We exchanged emails with Brian Andrew Marek of the band Vertigo Swirl for this addition to Artica Ever After. (Full Table of Contents.)
======
When did you come into knowledge of Artica? What caught your attention when first attending?
My girlfriend brought Artica to my attention. She had helped a local visual artist with their piece a couple years ago and suggested that we apply for Artica 2022. I was struck by how it looked and felt like some kind of countercultural happening from the ‘60s infused with a modern sensibility and attitude.
When has Vertigo Swirl played Artica? Did you play with any other of your groups over the years?
The Vertigo Swirl has played Artica for the last two years only. I’ve never played there with any other band.
What makes for a good set at Artica? In the sense that you're playing a field, with lots of visual stimuli for the audience and (I imagine) the performer taking place along with the sound...
We like to alternate our shorter, poppier songs with other songs that evolve into extended improvisations — which really isn't very different from our normal M.O., but seems particularly suited to an Artica crowd. As demonstrated by the spectacular presentations of Library Birds and Mobile Alien Research Unit, a strong visual element helps focus attention. Unfortunately, that's an area where we admittedly need improvement. We're in the market for a light show operator to collaborate with.
Artica, being an outdoor fest, can be (and has been) affected by weather, be it winds or rain. At times, trains roll past, or other audio stimuli can bleed from one stage or part of the grounds to another. Can you talk about how to best give a performance in a zone that can have simultaneous pulls on the audience's attention?
I rather like how there are disparate sounds coming from different sources, musical and aleatoric, blending together like some John Cage or Charles Ives piece. It isn’t terribly noticeable on stage (well, at least ‘til a train comes by) but it’s nice walking around as the sounds fade in and out of your consciousness. We’ve been lucky with the weather, although wind did somewhat mar a recording we made of this year’s show!
The festival started out with a largely visual art/installation bent, with music being gradually (and then, dramatically) added over time. What artists have you caught that captured your ears and eyes over that time?
As somebody with limited visual art talents, I'm knocked out by just about everything I’ve seen there, in particular some of the more conceptual stuff. But there was one installation this year that particularly grabbed my attention. It was an old octagonal end table from the ‘60s or ‘70s repurposed as a kind of collaborative synthesizer — there were switches and knobs on three sides of it, so that multiple people could alter the sound simultaneously. I like that kind of interactivity.
Correct me if wrong, but it feels as if the music of Vertigo Swirl is a very good match for both the Artica landscape and the attendees, who seem interested in catching new/unique sounds. Am I correct?
I would agree. Our music is rooted in the sounds and philosophies of psychedelia, progressive rock, and motorik, but as I said earlier about the event itself, “infused with a modern sensibility.” An Artica audience is open-minded and patient — they will gladly follow a long improvisation's progress to its conclusion.
Open-ended question. Is anything else you'd care to add about the Artica experience: ____.
It's like a conglomeration of a music festival, an open air art gallery, and countercultural gathering place, and it works so well on all those levels. It has a warm, open, happy feel, but without losing that exploratory, challenging, artistic edge. I love it and hope it continues for years and decades to come.
Where can people find your music online?
Just about any streaming service you can think of, and you can buy our CDs and vinyl at www.rubberstamprecords.com.
===
We’ve also spoken to the Artica-participating bands Library Birds, Final Veil, Cenozoic and Johnny Vancouver.
Though Artica Ever After was supported by a 2022 grant from Artica, a digital tip jar lives here.
-30-