Scrapping up the musical stage
Take the percussive groups Blast and Stomp, add a wide range of original instruments and the energy of a child with a wooden spoon set loose in his mother’s kitchen, and ScrapArtsMusic is created. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, ScrapArtsMusic (SAM) makes their debut ain Logan Jan. 26 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre.
Always on the lookout for new groups to bring to Cache Valley, Amanda Castillo, program director for the Cache Valley Center for the Arts, discovered SAM at an arts conference.
“We got to see a small performance at the showcase, then we got to see a video performance. We wanted to see how they integrate the audience,” Castillo said.
Impressed with SAM’s eco-friendly innovations, unique instrumentation and stage presence, Castillo said she was inspired to bring the group to Cache Valley.
“We hope … to implement what they are doing and that it will have a longer impact (on the community),” Castillo said.
In addition to their two shows at Ellen Eccles Theatre, SAM is participating in education outreach with a lecture at USU, as well as performances for elementary students.
“We are hosting a matinee, which is already sold out. We could have had 3 matinees and they would all have been sold out,” Castillo said.
According to a ScrapArtsMusic pamphlet, they began in 1998, created by George Kozak and Justine Murdy with the environment and a “next generation” ensemble in mind. They explored industrial scrap yards and discovered anything that could be recycled and make great sounds.
SAM’s webpage is splattered with reviews from all over, calling them “a feast of sight and sound” and “the kings of scrap.”
According to their Facebook page, the group is mainly percussion-based, but delves into experimental, world and jazz genres. The 145 instruments invented by creator and director Kozak give the troupe a sound that allows them to cross all genres of music. The instruments have names like the ziggurat drum, whorlies, scorpion drums and the mojo.
“It’s more than just drumming,” Castillo said. “(It’s) almost like a dance on stage, they move the instruments, there’s a lot of choreography, a percussive dance and a sculptural dance. They transform the stage.”
Performances begin with an empty stage, heightening the audience’s anticipation. The following 90 minutes consist of 13 different musical compositions.
The group consists of five performers: Kozak, Spencer Cole, Christa Mercey, Greg Samek and Simon Thomsen.
“People often come up to us after the show to say they are blown away by our energy and creativity. Musicians tell us they are so impressed by the sophistication of the music; parents tell us they have rarely seen their children so mesmerized,” Murdy said.
Over the last 12 years, SAM has performed for NBA halftime shows and even the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
“We performed … in Australia, China, Korea, Taiwan, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Guatemala and of course, all over the USA and Canada,” Murdy said.
Their travels are documented on the troupe’s Facebook page, and they invite all to follow their travels, complete with photos, video clips and tour updates.
Logan initiates their 2011 tour, and from here they travel to California and on through the West, with shows in Arizona and Texas as well as Alaska, Philadelphia and Hong Kong.
“We are looking forward to our debut performances in Utah. We are also excited to perform in the Ellen Eccles Theatre. It sounds like a state-of-the-art theatre in a heritage space!” Murdy said.
Ellen Eccles is hosting two shows at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 26-27; ticket prices range from $17 to $27.
– shanelle.b@aggiemail.usu.edu