no shoes & one sock @ New Harbours

no shoes & one sock (jamie ryan downie, reg moore, quintin zachary hewlett, drew taylor) played New Harbours on the second friday of october, 2013

greenspan / sealey / lanza -- j.s. bach two part inventions, for modular synthesizers

recorded march 11, 2011, as part of New Harbours Music Series at christ's church cathedral in hamilton, canada

performed by jeremy greenspan, christie sealey, and jessica lanza

 the interview was a little darker than expected as alcohol caused me to be far too trusting of the low light capabilities of a borrowed camera

ambient sound + lighting, beer. p + c jeremy greenspan, christie sealey, jessica lanza, quintin zachary hewlett, throwaway digital 2011

https://www.facebook.com/NewHarbours
https://twitter.com/new_harbours

O/H @ whatnext? festival

O/H @ whatnext? festival from Quintin Hewlett on Vimeo.


O/H (Christina Sealey, Richard Oddie, David Foster)

Christ's Church Cathedral, Hamilton
Saturday, February 5, 2011
presented by New Harbours Music Series and Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra

ambient sound + lighting, beer. p + c O/H, qzh, Throwaway Digital 2011

Electroluminescent @ New Harbours

Electroluminescent -- New Harbours Music Series Vol. 2 from Quintin Hewlett on Vimeo.


Christ's Church Cathedral, May 8, 2009

last-second-idea improvised dolly camera, ambient sound + lighting

P + C = Electroluminescent, qzh, Throwaway Digital

New Harbours Music Series 2.2 - Electroluminescent

Ryan Ferguson has been performing as Electroluminescent for nearly a decade. His music draws upon a variety of influences including Krautrock, American minimalism, and the Osaka noise and improv scenes. Ferguson has spent much of 2009 on tour in support of his recently released album Measures (Black Mountain Music), which spent several months on the Canadian college charts.

Asked what he intends for the New Harbours performance, Ryan is adamant that Friday’s performance will be a unique one. “The cathedral sounds amazing. I’m interested in the way that sound moves around it. If you can get the sound up into the arch of the ceiling, it spills down the walls. I have wanted to play in the space since I heard about [New Harbours]. But I didn’t want to do my usual set in there. It’s going to be an all-synthesizer set. Sort of an ambient set. It’s a composed piece and not an improvisation. It will be specific to this night.” Ryan cites the building’s acoustics as being of particular interest to him. “I’m adding to the traditional PA rental for the church. I’m going to be running two stereo mixes around the cathedral and I’m going to add a sub as well, right in the centre. The bass frequencies are going to be at the very heart of the cathedral. I found that when Gasoline Gathers hands played there and they pointed their amps up to the ceiling, their sound fell down the walls and I found that really interesting. I want to see how I can get the sound to move around a little differently.”

The New Harbours Music Series has consciously sought to examine the acoustic properties of the many different instruments used by the performers. For Friday’s performance, Ferguson will focus on vintage synthesizer technology. “All my old stuff is coming. I’ve actually been drawing a diagram, where pieces are going to fit and where things are going to be inserted into the signal chain and stuff. I’m going to be using to Korg MS-10 and the Moog that I always use. And I’ll be using my Yamaha CS20, which is a dual-oscillator monosynth. Still no polysynths though. The other day, I say a Korg polysynth for about $500. Which is not a good deal, it’s about what you should pay for one. I was really close to buying that just so I could have a polysynth for this show. But I decided not to. The other synth that I’m going to use is the Roland MC-202, which is actually a sequencer, but it has a synthesizer section built into it. I have a Jupiter 6 that I was thinking of bringing, but it’s really heavy and cumbersome, and there are a lot of knobs and switches to figure out. I already have enough knobs and switches to figure out!”

New Harbours welcomes Ryan Ferguson as Electroluminescent along with Atlas of the Universe to Christ’s Church Cathedral this Friday, May 8, 2009 at 8pm, as part of the Art Crawl. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5.

electroluminescent
atlas of the universe

Sun Circle @ New Harbours Music Series vol. 2

Sun Circle, New Harbours Music Series vol. 2

stationary camera, ambient sound + lighting

P + C = Sun Circle, qzh, Throwaway Digital

Deerhunter @ Lee's Palace

Deerhunter at Lee's Palace in Toronto, Nov. 12, 2008

handheld camera, ambient sound + lighting, some shyness

sorry about the sound, as the side of the stage was rather loud and my microphone couldn't help itself from being overdriven

P + C = Deerhunter, qzh, Throwaway Digital

New Harbours Music Series 2008 "Trailer"

New Harbours Music Series Trailer from Quintin Hewlett on Vimeo.


A summation of the musical performances featured at the Spring 2008 New Harbours Music Series.

Performers include Orphx, Polmo Polpo, Michael Snow + Matthew Boughner, Slither.

handheld camera, ambient sound + lighting


P + C = Orphx, Polmo Polpo, Michael Snow, Matthew Boughner, Slither, qzh, Throwaway Digital (2008)

A nicer version of this video is available from Vimeo.

Holy Fuck @ Pepperjacks

Holy Fuck @ Pepperjack's Cafe, 19.09.08

handheld camera, ambient lighting + sound, beer

P + C = Holy Fuck, qzh, Throwaway Digital (2008)

Slither @ New Harbours Music Series 1.3

Slither plays Christ's Church Cathedral as part of New Harbours Music Series 1.3, June 13, 2008

handheld camera, ambient sound + lighting

P + C = Slither, qzh, Throwaway Digital, 2008

New Harbours Music Series 1.3 -- Slither + Fossils

New Harbours Music Series 1.3
Slither + Fossils
June 13, 9:00 PM
Christ’s Church Cathedral
262 James street North
Free Admission


The noisier and more experimental end of jazz has always been a troubling beast to many listeners. Throughout the history of the genre, musicians have been simultaneously playing within traditional structures and emphatically breaking past them in search of new musical horizons. Free jazz attained a popular zenith in the late sixties with reed players such as John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, and the genre was able to proliferate commercially despite the demands which it placed on listeners. Over the next two decades however, jazz was concretized in the public imagination as a genre of rigid formalism associated with easy-listening radio stations. Experimental jazz quickly relegated itself to the Japanese, European, and North American underground, where it remained a fertile though somewhat marginalised scene.

Michigan duo Slither are among the newer generation of musicians who work within the amorphously-conceived genre of free jazz (which is at this point more appropriately termed “free improvisation”). Clarinetist Heath Moerland and saxophonist Chris Pottinger have been performing torrid live shows for the past few years. Described as “Today’s jazz for today’s playboys” by Thurston Moore, Slither perform a combination of reeds and electronics that serves well to reinvigorate free improvisation fans and other aesthetes of the nearly-impossible. The cacophony which they create certainly falls within the noise camp, and a great deal of spectral beauty can be discerned as the horn instruments wash themselves of the sonic detritus. Indeed, the last time Slither performed in Hamilton, an amplified dish rack proved itself a worthy addition to the performance.



Local noise practitioners Fossils will also be performing at New Harbours. A trio centred upon the weekly improvisation sessions at band member David Payne’s downtown apartment, Fossils have been internationally championed as being among Canada’s elite experimental acts. Tape manipulation, no-input mixer feedback, prepared guitars, and an arsenal of electronics conjure a dissonant and distopic aesthetic of tortured landscapes and strained human relations. Much as the DJ scene of the 1990s revived interest in the vinyl culture of the previous generation of music listeners, the tape culture represented by Fossils signals to children of the 80s and 90s that their long-forgotten cassettes can still find a use despite the wear of neglect, magnetic drift, and oxidation.

Slither and Fossils play the final concert in the spring 2008 New Harbours Music Series at Christ’s Church Cathedral this Friday at 9 PM.

Michael Snow + Matthew Boughner @ New Harbours

Snow + Boughner in an improvised performance inside Christ's Church Cathedral on May 11, 2008. This concert was second in the New Harbours Music Series.

handheld camera, ambient sound + lighting

P + C = Michael Snow, Matthew Boughner, qzh, Throwaway Digital (2008)

Thai Memory fundraiser @ Pepperjacks Café

Once known for its fantastic Victorian, Edwardian, and modern architecture, downtown Hamilton has been garnering some media attention south of the border for the degree to which city council has allowed its heritage to decay. The architectural legacy of the city of Hamilton was built with steel money. Now it seems that the decline of the industry parallelled city council’s conscious decision to feign blindness and neglect to enforce the property standards legislation already in place to protect older structures. The collapse of the Tivoli in the summer of 2004 marked the beginning of public awareness of this issue. More recently, the collapse and controversial demolition of the Balfour Building on the Lister Block suggests that the city endeavours to maintain its unstated policy of “Demolition by Neglect”.

One notable consequence of the Balfour’s tragic end is the economic plight of local businesses along King William. Where the city falters, small business people and grassroots community organizations have attempted to restore the downtown to its former glory. It is shameful that the city has repeatedly stressed the need for private enterprise to restore downtown and then allowed positive economic developments in the core to flounder as a result of council’s own inability to demonstrate the leadership necessitated by their legal mandate. After having a successful first year of operations, the Thai Memory restaurant, located adjacent to the Balfour site, has had to close as the demolition process slowly continues. The restaurant’s owners Toon and Pat Satasuk have worked very hard to ensure a top-flight dining experience. Now their efforts are stalled as the city finally begins to get its act together on this matter.

Positive communities do not neglect their member citizens. As such, Pepperjacks Café, also located on King William, is hosting a benefit concert on Friday evening to raise money to assist the Satasuks through this financially difficult transition. Performers include the very capable Sarah Good and Terra Lightfoot, Annie Shaw, legend-in-the-scene Mark Raymond, and the always-amusing Matt Jelly. DJ sets from Jeremy Greenspan of the Junior Boys and scene-stealer Gary Buttrum will keep your ass moving well into the evening hours.

Pepperjacks Café
Friday, May 23: 9 PM
38 King William Street

Woodhands @ Pepperjack's Café

Woodhands at Pepperjack's Café, May 3, 2008

handheld camera, ambient sound and lighting, beer

P + C = Woodhands, qzh, Throwaway Digital, 2008

T H & B closing performances

a brief document of the closing performances of T H & B, May 3, 2008

performers, in order of appearance:

Tor Lukasik-Foss
Lesley Loksi Chan
Reinhard Reitzenstein & Gayle Young
Dave Hind

handheld camera, ambient sound and lighting

P + C = qzh, Throwaway Digital, 2008

Stars of the Lid @ The Music Gallery

Stars of the Lid played a great set at The Music Gallery in Toronto on Monday April 28, 2008.


stationary camera, ambient sound and lighting, ~ 1.5 minutes missing from final piece

P + C = Stars of the Lid, qzh, Throwaway Digital, 2008

Cursed @ Cashbah

Video from the Cursed show at Casbah on March 28, 2008. There is also one song from Taken at the end of the video. Sorry Taken fans, I am not among you.

My apologies Goodfellow; I tried to brave the crowd for good shots, but after enjoying a boot to my newly-unbroken hand I decided to retreat to a safe elevation. Forgive the first few minutes of blank / chaotic screens, as at that point I was getting my ass kicked in by the crowd.

handheld camera, ambient lighting, soundboard audio + ambient sound, ass-kicking

Soundboard audio courtesy of Donny Cooper.

P + C = Cursed, qzh, Throwaway Digital, 2008

Orphx @ New Harbours Music Series

Orphx @ New Harbours Music Sries 1.1, April 11, 2008

handheld camera, ambient sound + lighting

P + C = Orphx, qzh, Throwaway Digital (2008)

Polmo Polpo @ New Harbours

Christ's Church Cathedral, April 11, 2008

handheld camera, ambient sound + lighting

P + C = Sandro Perri, qzh, Throwaway Digital (2008)

new harbours music series 1 - Polmo Polpo / Orphx

now with myspace goodness:

www.myspace.com/newharbours

NEW HARBOURS ANNOUNCES SPRING CONCERTS IN HAMILTON, MICHAEL SNOW AMONG PERFORMERS

The New Harbours Music Series Demonstrates Significant Cultural Influence For The Newly Revitalized City Of Hamilton

HAMILTON, ON – Music fans in Hamilton have long been organizing events for contemporary music. Musical performances in warehouses, stores, basements, and vacant buildings have been significant happenings for those in contact with the musical underground. Now, a series of spring concerts will bring experimental music to the industrial city of Hamilton, Ontario in a more official capacity.

The New Harbours Music Series intends to showcase regional, national, and international artists and performers who engage in experimental musical practises. Presented by the Hamilton Artists Inc. and coordinated by a volunteer committee of local music fans and musicians, the series is dedicated to supporting a wide variety of experimental music.

The concerts will be part of the monthly James Street Art Crawls, and will feature performances from the internationally-renowned multi-disciplinary artist Michael Snow (Officer of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the first Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts), Polmo Polpo, and Slither, with local artists Orphx, Fossils, and Matthew Boughner.

“With the participation of Michael Snow, who ranks among the most significant and well-known artists in Canada, the New Harbours Music Series intends to bring attention to Hamilton’s art community,” says Quintin Hewlett, who is a member of the New Harbours organizing committee. “The James North art district is a jewel largely hidden to residents of Hamilton, who frequently look to Toronto for their culture. That city, great as it is, serves as a black hole sucking in everything from the surrounding cities. Meanwhile, I know people who have come to Hamilton from Europe and the southern U.S. to see shows here that they would not be able to see otherwise. People need to be made aware of what is occurring in their neighbourhood. Local artists like Orphx and Matthew Boughner have an international following. With New Harbours, we intend for Hamilton to experience its own event horizon.”

This series will occur April 11, May 9, and June 13, 2008 inside Christ's Church cathedral, which is located at 252 James Street North. In addition to the wonderful acoustic properties of the building, the cathedral was chosen as the inaugural venue for the music series as it is one of the most significant architectural and historical landmarks in Hamilton.

Furthermore, the downtown location of the cathedral allows this music series to be included in the James North Art Crawl, which is a monthly event currently gathering a national reputation for the increasingly influential output of the community which it fosters. The continued development of the art community in the James Street North gallery district is a prime indication of the rising economic and cultural influence of the revitalized city of Hamilton.

Culture needs to metastasize. we're already planning series for the fall of 2008, as well as spring 2009. New Harbours Music Series will continue to be an integral part of the cultural output of Southern Ontario.

April 11: Polmo Polpo + Orphx
www.cstrecords.com/bands_polmopolpo.html
www.myspace.com/orphx

May 9: Michael Snow + Matthew Boughner
www.actuellecd.com/bio.e/snow_mi.html
http://www.myspace.com/brownbirdcanread

June 13: Slither + Fossils
http://www.tastysoil.com/
www.myspace.com/fossilstrio

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If you would like more information about New Harbours Music Series or the James Street North gallery district, please contact Ian Jarvis (ian@hamiltonartistsinc.on.ca) or Quintin Hewlett (quintin.hewlett@gmail.com)