Last time we checked in with Khaela Maricich's high-art pop project the Blow, it was exactly one year ago to the day. Back then, she was exploring a bizarre project that imagined Maricich collaborating with Lindsay Lohan. In the last year, a lot has changed for the Blow ringleader (and her imaginary collaborator). The formerly Portland-based artist has relocated to New York City and has spent more time blogging than making music as of late. That will all change when she returns to the West coast for a brief tour this January.
While the tour doesn't appear to come with any new release, Maricich is now doing the Blow in collaboration with artist Melissa Dyne. On Dyne's website, she explains the project's current live act with the following artist statement:
I am currently working in collaboration with pop musician and performance artist Khaela Maricich, who performs under the name, the Blow. The Blow is making a series of performance pieces which interweave narrative and popular music. Working together in our separate areas of expertise we are presenting this series in an array of venues, addressing the particularities of each space and performance context. This collaboration in a work in progress, and follows in the spirit of my previous work by engaging with an element of industry, in this case a live pop music performance.
Drawing on my history of acoustics, light, and spatial phenomenae, I have been augmenting these live performances and recordings both visually and sonically. During the show I play with pre-recorded, MIDI, and live soundscapes through a computer rig, which I designed and programed specifically for the the Blow's performance. From my position in the sound booth, I am able to interact with and respond to the live elements of the performance. Treating each production much like a site-specific installation the lighting and sound are altered to collaborate with elements occurring in the acoustics, architecture, and staging in each venue. These elements work together in a system of improvised communication between myself, Maricich on the stage, and the interaction of the live audience.
The Blow's West coast tour will kick off in Los Angeles on January 27 and continue up the coast, eventually concluding in Vancouver on February 5. All dates are available below.
Tour dates:
1/27 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
1/30 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
2/2 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
2/4 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Cafe
2/5 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret
While the tour doesn't appear to come with any new release, Maricich is now doing the Blow in collaboration with artist Melissa Dyne. On Dyne's website, she explains the project's current live act with the following artist statement:
I am currently working in collaboration with pop musician and performance artist Khaela Maricich, who performs under the name, the Blow. The Blow is making a series of performance pieces which interweave narrative and popular music. Working together in our separate areas of expertise we are presenting this series in an array of venues, addressing the particularities of each space and performance context. This collaboration in a work in progress, and follows in the spirit of my previous work by engaging with an element of industry, in this case a live pop music performance.
Drawing on my history of acoustics, light, and spatial phenomenae, I have been augmenting these live performances and recordings both visually and sonically. During the show I play with pre-recorded, MIDI, and live soundscapes through a computer rig, which I designed and programed specifically for the the Blow's performance. From my position in the sound booth, I am able to interact with and respond to the live elements of the performance. Treating each production much like a site-specific installation the lighting and sound are altered to collaborate with elements occurring in the acoustics, architecture, and staging in each venue. These elements work together in a system of improvised communication between myself, Maricich on the stage, and the interaction of the live audience.
The Blow's West coast tour will kick off in Los Angeles on January 27 and continue up the coast, eventually concluding in Vancouver on February 5. All dates are available below.
Tour dates:
1/27 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
1/30 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
2/2 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
2/4 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Cafe
2/5 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret
