Experiencing BLACKFISH
After watching the preview of The
Thank-you Bar from Emily Johnson | Catalyst + BLACKFISH last night, I
am officially excited for the BLACKFISH concert
tomorrow night. The band, Joel Pickard and James Everest (Emily's husband),
provided such an amazing experience for listeners, and while they were perfect
as part of this amazing multi-media performance, I could've listened to just
them all night, too, and felt just as warm-hearted afterward. It wasn't just a
show; it was a carefully crafted, yet utterly natural experience.
I was reminded of a style of poetry I've come across in my
creative writing classes. The poet strings together beautiful, surrealist
images, to create the sort of written cousin to a Salvador Dali painting. The
poet, if asked, will not tell you what the poem is about. Rather, they set up
these abstract, powerful images as a guide, an emotional journey that we, the
reader, then affix our own meaning to, experiencing this meaning in a new and
surprising way. The poem is meant to be different and personal for everyone.
The poem is a vessel for us to carry our own definitions and explanations in.
BLACKFISH is the same way. After the preview last night, I
was left feeling complete. As I watched and listened to these musicians piece
together their auditory story, I found myself recalling memories, or triggering
thought processes completely personal to myself. James and Joel weren't telling
us, through lyrics or through strict music theory, how to interpret their
music. They were creating intricate soundscapes, and then leaving the journey
up to us. Smell is said to be the strongest trigger for memory - after
listening to BLACKFISH, I'd like to argue that sound can be, too.
Joel or James would alternately play a short line of music,
then, at the press of a pedal, it would loop back, playing over and over. Then
the other, after listening to the first loop, would improvise another short
musical phrase to add on top of that. They layered musical effect onto musical
effect until the sound was so complete and natural, that if I hadn't watched
them build the pieces, I would have thought that the sound just came out like
this.
I have so much appreciation for their patience, their
attention to detail, and their openness to improvisation. The band has been
touring, and each of their concerts is different - they record each one for
this reason. I think there's something innately beautiful in that - that this
experience, this one moment of listening to BLACKFISH, can never be replicated
in quite the same way. That this is one moment you will not get back, and you best
close your eyes and open your mind while you're in it.
Live your moment
tomorrow night. Look for me - I'll be in the front row, fully experiencing the
heartbreakingly beautiful sounds of BLACKFISH.
-Melissa WrayCommunications
Coordinator
