Maryanne Amacher died on Thursday at 66. She was an amazing sound artist, focused primarily on sound installations and site-specific performances. This focus, and her commitment to the particulars of the listening experience, meant she was not well documented on CD. I’m listening to her 1999 Tzadik CD Sound Characters at the moment. Apparently there is a Sound Characters, Vol. 2 CD from last year, which I haven’t heard, as well as an earlier CD on Elektra Nonesuch. But that’s pretty much it, although she does have a track on the Throne of Drones comp on Asphodel, and the Ohm set.
Many of her pieces are concerned with causing virtual sounds, perceived as real, but not actually present in the music emanating from the speakers, through the anatomy of the ears and associated neuroanatomical structures. She speaks about this in this interview, for instance. Usually, high volumes are required, and interestingly, these effects don’t work when listening on headphones.
Watch Thurston Moore plug his ears in Day Trip Maryanne:
Here they are at Tonic in NYC:
More interview action. Kyle Gann remembers. The Amacher Archive Project.
Pretty damn sweet.