festival
The Festival Cabaret at the Hub
205 Race St, entrance on Florist Street under the bridge
Philadelphia, PA
$10.00
also appearing: Kaktus
Saturday, September 13
Ambitention
Live solo performance with Embracing The Glass
Ethereal ambient atmospheres -- guitars and vocal
loops -- that sometimes sound startlingly like my own)
We'll be performing separately and then play together
at the end of the night.
Worcester Artist Group, 38 Harlow Street, Worcester, MA
9:00 pm / All Ages / $5.00
------------------------------------------------------------
* THOUGHTS ON FILESHARING
I thought it might be time to weigh in with my thoughts on
filesharing, which is becoming a controversial issue these days.
I'm in favor of filesharing -- I think of it as the new radio.
It's a way for people to discover new artists and musicial genres,
outside of the iron promotional grip of the major labels.
I also believe the RIAA is making a fatal mistake by suing music
fans who offer downloads from their shared folders -- the modern
day equivalent of taping a song off the radio. Their attitude is
both arrogant and shortsighted.
I support filesharing as a musician, because it allows people to
hear my music, find my website, and buy my CDs, which allows me
to make more music.
I support filesharing as a consumer, because it's allowed me
to find, sample and buy music by other obscure artists such as
Sussan Deyhim and Mary Jane Leach.
Anyway, let's be safe out there -- the Electronic Frontier
Foundation has an article, "How Not To Get Sued by the RIAA,"
that you might want to read:
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/howto-notgetsued.php
And if you're still using Kazaa, you might consider switching to
Kazaa lite, a hack of the original that offers a bit more privacy:
http://www.kazaalite.tk/
------------------------------------------------------------
* METROLAND AWARD: BEST ELECTRONICA
Thanks to all at Metroland (a local weekly newspaper)
for this award....
Metroland (July 17, 2003)
Best of the Capital Region, 2003
BEST ELECTRONICA: Sara Ayers
Live or in the studio, Sara Ayers continues to awe us with
her haunting blend of the organic and the electronic, the
pastoral and the powerful, the hypnotic and the exotic.
It's a rare artist who can evoke both pure Norwegian black
metal and ambient Enya-tinged pop, sometimes in the same
album. Or song. Or second. (www.metroland.net)
_____________________________________ back to top
June, 2003
My next live performance: Ambitention
Saturday, June 14, 2003
Ambitention
Live solo performance with Embracing The Glass
Ethereal ambient atmospheres (guitars and vocal
loops) that sometimes sound startlingly like my own.
We'll be performing separately and then play together
at the end of the night.
http://www.burningshirt.com/etg/etg.html
Worcester Artist Group, 38 Harlow Street, Worcester, MA
9:00 pm / All Ages / $5.00
(check http://www.saraayers.com/sched.php for other upcoming shows.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New download available: Nebula Drone Live Improvisation
Nebula Drone is Guido Kopp, Peter Schueller and Clive Eggington,
a trio of ambient musicians from Cologne, Germany. They recently
contacted me to ask permission to use some of my vocal samples
in a live show. You can hear some of the results here:
http://www.saraayers.com/listen.php
(under "Collaborations," near the bottom of the page.)
I can't tell you how strange it is to hear these familiar phrases in
such a different setting, but I like what they did very much.
I do hope they offer the full-length version to the public -- it's a great
listen, similar to Tangerine Dream, late Roxy Music and Philip Glass.
You can hear more of Nebula Drone on their web site:
http://www.nebuladrone.com
Thanks for listening....
|