KID SIMPLE: a radio play in the flesh

By Jordan Harrison
Directed by Krista D’Agostino

October 30th – November 14th at The Factory Theatre
791 Tremont St., Boston

Synopsis from Holland Productions: “Moll, a girl who invents things, wins the science fair with a machine for hearing sounds that can’t be heard. But when a shape-shifting Mercenary steals the invention (and her heart), she must embark on a quest to save noise as we know it. In a quirky fable of innocence and experience Moll crosses chasms and rafts rivers into a world where sound is always more than what meets the ear.”

Kid Simple was a very sound-heavy show.   The production required the creation of several sound collages, which represented the things that Moll’s incredible machine could “hear.”  The machine, when pointed at an object, heard everything that object had ever “heard.”  Sound was a huge part of the show – Joye Thaller, a talented local Foley artist, provided live sound, and I provided digital sound.  Together, we were responsible for over 200 sound effects.

I recorded the actors saying the various lines in rehearsal, and then spliced them together with ambient and background noise.  The first collage is what we hear when Moll points her machine at a school blackboard.

KID SIMPLE “Chorus of Teachers” by TheAndyHicks

This next collage was heard later in the show, as the machine begins to break down.

KID SIMPLE – “Babble 3″ by TheAndyHicks

The collages were recorded and edited with Cakewalk’s Sonar software, with some sound effects courtesy of the good people at Freesound.org.

The production required two songs to be recorded, featuring Crystal Lisbon (the actress playing the lounge singer) singing “Summertime” (from Porgy & Bess) and “When Love Goes Wrong” (from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes).  I recorded and produced both tracks using Sonar and Propellerhead Reason 4.0.

You can listen to them here:

“Summertime“

“When Love Goes Wrong“

I made this video for one of my “band’s” songs.  The video features public domain clips from the Preminger Archives, as well as footage I shot using a Nikon Coolpix.  The video was edited in Windows Movie Maker.

THE PLUTO TAPES

The Pluto Tapes is my one man indie-pop “band.”   I play all the instruments, write all the parts, and record all the songs.  Below are some of the songs I’m particularly proud of, in MP3 format.
(All songs recorded with Steinberg Cubase. )

“Guernica”

The most traditionally pop song here – it’s very U2/Cure ish.  Instantly catchy.  ”Vinyliser” plug-in used to give the lead-in a strange, “old Paris” feel.

Guernica.mp3

“Fireflies”

A newer song, probably the one that sounds most like a full band is playing.  It’s my attempt at a “When The Levee Breaks”/”Pure Morning” esque drone-stomp.   Compressed industrial sounding drums (SSL compressor plug-in), layered vocal parts… it’s very, very cool.

The Pluto Tapes – Fireflies.mp3

“Henry Spencer X”

Another relatively new tune – it’s heavily influenced by bands like Reverend Glasseye and his Wooden Legs and Firewater.  The lyrics are an homage to Eraserhead.   Drum track and horn riff recorded with Propellerhead Reason.

Henry Spencer X.mp3

OTHER

“Esme The Powerful”

This is my attempt at writing theme music.  Esme is a cartoon character my girlfriend and I came up with – she’s a slightly misanthropic seven year old witch who hasn’t quite figured out how to control her powers yet.   I wrote this instrumental piece using Propellerhead Reason.

Esme the Powerful v.2.mp3

EXPLAIN YOURSELF

1) Thunderbrothers poster, from their European tour (2007)

2) Bradley Jay – Hard Cold.  Album cover (2007)

3) The Happy Medium Kick-Off Cabaret. Event poster (2009)

4) The Pluto Tapes – Nikita Says Love EP cover (2009)

5) Triptych, Self-Portrait (2006)

6)  Poster for “Smoke and Mirrors, ” Zero Point Productions, (2007)

7) The Pluto Tapes – The Tell-Tale Heart EP  (2008)

8 ) The Pluto Tapes – Dead Planets Tell No Tales LP Back Cover

9) The Pluto Tapes – Dead Planets Tell No Tales LP Front Cover

10) Fear Not… Gordon Is On Your Side - Sticker, Guerrila art project (2006)

11) Digital Photo of public art, Sarasota, FL. (2007)

EXPLAIN YOURSELF

I’m also an actor/director.  Mostly stage, though I’ve done some film work.  These are here in case anyone wants to see them.

headshots by Bruce DiLoreto

The Post-Meridian Radio Players

My friend Neil Marsh, the founder and director of the group, commissioned me to compose a soundtrack for one of last year’s pieces, an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. The performance honored the passing of its author, Len Peterson, the producer of the Canadian radio series Nightfall.  Mr. Peterson would frequently use slightly anachronistic music in his plays, so Neil wanted something that was at once creepy, catchy, modern, and old-sounding.

This is what I came up with:  it’s called “Blue Eye”, and there are two versions.

Version One (as heard during the performance) is an instrumental piece – it’s atmospheric, and full of Irish drums (gotta get that heartbeat/”watch wrapped in cotton” effect).  You can hear it here.

Blue Eye (Post-Meridian Mix) 1.mp3

Version Two is the “rock” mix – it has lyrics, and it’s more of a standard modern-rock song (think Nine Inch Nails meets Foo Fighters).   You can hear that one here.

Blue Eye (rock mix).mp3

Chedd-Angier-Lewis, a great group of multimedia artists based in Watertown, MA, cast me as Revolutionary War era shoemaker George Hewes in an interactive film entitled Patriot Or Tory, which will be part of the Commonwealth Museum’s new exhibit (opening later in 2009).

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

CBS RADIO – WBCN, 104.1fm Boston, MA

Disc Jockey/On-Air Talent Jan. 2003 – present

Hosted weekend radio show at #1 rock station in Boston.

¥ Developed and presented on-air material based on current events in the rock music world and news/popular culture.

¥ Hosted and supervised off-site broadcasting from promotional events and concerts.

¥ Trained in, and utilized, ProTools and VoxPro.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1999-2005

Park Ranger at Minute Man and Lowell NHP.

Assisted visitors, developed and presented talks and tours about American history, and supervised volunteers and employees at historic sites and visitor centers. Assisted with Lowell Folk Fest and April 19^th activities.

MERRIMACK REPERTORY THEATER Lowell, MA 2002

Interm Company Manager

¥ Coordinated artist/actor housing, travel, and hospitality.

¥ Assisted Artistic Director and General Manager with administrative duties.

MAINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, Orono, ME   1999-2001

Stagehand and Techie

Assisted with and helped co-ordinate load in and load out for traveling shows, including Chicago, Godspell, Ani DiFranco, Violent Femmes, and Alvin Ailey

NPR – WBUR, 90.9fm Boston, MA

Pledge drive volunteer since 2006

Proficient in multiple digital audio platforms, including: Cubase, ProTools, Cool Edit, Acid, Sonar, Reason. Producer/co-producer of three commercially available albums.

Playwright and pop-culture blogger: adapted Neil Gaiman’s “Smoke and Mirrors” for the stage in 2007 – also write political and pop culture satire and commentary on Geek USA (geekusa.wordpress.com).

THEATRE DIRECTOR – notable shows include: “Fools” – Bentley College APO, 2008; “Neil Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors” – Zero Point Theater, Cambridge, MA, 2007; “The Secret Garden” – Young Artists Association, 2007; “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” – University of Maine, 2001

OTHER EXPERIENCE

PROFESIONAL STAFFING GROUP and KENNISON STAFFING

Oct. 2007-present

Administrative assistance, event staffing, and data entry – temp for Tripadvisor.com, Calloway Labs, McGraw-Hill, Microbia PE, and Boston Consulting Group, among others.

Education

UNIVERSITY OF MAINE, class of ‘01 BA, Theater

BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC, summer ‘07 Summer course in Digital Audio Engineering

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