Corey Aldrich

Feeling the Music Go Through You – A Conversation with Sophia Subbayya Vastek

January 4, 2022 By Corey Aldrich

Memory is so unforgiving sometimes. As such, I don’t quite remember the first time I met Sophia Subbayya Vastek but I do remember somehow beginning to follow her on Instagram and WOW! She would post the most amazing performance snippets and honestly, I fell in love with her work. Then I find out she is deeply integrated into the music scene in Troy (specifically the Troy Music Hall) and that was enough for me, I just had to know more! As the interview unfolded, I realized I had found a kindred soul. Much of what she said resonated with me regarding mind set, performance spaces and shared experiences. So, lets get to it!

Sophia Vastek — Photo by **Kiki Vassilikas**

Please let us know a bit about your practice. Are you a full time performer? Do you have any other creative gigs you do to pay the bills?

I’m a musician (pianist and composer), educator, and producer/event organizer. And, I am a full-time musician. My days are all music-focused.

I’m glad you asked about paying the bills. I encounter a lot of resistance about discussing how creatives organize their finances. Ugh, there’s so much shame and baggage built up in the creative economy…. especially about money, which is a topic that I’ve been working to unpack for myself for years.

Before the pandemic, performing was a bigger part of my income. During the pandemic, my teaching studio grew to be a very important part of my life. This actually became a wonderful and liberating thing for me. I love teaching. Because of having a larger teaching studio, I’m now able to perform when I want, when it’s meaningful, and right. I spent so many years agonizing about whether I was performing enough and in the right venues. Fuck it. I realized that there are so many other aspects to my musicianship that I hadn’t been nurturing. I went full-tilt into exploring composing during the pandemic.

Can you talk a little about your approach to your own compositions and playing?

Playing the piano doesn’t mean a thing to me unless it’s part of a shared experience. Music is a truly magical thing that effects people both physically and ephemerally. It’s sound waves literally hitting your body! How magical is that? When I create music that gives voice to my own feelings, it will in turn give voice to something in someone else. The Gift by Lewis Hyde had a huge influence on my creativity. Seeing what we do as a gift is life-changing. When we put something out into the world, it’s no longer ours – it belongs to others – and that’s a very empowering and humbling concept.

Many people don’t realize that it takes painstaking time, work and care to create music and spaces that feel “right.” I look at what I do as engineering experiences. Whether it’s my own music and performing, or presenting another performance, I’m thinking about what that experience is going to be like for both the listener and performer. Like, how the sound system is going to interact with the acoustics in the space and how it’s going to reach a listener’s ear. You can have the most amazing performer or the most amazing music but if the experience isn’t right, it will fall flat. There are many variables that help create magical experiences beyond just the music itself.

Can you talk a little about what brought you to Troy (Upstate) and where you were before that?

Before we got married, my husband Sam and I lived in New York City and then Baltimore for a while. We were involved with an artist residency program in the Capital Region and had been coming to the area for a few years. Sam also did a residency at EMPAC. We really fell in love with Troy and decided to move here, because we wanted a more stable home base where we could put down roots. We love it here!

I see that in addition to being a composer and performer that you produce events for venues with musicians as well. Can you tell us more about that…is that your 501c3 Organ Colossal?

I’ve run various music series’ in other cities, organized concerts, etc. It was a natural next step to put structure around what I’ve already been doing for a while. I founded ‘Organ Colossal’ with Sam. We produce and present concerts around town like the ‘Lift Series’ in collaboration with the Troy Music Hall. We’re a young organization, but we’ve got big plans for this coming year. We have the most amazing board of directors. There is a lot of thought and care that must go in to bringing people together and creating spaces that are equitable and caring. I can’t imagine doing this work without a team of people that bring different perspectives to the vision.

With the current state of affairs, live music which was coming back strong seems not be totally out of the woods with our ongoing health crisis. Do you have plans on how to deal with that to keep the flame alive?

I’m very optimistic. I don’t think keeping the flame alive is ever going to be the issue. It’s become clear that live music is as important as ever. I have to come back to music as a magic thing – what happens when people experience live music together is totally irreplaceable. Sound waves moving through bodies – your own body and the bodies next to you – create a bond of shared experience. We need these experiences to give voice to the deepest things that we feel that go unprocessed.

My next album that is coming out mid-2022. It’s different from everything else that I’ve put out. It’s scary! This music represents a side of my creativity that I haven’t been able to give voice to until recently. I never gave myself the space to slow down and explore it. The new album is soft, intimate, and enveloping. It’s my own music, recorded on my piano with the best audio engineer in the state, my husband (I’m not biased!). Doing it in my home gave me the freedom to be as vulnerable as possible.

Organ Colossal is in the planning stages of some exciting new projects. We’re committed to creating accessible spaces for music, so we’re moving in a direction that involves more public, open-call work. The next concert on the Lift Series is coming up on on Feb. 23 is Warp Trio (a fantastic genre-bending chamber ensemble). After that, power trio Super 400 (regional superheros!) is slated for March 23. Follow our Instagram page or sign up to my mailing list to keep up to date on future shows and programming.

IG: @sophiavastek
WEB: www.sophiavastek.com

IG: Organ Colossal: @organcolossal

Cutting to the Hilt – The Craft of Blademaker Jordan LaMothe

December 5, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

As sometimes happens, mid-summer I found myself in the middle of Averil Park, NY, sitting outside a yurt in front of a large, pallet-fueled fire pit with my good friends Chris and Josh. We were enjoying a little Japanese whiskey when someone I had not met before rolled up to the group. A quiet and contemplative man who when opened up, revealed a whole new world of artisan craft to me. Meet Jordan LaMothe, an artisan blade maker.

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your creative life and craft?

I am a blacksmith and knife-maker based in Hebron, NY, and I make all manner of blades from chef knives to swords. My work is a continual balancing of form and function; to make pieces that are both highly effective cutting tools and elegant, visually pleasing objects. When I make a knife, I start with raw bars of steel from the mill, forge weld different alloys to create an intricate pattern, and shape the blade with hammer and anvil. I then transform that forged blank into a cutting tool: hardening and tempering the steel, and grinding and sanding the blade to refine the shape and edge geometry. I then fit a handle to the blade, carefully selecting the material and sculpting it for the desired visual and ergonomic effect.

How did you get interested in knife making? What special education / skill did you need to acquire?

I began blacksmithing at the age of fourteen in order to make tools and hardware for use on the family farm. In two years, I made my first knife. I was captivated by the variety of creative processes involved: forging, grinding, machining, woodwork, leatherwork. So, I joined the American Bladesmith Society and dove into the craft, reading books and online forum posts, experimenting in my own shop. Then I started bringing my knives to accomplished bladesmiths for their critique.

I imagine you are doing custom work for a lot of folks in the food industry. Has the pandemic had an effect on your business?

I am fortunate that the pandemic has not affected my knife sales in any noticeable way. Many of my culinary knife clients are avid home chefs, and that market has done quite well with so many folks working from home. However, several of the classes I was scheduled to teach in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the pandemic.

With the proliferation of mass production in your industry, how do you differentiate yourself?

People buy my work because it has a story, because they like the aesthetics of my work, and because they trust me to create tools that will perform well and last a long time. A mass-produced knife is a completely different product and a different marke. There are some terrific mass-produced knives, but generally people are looking for something “good enough” for their particular needs. When you purchase a knife from me, you receive a piece that is truly unique and personal—something no one else in the world has.

What are your long term goals with your craft? What would you like to accomplish?

My current goal in my craft is to broaden the variety of techniques that I can apply to my pieces. I am interested in doing more work with precious metals as well as inlay and engraving. I also want to do more research and documentation of historical swords and daggers in order to make pieces that remain faithful to the long traditions from which they descend.

Any thing you would like us to know about specifically? Any upcoming classes or exhibitions?

In 2022, I am going to be traveling to Rajasthan, India, on a Fulbright grant in order to study koftgari: a technique for applying gold and silver onto iron that has been used for hundreds of years to embellish sword and dagger hilts. I will resume teaching classes and attending shows once I return in 2023.

EDITORS NOTE: For more information or to contact Jordan directly about commission work or classes hit him up on these website or social media platforms:
Web: www.jordanlamothe.com
IG: @jordanlamotheblades

Up Close and Personal with DJ HollyW8D

November 17, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

I caught up with DJ HollyW8D recently to check in on the current status of the underground social scene and find out a little more about what makes this former Brooklynite-come-Upstate man tick. I believe I first met him at an event Cory Nelson was throwing back in the Troy Kitchen days but this is the first time we have got to have a little heart to heart.

Please introduce yourself! How long have you been a DJ and do you do it full time? Any other gigs you’re holding down to pay the bills?

My name is Mario Johnson, aka DJ HollyW8D. I am originally from Brooklyn, NY. I found my way to the Capital District to play football at Hudson Valley Community College. After that I graduated from UAlbany with a degree in Communications & Rhetoric. I started my DJ journey at WCDB 90.9 FM in 2016 and haven’t looked back since.

I have been a full time DJ since 2017. I incorporate different aspects into my lifestyle to help pay the bills such as teaching DJ lessons along with throwing events and helping other artists with their business and branding.

I know from personal experience that you bring a lot of excitement to an event. What’s your motivation?

My motivation is my mother who worked very hard to get me to where I am today. As a first generation US-born Jamaican descendant, I felt pressure to make my family proud. Besides wanting to be successful for myself it is also for my family and to inspire my peers.

Last year was rough for performers with limitations on live events. Has your calendar gotten back to
normal this year? How is it different?

Everyone was eager to get back outside so that helped a lot. Attendees being cautious post pandemic has still been a factor. Shifting to in person experiences and taking the brand digital has definitely helped out. Less venues want to take the chance of having large crowds within their space now.

How has the last year changed your craft?

Last year showed me how powerful having a digital footprint is within social media. From throwing virtualshowcases (@Hous3chella : Instagram LIVE) to teaching virtual DJ lessons. These days, you must never leave a stone unturned.

Any upcoming events you would like to plug?

I started doing a lot of collaborations on events this year, Friday November 12th I will be co – hosting an ‘All About My Business’ networking event at the ground up cafe in Albany, NY. The event is black and brown focused but open to all who are looking to increase their circle of like minded individuals.

Additionally, I will be bringing some energy to this month’s Etrice Gallery opening in Downtown Albany. ‘HIATUS’ will be on Saturday November 20 th featuring Albany artist Jalaun Taylor. Roll in, network and feel the vibes. “It`s more than music…and I am more than just a DJ.”

EDITORS NOTE: Keep an eye out for the ongoing series of variety themed events across the Capital Region that Mario curates called ‘More Music Less Violence.’

LINKTR.EE: /Hollyw8d
FB / IG: @DJHollyW8D

Beyond Khaos – The Art of Maxime Taccardi

October 18, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

I met Maxime Taccardi through a friend and started following him on social media. I was quickly blown away by his unapologetic exploration of the dark side of the human psyche and folklore. Well educated and with a voracious and substantial following, Maxime boasts collectors around the globe. I am thrilled to have him drop by and share a bit about what drives him as a creative, just in time for Halloween, and the opening of his exhibit, “Beyond Khaos”, at Etrice Gallery in Albany on October 22nd.

Tell us a little bit about who you are, where you’re from and what you do as an artist.

I’m from Paris, France. I was an art teacher and kickboxing instructor for several years until I decided to retire to focus on my art. I’m a painter but also a musician, sculptor, photographer and video director. I enjoy experimenting in all art fields. I feel strongly attached to the principle of “Gesamktkunstwerk” (Total Art) explored by composer Richard Wagner. It is basically a melding of forms of art. I am also influenced by the composer Alexander Scriabine who tried to convey synesthesia within his work. Exploring a concept that strove to integrate all senses into one art piece. My art is the translation of my deeper thoughts and to a certain extend it is about the darkness that lurks within us all. Anyone can find an echo of their own psyche in it.

You were not always a full time artist. What is your background and how did you make the change to full time?

I obtained a Masters Degree in art and cultural sociology at the University Paul Verlaine in Metz. My parents passed away while I was still studying so I had no choice to go fully in the direction of my studies upon finishing my degree. They both died after a long battle with cancer. This had a strong and lasting effect on my practice. I actually did a painting called “Cancer” to represent the torment and pain they went through. I was doing a lot of artwork for bands in addition to a growing group of supporters and collectors which helped to build my reputation in the scene. This eventually allowed me to transition into a full time art practice.

What is your motivation? What inspires you to create?

Mostly my dreams and life in general. Creating is a catharsis. I transform my trauma and negativity into art. I am constantly in a state of “creative process” and let my urges guide me. Sometimes I don’t know what will appear on the canvas but the will is strong. I let spontaneity guide me.

Maxime Taccardi, “Portrait of An American Family”

Should people be afraid of the subject matter you choose to explore and the extreme methods that you sometimes use to explore it?

I think people should be more afraid of our current reality. We live in a dark world and my art is a reflection of that. I could paint little flowers and happy themes but what would be the point? For me, art is a stand, a way to provoke and make people react. To encourage thinking and transcendence. It is stronger than words. The message can be interpreted in a myriad of ways which is part of the magic surrounding art. Sometimes I use my own blood as a medium for painting. It is to give life to my work. Literally, a way to live through the work. It helps me to embody the spirit of Gesamktkunstwerk in a visceral and complete way.

Maxime Taccardi, “I Can’t Blink Anymore”

Anything coming up that you would like to plug?

I have an exhibition called “Beyond Khaos” that will open on October 22 at Etrice Gallery on N Pearl street dowtown Albany, NY. It will have paintings, prints, sculpture and samples of some of my books and music.

I’m also working on my fourth book which will be released in 2022 by Heavy Music Artwork who published my 3 previous ones (The Book of Death, Beyond Khaos and The Book of Demons).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gYK-nQlPZs

FB: @maxime.taccardi | IG: @maximetaccardiartworks
Webshop: www.giin.bigcartel.com

LIVING ONLINE SERIES: Judie Gilmore, Opalka Gallery

September 9, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

I recently connected with Judie Gilmore, Executive Director at the Opalka Gallery on the Russell Sage Campus in Albany. We met while working on the Breathing Lights Project, a massive, three-city public art exhibition that captivated the region in 2016. Not surprisingly, Judie continues to make things happen in a big way and has interesting thoughts to share on galleries, events and more.

How did you find your way to the Opalka Gallery and what it is you do there?

Artist Adam Frelin’s “Summit” is installed atop the
Opalka Gallery

My background is in public and community-based art. When the job at Opalka came open in 2017, I was hesitant at first. The idea of working within this stuffy white box seemed limiting to what I love to do — shape public space, collaborate with diverse artists, create community. But, happily, we can do this within the gallery walls. Opalka doesn’t look like other academic galleries. Luckily, Russell Sage liked my vision, and hired me as Director and Curator. With our partnership at Albany Public Library, the public art we have brought there and to our campus, to showcasing guest curators and diverse artists, creating the Pop-up Beer Garden – I am doing what I love.

How has COVID affected the gallery’s operations on a daily basis?

Yes and no. We were one of the only academic galleries in the region open to the public last year. Our daily operations remained the same. But we also wanted to offer engagement opportunities for people not comfortable visiting in-person. We produced exhibitions IRL, and also curated a whole new virtual space, with exhibition websites, 3D tours, virtual events and other online engagement. It was a lot more work that came with a steep learning curve.

How have you adapted to the changing pandemic requirements? Any suggestions or best practices for other gallerists?

Yes, we’ve definitely adapted and continue to do so. I was hugely grateful for the leadership at Russell Sage. They interpreted mountains of health regulations and then balanced student and staff health with a plan that allowed us to remain open. Their willingness to figure this out underscored that what we are doing is important and valued. It helped me find perspective – our community needs us. Art feeds people’s hearts and souls. It strengthens community ties. It helps people make sense of the world, to find empathy. These are not trivial things. My advice to other galleries – find a way to keep doing what you do. It is valued and important.

What are your thoughts regarding online programming as a substitute for in person programming?

I see both sides of this. I am as tired of Zoom events as the next person. But, last year our virtual lecture series saw an audience that was four (four!) times larger than before. But in terms of the community we are actively creating, nothing is a substitute for in-person programming. One of our last pre-pandemic events was a community dinner with two artists. Forty individuals, mostly strangers, gathered around a table and enjoyed a meal together. This kind of connection just can’t be replicated online.

What’s coming up at the Opalka Gallery this fall?

Currently, we are a proud co-host of the 85th annual Mohawk Hudson Regional exhibition, along with Albany International Airport Gallery and the Albany Center Gallery. This year we saw a record breaking number of applications from visual artists and worked with three outstanding jurors. The show is a testament to the incredible talent in this region. And we are thrilled to kick off our Pop-up Beer Garden again, which features live music, local breweries and food trucks. It’s this dreamy combo of art, music, food and beer, neighbors and local community. Have we ever needed it more?

Editor’s Note: The 2021 POP UP Beer Garden and Neighborhood Block Party series is being held on three Fridays in September. This week’s event will feature Rare Form Brewing and Nine Pin Cider. For band and food partner info, check the Opalka Gallery website.

WEB: https://opalka.sage.edu/
FB: @OpalkaGallery
IG: @opalka_gallery