Maria Chavez Interview

With a collection of new and broken needles that she calls “pencils of sound” and a selection of records, avant-turntablist Maria Chavez creates electro-acoustic sound pieces. Chavez made her New York City debut in a duet with Thurston Moore, collaborated with Otomo Yoshihide as part of the 2007 Wien Modern Festival, and recently shared a stage with Pauline Oliveros and Lydia Lunch during Vienna’s Phonofemme Festival 2009. Having also performed at such internationally acclaimed venues as STEIM (Amsterdam) and Sonoteca (Lima, Peru), she was awarded a Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Grant by New York’s Roulette Intermedium in 2008 and was recently selected to be a recipient of the Van Lier Fellowship which is generously offered to young sound artists by The Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust.  Maria presented new work as a Van Lier Fellow at Roulette on March 13.

ROULETTE: Tell us as about the work you’ll be doing at Roulette.
MARIA CHAVEZ: I will be performing a retrospective of some of my old vinyl sound sources from the past 7 years.  The second half of the performance will be a duo with new regular collaborator, Shelley Burgon, on the harp and laptop.

She and I first met when she performed in my old store Houndstooth.  We then reconnected this past October while on separate tours in Berlin.  When we both returned to the states in November of last year, we performed together for Suzanne Fiol’s memorial service and have been collaborating ever since.

R: Are there working artists today with whose work you identify, or rather, who do you consider to be your peers?
MC: Byron Westbrook’s work is always very interesting well thought out.  I always enjoy listening to Bonnie Jones work, she is developing a lot and I’m interested in where it all takes her.  Shelley Burgon is so talented as a classically trained harp player and as a sound artist.  I really enjoy listening to the mind and work of guitarist Mike Wexler, who is self taught and a brilliant writer.  The guys of Mountains are a favorite of mine as well.  They have a penchant for creating an environment that I would love to live in everyday.  I admire the work of Stephan Moore and David Linton.  We worked together with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 2008.  They taught me so much during that short amount of time, I am forever grateful.

It’s amazing to have such talented friends, I consider it an honor to be in their company.

R: What are some defining characteristics of the musical scene you would fit yourself into? What elements of your scene differentiate it from what has come before, or what is happening now?
MC: I don’t really know where I belong.  I feel that everything I do, whether it’s my sound work or my work in fashion, are all related in some way.  Like one giant piece.  I prefer to call myself a performing artist rather than a musician.  Especially since I don’t record my work to sell.  There are definitely time phases where I will be immersed in one scene then move on to the next.

R: What was the last music you listened to?
MC: An old recording of a duo I used to be in with abstract trombonist, David Dove.  Sounds old but we had good reaction time.

R: What is music?
MC: A controlled environment of sound.

R: Do you consider yourself more a composer or a performer?
MC: Performer and improvising composer

R: Is there an event or experience that led you to start in experimental media?
MC: Watching the Joe McPhee trio.  But I remember when I was 9 and learning to play piano, whenever I was home alone I would improvise and make these loud piano pieces.  Hm.  Haven’t thought about that in a long time.

R: Who do you see as instrumental in your development as an artist?
MC: All of my champions and mentors, Jim Staley, Suzanne Fiol, Pauline Oliveros, David Dove and my ex-boyfriend Michael Kimmins. He has been an incredible source of inspiration and constructive criticism.  It’s been hard without him and Suzanne around.

R: What is interesting to you about your own work?
MC: The way the sound pieces take on a life of their own.  I have no control over them, the moment and the sounds morph into whatever they choose.  I am just the machine that does the work.  I feel that way more and more every time I perform.

R: Do you do other things aside from music?
MC: I am a vintage buyer and designer.

R: Other thoughts?
MC: Looking forward to the show on Saturday!