{"id":28449,"date":"2018-05-08T07:29:57","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T11:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28449"},"modified":"2018-05-08T07:30:03","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T11:30:03","slug":"on-stage-with-nik-bartsch-less-can-be-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28449","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: With Nik B\u00e4rtsch, less can be more"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nik B\u00e4rtsch and Ronin<\/p><\/div>\n

An often-heard phrase makes the claim that \u201cless is more.\u201d Sometimes, it makes sense — other times not.<\/p>\n

The phrase definitely makes sense when it\u2019s used in reference to the music made by Nik B\u00e4rtsch.<\/p>\n

The music composed and performed by B\u00e4rtsch with his various ensembles is minimalistic — and full — at the same time.<\/p>\n

B\u00e4rtsch, a pianist, composer and producer who was born and still resides in Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland, began studying piano and percussion when he was just eight years old.<\/p>\n

After attending high school at Musikhochschule Z\u00fcrich, B\u00e4rtsch studied philosophy, linguistics and musicology at the University of Z\u00fcrich.<\/p>\n

His rich musical resume includes ongoing work on his Ritual Groove Music as pianist and composer and leading both the ensemble Mobile and the zen-funk quartet Ronin.<\/p>\n

B\u00e4rtsch is an instructor for \u201cPractical Aesthetics\u201d at the Musikhochschule Z\u00fcrich\/Winterthur, co-founder of the music room Club EXIL<\/a> in Z\u00fcrich and founder of the label Ronin Rhythm Records, a platform for creative groove music. One of his main interests is the influence and the combination of music and movement, especially in the following body techniques — Aikido<\/a>, Feldenkrais<\/a>, and Gyrotonic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On May 8, B\u00e4rtsch will bring his group Ronin to Philly to perform at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>). Ronin is turning in support of its new album \u201cAwase,\u201d which was recently released on ECM Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a kid, I had a fascination with rhythm,\u201d said B\u00e4rtsch, during a trans-Atlantic phone interview last week from his home in Z\u00fcrich.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked to drum on things, I told my mother I would like to play drums. It was hard to get it at school because they said drums were not an instrument for kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I saw a young guy playing piano \u2013 playing boogie-woogie music on piano. That\u2019s what I wanted to do. At that time, there were no jazz teachers at my school, so my mother got another private teacher for me. I stayed on drums but piano became my main instrument. I decided to focus on piano in a classical context.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also learned about singing \u2013 learning from the use of voice to work in movement with brass. I never sang in public but singing influenced me in phrasing \u2013 and moving my body while playing instruments. I learned more about body movement from Akido. Movement became very essential. I played the way singers moved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I finished at the University of Z\u00fcrich with a piano diploma, I had to learn to find my own way. At the university, I also studied philosophy and linguistics. I was always interested in improvisation \u2013 people like Gershwin \u2013 and then the minimalists. I played minimalistic music but missed the larger sound. I tried more and more to combine that.\u201d<\/p>\n

B\u00e4rtsch began work in three distinct formations. The group Mobile <\/a>plays purely acoustic music, performed in rituals of up to 36 hours, including light and room design. The Zen-funk quartet Ronin<\/a>, by contrast, is more flexible and plays the compositions more freely. As a solo performer, B\u00e4rtsch performs his compositions on prepared piano with percussion.<\/p>\n

According to B\u00e4rtsch, \u201c\u2018Ritual Groove Music,\u2019 which is the title of my first CD<\/a>, also points to the fundamental concept of my musical thinking. The music shows a close affinity to architecturally organized space and is governed by the principles of repetition and reduction as well as by interlocking rhythms.<\/p>\n

\u201cA piece of music can be entered, inhabited like a room. It moves forward and transforms through obsessive circular movements, superimposition of different meters and micro-interplay. The listeners attention is directed toward minimal variations and phrasing. The band becomes an integral organism — like an animal, a habitat, an urban space. One must think with ears and hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the tightly organized compositional construction, improvisation plays an important role in our music. On the one hand, accentuation, ghost notes, and variations within a composition are tossed back and forth between the musicians. On the other hand, a particular voice within a composition might have more freedom than the others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn doing so, that voice forms an independent module that can interact with the strictly notated interlocking patterns in continuously changing ways. Groove-habitats or void musical space of raw poetry emerge.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thinking and music are based on the tradition of urban space. They are not distilled from a national or stylistic tradition but from the universal sound of cities. The city in its roaring diversity requires an ability to focus and concentrate on the essential — to measure one\u2019s actions, to remain silent at the right place. This music draws its energy from the tension between compositional precision and the self-circumvention of improvisation. From self-implied restriction stems freedom. Ecstasy through asceticism.\u201d<\/p>\n

B\u00e4rtsch\u2019s \u201cweltanschauung\u201d (German for \u201cview on life\u201d) is apparent on his new album \u201cAwase.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAwase\u201d, a term from martial arts, means \u201cmoving together\u201d in the sense of matching energies. It is a fitting metaphor for the dynamic precision, tessellated grooves and balletic minimalism of B\u00e4rtsch\u2019s Ronin. B\u00e4rtsch speaks of a new-found freedom and flexibility in the approach to the material, with \u201cgreater transparency, more interaction, more joy in every performance\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Awase\u2019 in October at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in October 2017 and it was produced by Manfred Eicher,\u201d said B\u00e4rtsch. \u201cIt\u2019s the same studio as other Ronin albums. We really took our time. We found a direct, immediate flow in the studio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronin\u2019s music consistently follows the same aesthetic vision under various instrumental guises — creating the maximum effect by minimal means.<\/p>\n

Despite the wide variety in the band\u2019s influences, Ronin\u2019s music always possesses a strong individuality. The talented musicians incorporate elements of disparate musical worlds \u2013 including funk, new classical music and sounds from Japanese ritual music \u2013 and meld them into a coherent new style.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big challenge,\u201d said B\u00e4rtsch. \u201cBut, we are happy when the music slowly seduces you. The whole process was quite long. Some pieces are from five years ago. Every Monday, we play live at my Club EXIL in Z\u00fcrich when we\u2019re not out on tour. We check out new pieces there first. In the end, we get results that are complex but not complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

B\u00e4rtsch will conclude his stateside tour on May 10 in Chicago. Then, he will return to Switzerland in time to see his favorite football (soccer) team F.C. Z\u00fcrich (hopefully) defeat Young Boys in the championship final of the Swiss Cup on May 27 at Letzigrund Stadion in Z\u00fcrich.<\/p>\n

Video link for Nik B\u00e4rtsch\u2019s Ronin — https:\/\/youtu.be\/hjtPj8F-SKM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $27.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Varsity<\/p><\/div>\n

Another interesting show in Philadelphia on May 8 will take place at PhilaMOCA (531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-9651, www.philamoca.org<\/a>) when the garage-pop band Varsity headlines a show at the Center City venue.<\/p>\n

Varsity — Stephanie Smith, Lead Vocals, Synth; Dylan Weschler, Guitar, Backing Vocals; Patrick Stanton, Guitar; Paul Stolz, Bass Guitar; Jake Stolz, Drums \u2013 is a promising young indie band from Chicago. The group is touring in support of its new album \u201cParallel Person,\u201d which was just released on April 27 via Babe City Records.<\/p>\n

Varsity formed in 2013 when several Chicago musicians gathered for a \u201csalon night\u201d party where friends shared stories and songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in 2013, Dylan and I were playing together,\u201d said Stanton, during a phone interview Monday morning from a tour stop in New York City. \u201cWe were covering songs by other artists. Our friend Steph hosted a party for friends to play music or do poetry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith liked the sound of the two guitarists\/friends and invited them to perform with her. The trio soon became a quintet — adding brothers Jake Stolz on drums and Paul Stolz on bass. A short while later, the band began playing shows around Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first show as Varsity was at a friend\u2019s party on fall of 2013,\u201d said Stanton. \u201cOur first paid gig came about a month later at Quencher\u2019s \u2013 a club in Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Varsity released a song on its Bandcamp page in 2013 titled \u201cTurns Out,\u201d with a B-side titled \u201cDowntown.\u201d In April 2014, the band self-released its first EP, \u201cThanks for Nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded our first EP in the basement of Steph\u2019s parents\u2019 home,\u201d said Stanton.\u00a0\u201cIt took us four days to make it. Between then and the release of the new album, we had this idea to release digital singles and we did that over the course of as year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The singles, all self-released, were \u201cSmash\/Still Apart\u201d (2016), \u201cEye to Eye\/Kelly\u201d (2016), and \u201cCult of Personality\/So Sad, So Sad\u201d (2015).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded six tracks that we released two at a time,\u201d said Stanton. \u201cThat helped us hone our craft. We\u2019d put the single up and get immediate feedback. The whole process was very beneficial.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Parallel Person\u2019 with producer Dave Vettrain last June in Chicago. We spent eight days tracking at Mimball Studio and then spent a month mixing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur sound has evolved over the years. We\u2019ve gotten a lot better about being concise with our ideas. We don\u2019t meander as much as we used to. And, we\u2019re playing better with each other \u2013 playing good poppy melodies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live show, we\u2019re playing a lot of the new songs. And, we definitely have a few old staples and singles in our set. But, we\u2019re focusing on the new album with seven or eight of the songs in the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Varsity — https:\/\/youtu.be\/zf0biqPdkHY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at PhilaMOCA on May 8, which also feature Boose Gumps and Jelani Sei, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Taylor Phelan<\/p><\/div>\n

Taylor Phelan, a Texas-born singer\/songwriter\/guitarist, has performed in Philadelphia twice in recent years this decade \u2013 once with his former band and, more recently, as a solo act.<\/p>\n

Now, Phelan and his two touring sidemen are returning to the area to perform a show on May 9 at MilkBoy Philadelphia (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I played Philadelphia was with my old band The Canes,\u201d said Phelan, during a phone interview Monday afternoon as he travelled from a date in Nashville to a gig in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe played a house party at Temple University. Then, I came back after the Canes disbanded and did a show on my own at Kung Fu Necktie.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Phelan takes the stage at MilkBoy Philly, he will be joined by keyboardist Conner Giles and drummer Jake Gillespie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to travel with a five-piece band,\u201d said Phelan \u201cI scaled it down to touring with just two other guys. It\u2019s really streamlined the sound without losing any of the power.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started back from Square One. We re-routed everything digitally \u2013 including re-routing our board. Conner had to learn all new synth parts. I had to learn all the lead guitar parts. With a five-piece, we had a lead guitarist and I played rhythm guitar and sang. Now, I\u2019m doing vocals and playing the only guitar in the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur drummer was the only one who got off easy. We run the entire show off Ableton. With the digital set-up, it\u2019s a lot different. We used to use standard amplifiers. Now, I\u2019m running my analog pedals into digital amps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be misled. Phelan\u2019s music is still the work of a no-frills, genuine and sincere songwriter, singer and indie-rock artist.<\/p>\n

Phelan was raised within a musical family in his home state of Texas and began to play guitar and write his own songs at 16. He started his professional career as the founder and front man for the Chicago-based alternative band, The Canes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a band in high school but never did any recording,\u201d said Phelan. \u201cAfter I graduated high school, I didn\u2019t know what I was going to do with my life. I didn\u2019t want to go to college just to go to college. So, I entertained the idea of doing music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a call from a guy at a church just outside Chicago who wanted me to do music at his church. I visited and liked him. I was 19 and thought \u2013 it\u2019s a free move to another city, why not?<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I moved to Chicago, I started writing a lot more. I learned that I had seasonal depression. Coming from Dallas, I wasn\u2019t used to long, grey, cold winter weather. So, I started creating more than I ever had. I assembled a group of guys and formed The Canes. That lasted about two-and-a-half years and then we disbanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had gotten married in Chicago and we moved back to Texas to be closer to family. I was working in the Dallas area as a graphic designer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phelan\u2019s desire to continue in music didn\u2019t rise to the surface \u2013 but it didn\u2019t disappear either. With the support of his wife to \u201cget back into music,\u201d Phelan reluctantly auditioned for season 7 of NBC\u2019s \u201cThe Voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Phelan, \u201cI really didn\u2019t expect it to go anywhere. We\u2019ve all watched these shows and we all know it’s a long shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

His \u201cBlind Audition<\/a>\u201d was arguably the most impactful performance of the season and one of the most watched, with nearly 6.5 million views on YouTube alone. All four coaches including Blake Shelton<\/a>,Pharrell Williams<\/a>, Gwen Stefani<\/a> and Adam Levine<\/a> turned their chairs in hopes Phelan would pick his\/her team for musical guidance.<\/p>\n

Phelan chose Pharrell Williams as his mentor. Over the next couple of rounds, Phelan continued to impress the panel of superstar coaches. Gwen Stefani praised Phelan, stating that watching him perform was like \u201cwatching a peer.\u201d When Phelan lost to Luke Wade in the \u201cKnockout\u201d round, all of the celebrity coaches were once again fighting for him to join their team.<\/p>\n

This time, Phelan made the more obvious choice and picked fellow band-guy, Adam Levine. Although it seemed he had a very promising future with Team Adam, Phelan\u2019s journey on the show came to a shocking end when he was eliminated after his Top 20 live performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing on \u2018The Voice\u2019 was a great experience,\u201d said Phelan. \u201cI have only positive things to say about the show and my experience. I learned a lot about the music business. And, I had a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phelan now is pursuing a solo career but not pursuing the release of an album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just released a new single called \u2018Long Way Down\u2019 a few weeks ago,\u201d said Phelan. \u201cI also have a two-part release of seven-song EPs. In August, I released \u20181 of 2\u2019 and the second part — \u20182 of 2\u2019 — is coming out next month. I recorded all the songs at one time. Then, I went back and recorded a couple singles that I\u2019ve been releasing every six or seven weeks. I\u2019m happy dong it this way. I don\u2019t have any plans to make an album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Taylor Phelan \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Vpi5Gdmr1Mo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at MilkBoy Philly, which has Mike Mains as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Trampled By Turtles<\/p><\/div>\n

Fans of the Minnesota band Trampled By Turtles breathed a collective sigh of relief earlier this year when the announcement was made that the band would have a new album out in May and a national tour this spring.<\/p>\n

The band had released eight albums from 2004 through 2014 \u2013 and then announced that it was going on a hiatus.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing on hiatus\u201d and \u201cdisbanding\u201d do not have the same meaning. But, when it comes to rock bands, they frequently do mean the same thing.<\/p>\n

On May 4, the celebrated sextet from Minnesota \u2013 Dave Simonett \u2013 guitar, lead vocals, harmonica; Tim Saxhaug \u2013 bass, backing vocals; Dave Carroll \u2013 banjo, backing vocals; Erik Berry \u2013 mandolin, backing vocals; Ryan Young \u2013 fiddle, backing vocals; Eamonn McLain \u2013 cello, backing vocals — released its long-awaited new album \u201cLife Is Good On The Open Road.<\/p>\n

After a long break, the group returned with its first new album in four years with 12 new songs that feature Trampled By Turtles\u2019 signature blend of rock, folk, punk, country and their brand of progressive bluegrass.<\/p>\n

Now, Trampled By Turtles is touring in support of the new disc with a local show on May 9 at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re doing the first two shows of the tour here in Minnesota and then we head out,\u201d said Simonett, during a phone interview Wednesday from his home outside Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a surprise show in Duluth a few nights ago. We used it as a warm-up for the tour. We really hadn\u2019t played together since we were in the studio making the album. And, we hadn\u2019t played the new songs together on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were on hiatus all of last year and the fall of 2016. We needed a break after 13 years of touring full-time. We had been so busy for so long. Everybody got along. There were no hard feelings. But, we needed the break. It ended up being a healthy time with the band on the shelf for a while. It gave me time to do a musical project I had been wanting to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who’d ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn’t rely on amplification.<\/p>\n

Simonett hadn’t played any bluegrass music before, and he filled his lineup with other newcomers to the genre, including fiddler Ryan Young (who’d previously played drums in a speed metal act) and bassist Tim Saxhaug. Along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll, the group began carving out a fast, frenetic sound that was as much to rock-and-roll as it was bluegrass.
\nTrampled by Turtles released their first record, \u201cSongs from a Ghost Town,\u201d in 2004. In a genre steeped in tradition, the album stood out for its contemporary sound, essentially bridging the gap between the bandmates’ background in rock music and their new acoustic leanings. \u201cBlue Sky and the Devil\u201d (2005) and \u201cTrouble\u201d (2007) explored a similar sound, but it wasn’t until 2008 and the band’s fourth release, \u201cDuluth,\u201d that Trampled by Turtles received recognition by the bluegrass community.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuluth\u201d peaked at Number Eight on the Billboard bluegrass chart. Subsequent album releases \u2013 \u201cStars and Satellites\u201d and \u201cWild Animals\u201d \u2013 solidified the sextet\u2019s crossover appeal. After two years of touring in support of \u201cWild Animals,\u201d the band members welcomed a life away from the group.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for the band and its fans, the break wasn\u2019t permanent. After a while, the planets aligned for a reunion \u2013 or, more correctly, a re-start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was starting to write again and thinking about what to do with the songs,\u201d said Simonett. \u201cIt seemed right to have the band try them out. There are six of us and we were all ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was real casual. We got together in a cabin in the woods in northern Minnesota to hang out and play songs. It was musical. And, it was great to get in the same room together. We realized that one-and-a-half years felt like five years. It was the longest time I\u2019d been home in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The engine had been jump-started and Trampled By Turtles was ready to start motoring down the highway again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cut the new album back in December at Pachyderm in Cannon Falls, which is about 40 miles southwest of Minneapolis,\u201d said Simonett. \u201cIt\u2019s a house and studio in the woods with a trout stream right there. It\u2019s a great studio. The distance from home allowed us to avoid distractions. Even our cell phones didn\u2019t work there. We were removed from society.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a great vibe. It was the first time we had a real vision coming into the studio. We set up in the studio and played live. There are only a few overdubs on the album. The main thing we anted to do was capture the energy of us playing live rather than to be seeking perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Trampled by Turtles \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/WMrpmyFuDS8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which has Hiss Golden Messenger as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times An often-heard phrase makes the claim that \u201cless is more.\u201d Sometimes, it makes sense — other times not. The phrase definitely makes sense when it\u2019s used in reference to the music made by Nik B\u00e4rtsch. The music composed and performed by B\u00e4rtsch with his various ensembles is minimalistic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[6518,10236,10238,10239,10237],"class_list":["post-28449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-nik-bartsch","tag-taylor-phelan","tag-trampled-by-turtles","tag-varsity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28449"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28450,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28449\/revisions\/28450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}