The Slow Sound Festival, which starts this Wednesday evening at Viento y Agua, presents a series of performances that explore the quiet, and the thoughtful. Educator and artist Glenn Bach organized the event, and shared its origins.

Glenn: I have been interested in quiet music and contemplative sound for many years now. As far as the "slow" designation, I only became aware of that term a few years ago when I read about the Slow Food movement, and then subsequent variations with Slow Design and Slow Cities. I registered "slowsound.org" as a domain name not knowing what I'd do with it until I realized I needed a name for the music festival this fall.

In crafting the manifesto for Slow Sound, I looked to Bill Rieflin's Slow Music Project for inspiration, as well as Steve Roden's ideas about lowercase music, Brian Eno's exploration of ambient music, as well as other types of sparse music approaches.

Sander: Can you explain what the fundamental idea of slow sound is. It's not about tempo, loudness, or even tonality...

Glenn: Slow Sound is the mindful practice of experimental music. It is an approach to music making rather than a genre; a state of mind rather than an "ism." While there are no absolute restrictions regarding tempo, timbre, volume, or density, Slow Sound does encourage musicians and sound artists to explore the quieter end of the dynamic spectrum.

The typical response in live group improvisations is to play louder so as to be heard. If everyone follows this approach, as is often the case, the resulting performance tends to be loud, dense, chaotic, and lacking in timbral and dynamic variation. As an alternative, Slow Sound aims for a more open space for sounds to be broadcast, recognized, and appreciated.

This is an ideal, of course, and no one can predict exactly how a live improvised performance will unfold. By encouraging an open-minded, listening-oriented approach to improvisation (and composition, for that matter), the chances of a more intelligible performance are increased.

Sander: How did the concept for the performance series arise?

Glenn: My ideas about Slow Sound solidified during conversations with my friend John Kannenberg. As musicians who favor quieter, more contemplative sounds in our work, we shared the frustration of getting lost in the "group soup." Even though we both had been practicing quiet music in our collaborative work together as well as in our solo work, I had yet to articulate a framework with which to structure the music making as well as situate the results.

The Slow Sound festival itself started coming together after a series of very successful, very quiet performances with my trio, qqq, with shea M gauer and scott A peterson (who perform as smgsap). For the first time I was able to participate in an unrehearsed live group improvisation where I found myself constantly turning the volume DOWN so as not to upset the delicately unfolding soundscape.

I knew that Southern California was already a hotbed for quiet music (Long Beach in particular), but with this new "quiet power" trio, I realized I had the soul of a Slow Sound festival; the seeds to hopefully inspire a deeper appreciation of listening and contemplation.

Sander: The Festival is ambitious on a number of levels. First, the number of performances, then the number of venues. How did that unfold?

Glenn: In pulling together the Festival, I had to work with a number of constraints. The biggest issue impacting the size and scope of the Festival is a lack of budget. When I curated the six-night music festival, so.cal.sonic, back in 2005, I was funded by the Odyssey Project at Cal State Long Beach to pay performers an honorarium. With no money this year, I had to rely on local Southern California performers (with the exception of San Francisco based Aaron Ximm) willing to take a percentage of the door.

I also wanted to limit the number of acts per night to three, so that the audience could experience and appreciate an evening of exceptional music without feeling overwhelmed or ear-fatigued. Working (again) with Shea of {open}, I knew that the bookstore would be central to the festival. Because we are partnering with CSULB's Music Department, Rychard Cooper was instrumental in securing the Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall as a second, critical venue. Finally, knowing that we wanted a third venue with its own sound system, we decided to work (again) with Viento y Agua. Two weeks, Wednesdays at Viento, Thursdays at {open}, and Fridays at the Recital Hall. A nice symmetry there!

Sander: Did you chose performers who had already, in some way, adoped a quiet and/or contemplative approach, or did you ask some artists to alter their normal style to better suit the Festival's theme?

Glenn: Many of the Slow Sound performers appeared at so.cal.sonic, or at my 2003 house concert series, "Quiet." I first invited Steve Roden and his uncle Jeffrey Roden, two key figures for me in the world of quiet music; I knew that if I had them on board, the rest would fall into place. Most of the other performers either embrace quietness or sparseness in their work, or are open-minded enough to spend some time on that side of the scale. Luckily for me, they all live and work in Southern California, which is one reason I decided to move back to So Cal from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (where I spent two years teaching sound and experimental media in the Film Department at UWM).

There is something in the air here in So Cal, in Long Beach (Soundwalk is proof of that), where musicians and sound artists are supportive of quiet music. Not that Slow Sound is the only game in town, by any means. Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to kick it up and bathe in noise and crescendo. But a steady wall of heavy sound is not very interesting to me as a performer or listener, and I am thankful I have friends and colleagues who are willing to join me in exploring the fertile spaces of the in-between.

Sander: Can you talk about some of the artists involved in the festival, and what inspired you to invite them?

Glenn: Well, besides Steve and Jeffrey Roden, both of whom were instrumental in my embrace of quiet music, there is Aaron Ximm, also known as Quiet American, who is thoroughly committed to the practice of being mindful of the sounds of the world, and bringing those discoveries to his audience. Chris Schlarb will be preparing a live version of the amazingly beautiful and delicate soundtrack he composed for the video game, Night Game. G.E. Stinson will be performing a piece (improvised, of course) in honor of Dani Long, who recently passed away.

Tom Recchion will be collaborating with the grand piano at the Recital Hall, while Kris Tiner will be extending the range and timbre of the trumpet with his custom software. MLuM will be exploring their version of Slow Sound, "sonsai."

I could go on about each act in the Festival. I am honored and humbled to be associated with such talented minds and generous personalities.

Sander: Do you feel that these performances can be appreciated and/or enjoyed by an audience not familiar with this kind of experimental work?

Glenn: I certainly hope so. We had a great turnout for so.cal.sonic, and many folks who wandered in were new to experimental music and left pleasantly surprised. Look at the unbelievable crowds that Soundwalk draws each year. I think experimental music and sound, in the right context, can be highly enjoyable for those willing to listen. By creating a mindful and contemplative space for that to happen, we hope to make even deeper connections between performer and audience.

The Slow Sound Festival runs through September 25th. I will be performing at Viento y Agua as part of Ain Soph Aur, with special guest David Witham, on Wednesday September 23rd.

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