BenTyree.net
26.May.08 | Some Quick News Bits...
• More NYC dates added (Highlights: URB ALT Festival '08
set w/ V. Jeffrey Smith, July dates w/ Soul Understated)
• Stephanie Rooker tour dates added ***BT on guitar***
• New partnership with Solar Guitars (record label/internet radio)
as of March 2008. On exciting roster w/ Blackbyrd McKnight,
Dean Brown, Jan Hammer, Cindy Blackman, Jean-Luc Ponty, et al.
New BT instrumental release in the works !!!!
• BT guitar styles on new single "Funkular Crouton" by John Johnson
released April 2008 on 202 Digital
• Stephanie Rooker EP released March 2008.
Available on iTunes and CD Baby. ***BT on guitar***
• New Miscellaneous Flux material in the works !!!
• More exciting tour dates to be added for Summer/Fall 2008 !!!
01.Jan.08 | Been A Long Time...
Updates Coming Soon!!!
09.Jan.07 | "Amahlia" + New Track
Greetings and happy new year to all!!!!!!
There is much exciting news and development in the Ben Tyree camp
for 2007. More to come in that regard, but first order of business:
I have composed and arranged music for a play titled "Amahlia"
which runs this month at The Impact Theatre in Brooklyn. It's
going to be a great show and I have contributed four pieces to
the soundtrack. The most recent piece, "Lluvia de Peces" (Wikipedia
this title to find out the meaning and folklore), has been posted
in rough mix form on my MySpace site. Please listen, enjoy, and
offer feedback. I really love this piece in particular. I was able to
try some things I haven't done before and it came out really nice!
Opening night is this Thursday, January 11 at 8pm in Brooklyn.
I will be there. Shouldn't you be too?
Press Release:
The Impact Theatre (190 Underhill Ave, Brooklyn) presents AMAHLIA,
Jan. 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, and 20th at 8pm and Jan. 14th and
21st at 3pm. $15/12. impacttheatrenyc@yahoo.com for reservations
or pay at the door. When Amahlia, a political journalist, returns to her
native country after 20 years of exile, she finds her ex-lover and fellow
revolutionary, John Whitman, working as a US diplomat and aiding a
violent military man's claim to the presidential office. Torn between his
job and the woman he loves, Whitman urges Amahlia to "disappear for
a while" once again instead of fighting for the freedom of her country.
Refusing, Amahlia faces potentially fatal consequences and Whitman is
forced to examine his own political, professional, and moral choices.
Written by Joel Shatzky. Directed by Esther Neff. Original Music by Ben Tyree.
11.Aug.06 | Mike Stern Interview Published
I had the opportunity to interview one of my favorite guitarists
of all time, Mike Stern, for Modern Guitars.com several weeks
ago. It was great talking with him again especially in the
context of an interview. He was someone whom I have known
through my high school guitar teacher for several years now.
There is also a huge possiblility that I will begin studying with
him intermittently starting, hopefully, next week.
22.May.06 | Chaos Frame debut + URB ALT Festival
This past Friday (5/19) was the debut of a new trio of mine called
Chaos Frame. As an explorer of unknown realms, I have always
been drawn to completely spontaneous, improvised music. This
evening was more than that. We performed an uninterrupted 50-
minute set at Brooklyn's Cafe Grumpy part of the Free Zone
Music Series. The set was magic from start to finish. The lineup
consisted of myself (playing hollow-body electric guitar with no
effects), Campbell Kennedy on electronic break beats and MIDI
controller and Will Martina on cello. This trio is something I will
definitely pursue so keep your eyes and ears open for any news
regarding Chaos Frame.
The first URB ALT Festival on June 10 is selling very fast. Please
get tickets as soon as possible. This will be an event I would hate
for any of you to miss. I will be performing with Dionne Farris as
well as MuthaWit Orchestra. It will definitely be a sonic experience
sure to cause some serious reverberations...
05.May.06 | Work, Work, Work !!!
This life can be full of ups, downs, changes, stagnation, etc. but one thing
is certain: it is never how one thinks it was, is, or will be and that's what keeps things interesting...
Brief Update:
MuthaWit is gearing up for these URB ALT Festivals taking place in Harlem
on June 10, July 1, August 5, and September 9. MuthaWit will be performing
3 of those nights in full orchestral mode plus will be backing band for Dionne
Farris on opening night. This will, indeed, be an exciting summer.
I have been composing and recording my highly introspective solo acoustic
guitar album. Some really great material is coming out I am excited to
continue in the process of its manifestation. I have some events scheduled
that will preview this music. For gestation and impact purposes I will not
release any of the recordings until everything is complete and in material
form.
I am proud to be working on some music for filmaker Majeed Beenteha's
documentary on 11th. Century Persian poet, astronomer, and mathematician
Omar Khayyam. I am learning so much from this process about Persian
musical traditions as well as the infinite creative power of humanity.
Also, I am touching up my musical contibutions for the upcoming issue
of Mad Hatters Magazine. This will surely be interesting stuff as I am
utilizing techniques and concepts of recording and electronic music that
I have no prior experience with.
Last but not least, I have been speaking quite frequently with Rashad
Dobbins (Miscellaneous Flux, Voids Moan, The Cornel West Theory), and
we are definitely feeling the incubation of new musical life in the Type
1 Information/ Flux re-Search realm ... That's all I can say right now.
05.Feb.06 | Updates and Gestations
Finally, this website is finished and I might as well fill everyone in on what
I am doing these days. First of all, Miscellaneous Flux is unoffically defunct
for an indeterminate amount of time. All of this is attributed to scheduling,
business, and residential fire problems.
MuthaWit is amping up to start recording an album within the next month
or so. We have assembled a strong cast of musicians who are going to help
make this a very exciting disc.
I am also doing as much freelancing as possible (and could always do more:
hint, hint.) giging and composing (digital sound scoring, etc). An upcoming
trip to L.A. following my 26th birthday should find me with some more
magical music unfoldings worth mentioning only after they happen. I hate
to jinx my possiblilites by talking about them before they happen.
My current composition endevours include an organ trio project that is
already underway featuring some new and familiar faces and an acoustic
guitar solo set that is kicking my ass. I'm really trying to dig deep for
both of these, so it may take some time, but it also may happen to fast
for me to handle. Either way, I'm up for it.
Well, that's it for now. I'll keep internet-land posted as things develop.
Don't forget to check out some of my latest pieces for Mad Hatters Review
online magazine (see links) and the latest piece on Miscellaneous Flux
in the Fall 2005 issue of Ugly Planet (see links). There's also a piece I
wrote on Atlanta industrial maverick Jarboe in that issue as well as some
album reviews I wrote under a surreptitious pseudonym.
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