interview: sinister luck ensemble

q: the music of anniversary crosses a large variety of music landscapes that in some ways can remind the folk music as well as the chamber music. what about the musical idea that pervades the sinister luck ensemble project?

a: imagine the compositions are cranked out of an old creaky music box, like a lullaby rustling around in the corner of your memories that have twisted into something more surreal or hallucinatory. some of the tunes are slightly more ominous, others more ethereal. i always consider the melodies to be pretty simple, like a little folk song or campfire tune, but they seem to stretch out because of the improvisation and orchestration and the different lines start to weave around each other. every melody and counter melody is scored, but the improvisation lends a more sprawling sound. though the music draws from chamber music, folk, indie rock, and jazz/improv, i don't consciously think of those genres. i use whatever seems appropriate to help tell the story or cinematic aspects of the song. i guess i think of the record as a cinematic songbook, with an improvised, crumbly rhythm section, and a more orchestrated, chamber-like melodies floating above. my favorite complement is when someone will come up to me the day after the show and say " i can't get that melody out of my head".

q: the track named "cakewalk" is an excellent soundtrack for the short film directed by jeff economy included on the cd. but the whole music of "anniversary" can be described as very evocative cinematic music. if "anniversary" would be an original soundtrack for a movie, what movie could be?

a: wow, that's a tough question. i can't say that "anniversary" is based on any specific film that the story is based on, except for some recent events in my life. i guess the way i compose is after i have the root of a textural, melodic or harmonic idea, i start noticing something visual or thematic that draws from my own experiences. from there, i arrange the composition with those images in my head. "cakewalk" actually started out as an acoustic guitar piece, that vaguely resembled a wedding waltz, but the tonality had a sad, resigned feel, as if you were looking backwards on a wedding twenty years ago that had tarnished over the years. that imagery helped me finish the other sections and determined the spacious arrangements and lazy feel.

i definitely do have some favorite soundtracks. some of my favorite director/composer collaborations, that i keep comimg back to for inspiration, include:
1. ry cooder - "paris, texas" (directed by wim wenders)
2. bernard herrman - "vertigo", "north by northwest" (directed by alfred hitchcock)
3. ornette coleman - "naked lunch" (directed by david cronenberg)
4. ennio morricone - "once upon a time in the west", "fistful of dollars" (directed by sergio leone)
5. tom waits - "night on earth" (directed by wim winders)
6. neil young - "dead man" (directed by jim jarmusch)
7. angelo badalamenti - "city of lost children" (directed by jeunot and caro), and any david lynch film
8. carter burwell - "fargo" (directed by joel and ethan cohen), "being john malkovich" (directed by spike jonze)
9. miles davis - "ascenseur pour l'echafaud" (directed by louis malle)

q: you performed with pinetop seven and boxhead ensemble, and in "anniversary" we can notice the collaboration of great musicians like glenn kotche, rob mazurek, ken vandermark. do you think it's possible to talk about a "new american classic scene"? considering the large amount of collaborations and side-projects recently released, could we describe this chicago musical scene as a "great family"?

i'm not sure about a new american classic scene, but the chicago scene has always had the family feel. the music scene in chicago is unique in that musicians playing in improvised music, rock, jazz, etc. all work with each other. my friends and i often work in several different genres within the same week. glenn, rob ,ken and andrew bird (andrew bird's bowl of fire) are all busy with a million projects, but they were incredibly generous with their time and fantastic to work with. i think people in chicago are receptive to new musical ideas and really embrace artists starting new things.

q: what about your roots and influences as a musician? in the compositions featured on the album i felt three different "souls": a traditional american background, a european feeling and also a south-american mood (that in some moments reminds to tango, or bossanova).

i started out really young playing classical violin, and later alto sax in junior high. i think my real interest in music happened when i started playing guitar. i had a music theory class in junior high, and from that class i taught myself to play. though i was really interested in rock and pop as a kid, i was really glad i had all that jazz and classical background later when i started to compose. in terms of composers, i've always been influenced by the ennio morricone, bernard herrmann, and nino rota, the big film composers. i also really like astor piazolla, ornette coleman, and thelonious monk, and once in a while, some of the string quartets of beethoven and bartok. i still put on the eno "apollo" record with all the pedal steel, the miles records with the gil evans arrangments, and i just got the john fahey box set, "return of the repressed", which is fantastic. in terms of modern rock, i love the new lambchop, califone, souled american, dirty three, and what low is doing. i was on a tour supporting calexico, and they really have their act together.

q: can you anticipate me something about your next music projects and collaborations?

well, as we speak i'm writing from london where i'm completing a soundtrack for my friend laura heit, a chicago based animator at the royal collage of art. the film is called "collapse", and you may see it soon in u.s. or european festivals, but it will eventually be released on the next sinister luck record or on a perishable video compilation. kent kessler (vandermark 5) and andrew bird are among the performers on the composition. laura and i have worked together several times on theatre, puppetry, and live accompaniment to movies , but this is the first time we were able to animate/score together on to a final movie together. her animation is just beautiful and breathtaking, and our collaboration is so natural because our aesthetic sensibilities our so similar. last week i was touring in england and wales with my friend deanna varagona, who plays in lambchop, who's promoting her new ep. last month, i finished a series of commissioned works for chicago filmmakers with filmmakers jeff economy, carolyn faber, paula froehle, and daniele wilmouth. they each worked with me on three new 15-minute films. it was quite a lot of work, but it was immense fun. in april, i'll be accompanying a series of short films with bassist tatsu aoki for the chicago asian american film showcase (www.faaim.org.) i'll also be doing another film program for the university of chicago's doc film center. we've also got a new sle record in the works, and i'm putting together a new rock record.

q: could we have a chance to listen at your music in a tour (maybe a theatre tour...) in europe?

we'd like to come to europe as soon as we can! i'm trying to look at the logistics now. we'd love to come to italy.