A collection of miscellaneous projects and curiosities.

Jump to sections: Tispur; Brenda Ray; Vulnerability, a Shedding of Skin; Improvisation

tispur

“Recorded to tape in a half-flooded concrete basement Sleepy Creature is an honest and lulling testament to Carlson’s childhood obsession with fantasy, and conversely, their morose and oftentimes disconnected disposition toward the stark realities one experiences entering adulthood.”

released April 24, 2017

All songs written and performed by Samwise Carlson
Jake Saunders | Cello: Dewhorn, Queen of the Moons, White Maned, and Sun Stirs
Riley Johnson | Accordion, Vocals: The Hills Are Alight
Kathleen Williams | Vocals: White Widow

Recorded to tape and mixed by Brett Hawkins
Mastered by Azimuth Mastering
Album cover by Matthew Wordell

Brenda ray

“Brenda Ray, writer, singer, poet, and storyteller, is a Pushcart Prize nominee and an MFA graduate from The New School University in New York.”

Lost Love is the opening track of Brenda Ray’s debut album, The Blue Room. Poetry written and performed by Brenda Ray. Music for electric cello written and performed by Jake Saunders. Recorded and produced by Mixed Metaphor Recording in January 2016.

vulnerability: a shedding of skin

“Vulnerability: A Shedding of Skin is a conceptual performance by Melanie Radford (of Marshall Poole and Built to Spill) and Jake Saunders.

This performance explores elements of vulnerability experienced within our relationships. It is not only a showcase of trust, but also a form of communicating how performers make themselves vulnerable to an audience musically and visually. As a result of these real emotions, Melanie and Jake perform an original minimalist set with only vocals, electric bass, and electric cello.

Within this set, Melanie and Jake conjoin simple songs of love and loss with raw emotions that include explorations in making audience members feel vulnerable/uncomfortable as well as the performers themselves.

This conceptual work premiered on Saturday, August 29th 2016 at the Warehouse in Garden City, Idaho (aka Rocket Science Sound).”

Vulnerable was compiled, composed, and performed by Jake Saunders for the Vulnerability project. The piece includes recorded dialogue from Brené Brown’s featured TED Talk called The Power of Vulnerability (2011),

improvisation

In collaboration with percussionist Anna Dunford, these improvisational pieces are snapshots of what it means to exist as an artist within the culture of COVID-19. Created while in quarantine, Bookshelf Sounds and Brunch Date are sonic explorations of the artists’ respective homes. Bookshelf Sounds gives voice to the objects found on their bedroom bookshelf; Brunch Date is an expression of what it sounds like to prepare brunch. Each artist created individual, improvised recordings. These recordings were later combined and panned, but otherwise entirely unaltered.

Improvisation under the super moon, April 7ish 2020