After years of putting it off, mostly due to my being distracted by various social networking and music sites throughout the last 7 or 8 years, I decided to finally create my very own website.
http://www.marcooppedisano.net
To those who have said, “Finally” or “It’s about time,” I couldn’t agree more.
Feedback has been positive so far. Thanks for checking it out.
The $100 Guitar Project 2 CD was released on Bridge Records, Inc this January. To read all about the project, go to: http://www.100dollarguitar.com. Also, important to mention is that royalties on every sale will be paid directly to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.
It all started in October 2010 and I found about the project a month later. In January 2011, I picked up the guitar from Elliott Sharp in downtown NYC, had it for a week in Sunnyside, Queens and then dropped it off with Ron Anderson (PAK) in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
pickup from Elliott Sharp, January 2011 (downtown NYC)
dropoff to Ron Anderson, January 2011 (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
I’ve always believed that the player makes the guitar. My first impression of the $100 guitar was that, yes, it was a real cheapo, but found that it had a good amount of resonance, was a bit quirky and a lot of character. I was taken aback by the unusually long headstock. Actually, I hated how that looked.
So, I plucked around and thought, what kind of sounds can I get on this thing? After some thought, it came to me to compose a piece that incorporated all kinds of sounds from the instrument. This approach is not too far off from what I’ve done in the past. But with writing a short piece (a little over 2 minutes), I had to find a compelling way (at least to me) to demonstrate these sounds in a short amount of time without coming off contrived.
So, I plugged it in and with the help of a Boss GT-6 multi effects processor, and some alligator clips, I got to work. Recorded a few improvisations and grabbed a bunch of samples…
What we end up with is a piece called Red Cent. The title inspired by it being a $100 red guitar. Cent means a hundred in French. And the phrase, “Not worth a red cent.” Anyway, you get the idea…
My signature right below the high E string – now slightly worn.
After having listened to the 2CD a few times already, I am so impressed with what is a wonderful variety of music (65 players = 69 tracks. Wow). Special thanks go out to Nick Didkovsky and Charles O’Meara for coming up with this great idea. I enjoy visualizing that guitar being passed around having traveled over 30,000 miles and hearing all the great sounds coming from it. I got to see it again just a few weeks ago at the CD listening party in NYC. It still amazes me that it is still in one piece.
Hear an excerpt of my $100 Guitar piece, Red Cent:
To purchase the 2CD album: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AEDZB5M/ or
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/$100-guitar-project/id591609723
with my then 6 1/2 month old daughter, Jillian Maisie, January 2011 (Sunnyside, Queens, NYC)
List of $100 Guitar Project participants:
Alex Skolnick, David Starobin, Elliott Sharp, Mike Keneally, Barry Cleveland, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser, Mark Hitt, Keith Rowe, Nels Cline, Andy Aledort, Hillary Fielding, John Shiurba, Karl Evangelista, Phil Burk, Ray Kallas, Janet Feder, Thomas Dimuzio, Julia Miller, Chris Murphy, Chuck O’Meara, Marty Carlson, Shawn Persinger, Kai Niggemann, Steve MacLean, Ken Field, Roger Miller, Michael Bierylo, Bill Brovold, Larry Polansky, Biota Bill Sharp, Ava Mendoza, Amy Denio, Bruce Eisenbeil, Caroline Feldmeier, Colin Marston, David Linaburg, Hans Tammen, James Moore, Jesse Krakow, Jesse Kranzler, Joe Bouchard, Jon Diaz, Josh Lopes, Kobe Van Cauwenberghe, Marco Cappelli, Marco Oppedisano, Joe Berger, Mark Solomon, Mark Stewart, Mike Lerner, Nick Didkovsky, Rhys Chatham, Ron Anderson, Taylor Levine, Tom Marsan, Greg Anderson, Han-earl Park, Del Rey, Teisco Del Rey, Matt Wilson, Bruce Zeines, Toon Callier/Zwerm, Juan Parra, and Wiek Hijmanns.
My first experience with drums and percussion in an electroacoustic piece was for a composition called “Kickstart” from my 2010 release, Mechanical Uprising. I have often referred to that piece as a composition for an “electroacoustic musique concrete avant rock band.” I’m still surprised it took me that long (about 11 years and 4 albums later) to get around to using drums and percussion in my own electronic music.
Now, I love it.
So, this past year I composed music focusing on a particular instrumentation of electric guitar, electric bass, piano, drums and various percussion. One composition, “Joyous Returns” also uses female voice samples (courtesy of my wife, Kim). I then composed a set of three pieces to be listened to as follows:
1. Flash Forward
2. Reflection
3. Joyous Returns
The guitars were all performed by me and the piano music was composed by me. The drums and percussion sounds are samples from various sound libraries.
These compositions will all be included on my next album scheduled for release in late 2013/early 2014.
Thanks for listening.
Recently, some of my music was used in a short film by Don Cato called, Dead Man Rides Subway . The film is a depiction of a poem of the same name written by Cornelius Eady recently published in Token Entry: New York City Subway Poems – Editor, Gerry LeFemina (Smalls Books, April, 2012).
The film was one of six films as part of the Subway Film Series. All the films were premiered at the Queens World Film Festival in March 2012.
The poem:
He lolls, he sways, this lone male sleeper
Minding his business on the B’way local.
Some let him snooze and think they’re
doing him a favor,
Others wait to see his head startle awake,
His drowsy panic,
Uptown when he meant to be Downtown,
Downtown when he intended to be Up,
And feel a bit cheated when his nap proves
to take longer than their stop.
Need I tell you life in New York City
is different? Difficult?
There he floats, slightly out of style
From the rest of us.
Cornelius Eady (b.1954)
The film:
“A man holds dearly onto his soul as he eternally rides the subway.”
The director Don Cato selected my music, so nothing was composed specifically for the film. I think it all worked out beautifully and am very happy with the result. Hope you like it too.
All parents think their kids are talented.
I don’t know if my kid is truly talented.
I do think she really loves music.
photos by Kimberly Fiedelman-Oppedisano
And if she seriously considers taking up guitar, I’ll encourage her to sing too….
(And from Father’s Day 2012….)
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki
In an interview last year with Contemporary Guitars Blog, I was asked to name 5 Desert Island albums. Now, I’ve never been one to get too carried away with making “top 5 lists,” but thought what if I were to do one for electric guitar tracks that continue to have a profound effect on me years after having heard them the first time. So, after some thought, I recently decided on a top 3 list. I know, it’s only 3…..Anyway, here they are:
1. Machine Gun – Jimi Hendrix (Band of Gypsys)
What else can be said about this live version of Machine Gun. Just a mindblower. If I could go back in time to see one concert, it would be this one.
2. Where Were You – Jeff Beck
I could go on and on regarding Jeff Beck. This track is pure electric guitar poetry of the highest order. Simply incredible music and one of the more beautiful things I’ve ever heard.
3. Watermelon in Easter Hay – Frank Zappa
FZ was very underrated as a guitarist. Gorgeous music in a slow 9/4 (or 4/4 + 5/4 – however you prefer). This track shows off FZ’s more sensitive side. It’s not even from my favorite Zappa period though. I’m more of an early Mothers person (see my 5 Desert Island albums).
As with these types of lists, it’s always tough leaving stuff out. Here a list of a few Honorable Mentions (I may continue to edit this..)
The Final Peace – Jeff Beck
Power to Love – Jimi Hendrix
Pink Cashmere – Prince
Black Napkins – Frank Zappa
Is It Sweet? – Bill Frisell
and definitely a few more….
