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Kevin is a Roadie, a sound checker, “… one, two…one,
two……”
Every gig is different…different town, different venue,
different audience, but Kevin is a constant, the one part of the gig
that remains the same – reliable, detached…a pro. But
there’s something about Kevin that not many people realise – more to
him than meets the eye – or ear.
The gear he’s lugging – is it really what it appears?…or does
Kevin know better? Does he know things about the microphone
stand, the gaffer tape and his bunch of keys that the rest of us
would never imagine?
Kevin will take you on tour…on the road…and share with you
the secret musical lives of the band’s gear – secret lives, hidden
sounds, that not even the musicians themselves know about.
“Knocking On Kevin’s Door” is a show that brings
music out of the mundane – that takes the band’s set up and sound
check to ridiculous and delightful musical extremes, giving the
audience a peek behind the scenes at what the gear might sound like
if only the band had the same imagination as Kevin their roadie.
Kevin shows us that there is music in everything, and just how
rich and evocative that music can be.
“Knocking on Kevin’s Door” is a solo show
devised and performed by Linsey Pollak. Linsey,
through his character Kevin, creates a symphony in 14 movements with
a complex layering of sounds using a bunch of keys, drink bottles,
microphone stands, music stands, gaffer tape and a clarinet (not to
mention a bit of digital wizardry).
By “Knocking on Kevin’s Door”, Linsey blows
apart our preconceptions about music, instruments, and Roadies –
Kevin’s door opens to reveal a whole new world of sound.
“Knocking on Kevin’s Door” is about not making
assumptions, or taking all things at face value. People may not be
what they seem to be on the surface, and “things” too for that
matter.
In this show “Kevin the Roadie” turns out to be quite
different to what we may expect from his outward tough exterior. The
objects that he uses also take on an unexpected life of their
own.
Composition – The audience actually observes the
process of a musical piece being created. Each piece of music is
constructed on the spot using digital technology to immediately
record what is being played. The audience can therefore see each
layer being added until the piece is complete.
Found
Objects – Apart from a clarinet all the music is made on
objects that “Kev the Roadie” finds on stage such as gaffer tape,
drink bottles, microphone and music stands, and even a bunch of
keys. Many of the instruments are wind instruments, using a tube
that is already present in an object.
Digital
Technology – At the other extreme from the “Found Object”
approach is the use of digital technology in new and creative ways
to both instantaneously record the music (as already described) and
create new sounds. |
