It was an incredible process and honor creating this body of music for Kelley Ann Walsh's Noké...in her words, "Noké is jointly dedicated to neurodivergent folx and Appalachia. Neurodivergent folx, the world is at a loss when it acts in ways that restrict our inclusion and work to minimize our value and contributions. I see you and am grateful for your company. Appalachia, I miss you dearly and promise to make my way back to you."
I met Kelley Ann through my visit to the University of Colorado Boulder earlier in the year as a visiting artist for Erin Espelie's Theories of the Avant-Garde seminar. Something in my Appalachian Trance Metal presentation struck a chord for Kelley Ann, and this collaboration was hatched.
The movement ideas came first, and I sculpted the sounds to support this movement, the timing specific down to the second hand. For our three performances in Boulder we hit playback and I additionally improvised live with my guitar, computer, percussion, and limberjack, but this album reflects only the preordained material. Kelley Ann and I share a concept of freeing the notion of modern Appalachian art from genre confines and stereotypes to something more expansive, nuanced, and reflective of a region and ideas in flux, in motion, learning.
The dancers Kelley Ann assembled are all brilliant artists and brought this endeavor to resonant life, its harmonics still radiating as I write this a week later. A simply stunning realization. There's video here of the second performance:
youtu.be/MnhEdNl9BRo
"There are many ways to achieve" didn't make the performance cut, though is included as a post-"Eulogy" for completeness and a behind-the-scenes glimpse. Thanks to Federico Balducci for the core of "New new noir" and thank you as always for listening.
released November 4, 2019
composed, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Killick Hinds at H(i)nds(i)ght Studio, Athens GA, summer/autumn 2019 with art direction by Kelley Ann Walsh
additional recording by Federico Balducci
("New new noir" is a remix of "noir en fleurs" from "Colour" by Federico Balducci & Killick Hinds with new material by Killick Hinds)
cover design by Killick Hinds
dancers Riley Bartlett, AJ Dawkins, Alyssa (Xeph) Ivankovich, Amy Lee, Kyle Lee, rick h m, Madison Palffy, Marla Schulz, Kelley Ann Walsh
Noké choreography by Kelley Ann Walsh
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