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The 4th Annual Electroacoustic Juke Joint was held Nov. 12 and 13

in the University of North Alabama Performing Arts Center. 

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Electroacoustic is a widely encompassing term for music—acoustic or

synthetic—that is created through the use of electronic

technology. 

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Performances vary widely, from sound being played through

loudspeakers in a dark room, to active on-stage interplay with

traditional instruments being manipulated by electronics, often set

to computer-generated visual pieces. 

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The driving force behind this interesting addition to the diverse

artistic landscape of UNA is new professor Mark Snyder, who

birthed, organized and performed at the festival. 

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Dr. Snyder obtained his D.M.A. from the University of Memphis, his

M.M. from Ohio University, and his B.A. from the University of Mary

Washington, though the origins of the vibrant yellow shirt and

sparkling red shoes he dazzled the audience with are slightly

foggier. 

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When asked if he had happened upon the remains of Big Bird and

Dorothy Gale, the radiant professor had no comment. 

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The atmosphere of this year’s event was decidedly relaxed and

friendly.  The festival included a diverse range of talented

artists. 

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Sonict Duo, comprised of saxophonist Matt Sitchak, and master of

electronic manipulation Jeff Herriott, hail from the snowy dreams

of Whitewater, Wis. 

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Their performances are a beautiful representation of the

possibilities of artistic freedom within the electronic

medium. 

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With his saxophone, Sitchak is able to create, manipulate, and

respond to the sound and video while Herriott, in turn, “responds

to and manipulates the saxophone’s sounds using custom algorithms

written in Max/MSP/Jitter in combination with dedicated electronic

controllers.”

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Columbian native Mauricio Salguero, like Sonict Duo, blends

together traditional instrumentation with electronics and video.

 

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Salguero is an accomplished clarinetist and saxophonist, and is

currently a D.M.A. candidate at the University of Missouri-Kansas

City Conservatory of Music. His works “10 to the Power of Negative

33” and “Agni Sakshi” showcase the depth of creativity and meaning

reached for by many Electroacoustic artists. 

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Other visiting artists included acclaimed electronic composer

Michael Pounds, Central Missouri University professor Jason Bolte 

and the talented ensemble Quadrivium, who served as the EAJJ’s

final performers on Saturday night,  blending flute, clarinet,

cello, piano and electronics into a sort of symphonic sonic rush.

 

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Dr. Snyder presented several moving original pieces throughout the

event. “Butterfly” is a composition evoking themes of life, death

and rebirth on a broad level, but deals more specifically with the

recent passing of Dr. Snyder’s father-in-law, and how he is, in a

way, reborn and living still through his grandchildren. 

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“Malmo” is written for a free-spirited friend named Peter, who

after being laid off as a dock worker in Malmo, Sweden, decided to

try his hand at becoming an astronaut. 

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Another emotional piece presented was entitled “Harvey,” and in its

introduction, Dr. Snyder told the audience how this composition was

his way of moving on from the tragic murders of an old friend and

band mate Bryan Harvey, and his wife and two daughters. 

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The Harvey family was senselessly murder during a killing spree in

Richmond, Virginia in 2006. 

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Dr. Snyder said that the event threatened to ruin him emotionally

for a very long time, making it difficult for him to trust others.

However, he was able to find release from this agony through the

creation of “Harvey.”

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This year’s Electroacoustic Juke Joint was a rousing success.

Numerous passionate pieces were presented, dealing with everything

from overwhelming blizzards in Minnesota, to ritual acts from Hindu

wedding ceremonies, the loss of family members, a poem by Dylan

Thomas, and the eternal questions of nature, and man’s place within

it. 

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Electroacoustic music, with its obvious dependence on non-human

elements, could be a further separation between man and nature, yet

these artists use technology as means of expressing and grappling

with the questions that have troubled and excited mankind for the

length of its existence.