December

Hey everyone, hope you're having a really good holiday season....

Just got back from a "tour" of DC--gigged at Dahlak restaurant, which serves AMAZING food, then got invited to be the featured artist at "Federal Reserve," a really great musician's hang at Iota, in Arlington, hosted by rock band, These United States. I had a great time down in the nation's capital, hope to make it back soon. Thank you to everyone who hosted me!!

Check out this new video with collaborator, Sxip Shirey, and me:



Sxip and I will be performing at First Night in Boston, this New Year's Eve.

Had a great "Cat and Mouth" show at Risley Hall, Cornell University, with guest artist, beatboxer Masai Electro. Before that, I was on the west coast, gigging in LA, and with the San Francisco beatbox crew, Vowel Movement. Much thanks to them, too!!

Played a fun night with Bora Yoon at the Stone...her new cd is out, check it out:

bora yoon

Below are some upcoming appearances:

guest artist with
Karsh Kale and friends
Thurs, Dec. 18, 9pm
S.O.B.'s
karsh kale

guest artist with
Paul Brill's Big Band Holiday Explosion
Sat., Dec. 20, 9:30pm
Rockwood Music Hall
paul brill

Sxip's Sonic New York
First Night (New Year's Eve)
Boston, MA
First Night

Happy Holidays!!!!

OSF

Had an amazing week at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where I--along with 6 other hip hop theater artists and 7 classically trained actors--were invited to take part in "Mixing Texts," dialoguing between Shakespeare and hip hop, creating new work, adapting sonnets, developing original pieces and trading techniques, terminologies, philosophies and processes. Everyone was so talented and fun to work with, I learned a tremendous amount. Thanks to Claudia Alick and Bill Rausch for everything, and much love to everyone who participated and in the community.

Now, a show in LA, tonight, at Echo Curio, and one in SF, where I'll be headlining a Bay Area beatbox event. See myspace for details.

Peace, and celebrations for President-Elect Obama!!!

Sept. updates

Hey crew,

What's good? Writing with news for mid-September.

-Been hard at work on a new solo CD, "Only Child Syndrome," and it is minutes away from being available on line. It features 12 original songs, with different guest artists, solo ventures and a live track. Please contact me for an advanced copy. I am especially interested in anyone wishing to review it for blog or publication.

-I am returning to Cornell University for another semester as an artist in residence, still working on programs at Risley Hall and other projects on campus and in Ithaca. Last night was a great time playing with cellist Hank Roberts who was my guest artist at "Cat and Mouth," my series at Risley.

-Also an artist in residence this month at LEMUR --League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots. In this collaboration, I will be able to improvise with, and "teach" a beat to, an outfit of musical robots, to be performed October 9th, in Brooklyn, and also Oct. 17-18 in Trondheim, Norway (www.lemurbots.org).

-Been recording for different groups in and around the tri-state.

-Had an amazing time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, performing with Sxip Shirey and numerous other talented characters...

-Had a great (but short) run of In Transit at the York Theater--many thanks to them, and to the writers and cast.... for info and photos of this great project, check out BroadwayWorld.

-Did some great shows with Michael Leonhart, Maria Millar and Kilterclash , and Beatboxer Entertainment

-Been jamming with Jonny Wilson and Eclectic Method, they make these mind-boggling REAL-TIME video mashups, realized live on stage, as well as in the studio...e.g....

check out www.youtube.com/eclecticmethod for more of their work...

Summer '08

It's been an amazing summer so far, and not done yet!!! I'm currently at Newark, waiting for my flight (delayed 5 hours) to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, where I'll play every night with Sxip Shirey, at the vaudeville cabaret, "And The Devil May Drag You Under..." Come through if you're in the area!!
The bulk of my summer has been an amazing project called In Transit, written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Sarah Wordsworth, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, Greg Christopher and Karla Momberg. It's an incredible piece--an a cappella musical-- which takes place in NYC's subway system, showing a series of characters going through their hectic days and situations, and I play a subway beatboxer who supplies the groove for the whole show, and mixes it up with all the different straphangers...We workshopped the piece at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Festival in CT, then, just finished a series of shows at the York Theater in Manhattan. They were all staged readings, but all along the way we were met with rave responses. The cast and director and musical director were INCREDIBLY talented, and amazing people to hang out with. We're all currently waiting to find out what the next incarnation will be...for pix from our opening night at the York, check outBroadwayworld.com. WHEN this show comes around again (fingers crossed), please come check it out....
Other highlights included a solo show at Joe's Pub, 7/14, with special guests Sxip Shirey, Bora Yoon and Eyal Maoz. Still going through the video from this show, it was a great house, and the sound there is so dope--it's definitely one of my favorite places to play in NYC...
Also, had a great time rocking with Kid Lucky and Beatboxer Entertainment, at Sidewalk Cafe, Aug. 3rd...We knocked out an hour-and-a-half fully improv, fully raw performance, conducted by Lucky, and we were all ready to keep going!! It was a really great time.
In June, played a show with jazz vocalist/trombonist, Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen at an amazing music camp in Castleton, VT. got to conduct a workshop for the students, who taught me as much as I taught them!! Check out one of the outcomes of our musical trekking: Went on to perform at the Jamaica Greenfest, a festival of music, food, healing, and environmental awareness, raising money for Engineers Without Borders, creating well projects in Kenyan communities. Conducted workshops at Pascack Valley High School, and Brooklyn Friends School, and as always, was blown away by the talent and imagination of the kids I was working with. Finally, got to rock some great shows with Michael Leonhart and Paul Brill, at Rockwood and Joe's Pub, respectively.
Will be playing with Michael again Sept. 15th. Also, in September, I will be doing a residency with LEMUR--League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots. These fine folk build sculptures and armatures that play music, triggered by audience members and/or composers and modulated through software. I will be syncing and linking up my beats with the robots and creating a performance to be shown in October...
Peace and health,
adam

Carnegie Hall, Axis of Equals, gigs

Hey it's been a minute.

Carnegie was off the chain, what an amazing experience. The show was sold out and the audience was on their feet cheering at the end of the show. I feel so honored to have played with the other vocalists on stage, at that venue, to that crowd, it was amazing.

Axis of Equals was another thrill, and major success. To find out more details, read the review in the Cornell Daily Sun:

Cornell Daily Sun review

In June, I will play a series of gigs in NYC: check my myspace:

Myspace

Peace, see ya soon...

Cornell Percussion Ensemble

Will be performing with the Cornell Percussion Ensemble, led by Tim Feeney. Performing John Zorn's "Cobra" live improvised composition game.
Suday, April 13th, 3pm
Barnes Hall
Cornell University

Bobby McFerrin, Carnegie Hall, May 2nd, 2008

I've been selected to take part in a vocal workshop with Bobby McFerrin, among 20 vocalists from around the world! We will be creating an interactive piece based on the story of the Tower of Babel. We will perform it Friday, May 2nd, 7:30 pm, at Zankel Hall. For more info, check:
Instant Opera! with Bobby McFerrin

"Axis of Equals," April 12th, 2008

"Axis of Equals"
A Festival of Middle Eastern and Jewish Music..with an urban edge
A festival of live music and dance, presenting artists who create, compose and dance to music that combines Middle Eastern and/or Jewish influences with a sensibility that is edgy and urban.
The festival is intended to captivate the Cornell and local Ithaca community, offering a vision of various cultures and textures, integrated through musical collaboration and invention. The musicians involved create powerful, moving music that combines an ear for traditional sounds, as well as a hunger for modern beat-driven music. The program will offer sounds that satisfy a yearning for pop-style grooves, but with echoes of ancient musical forms. The festival is intended to present sounds from both the Arab and Jewish worlds, the new and the old, the catchy and the eclectic.
The event will be co-sponsored by Cornell Middle Eastern BellyDance Events, who are inviting "fusion" belly dance groups, Willow and Kassar, from New York City, as well as Cornell group, Teszia, and Chandani, a local, traditional belly dance troupe. Their performances will be interlaced with the music acts throughout the evening. The organization will also be conducting Middle Eastern dance workshops from 11- 6pm at the Big Red Barn. See Middle Eastern BellyDance for more info!
The festival will demonstrate numerous musical forms. Pharaoh's Daughter, led by Basya Schecter, combines traditional Jewish melodies and tones with modern jazz, rock and urban groove, creating an uplifting and communal sentiment in the audience. Haale draws her influences from Persian Sufi music, combined with a pop/rock sensibility and provides a captivating, hypnotic performance. The Cornell Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Music Ensemble will present music accompanied by Risley Hall Artist in Resident and beatboxer, Adam Matta. The night will open up into an exploration of funk and hip hop, with Adam Matta, joined by musicians from all the bands, in the spirit of improvisation and collaboration.
Pharaohs Daughter
Haale
Adam Matta
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008
Location: Risley Hall, Great Hall
Doors at 7 pm, show at 8 pm
The event is co-sponsored by Cornell Council for the Arts, Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, Holland International Living Center, Cornell Hillel: The Yudowitz Center for Jewish Campus Life, Near Eastern Studies, Schwartz Center, Department of Theater, Film and Dance, Institute for European Studies, Mediterranean Initiative, Just About Music, Residential Programs, Community Centers, Residential Student Congress, Africana, GPSAFC, Hasbrouck and Cornell Middle Eastern BellyDance Events.

SXSW

At SXSW, it's sick down here. So much music, so many great talents and gurus...Sxip and I play tonight at 10pm at St. David's Church, before Golden Arm Trio.
Tomorrow night, Matta Fact Beatbox Sessions in NYC @ Banjo Jim's, 11pm, many great artists coming up to rock w me...

Beatboxing for Dance Classes at Cornell University

Since the Fall semester of 2007, I have been an Artist in Residence at Cornell University’s Risley Hall, and have been working as an accompanist for up to eight dance classes per week in the Department of Theater, Film and Dance. I provide vocal percussion for Dance I, II and III, Explorations, Improvisation, and Hip Hop, working with Jumay Chu, Joyce Morgenroth, Janice Kovar, Jim Self, Byron Suber, and Allen Fogelsanger, as well as with visiting guest artists from the Paul Taylor II Dance Company.
Beatboxing is an exciting form of music to dance to, an unexpected deviation from traditional instrumentation such as violin, piano, hand drum, or CD accompaniment. With differing sounds, vocalizations and “drum fills,” I do rhythms in styles of funk, hip hop, swing, waltz, 6/8, 5/4, 7/8, house music, drumnbass, rock, 2/4, tango, breakbeat, middle-eastern and most other requests. In the more open formats of Improvisation and Explorations, I can work with the dancers more, drawing on sounds from urban sounds, like traffic, trains and planes, to audio effects, like radio static, drones and filter sweeps, to natural sounds, like oceans, wind, and animals, to atmospheric sounds, such as footsteps, creaks and knocks—as well as different percussive patterns in off-beat time signatures, and also vocalizations such as blues and world-style singing, trumpet solos, upright bass walks and Tuvan-style throat singing.
I was invited to perform live accompaniment to the Dance Department’s Spring Show in 2007, scoring Jim Self’s “N2 Da Fu Cha Cha,” as well multiple year-end dance class showings.

berlin

Had an amazing time in Berlin this weekend, meeting over 80 beatboxers from around the globe, some people drove as far as I flew to get there. IT was mad inspiring to be around the energy there, and all those cats who are so dedicated to the artform. Big up to all the beatboxers I got to meet and chill with.
Beathead from Belgium put up some video of my performance there(Thank you Beathead!!!)
At the end I thank Rahzel for inspiring us, since so many cats who played that night were scratching and doing heavy bass, all techniques that came from Rahzel, but really, I should have also added, Kenny Muhammad, Doug E Fresh, Buffy, Bizmarkie, Michael Winslow, Bobby McFerrin, Wes Carroll, Kid Beyond, all the influential people who put mouth percussion and beatboxing on the map. Big up to Bee Low for organizing a great event as well. Here's the clip:

Beatbox Drift at the New Museum

Beatbox Drift was a success. We sold out, there was a line outside the museum waiting to get in, and the performance went better than I could have hoped. Thank you to Sparlha Swa, Julianne Carney, James Ilgenfritz and Briggan Krauss who were all so awesome. Thank you to the New Museum for having us! And thank you to all who came out to support the show, it meant a great deal to have everyone there.

Now.....on to Berlin, Germany, for the Beatbox Battle International Convention...!!!
And then....continuing "Cat and Mouth" shows here at Cornell's Risley Hall....Plus...producing the "Axis of Equals" Music Festival, here at Risley, April 12th, with Haale and Pharaoh's Daughter.

Here is info about the museum show, in case you missed it:

Art on the Bowery: Adam Matta: Beatbox Drift
Adam Matta’s Beatbox Drift is a way of interacting with New York City and its more underlying, or "psychogeographic," features. The format of the “drift” allows Matta—a world-class beatboxer and innovative sample artist—to shift from style to style and sound to sound in an organic and improvised fashion as he elaborates on his habitual practice of collecting and regurgitating sounds and rhythms from the city.

Some highlights from the program included “Mareo,” an ode to the Lower East Side with beatbox and video; “Underground,” a blues-trance composition for beatbox and voice inspired by the world beneath the city’s streets; “Day in the Life,” a New York story told entirely through sound effects; a new composition for bike wheel, Walkman, laptop, theremin, and beatbox; original songs performed by Sparlha Swa, featuring Adam Matta on accompaniment; plus improvisations and compositions for violin, bass, saxophone, and beatbox, featuring Julianne Carney, Briggan Krauss, and James Ilgenfritz.

Adam Matta performed as part of the Bowery Artist Tribute, a project celebrating artists who have lived and worked on the Bowery.

updates

The concert at Bailey Hall was a success! I'll be posting video as soon as I get it myself. It was a blast, working with the orchestra, woth Chris Kim, the conductor, and with Paul Leary, the composer. I learned a lot on that project.

In the meantime, here's the video of my theremin project, in case you haven't seen it on my myspace page()



Peace,
Adam

updates

Dear Friends and Fam,

Happy Thanksgiving, hope you and yours are safe and sound...eat hearty!

I am performing with the Cornell Chamber Orchestra, Dec. 2nd, at Cornell's 1000-odd-seat Bailey Hall. I am performing a piece composed specifically for me and the strings, by composer, Paul Leary, Professor at Denison University and Duke University Graduate Student, conducted by Chris Kim.

I am doing the last(this semester) in a series of experimental and improvised music sessions called "Cat and Mouth," here at Risley Hall, Cornell Unviersity. I've had awesome guests, including Hank Roberts, Julie Carney, Tim Feeney, and Eyal Maoz(Tzadik). The next and last one, Nov. 30th, will feature Pete Gerakaris and Jon Price, from the Woozyfly sessions:

www.woozyfly.com/adammatta

Speaking of video, I've put up a clip of my experiments with beatbox, and my new instrument, the theremin, as well as my bike wheel, and samples. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITjHMWibaPo

Still beatboxing for seven dance classes/week at the Dance department. Next week is our last week of classes(already!).

Stay in touch,

Best,
Adam

Bike Drawings

New Updates

I am working with the Cornell Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Music Ensemble, and we just finished a master class with Simon Shaheen(!) It was immensely enjoyable and educational. I learned a lot. I am drumming with the ensemble for now, but will begin incorporating the beatbox soon.

Please check out these photos taken by Brian Diaz, when I performed at the Re:Cycle Plays in Socrates Sculpture Park, Astoria, Queens, Sept. 15th.

End of August Updates

1.)I'm currently an artist in residence at Cornell University's Risley Hall. I am providing programming for the students who live here, based around music, performance and visual art. I'm starting up a bi-weekly music series, with guest artists and open to the university community and local musicians.

2.)I'm currently beatboxing for as many as 6 or 7 dance classes a week here at Cornell. I'm the accompanist for technique, improv and hip hop classes. I'm mostly the only accompanist in the class, providing beats and soundscapes for the whole session.

3.) I am recording a new album, in fact, I already have a number of songs done, I am hoping to add at least one more new track. I am still in the process of getting feedback about the CD, but I'm pretty excited about it. I am hoping to have it done by October, and hope to schedule a CD-Release party sometime late this year, or early next year.

4.) I am performing at the Recycle Plays Festival, September 15th. I will be doing beatboxing, bike drawing performance art and bike wheel sound sculpture performance. My piece is about how the peak oil trend is like the story of Icarus, and my theme is "sacrifice your car(for a bicycle instead)."

5.) I am participating in the launch of woozyfly.com. The start up company videotaped my friends and I jamming at a sweet studio, and will be including our video in their main launch campaign. This project is expected to launch in September, and is expected to draw quite a few people. Big up to DJ Tikka Masala for this one.

6.) Joe's Pub, with Sxip Shirey, September 17th. Not to be missed!

Stay in touch!

Updates

Just got back from LA for the SNEAKER PIMPS tour; played at the Circus of Awesome put on by Heavy.com/Hot Tamales, on the same bill as Redman, Swizz Beats and Expensive Taste. Was really great to get out to LA.
Played Lincoln Center's Allen Room, with Bora Yoon. Stefano Zazzera, Kaki King and Luke Dubois were also on the bill. The show was incredible, with a naturally-occuring light show in the back drop, as the back wall of the theater looked out over Columbus Circle and the show was timed to coincide with the sunset.
Recording new EP. Will let you know more details as they become available.
Going up to Ithaca tomorrow! Begin residency tomorrow for the fall semester.
Starting up some band projects, one with Pete Gerakaris on guitar, and Jon Price on bass(video to come). Also working with bass superstar Tim Lefebvre, thanks to John McC at Living Jazz Archive. Check the video:

msg, bma, etc.

Played with Beatboxer Entertainment at Madison Square Garden on Monday, June 18th. IT was for the halftime entertainment at a basketball charity put on by istarfinancial. The six of us, Masai Electro, Kid Lucky, D Cross, Yako, Yo Yo Beats, and myself, performed seven cover tunes, including White Stripes' Seven Nation Army, Missy Eliot's Work It, and Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. Then Semerock and Shockwave joined in and we freestyled till the end, all with Hypno, Pax Prime, and one other B-boy doing they thing on the court with us. We had a dope time, played in front of about 1500 people, although it looked like a small crowd, given the huge venue! and I got to meet and talk with Doug E Fresh.
This past weekend, I played with Toni Blackman at Brooklyn Museum, for First Saturdays. We performed some of Toni's tunes, and she spoke with the audience about her music, her travels(Ivory Coast, Senegal, South Asia, more), and her experiences as a woman in hip hop. She is a powerful speaker and role model, hope to work with her more in the future. Also connected with her guitarist, Tomas, about a project I had recently spoken over the phone with him about, but never met him face to face. Small world..
Last Friday, I played at LEMURplex's Tranzducer party. It was a small crowd, but it was great performing in a room full of musical robots hanging from the ceiling. I played my bicycle wheel, and a new system I have set up with a Chaos Pad and an Ipod. I'm stoked. I have video. Will post soon.
Working on a new album. Almost done...

Love on Ludlow

Last night, there were two events right next door to each other on Ludlow Street. At Piano's, Andy Action was having his wedding celebration, with 16 bands in one night, playing 10 minutes each. At Living Room, The Animators, the band I used to provide percussion for in '03-04, was having their final swan song performance as a band. It was a powerful night, with stunning performances going on simultaneously in both venues. I played at Andy's at 7, got to jam with the awesome Zef Noi$e, and Andy, then bounced over to do the gig with the Animators. Then bounced back. It was a sentimental, hopeful, mushy mushy kinda night on Ludlow St.

Friday, played Rubluad with Sxip(www.myspace.com/sxipshirey) and had a ball. Saturday morning was Root and Branch, which went really well. The kids did an awesome job, and it wasa beautiful day down on the pier on Red Hook. Saturday, I rocked out with the Creamsicles, at the River Cafe in Harlem, got hooked up with great food, the music was dope.

Will play with the Creamsicles again this Saturday in Riverside park. Sxip and I are trying to book some tours for later this year. Will be in touch.