Robert Rich Tour Blog

doombient · June 20, 2010, 03:22:51 AM

Quote from: vidnaObmana on June 11, 2010, 03:54:26 AM

I too in my vidna years, along with Steve, worked (when computers were still too unreliable to use in live settings) with pre-recorded sources (on cd, using several cd players at once) which we then treated live through a maze of effects and processing devices. Rhythms were most of the time multi-track constructions and therefor impossible to reproduce live.
Even then you had to rely on your focus and instinct in the heat of the moment because a lot of things could go wrong.
It was still fascinating though to work with this kind of set-up as you could easily realize every time a different flow, structure and atmosphere. Live it was while you were able to reproduce your music world as closely as possible to the albums and the music you were known for.

I attended and enjoyed some of these shows back then, and I never thought this was just mimicking a concert, based on some pre-recorded stuff because there was a lot going on which was absolutely live and attention-grabbing.

Stephen

mgriffin · June 22, 2010, 11:04:39 AM

Anybody here attending the Portland show at Clinton Street Theater this coming Thursday?

mgriffin · June 24, 2010, 11:22:07 AM

No responses, but I just wanted to remind anyone in the Portland area who may be considering checking out Robert Rich... the show's tonight at Clinton Street Theater, door opens at 8, show starts at 9.

I just spoke to Robert and he indicated the posters say the show will start earlier than that, so it's possible he'll start playing early. Also the posters say the price is $15, and that's just the advance price. Tickets at the door will be $20. Come on out and support Robert if you can!

I know I'm looking forward to being there. Lena has a bad cold, but will come along if she can, and I think Dave Fulton will be there too. If anybody from here on the forum sees us, come up and say "hi."

Scott M2 · June 24, 2010, 11:57:17 AM

I had this impression there was quite a batch of ambienteers in Portland (and on this forum).

Anyway - everyone in the Toronto audience for the 1st show of the tour
seemed very happy with the performance. Some were ecstatic!
(and it was $25 at the door.)

mgriffin · June 24, 2010, 12:22:47 PM

There are quite a lot of ambient-folk here in Portland, and I expect to see some of them there. I know of at least one Hypnos artist who has to work tonight, and another who won't attend for health reasons. It's also possible Lena may not make it as she's fighting the same gruesome cold I'm just getting over.

lena · June 24, 2010, 03:42:31 PM

Nooooooooo, I'm going! I'm going!

(I don't care if I have to take the entire frakkin' package of Sudafed, I'm GOING!)

drone on · June 24, 2010, 07:13:10 PM

I like Vidna's comments about Diliberto, this is my assessment as well. Back in 1999 I wrote a "complaint letter" to Tower Pulse (Tower's free magazine) about Diliberto's reviews, wherein he had stopped reviewing space music and incessantly talked about/reviewed Lisa Gerrard. She's great, of course, but his review column was turning into the Lisa Gerrard shrine. Anyways, to me he was never what I would call a "hardcore" supporter of E-music and his reviews were always somewhat geared toward the "consumer" instead of the "fan." A much better music critic was Linda Kohanov, who used to write for Pulse. Her reviews usually got at the heart of the music in an intuitive way.

doombient · June 25, 2010, 01:54:19 AM

Quote from: drone on on June 24, 2010, 07:13:10 PM

A much better music critic was Linda Kohanov, who used to write for Pulse. Her reviews usually got at the heart of the music in an intuitive way.

I guess that´s why Steve married her :). On a more serious note, I´ve always had the impression that the whole Echoes thing was a bit elitist and snobbish, like a club you are allowed to join... or not. I´ve had enough of that sort of thing over here in Germany, no need for me to be bothered by something similar on the other side of the Big Pond.

At some point I stopped sending promos to Mr. D. as he wouldn´t care anyway.

Stephen

LNerell · June 25, 2010, 09:29:24 AM

If you haven't read the comments on John's blog take a look. I wrote that I noticed he is broadcasting Robert Rich's Echos session that he mentioned in his article. I then said perhaps in honor of this he should change the name of his show to "Echos Minus One." ;D

John wrote back saying he saw the irony and also mentioned he saw the thread going on here.

On a more positive note about Echo's if you get their podcast they just released a retrospective on Robert that is pretty good. Its a free download you can get it in the iTunes store, worth a listen.

mgriffin · June 25, 2010, 10:24:30 AM

I'm not going to go so far as to trash John Diliberto just because Echoes focuses on more melodic and "musical" material than most ambient. I mean, look at the emphasis on Enya, Dead Can Dance, R. Carlos Nakai, and Loreena McKennitt on his playlists over the years. Certainly more of that kind of material than the sounds we discuss here. It's a bit like being pissed off that American Idol doesn't have enough ambient music on it. It's a fairly different focus that only occasionally crosses over into ambient territory.

At times, Echoes has been quite supportive of artists like Robert Rich, Jeff Pearce, and a few others we'd claim as our own. On the other hand, when we mail a Hypnos promo CD to Echoes, or Hearts of Space radio for that matter, we realize that if it's not on the melodic, structured, "conventionally musical" side of things, it probably isn't going to get played.

We had a great time at Robert's show last night, by the way. I imagine Robert would have preferred a larger crowd, but it wasn't too small, and I had the sense everyone really enjoyed it. Robert's good about chatting with people before and after the show, and it seemed that a lot of people in the audience knew each other. I expected several individuals to be there who didn't or couldn't make it for one reason or another, but we saw Phil Derby (the Electroambient Space reviewer/blogger) and Howard Givens of Spotted Peccary, along with various other familiar faces. Lena overcame her cold and was able to come along, and really enjoyed it.

As to the big debate about prerecorded materials, Robert's performance came off about as I would have expected. Undeniably there are prerecorded elements, but to me it never felt like miming or karaoke. A sufficient amount of what the audience heard was performed live, and Robert always kept busy, not only playing various instruments but also tweaking the mix and his modular synth along the way. It helps that the lights and video display were interesting and complemented the music, and also that the sound quality of the performance was very good.

I would definitely recommend seeing Robert live to anybody who has a chance, on this tour's last stop in Seattle, or on subsequent tours.

mgriffin · June 25, 2010, 10:29:50 AM

Quote from: LNerell on June 25, 2010, 09:29:24 AM
If you haven't read the comments on John's blog take a look. I wrote that I noticed he is broadcasting Robert Rich's Echos session that he mentioned in his article. I then said perhaps in honor of this he should change the name of his show to "Echos Minus One." ;D

John wrote back saying he saw the irony and also mentioned he saw the thread going on here.

On a more positive note about Echo's if you get their podcast they just released a retrospective on Robert that is pretty good. Its a free download you can get it in the iTunes store, worth a listen.

I have no doubt John considers himself a supporter of Robert's music, even at the same time he's holding up Robert as an example of shortchanging the audience with karaoke style live performances. Echoes always seems to do Living Room Concerts with Robert, interview him, feature his music, and even did a "top recommended Robert Rich albums" thing on their blog -- no Hypnos RR releases on the list, though, so it was obviously misguided and ill-informed. ;)

lena · June 25, 2010, 11:01:24 AM

Loved, loved, LOVED the show! It was an amazing experience getting to watch a real pro at work, and Robert & his wife are SUCH nice people, I'm so thrilled I got to meet them! I was also really happy to see Phil there, and to meet Howard Givens! I took a few pics, (I'm no photographer, plus my camera isn't the latest & greatest in modern technology), but here they are, anyway!

And this one is my personal fave:

APK · June 25, 2010, 11:03:56 AM

Hey, in that last one he looks like he's just fallen asleep in front of his laptop ;)

lena · June 25, 2010, 11:42:52 AM

Ha ha! Nope, just heavily focused on that lap steel! ;D

Paul Vnuk (Ma Ja Le) · June 25, 2010, 08:02:33 PM

There is nothing I hate more than watching some musician sit in front of his lap-steel looking like he is checking his e-mail, its just plain...oh, wait a minute...

...never mind! ;D

judd stephens · June 25, 2010, 08:37:44 PM

;D

Robert informed me that he's often playing Tetris when we think he's checking his mail....which goes to show you, there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye, folks.

ffcal · June 25, 2010, 10:41:05 PM

Quote from: judd stephens on June 25, 2010, 08:37:44 PM
;D

Robert informed me that he's often playing Tetris when we think he's checking his mail....which goes to show you, there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye, folks.

And I thought Robert was just getting an update on World Cup scores...

Nice to hear the show went well.

Forrest

9dragons · June 26, 2010, 12:09:39 AM

I am looking forward extremely to Mr. Rich's performance here in Seattle...any other forumites showing up here?

doombient · June 26, 2010, 01:58:10 AM

Quote from: judd stephens on June 25, 2010, 08:37:44 PM
;D

Robert informed me that he's often playing Tetris when we think he's checking his mail....which goes to show you, there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye, folks.

This would explain where many of the sounds I´ve always marvelled at come from...

Stephen

TestZero · June 28, 2010, 05:37:14 PM

Having attended ambient/EM concerts in and around the L.A. area since the 90's and having a wife who plays ambient/EM music (Lucette Bourdin) it seems to me that the expectations of a concert depends somewhat on temperament. Our culture values action, the more visible the better, and is basically extroverted in its expectations and most things internal are deemed 'unreal' or not 'real work'. Yet we are changed, as a culture, a great deal by those inward seeking individuals, the introverts, like Jung, Einstein, Ingmar Bergman, etc. For myself the contrast and compare I have read in this thread seems pretty much the same (outside of musicianship). A great deal of EM is not intended for extroverted viewing but for inward quiet and so, for me, regardless of the laptop or synths or patches or amount of reverb my criterion is how deep or how 'out' (in space) did the artist take me. Sometimes the CD version does it better and sometimes the artist is inspired and the live concert exceeds all expectations in depth and height. Being an introvert I just don't go for a 'show' and that suits me; an extrovert may have different expectations. There is no one size fits all.

Cheers,
TZ