FOLLOW, ABSORB, REPEAT.

Tanner Menard – Deepest Indigo

Soft and elegant, Tanner Menard’s “Deepest Indigo” is a soothing album that represents the best of ambient. Throughout the album the attention to detail is profound as Tanner Menard lets each piece grow organically. Over the course of the album Tanner Menard incorporates elements of classical, drone, and ambient into a satisfying whole. By opting for this approach the album has a full-bodied…

Andrew Weathers Ensembles offers a fresh take on folk with “Fuck Everybody, You Can Do Anything”. Incurably optimistic the songs exude charm and grace. Carefully crafted the songs are perfect encapsulations of what being alive means today. Vocals are strong and earnest. Teeming with life the Andrew Weather Ensemble promotes a sense of interplay giving the songs a sense of togetherness. Within these pieces elements of chamber pop, classical, folk and electronics fuse to create something much larger than the sum of their parts.

Quiet at first the stripped down sound of “Live By Golden Rule: Go Orange Be Strong” opts for a satisfying buildup. From such hushed territories the sound gradually comes into the light with tactile strings and guitars woven into a tapestry full of color. At the ending the song reaches a sense of discovery ending things on an elegant note. Reflective in tone “They Said That One Day We’d Be Free” remains wordless going instead for delightful neon-hued drone. Defiant to its core “You Are Powerful and We Are Taking Over” is a strong determined piece. Everything comes together from the elongated strings to the echoed vocals. On “We Will Never See A Cloud Again” takes a different tact. By far the highlight of the album the piece bursts forth with great energy resulting in a highly satisfying crescendo. Bringing the album to a close is the gentle work of “There’s Trouble Until the Robins Come”.

I am honored to have a second mix featured in Mysteries Of The Deep’s ongoing podcast series this week. Following on from my first entry, which released nearly 2 years ago, I recorded these selections earlier this summer using three turntables, an outboard effects processor and four-channel mixer.

I hope you enjoy it.

Blue Inferno:

Environments, “Wood Masted Sailboat”

Environments, “Ultimate Heartbeat”

Robert Curgenven, “Turner’s Tempest”

Jana Winderen, “Scuttling Around In The Shadows”

Floris Vanhoof, “De Karekiet Van Karakas”

Fennesz, “City Of Light”

Derek Rogers, “Apparent Weight”

Oren Ambarchi, “Quixotism Part 1”

Valerio Tricoli, “In The Eye Of The Cyclone”

Andrea Belfi, “Su Linee Rette”

William Fowler Collins, “I Heard Only The Eternal Storm”

Lawrence English, “Antarctica”

Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement, “In Honduras Death Caused By Being Chased By Spirits”

Marble Sky, “A Shining Juniper”

Bo Anders Persson, “Piece II”

Bee Mask, “Vaporware”

Oake, “Wuhleor Niir Peffgeeng Pfudenn”

Pharmakon, “Intent Or Instinct”

John Chantler, “November Part I”

Mika Vainio, “Weight”

Yellow Swans, “New Life”

Solitudes, “Heavy Surf On Rocky Point Along A Sand Spit”

Environments, “Ultimate Heartbeat”

Stephen Vitiello + Taylor Deupree, “From The Main Studio"

If anyone nowadays bridges the practice of academe and the underground, it’s Sarah Davachi. Currently based in Calgary after a sojourn at Mills College, the Canadian-born composer, educator, and electronic musician manages the instrument collection at the National Music Centre and lectures at two local colleges. But she has also released three cassettes and one LP, each of which uses layered, richly textured sonorities made from combinations of acoustic and electronic sounds to realize hypnotic, evolving melodies that are as affecting and approachable as they are rigorous. For example, “Codex,” which closes her latest cassette Qualities Of Bodies Permanent (Constellation Tatsu), taps into the mellotron’s unique sonic qualities to express a complex commingling of reminiscence and sorrow.

DFBM - First Listen - Andrew Weathers - Fuck Everybody, You Can Do Anything

JONATHAN CHERRY: What did you want to be growing up?

ANDREW MARINO: The earliest I can remember wanting to be something was I wanted to play bowling professionally. My family has home movies of when I was 3 or 4 years old, cheering and celebrating whenever the pros on TV rolled a strike. It’s pretty hilarious watching those videos today. I never actually pursued this path, but who knows… it could still happen!

JC: Who or what is inspiring you at the moment?

AM: Brian McSwain’s photographs of The Florida Heartland. That dude’s work is on point.

JC: What are you up to right now?

AM: At the moment of writing this, I’m drinking coffee and listening to Roads To The North by Panopticon. There’s a pile of negatives from 2014 sitting on my desk, which I’m in the middle of scanning, archiving, and editing down. The pile keeps replenishing itself and it feels like fighting an uphill battle.

Otherwise, I’m spending my time looking for a full-time job as a web designer / developer, rebuilding a couple of websites (including my own), raising a Jack Russell Terrier pup, and learning JavaScript.

JC: Have you had mentors along the way?

AM: No mentors. However, I would like to thank Joseph X. Burke, Johnny Utterback, and Patrick Limber for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm of medium format with me when I was getting started with it. Without them, it’s difficult to say if I would still be doing this.

JC: Where are you based right now and how is it shaping you?

AM: I’m currently based near Raleigh, North Carolina. The slower pace of life (compared to what I grew up with in New York) has affected me, and in turn, my photography. Like many have already stated, the American South, and more specifically North Carolina, is on a path of changes (good and bad) and I have noticed that to be especially true in the past few years. I’m not sure what it means for the people who live here, the cities and towns which have seen better days, or what identifies as being southern. This uncertainty influences and shapes my work. Ultimately, living in North Carolina is challenging me as a photographer and as a person to step out of my comfort zone more often. The results are unexpected and sometimes worth it.

JC: One piece of advice to photography graduates?

AM: Technical expertise isn’t everything. Don’t forget about soft skills! What I mean by this is learn how to communicate effectively, how and when to say no, how to budget, how to interact with clients, etc. This doesn’t happen overnight - in fact, I’m still working on these things myself.

JC: If all else fails - what is plan B?

AM: Bowl a 300 and finally turn pro.

JC: Is it important to you to be part of a creative community?

AM: Community makes photography more enjoyable, so I will say yes. Sharing your work with a wider audience is great but it’s vital to the health of the community to give back. Offer help to someone who needs it, share what you know, introduce people you think should meet, and develop meaningful connections with others. These are the things I’m interested in.

This past week mpdrolet’s blog was shut down by Tumblr. Shortly after, it was restored with the response and wide support of the photography community on there. How awesome is that? It’s a perfect example of what makes community so powerful.