2011: Tri-Cornered Tent Show

Philip Everett: autoharp, electronics, percussion)
Ray Schaeffer: electric basses
Anthony Flores: drumset, percussion
with guest Dina Emerson: voice

In the early 20th century “tent shows” created multiple stages of interest vying simultaneously for attention. They could be selling you medicine, salvation, entertainment or war. While Drawing on combined influences in R&B/dance, classical, multi cultural folk, progressive rock, 20th century avant garde, free jazz and heavy metal, Tri-Cornered Tent Show pushes the envelope of melodic groove and arrhythmic improvisation, sometimes evoking images of 70's Italian horror pictures. and other outr`e forms of cinema. Around the turn of the 21st century the Tri-Cornered Tent Show driven by two intrepid tavelers Philip Everett and Ray Schaeffer, came out from their exile held up in a well-insulated dank studio in the depths of Richmond California for almost three decades. The musical journey began with initial tracks of their first three releases being recorded using the ancient anti-deluvian technology of electronics from the 70’s. Though methodical deciphering of the Lovcraft short story “The music of Eric Zann”, other related stories expanded upon Lovecraft’s Greater Cthulu Mythos they began recording free improvisation and orchestrated sound sculpture over those many years. In 2003 their fourth creation Legion of Dagon features added guest members saxophonist Rent Romus and guest mulit-instrumentalist Jeff Hobbs based on the 28 sonnet by Lovecraft, The Fungi of Yuggoth. In 2005 they released The Foolkiller, an operatic improviational song cycle based loosely on Philip Everett’s prose inspired by southern murder ballads and political commentary and satire featuring the voice work of Dina Emerson.

Originally trained in theater, Dina Emerson began her serious study and exploration of voice after graduating from Bennington College in 1988 and moving to Brooklyn. She subsequently became a fixture in the New Music and Interdisciplinary Performance world of New York, joining the Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble in 1990 and remaining a member until the present. With Meredith Monk and others, Dina has toured The US, Europe and Asia and performed at the SF Symphony, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Theatre de l'Odeon in Paris and many other venues. In addition to Meredith Monk, other artists with whom Dina has worked include Tan Dun (2 world premieres), Gary Lucas, John Kelly, Nam Jun Paik, Ken Butler, David Soldier with Komar & Melamid, Jonathan Segel, Miya Masaoka, Nicholas Brooke, Lance Grabmiller and various New York theater companies including Tiny Mythic Theatre Company, Cucaracha Theatre and The Talking Band. In 2000, Dina was invited to replace the lead singer temporarily in the acclaimed Cirque du Soleil production O at Bellagio in Las Vegas. This position was extended into a full-time contract when Dina moved to Cirque's other resident Las Vegas show, Mystère. Dina stayed with Cirque du Soleil until January, 2002, continuing to return as a sub for them until permantly rejoining the company in 2007, currently performing in Mystère. Ken Butler & Dina Concurrent with her work with other artists, Dina Emerson has created a body of original pieces that spans from 1992-1999 (in 2000, performing with Cirque du Soleil eclipsed the possibility of creating new works for the time being; research and development has again commenced since moving back to California). Venues at which she was presented include PS 122, HERE, The Knitting Factory, Cucaracha Theatre, The Kitchen, and Thread Waxing Space. Combining voice, text, electronics, physical theater and specifically chosen physical objects/materials, these works defy categorization. They could be monologues with extended vocal techniques and songs, or collages of images, sounds and movement, or an installation that is built as a function of the performance. There has been a definite progression from exploring more electronic techniques (digital delay & looping, for example) to ultimately letting those technical aspects fall away in favor of a much more "handmade" emphasis on the voice itself and the materials that make up the performance/installation.

Artist (photo by Photographer)