Coaxing new sounds from guitars

I’m in a dorm. I never lived in one. I’ve never spent time in the dorms. From the fascist… I’m in a dorm. I never lived in one. I’ve never spent time in the dorms. From the fascist signing-in-guests bit to the vacuum of aesthetics lurking in the walls, the places terrify me, but you go where the story is. And I have reason to believe that in this room æ if you can call a space little bigger than a king-sized mattress a room æ there’s a story.

A solid fourth of the space is dedicated to musical gear of one sort or another: Two guitar cases, at least three small effects boxes, a small amp and, right next to the bed, a much bigger one. It’s about three times the size of the other, and next to it is a purplish rectangular box that even I can tell will do something to make the guitar’s pure notes bend in an unnatural fashion before even reaching an amp.

Sachem Clark explains that the purplish box is not an effects box. It’s a synth box, one for a guitar. The large amp and the synth box are brand new. They were acquired a few hours ago, and Clark is nearly as excited as a “Big Lebowski” fan at an In ‘ Out Burger.

He retrieves his all-black Gibson from its case, plugs it into the synth box and then jacks the box into the amp. I was ready for a solo punctuated by a brief experimental outburst. “Experimental” is how Clark described his work, and I just assumed that meant momentarily experimental. I judged from his dress and demeanor that the base of the solo would be a sort of Nine Inch Nails/Tool hybrid.

He starts to play, and I am, just as he promised, completely unable to pin down what I’m hearing. I’m utterly incapable of relating what his fingers are doing to the guitar to what’s coming out of the amp.

Trying to evaluate the situation, I ask him to play it again without the snyth: Is Clark just moving his fingers about on a fret board and relying on the box to transform it into “music?” Turns out, he can play. His style is a choice. It’s not camouflaging a lack of talent or discipline. He wants that beautiful guitar to make those alien sounds. Why?

His answer: “I am tired of the lack of innovation and creativity in popular music today.” He continued, “I, myself, am attempting to create natural music from my mind rather than basing it on the music of my contemporaries.”

Clark’s father, Todd Tamanend Clark, is a snyth musician. Sachem and his brother, X Tecumseh, participated in the recording and creative processes of their father’s last album, Monongahela Riverrun.

Clark went into a little detail about how that works in a synth-based band: “We recorded the album at Silent Wing Audio in Bobtown, Pa. It was engineered by Daniel Festog. To begin, my dad created several sequences on his keyboards for the foundation of the each song. After loading them onto Dan’s computer, I began to record guitar and bass guitar tracks over the sequences. X layered synths over that and my dad layered additional guitars and synths.”

Clark’s own musical ambitions break away from his father’s style a bit. He’s more interested in being rock-oriented. He intends his work to reach people who, like him, “have lost all faith in music.” He wants to include several instrumental tracks, and when he uses them, he wants his lyrics to be on less conventional topics, and he plans to go to great lengths to avoid what he considers to be standard lyrical pitfalls.

Basic information gathered. Music experienced. I flee the dorm. The next day, from the safety of a coffee house, I go back through Clark’s music and his words. I check my email and find he’s sent me a declaration of intent:

“I am currently in the process of writing my own full-length album that will eventually be released unto the hands of Pittsburgh residents. Some may toss [it] in the trash and say that it simply does not meet the characteristics of music. Others may actually appreciate my sincere attempt to the creationism of unique music.”

For more information on Sachem’s brand of music, e-mail him at soc7@pitt.edu. To perform on his local stage, e-mail Zak Sharif at rzs8@pitt.edu.