4/20/2011 MinneCulture

Experimental Sound Artists
Produced by Dixie Treichel

The world of experimental sound arts is innovative and unusual--a place where instrument builders, alternative tuning systems and unorthodox musical expressions converge. In this documentary, six Minnesota experimental sound artists share their musings, explorations and creations.

St. Paul native Paul Metzger performs solo and with various experimental musicians around the world. In this program, he improvises on his collection of modified guitars and banjos, including a 23-string banjo.

Mary Garvie likes to collaborate and perform freestyle. Hear her voice experiments, and listen as she plays a variety instruments, such as an amplified grate, table top and singing bowl.

Tim Kaiser designs and builds electronic experimental instruments for himself and others, and likes buttons, knobs and switches. Based in Duluth, he performs at experimental sound festivals around the country.

David Means curates the Strange Attractors Experimental Intermedia Festival in St. Paul. Many of the experimental sound pieces he creates--using electric, electronic and computer instruments--are designed for the architectural layout of a performance space.

Dixie Treichel is founder of the Unique Sounds Ensemble in Minneapolis. She makes instruments from found objects, and uses them to create electronic sound art.

Kris Peck builds and performs on micro-tonal guitars. The altered fret boards on these instruments create unusual scales in nontraditional tuning systems. He also explores the use of digital delays and performs in the Twin Cities with a variety of experimental musicians.