Hey readers, remember last week when we wrote a story about David Kontak, the Concord resident who makes crazy music machines? Well, this week, we got a letter from Peter Bruce, who's looking for some like-minded musicians to get funky with. He's got a laundry list of instruments and a couple of albums under his belt. Anyone wanna jam?
Dear Concord Insider,
Someone help me puh-leeeze!
I saw you recently did a large article about someone who makes his own musical instruments. So do I.
I've tried to advertise at local stores and (a while back) with you, looking for like-minded oddball musicians to join together. I've looked on the internet a little, finding only out-of-date junk and ads for acts booked in 1995. So far as I can tell (but I could be wrong), Concord has no real hangout for musicians. How the bleep do I find the rest of a band?
I have done three unpublished albums. It's not that they stink – my aunt once thought one of my pieces was a copy of pro work off someone else's album, but my Mom told her, “No, that's really him playing that!” It's just not, well, “rock.” Kinda weird, “new Age/World” music.
Here's what I have: electronic (two synthesizers, digital drums, digital eight track mixer with FX like echo and pitch change); bought “real” instruments (alto & soprano recorder, Navajo flute, hand drum, tom, small rainstick, bells, rattles, tambourine), “recycled” instruments (two blue plastic water-jug drums, glass bottle, nailed bottlecaps, a rack of pot lids, gourd rattles, acacia seedpods, sticks, stones, turtle shell, three metal “snack” cans, poster tubes, two pot-lids that double as a Tibetan singing bowl, wooden dowel stick and plastic toy hacksaw for a “guiro” metal box-fan), and field recordings (birds, frogs, crickets, a cat purring, wind, rain, thunder, brooks, river, ocean, cars going over the bridge near Sewalls Falls, fireworks). I also do my own photography for the album covers.
What I do not have is: a car to lug all that stuff around; a sales agent; and (most important to me) a few weird people like me to co-create with, or “jam.” I have Wednesdays and evenings free, and too much time on my hands. If somebody out there is “really out there” and wants to meet, please contact pabruce15 @gmail.com. Thank you greatly!