Oregon Music News

Some members of CRPDX, including Mattie Kaiser (left.)

On the afternoon of December 15th I sat down with Mattie Kaiser, my friend and occasional comrade-at-arms in the Portland alternative classical music scene. Over Hot Toddies and Vodka Sunsets we had an informal chat about Classical Revolution Portland, of which Mattie is the founder, and more specifically about CRPDX’s annual Bachxing Day concert, which is coming up on December 26th at the Someday Lounge. (The show is at 9 pm, December 26th, with a $5 suggested donation.)

LW: How did you end up starting the whole thing…CRPDX?

MK: I was involved with it in San Francisco in late 2006 after leaving grad school. I guess I shouldn’t say ‘after’ because I left it…preemptively? I came to Portland and I didn’t really know anyone. I posted a Craigslist ad saying “I play viola…who wants to play with me?” and I met some people and told them about Classical Revolution in San Francisco, and about how that was going. I asked them if they thought it would fly here, and they immediately said ‘yes,’ and someone told me about Portland Cello Project and what they were doing….So yeah. Just through a Craigslist ad at like, two in the morning, and that turned into our manifesto, and it just started from people responding to that, and meeting them and playing with them, and their friends would come, and then their friends would come, and it eventually turned into this organization that has over two hundred people.

LW: So what is the ‘revolution’ then?

MK: Just basically providing another outlet…another venue for chamber music. A place where people can feel extremely comfortable listening to the music and not feel intimidated [as they might] in most of the venues that are available for chamber and orchestral music. And I’m not saying that everyone is uncomfortable going to those kinds of concerts, because I love going to those concerts. But we’re trying to reach an audience that wouldn’t otherwise come hear the music that we’re performing…it’s showing them how amazing and invigorating chamber music can be.

LW: What’s your opinion on the success of that then, as far as…have you reached the audience that you want to reach, and in the type of numbers that you’d hoped for?

MK: Definitely. Yeah, when I first started this I just thought it would be a little tiny thing, we might play the café once a month, but we’ve been putting on these huge shows, and people are coming out in force. Same thing…they tell their friends about it, and they tell their friends, and all kinds of new listeners are coming to our shows. And it’s not just us [in Portland] either; like I said it started in San Francisco and I was the first one to start a chapter, but now there are chapters in more than a dozen cities across the country, and globally.

LW: So you typically have one chamber jam every month, at varying locations?

MK: Yeah…we play chamber jams usually at Costello’s Travel Café, Someday Lounge, we’ve recently started again at The Waypost, which is a funky little café in Northeast. And we’ve played some bigger shows that are beyond the chamber jams, at places like Holocene and The Woods.

LW: Nice. So…Bachxing Day, this brainchild that we’re talking about that’s coming up here on the 26^th [at the Someday Lounge], what was the genesis behind that? I’ll say for me that when I look at it—B-a-c-h-x-i-n-g– I always think of powdered wig guys crossing the road on this diamond [shaped] yellow sign…

MK: [Laughing] Oh…that should be our poster for it!

LW: So how did that come about?

MK: I originally booked the Someday Lounge in late 2007. We had been jamming at the Red and Black Café, and it was already rumored that they would be closing, so we were trying to find some new venues and really liked what they were doing at the Someday Lounge so I wrote them and they responded. At that point in our history I was just totally shocked by it, because I didn’t think people would be super open to this, and as it turns out, everyone’s open to it, which is really cool. Anyway, they responded back and said the only day they had was December 26^th. I hemmed and hawed about it ‘oh man, it’s after Christmas, I don’t know if people are going to do it’ you know, and I talked to some people and it was ‘No! No one has anything to do on December 26^th, and everyone wants to get away from their family at that point. It’s a perfect day to have a show!’ So I said yes to that…and then it was one of those late night in the shower….’December 26^th…isn’t that Boxing Day? Oh! Bach!’ and it all fell into place from there…because we’re nerds. I mean, let’s face it, we’re trying to be hip and cool, we’re trying to reach a hip and cool audience, but we’re nerds.

LW: That’s right. Let’s not mince words here [laughing.] And I guess I could’ve looked it up myself but…what is Boxing Day? I mean, do we know that that is? It’s—that’s a British thing, right?

MK: Yeah, I think it’s Canadian too…I think it’s when the–don’t quote me on this–when the masters of the house give the servants gifts [NOTE: I did quote her on it because it turns out that’s more or less an apt description.] Something about…they re-box the presents they don’t want and give them to the servants.

LW: Ah.

MK: I…might be making this up…

LW: So the day has nothing to do with Bach, it’s just a nice coincidence?

MK: No, it’s just a total pun. And I thought an ‘x’ was more exciting than an ‘s’.

LW: So, it [the first Bachxing Day] was…making the best out of the only option you had [for performing at the Someday Lounge that first time]?

MK: Basically, basically. Yeah. ‘If this is what we’re given, what can we do with it?’

LW: Necessity being the mother of invention…

MK: Yeah, yeah I thought we’d try it out and see how it goes, and they’d probably never invite us back, and we’re in our fourth year now, so obviously…and yeah, it’s become one of the favorite events now for everyone involved in our organization. Everyone looks forward to Bachxing day.

LW: Sort of a good release during the holidays…

MK: Exactly. Something that isn’t Christmas carols, something that isn’t the Messiah [by G.F. Handel]. And you know, we all have a special fondness for Mr. Bach too…

LW: We [classical musicians] tend to do that…

MK: Yeah, there’s something very special and heartwarming about his music, so in this time that we’re all stressed out and running around and playing gigs and doing all kinds of crazy things with our family, what we really want to do is just sit down and play Bach…to satisfy ourselves that way.

LW: Sure. So what’s the…artistic concept behind it? Is it sort of, people playing Bach however they want? Do they…I’m thinking of transcriptions for different instruments…what sort of things have people done?

MK: So people will take the pieces and do them straightforward, which is totally fine, and definitely transpositions and different instruments. We tend to do that anyway. As a violist, I always steal cello music. And this year we have a clarinet quartet playing a version of a gigue, and in the past we’ve had a banjo player, I think he did an invention, which I called it an ‘intervention’ at the time…[laughing] a ‘Bach Intervention’ on banjo. So there’s a lot of mixing it up, but a lot of it is standard, it’s just…how we want to phrase it, how we want to do it. One of the reasons I left grad school, which—it’s so fitting for this time of year because this is the time of year I left grad school—one of the major problems I was having was butting heads with a teacher who wanted me to play Bach a certain way—his way. And I didn’t hear it his way. And Bach is very special like like that. You can have any interpretation you want, and I didn’t want to be forced to play it someone else’s way. So I open it up to everyone to play their way…no one can tell them how to play it.

LW: Yeah, I agree. I’ve often felt that Bach’s music lends itself to an almost endless variety of possible interpretations, not only depending on the instrument. I know for myself, and I’m sure it’s the same for others; I’ll play the same piece by Bach very differently depending on my mood or what I’m feeling, or…

MK: Yeah…time of day? How many drinks you’ve had?

LW: Yes. All those things.

MK: They’re all a factor. And what I’ll do is find a piece by Bach that fits the day…you know, if it’s a dark rainy day I can’t play his G major Cello Suite. I go straight to the D minor. And he does that…he has a way to fit every mood.

LW: That’s true. He did write a piece or two for varying emotions. So looking back to the past I’d ask…what is your favorite, or most unexpected [performance at Bachxing Day] besides the banjo intervention? Are there any other clever or particularly memorable performances that have come out of Bachxing Day?

MK: I loved last year’s Brandenburg Third Concerto…did you see that?

LW: No, unfortunately I hate to admit it but I have yet to come to a Bachxing Day…

MK: [Incredulously] What?!

LW: Yes, I know.

MK: Are you coming this year?

LW: Yes…you might have…you’re going to have a mandolin intervention…

MK: That’s right, you’re going to play. And we are going to have a keyboard…

LW: God help us all.

MK: [Laughing] No that’ll be great. You’ll channel your inner Chris Thile right? [NOTE: Virtuoso mandolinist Christ Thile is, as Mattie well knows, my mandolin hero].

LW: [Sardonically] Yes I’m sure.

MK: Brandenburg Three last year was really fun…we get a lot of really good players this night who have maybe just finished up with gigs and had a drink or something like that…or a few…so you just get a lot of somewhat…I shouldn’t say the word ‘sloshy’…but yeah, sloshy, talented musicians, and so the Brandenburg Three last year was just a hoe-down, and it was really really fun. One year Adam Lamotte and Casey Bozell did the Bach Double and they just sight-read it, and it still was…better than I could ever play…it was so fun. There’s another…we did the Coffee Cantata. We rehearsed that here [at LW's house] actually.

LW: Yeah I do remember that one…was that on Bachxing Day?

MK: Mmmhm.

LW: Then I guess I have been to one, I just didn’t realize it.

MK: [Laughing] That one fooled you probably because it was in March [due to weather in December].

LW: So who can we look forward to this year? Any surprise names you can drop?

MK: Well, Mr. Lorin will be joining us.

LW: Yeah, besides the…attempt to play Bach on the mandolin that’s coming…

MK: The main event is the Brandenburg Fourth Concerto. It’s going to be two flutes, violin, plus all the strings that are there. Bridge City Clarinets are going to be doing some Bach transcriptions. They’re always really fun to listen to. Erin Winemiller on cello, playing some cello suites. I might get courageous and play some cello suites…and there’s a group going to play a Mendelssohn string quartet. One thing I might want to add is we do have a contest of Bach puns, haikus, jokes, etc. and we will have prizes for those. You want to hear last year’s winner?

LW: Yes.

MK: So why does Bach have so many children?

LW: Why’s that?

MK: Because there were no stops in his organ.

LW: [Laughing]

MK: Oh yes, we keep it classy here at Classical Revolution PDX.

LW: I think that’s a wrap.