Alien Maps and Radiohead

Derek Stein (Vitamin String Quartet, gnarwhallaby, wild Up) is a cellist with the ability to extract exciting, unusual sounds from his instrument. On this episode, he demonstrates his favorite sounds, reveals which audition he bombed, and joins us for a discussion on whether cell phones belong at concerts.

Playlist

Here is a Spotify playlist to pair with Underscore Episode B3! Co-hosts Chrysanthe and Thomas collaborated with our guest Derek Stein to curate an hour of tracks featuring ice-skating music, electronica, spoken word, microtones, and strange cello sounds.

Guest

Derek Stein is a cellist with the ability to extract exciting, unusual sounds from his instrument. He is a member of the Vitamin String Quartet and several contemporary classical groups, including gnarwhallaby and wild Up.

T'filat ha-Derech by Marc Lowenstein (Soundcloud)
Burn the Witch by Radiohead, performed by Vitamin String Quartet (iTunes / Spotify)
Vox Balaenae - Voice of the Whale by George Crumb - (YouTube video with masked performers)
Capriccio per Siegfried Palm by K. Penderecki (YouTube / Spotify)
a thing made whole by Andrew Greenwald (Soundcloud)

Find Derek Stein online:

Website
Instagram
Twitter
Soundcloud

Lightning Round Questions

What genre is your music?

Bizarre, confusing, mind-opening
Performance ritual?

Wild Up ensemble gets in a circle, puts their hands together, and does a chant before each show.
A modern/technological tool that’s extremely helpful to your practice?

iPad Pro
What failure that turned out for the best?

Bombed his Eastman School of Music audition (so did Thomas)!
Something besides music that you’re obsessed with right now?

The new Marvel comic book movies; he enjoyed every moment of Black Panther.
A piece of art that changed your life?

Penderecki Capriccio for Ziegfried Palm

Counterpoint Topic

Do cell phones belong at concerts?

Something Old

Quarter-Tone Pieces by Ivan Wyschnegradsky (iTunes / Spotify)

Something New

Vicky Chow’s recording of "Sonatra" by Michael Gordon (Bandcamp / Soundcloud)

Something Borrowed

We’re New Here by Gil-Scott Heron and Jamie xx (iTunes / Spotify)

Something Blue

Chrysanthe hasn’t been connecting with most musical selections in Olympic figure skating. On the bright side, Kaori Sakamoto’s free skate to Yann Tiersen's Amélie selections was stellar.

Credits

Hosts: Thomas Kotcheff and Chrysanthe Tan
Guest: Derek Stein
Script: Chrysanthe Tan
Recording engineer/editor: Mark Hatwan
Produced by USC Radio Group
Podcast theme: “Playground Day” by Chrysanthe Tan (iTunes / Spotify)
Old New Borrowed Blue transition: "Part and Parcel" by Thomas Kotcheff (Soundcloud)

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Thomas is @thomaskotcheff on Twitter and Instagram.

Chrysanthe is @chrysanthetan on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.