Eight Threads
Eight pieces of music. Eight composers. One band.
Over a year and a half in the making, Sprig of That’s newest release, Eight Threads, features eight original compositions for the group, each written by a different Twin Cities-based music-maker. From big band composers to singer-songwriters, traditional notation to improvisation, each piece refracts a different musical voice through Sprig’s interpretational lens.
“After three years of arranging, writing, and improvising all the music we’ve played as a band ourselves (given the group’s uncommon instrumentation), it felt like it was time to get some fresh ideas on how we could use our instruments,” said tabla player Krissy Bergmark. With the help of a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the trio set out to find a star group of collaborators that could provide just that. Some invitations and an open call for submissions later, they had their cohort: Tarek Abdelqader, Kashimana Ahua, Zack Baltich, Adam Conrad Ferguson, Yigitcan Eryaman, Asuka Kakitani, Michelle Kinney, and Erika Malpass. Originally conceived of (and entirely booked) as the Metro Blend concert series, the project was completely reimagined as a studio album as Sprig begant to navigate the new reality of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pieces on Eight Threads push the trio into exciting new territory: backing up singers, improvising chaotically, manipulating modular synthesizers, and so much more — violinist Isabel Dammann even sings a track in Turkish. But beyond the compositional inspiration and great new music, the project forged real relationships. As always for Sprig, it’s about the people.
Each Friday between February 5th and March 26th, Sprig will release one track off of Eight Threads, leading to the album’s full release on Friday, April 2nd.
Accompanying each piece will be a short episode of Eight Threads: Unraveled, a self-produced series of podcasts in the style of Hrishikesh Hirway’s Song Exploder, where listeners will learn about each composer’s piece, process, and style in their own words. The album will be available on all digital music platforms, with physical copies of the CD and merchandise available for pre-order on the band’s Bandcamp.
Album art by Nick Nootenboom,
Mixing by Jason McGlone,
Mastering by Rob Schlette at Anthem Mastering,
Recorded at Hideaway Studios
“This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.”
Asuka Kakitani
The Tree in Front of My House
“I never owned a tree in my life until my family and I moved to Minnesota five years ago. Now I see “our” honey locust tree in front of our house everyday. It is a big old tree, has a hole where skittish baby squirrels were hiding in spring. Hundreds of cicadas climbed on it this summer, and different kinds of birds hang out on the tree all year long. I’m in awe to see it burst into vibrant green in spring and change to the beautiful color of yellow, orange, and red in the fall. Also the images of it’s intertwined roots connecting with other trees made me imagine how Ilan, Isabel, and Krissy communicate with each other musically. I wanted to capture the tree’s beauty, stillness, energy, and the power of connection in this piece.”
Japanese-born composer Asuka Kakitani has deep love for nature which inspires her to transform her admiration of the natural world into musical stories. Her projects span from 18-piece jazz orchestra, women’s vocal quartet, instrumental solo repertoire, and collaboration with a choreographer. An explorer of new challenges, Kakitani constantly pushes her boundaries and expands her musical language to express her inner world. As an advocate of original music, she co-founded the Twin Cities Jazz Composers’ Workshop to foster creative and forward-looking composition. Kakitani has been the recipient of grants and awards from the Jerome Foundation, the Brooklyn Arts Council, the American Music Center, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.
ZACK BALTICH
Thorough Ghost (other ppl)
“Thorough Ghost is about persistent ideas that get lodged in our brains and how they re-emerge in new contexts throughout the course of our lives. This can either be dangerous in preventing us from moving forward or give us perspective on our past selves. This concept emerged in a literal way in this piece - the plucked violin phrase that begins halfway through was from music I worked on in 2011. It was never written down or recorded, but there it was, lodged in my memory - the ghost of an idea from an old version of myself just waiting for the right time and place to pop up again.”
Minneapolis based percussionist and composer Zack Baltich melds the obscure and the familiar. Utilizing a variety of instruments (percussive and otherwise) he creates long-form, emotionally-driven music. This aesthetic comes from a simple artistic purpose: to connect with others in a way that inspires curiosity, satisfaction, and empathy. Pairing approachability with adventure, Zack is intertwined with the land and people of the Midwest, not just in a performer/audience relationship, but also in the writing and recording process. Whether this has been through collaborations with poets, or recording sound bouncing off of cave walls throughout Minnesota, he continues to find inspiration in the border between urban and rural settings. Zack’s work has been supported by the American Composers Forum, Cedar Cultural Center, and Minnesota State Arts Board.
Kashimana Ahua
The Only One
“The Only One is an ode to The Firsts, the ones who go before us to make the world a better place. I imagined there must be some loneliness to fighting for equal rights and a future that you cannot see while hoping that you're creating access, so that you don’t remain the first and the only one. I wrote this song in January not knowing exactly what 2020 would bring but feeling a tremendous change coming. We lost some amazing change agents like RBG, John Lewis, and Chadwick Boseman but in November Senator Kamala Harris became the first African American woman to become the Vice President of the USA. For any one who is 'The First' or 'The Only One' today, I thank you for your labor, you are not alone, you are never alone, keep soaring, we see you and we're following.”
Kashimana is a mother, musician, vocalist, composer, producer and teaching artist with a rich soulful blues voice that soars through their original compositions. The name Kashimana means 'that's their heart' and you can hear Kashimana’s heart beating in the compelling sound of their music which is an exploration of Soul, R&B, Folk, Afro-funk and more. Kashimana often draws from her Nigerian heritage and experiences growing up in Nigeria and Kenya and living in the United States. Kashimana was the In Common Composer in Residence in 2019, a Cedar Commissioned Artist in 2019 and a Northern Spark Festival Artist in 2018 (Applause Posse) and in 2019 (Soundscape of Stories).
The Only One
© Kashimana Ahua 2020
A splash of color in a field of snow
One step further till I break the ice
I’ll make a killing of this I know
Am I the only one? Am I the only one?
The thread unraveling out of place
So sick of waiting, of wanting more
If I am the first then I’ll grow a space
I’m the only one, Cause I’m the only one
Ahh-lone Ahh-lone All alone
A wisp of rainbow neon bright
To light the shadows through rays of hope
for the ones to come, beyond my sight
Not the only one, I’m not the only one
Ahh-lone Ahh-lone All alone
I know I may not make it if I fight for my rights
I know that some don’t want see me fly
But change is inevitable till I’m not alone
Not alone, not alone, not alone x 2
Michelle Kinney
One Billion Animals
“Wildfires had been burning out of control in Australia since September 2019. A headline from ABC News on January 8th, 2020 read “More than 1 billion animals estimated dead in Australian wildfires.” Meditating on the hugeness of this loss for our planet, I composed…not exactly a requiem, more like a heartbroken journal entry, so I would remember. Sprig’s intensity captures the rhythmic drive of terrified forest animals frantically running and leaping for their lives. Sprig’s tenderness expresses the vulnerability of nature caught in the destructive path of climate change. Sadly, the news of this staggering loss of life was quickly overshadowed, as the rest of the chaos of 2020 rolled over us. This year brought us a global pandemic killing 1.21 million people so far. And triggered by the murder of George Floyd by the police in Minneapolis, we’re in the midst of a global uprising against racial inequities and state sanctioned violence against black and brown people. In the context of what 2020 continues to reveal for humanity, the shock of the death of 1 billion animals has faded…hopefully this music will remind us.”
Cellist/Composer Michelle Kinney is a lifelong improviser inspired by collaborative cross-genre and cross-cultural work. Maithree – The Music of Friendship, led by South Indian Veena virtuoso Nirmala Rajasekar and featuring Michelle’s work just released a new recording on Innova to critical acclaim. Michelle also leads her own bands and performs in the projects of many amazing Twin Cities artists. A recent performance highlight was Henry Threadgill’s 75th birthday at the Walker Art Center, including a night of local musicians curated by Michelle, performing unique versions of Henry’s music. Michelle’s work has been recognized by McKnight Foundation, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Bush Foundation, Jerome Foundation, MN State Arts Board and American Composers Forum.
Yigitcan Eryaman
Adalet
Dr. Eryaman has been composing and performing acoustic guitar music publicly for 20 years in both casual and concert settings. He studied classical guitar repertoire with Turkish guitarists Ismet Ertas and Ozgur Arica. He then focused on developing his own musical taste and style, and started to arrange songs from various musical genre. He is the co-founder, guitarist, lead vocalist of the Turkish-Balkan progressive music band “Uskudar Eclectic”. He is also a “McKnight Musician Fellowship” finalist (2016, Minnesota) and “Cedar Commissions” Artist (2019).
ADALET (JUSTICE)
This short path I walked
Brought me to you today.
Yet, I was going to resist.
In your absence I was going to grow older.
Now I am like the branches
of a bone-dry tree.
Yet, I was going to turn green.
In your absence I was going to grow.
Mankind had always been clueless
About the destiny written on his/her forehead.
It's impossible to know what's after,
since no one comes back from that land
I will still live with enthusiasm,
But, if all my paths lead to you
Then only you know what my end is.
So tell me, what kind of justice is this?
ADALET
Yürüdüğüm şu kısacık yol
Beni bugün sana getirdi
Oysa ki direnecektim
Yokluğunda büyüyecektim
Kupkuru bir ağacın
Dalları gibiyim artık
Oysa ki yeşerecektim
Yokluğunda büyüyecektim
İnsanoğlu bihabermiş
Alnındaki yazgısından
Ardını bilmek ne mümkün?
Giden gelmez o diyardan
Bir hevesle yaşarım amma
yollarım hep sana çıkarsa
sonumu bir tek sen bilirsin
Söyle bu nasıl adalet?
Erika Malpass
tentative breath, a moment
“During a frustrating period, my effort to write meaningful music felt futile; sketches and ideas had no clear direction or purpose. Through the process, I began to understand that this wandering lostness was representative of my own uncertainty about my place in the world. My headspace swelled with an internal conflict between anxiety -- fear, darkness, feeling lost, disconnected -- and the calm beauty of the emptiness of winter -- hushed and still, unknown but not rushed or frantic. Caught up in the overwhelming waves of this anxiety, I found myself turning to the comfort of the silent, frozen landscape: the faint, warm glow of an obscured sunset refracting through crystalline trees; a tentative breath; a hesitant step outward; the hushed crunch of fresh snow. In all its wandering disconnect, this piece became representative of my acceptance of myself as I was. The piece focuses on leaving the darkness of anxiety, the obsession with purpose and direction, and chooses instead to focus on moments of lightness. It highlights the desire to find quiet, calm, and peace within the internal turmoil, and embraces the uncertainty with open arms -- a first step towards self-love.”
Erika Malpass is a composer with the goal of conveying stories that are often difficult to put into words and connecting people in new ways. She is inspired by collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, and by translating visual and literary motifs into musical ones. She earned a Bachelor of Music from St. Olaf College and is currently living in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Tarek Abdelqader
End of the Day
“End of the Day was written during what seemed like the beginning of a new chapter in my life—I had extensive travel plans and was going to give up music for a while in order to spend some time outside the U.S. As it happened, the new chapter marked the beginning of a pandemic, and my plans—along with everyone else's—were tossed into the wind. That in mind, the somewhat melancholy note this song strikes still seems appropriate.“
Tarek Abdelqader is a Twin Cities-based drummer moonlighting as a songwriter and sometimes-pianist. He received a 2018-19 Cedar Commission and a 2019 Metro Regional Arts Council Next Step Fund, which enabled him to travel throughout Palestine for research related to a debut EP, "Ramallah, 8/22." In addition to performing with numerous Twin Cities bands, Tarek enjoys reading serial fantasy and hanging out at his house in slippers.
Adam Conrad Ferguson
8 “Structures”
“My piece was created in a spirit of improvisation and structure that seemed appropriate for a grant written project by such a fabulous trio. I was inspired to write “8 structures'' after seeing an art installation by Sol Le Wit, who creates art based on a succession of instructions for art curators to follow.
I created eight instructions for Isabel, Ilan and Krissy to follow in order to create a piece of music that could be reimagined again and again. The instructions (or structures, as Sol Le Wit would call them) utilize a musical language of form and scale tones. Using broad rhythmic and harmonic strokes to guide the music to be recognizable with each iteration, even if played by another ensemble.
I hope this work exemplifies the incredible gifts that these musicians possess.
I hope this work transports you, the listener, to another place.
I hope this work inspires you to explore ideas outside of the box of conventional thought.”
Adam Conrad Ferguson was born in Los Angeles and finds inspiration in art and wood working. He has made a career writing for film, video games, the concert stage and teaching composition techniques. He has worked all over the globe with his group, “IMPROVESTRA” where he conducts a large ensemble with hand signals to create large scale improvisations. You can find his written work and his work with IMPROVESTRA on youtube and at his website:.
