[ASTRO] Re: O.R.I. and the Aqua Bats

[Michael Kepler <kepler@metro1.com>]

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On Wed, 22 Oct 1997, Veronica Kyle@ Topeka & Shawnee Co. Public Library wrote:

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> 
> I sent away for Operation Re-Information's CD and I finally got it in the
> mail yesterday.  Does anyone else out there have it?  Has anyone seen them
> in concert? 

Yeah!  I bought the disc at a show where ORI opened for Servotron.

> I'm wondering what they are like live.  Do they just press a
> few buttons and leave the stage or can they actually replicate all the
> complicated computerized music?  

They're really "playing" most of the sounds.  All of the sounds come
from Mac portable computers and are samples of found sounds and sounds
they made with various computers and vintage synths and stuff.  They
press keys on Mac keyboards to trigger the sounds.  I think it varies
wether a keypress triggers a one-shot sound or a sequence.  They 
wrote the Mac software themselves and sell it at shows and on their
web page.

If you've seen MOA? recently, you've seen Coco using the same gear,
with a keyboard strapped on like a guitar just like ORI.  Coco has
worked with ORI and will work with them in the future.  He was
supposed-to be on the ORI tour I saw, but stayed back at the lab to
work on Tesla coils and such instead.

I got to the show really early so I was able to watch and listen to
the ORI soundcheck.  There were three live members present, and I got
the impression that they made up for the absence of Coco by having
his parts played by an unmanned Mac.  Nonetheless, their fingers were
busy and seemed to have something to do with the sounds, and there
were definite differences between live and CD performances of the
same songs.

> This album has some really great songs on
> it, but I'm sure I'll eventually grow to like the whole thing.

I really like it.  Corporate Takeover is a great track.  This music
may be pretty weird for alot of people, but anyone who is already a
fan of Negativland should love it.  They are more "musical" and less
"editorial" than Negativland.

> 
> I listened to the radio talk-show "Love Lines" last night and guess who were
> the guests!  The Aqua Bats and Bobcat Gothwait(sp?)!  They were very
> energetic and enthusiastic, so much so that one of the hosts, Adam, kept
> telling the sound guy to turn of their microphones, because it became
> impossible for the callers to get a word in edgewise.  They played their
> song "The Cat with 2 Heads".  This was the first time I'd heard any of their
> songs.  Good show!
> 
> Veronica
> 

Y'know, with all these great things being said about the Aquabats, I'm
really kicking myself.  They played here in PDX just last weekend and
I didn't go.  Poopy.  I think I missed out on something good.

Mookie

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