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A unique sound: Scrap Arts Music concert event features 145 handmade invented instruments
Gregory Kozak has always loved to work with his hands.
Years ago, he had the idea to take scrap metal and create unique musical instruments.
It was then he founded Scrap Arts Music alongside his wife, Justine Murdy.
A unique sound: Scrap Arts Music concert event features 145 handmade invented instruments
About four years ago, the trained musician wanted to go bigger and decided to make an art film.
Then he wrote and conducted the music for it.
Kozak and crew are taking 鈥淐hildren of Metropolis鈥� on the road with numerous performances in New Mexico.
鈥淚鈥檝e made well over 100 instruments for this project,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he film has taken me about four years to complete. I wrote the music and found the musicians to perform in it. We鈥檝e been rehearsing to get back on the road.鈥�
Scrap Arts Music will make stops in Alamogordo, Socorro, Farmington and then finish its New Mexico trek at Popejoy Hall on Sunday, April 14.
Kozak is excited to return to New Mexico with a new show in hand.
鈥淭he last time, we showed up with the invented instruments,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 wanted to push myself to see what I could do with my own two hands. The film took years to complete and it鈥檚 a very athletic show.鈥�
Scrap Arts鈥� Invented Instrument Percussion Project has been described as intricate, playful, powerful, contemporary, experimental, retro-futuristic and genre-defying.
The 鈥淐hildren of Metropolis鈥� will bring five athletic musicians to the stage to perform with more than 145 invented instruments 鈥� all handmade by Kozak.
New Mexico Tech Performing Arts Series Director Dana Chavez said audiences will be inspired and delighted by the Canadian group鈥檚 performance.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to welcome back to Socorro Scrap Arts Music,鈥� Chavez said. 鈥淭his will be the group鈥檚 third visit here.鈥�
Kozak says his group is looking forward to its return to the New Mexico Tech campus, and the opportunity to interact with young inventors and their families.
鈥淲e are super excited to be touring in New Mexico again and thrilled to be performing 鈥楥hildren of Metropolis鈥� in Socorro at New Mexico Tech,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e still remember the great reception and passionate audience reactions from our previous tour through the state, and felt that New Mexico would be a perfect place to debut our new show.鈥�
According to Kozak, 鈥淐hildren of Metropolis鈥� is a whimsical journey of invented musical instruments, lots of percussion and its own adventurous art-house film.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping the audiences will be delighted by our beautiful handmade instruments and unique music and surprised by our creative filmmaking.鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e bringing a lot of ideas and, I hope, inspiration to our performances.鈥�
Kozak says the film should appeal to budding scientists and inventors because it tells the story of an inventor who uses his big heart and mind to help his neighbors, and, in the process, saves his whole world.
鈥淲e鈥檝e created a film peopled by Metrognomes, Gremlins, Sea-Flunkeys and regular folks who have fish-face submarines, embiggener guns and smallifier rays, and communicate with a cat-stronaut in space,鈥� he says.
Kozak added that the 16 mm silent film is accompanied by the group鈥檚 quintet, playing on instrument/inventions, such as the xylobe, pippolini, nonettes and bagoleons.
