cbilyk's blog

I composed some music for and will be playing in a new show called Leaves, which will run for one weekend only.
Official Site

Performance are:
Thursday Sept. 9 at 7:30 pm
Friday Sept. 10 at 7:30 & 10:00* pm
Saturday Sept. 11 at 7:30 & 10
Sunday Sept. 12 at 4:30

*"Pay what you can" performance

Buy tickets online!

Meet the Characters:

From the press junket:

Leaves is an exploration of the American spirit. Using prolific American poet Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass as source material, the ensemble defines, destroys, scrutinizes and applauds who Americans are at this moment in history. War and peace, love and hurt, right and left, poetry and prose, past and future: it's the story of our nation. A world-premiere new work!

The show features actors Emily Dussault, Russ Dugger, and Amber Davis (all of who worked on The Awakening with us back in April), Savage Umbrella newcomer Katharine Moeller, frequent colloaborator Bryan Grosso (Love Me or Die!, The Awakening) and artistic director Laura Leffler-McCabe, who hasn't been seen on Savage Umbrella boards since our very first show back in 2007 (America:aciremA).

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When Laura and Bryan first asked me to write music for Leaves, I was unsure. The kind of music that they wanted was outside of my usual style and very different from my last project with Savage Umbrella (The Awakening). While not pop music, the aesthetic they wanted leaned much closer to the pop side than to “art” music, or whatever people call it now. Additionally, the timeline would be much shorter.

The script was created by a team of writers, so I suggested having multiple composers as well, thinking it would fit the spirit of the show, help with the time crunch, and hopefully keep my abstract tendencies in check. At the same time, Ben Mattson was asking to do some music for the project, so he and I set out to work together. Some of the cast members also pitched in and wrote two of the songs.

Still, writing for Leaves was a challenge. How do you create a unique feeling melody with ubiquitous chords? How do you break out of the box when your goal is also to get inside of one? How do you keep the audience from being distracted from the fact that the characters are singing now instead of speaking, and keep it natural and smooth when the form of the music is so obvious? Most people think pop music is easy, but the truth is making something poppy, subtle, and creative is really hard.

Usually when I write I start out with ideas for themes and melodies and fill in the chords that work with those ideas. To get more of straightforward feeling in the music I put a focus on chord progressions and then melody, adjusting the melody to work with where I wanted the chords to go instead of the other way around. Other figures in the accompaniment were either adapted from the melody lines or bits from music written by the other contributors to make the score feel more cohesive.

The path that Leaves takes the audience down is one towards hope. While I may have started with reservations, I find myself following right along. While there have been personal successes, I think it has more to do with being surrounded by the characters and their play for the last two months, finding myself in them and letting them find themselves in me. That is the magic of Leaves—other people may tell you it's about America, but you are America, and it's about you.

There are so many reasons to come to this show. Come to hear the music performed by expressive and talented singers, music that somehow fits together despite being written by four very different people. Come to see strong, rounded characters pitted against each other that have nothing to do with the stock parts you may be accustomed to. Come to be challenged or come to feel self-affirmed. Come to say you saw Savage Umbrella when they were small but already a powerful creator of new and meaningful theater. Come to contribute to a communal hope. But most of all, come as you are and find some part of yourself within.

I am a proud member of ASCAP. I strongly believe in a musician's right to make money from performances, including recordings played on the radio or in public venues. I am also a staunch supporter of copyright in general.

That being said, I also respect the decision a person might make to relinquish some rights, for any reason. I love the freedoms and structures afforded by "copyleft", such as creative commons licenses. And using Creative Commons is, after all, a choice. Nobody is forced into it. I use it too!

Recently, I got the following email from ASCAP (with the subject linke "Safeguard your livelihood and the future of American Music"):

"On behalf of songwriters and composers everywhere, I am urging you to support ASCAP's Legislative Fund for the Arts (ALFA).

At this moment, we are facing our biggest challenge ever. Many forces including Creative Commons, Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation and technology companies with deep pockets are mobilizing to promote "Copyleft" in order to undermine our "Copyright." They say they are advocates of consumer rights, but the truth is these groups simply do not want to pay for the use of our music. Their mission is to spread the word that our music should be free.

This is why your help now is vital. We fear that our opponents are influencing Congress against the interests of music creators. If their views are allowed to gain strength, music creators will find it harder and harder to make a living as traditional media shifts to online and wireless services. We all know what will happen next: the music will dry up, and the ultimate loser will be the music consumer.

We cannot afford to lose the support of our legislators either at this time or into the future. To this end, we must urge the members of Congress to support our rights.

Of course, a legislative campaign of this magnitude requires funds. We are coming to you--along with many other professional ASCAP members-- to help protect your future. Of course, we understand that these are tough times for everyone. Accordingly, we are asking you to make a very small contribution to wage this battle. Our thinking is that if everyone we are approaching responds with the modest sum we are requesting, it will add up to a reasonable result. In line with this, we are requesting that you write a personal check for five dollars ($5.00) or more made out to the ASCAP Legislative Fund for the Arts. If your contribution is greater than $200, federal law requires that you provide the necessary information requested on the attached form. Please send any checks to ASCAP Legislative Fund for the Arts, c/o Adrian Ross, One Lincoln Plaza, New York, NY 10023. Please note that corporate checks are not permissible.
You can also charge the amount to your credit card, if you prefer, by clicking on the following link:

https://members.ascap.com/ma/EwaWeb/pub/startOnlineDonation.do

Think of it as investing in your own future----which is precisely what it is. We will use the funds to advance our agenda in Washington on your behalf. Please read and complete the information requested on the attached form, and say "yes" to helping us help you safeguard your rights and your future income.

Many thanks,

Paul Williams"

Is copyright really in any danger from copyleft?

While I am not deep in the trenches, I don't think so. The public attitude that electronic media should be available for free long predates anything I ever heard about copyleft, and if anything, that attitude is dying.

Little by little, people are coming to realize that yes, it costs a lot of money and takes a lot of effort to make the things we wanted for free. And, in an age where it's easier for people to create and disseminate music and art on their own, the creators are starting to feel the effects in their own pockets. Not just that it takes money to make the art, but that if they could get paid for it, they could spend more time on it and do a better job, etc. With that in mind those creators, and any friends they can convince, have been supporting other artists by paying for the media instead of violating copyrights.

That's not to say I think it's all cotton candy out there, I just think things are looking up. I also think that it's about time for our laws to adapt and change, even if I don't know how they need to do it, so a little challenge here and there from the copyleft people is a good thing - it will help us refine our arguments, expectations, ideas, and models for making money. There was a similar upset with the advent of the player piano and the radio, and things got sorted out then too. In fact, it's the reason ASCAP and BMI came into being.

Maybe there are some pretty awful things going on. It is politics, after all. (If you know anything, go ahead and educate us in the comments!) But I don't feel threatened by the likes of Creative Commons. How can I in a country that has passed something so ridiculous as a copyright term of life + 70 years? (In case you're wondering, I've been saying life plus 20 is more than sufficient for ages, but that's another post in its own right.) And the country is run by a generation who largely doesn't believe in dowloading music (or maybe doesn't know how, ha!). Seriously, though, I just don't see how allowing people the choice of relinquishing some or all of their rights in any way threatens my ability to hold on to mine when I want to.

I left the link for donating in the letter above in case any readers want to support the cause, but I won't be sending ASCAP any money for this fight. I am happy that ASCAP exists, I'm glad that they can collect fees for me, I'm glad that I can secure my right to be paid for performances, but I'm not worried about or threatened by a person's right to CHOOSE to relinquish their rights in situations where they want to do so.

What do you think?

In my last blog, I neglected to mention that Matt Curney wrote a lot of music for the soundtrack of The Telephone Game, so I figured I'd give him a whole post to himself. He is pretty cool, great to work with, and you should check him out. His website is also a lot prettier than mine: http://mattcurney.com

I especially like this video, which Jason Schumacher (the maker of The Telephone Game) made for him:

Sometime in early August, The Telephone Game--local filmmaker Jason Schumacher's latest work--will have its debut! Why should you care? Well, aside from all of the great things that come from supporting local, independent art, and that it's going to be a good movie, I'm (sortof) in it! Earlier this year I laid down some tracks for Jason for the soundtrack. You'll hear me playing viola and some cello. Here's a rough mix of what's to be heard:

The piano part was already down when I went in the studio, and I improvised over it. All other sounds/instruments were added after my session. Like I said, it's rough, but I like where it's going and I hope you do too! Cheers, Candy

Last August, Laura Leffler-McCabe asked me if I wanted to write music for a show called The Awakening, based on a novel of the same name by Kate Chopin.

I had never heard of the book, but was captivated by it when I picked it up and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to set music to a work so rich in beauty and emotion. The end result--a joint production between Savage Umbrella Productions and 3AM Productions--is stark, challenging, sexy, and charming.

The show opened on April 2nd but there are still three performances left: Thursday, April 15th; Friday, April 16th; and Saturday, April 17th; all at 7:30 pm at Gremlin Theater. Tickets are on a sliding scale of $12-$18.

On a budget? Mention "New Orleans" at the box office on Thursday night and get two tickets for the price of one.

Want some convincing first?
*Read the glowing review on Twin Cities Daily Planet
*Watch the preview on Three Minute Egg
*Take a peek at a video from rehearsal Pioneer Press
*Read the write-up in the City Pages
*Facebook users can find our event page here

Too lazy for links? Read the official release below:

3AM PRODUCTIONS AND SAVAGE UMBRELLA
TO OPEN THE AWAKENING ON APRIL 2

Minneapolis, MN – 3AM Productions and Savage Umbrella are proud to present The Awakening, a new play with music adapted from the novel by Kate Chopin.

In this world-premiere stage adaptation, twenty-five young Minneapolis artists take on one of the word's most beautiful and challenging novels. Stark, sexy, charming, and provocative, The Awakening was banned in its own time and endures as a relevant examination of a woman's journey of self-discovery against societal norms.

The Awakening will open on April 2 and run through the 17th at the Gremlin Theatre, 2400 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN.

Schedule:
April 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, and 17, all at 7:30 pm.
Saturday, April 10 – Talkback after Show
Monday, April 12 – Pay What You Can

Ticket Information:
Call 612-339-0207 or email 3amproductions.tickets@gmail.com.
Sliding Scale, $12-18

More About The Awakening
The novel is a beautiful and moving tale of a woman in 1890s New Orleans who experiences an "awakening" of self and tries to reposition her identity within her society, but ends up rejecting societal norms in favor of being truer to her own impulses, sexuality and wishes. These themes of the search for self worth, happiness within societal norms, and freedom of expression and sexuality are enduring and timeless.

About the Companies
3AM Productions (www.3amprod.org) is an artistic production company based in Minneapolis. We provide our patrons with unique and diverse experiences which include a variety of artistic mediums not limited to the visual, musical, and theatrical.

Savage Umbrella (www.savageumbrella.org) is a professional theatrical partnership committed to producing the new work of our partners and collaborating with other artists. We disregard artistic boundaries while striving to challenge audiences and engage our community through radical explorations of both form and content. The Awakening is the perfect project for us because our adaptation of the novel is a radical exploration of translating an exciting proto-modernist text into a muscular, striking production.

Note:
This activity funded, in part, by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

I hope to see you at the show!