Tonight Ka Baird, who actually is based in New York City, is our guest. During the Kraak festival she found some time to do a talk and special live session. Enjoy the result of this encounter!
Photo by Nico Bogaerts
Playlist :
Ka Baird / Sapropelic Pycnic : Water (See Sun Think Shadow - 2015)
Ka Baird : interview part 1
Spires That In The Sunset Rise : Morning Song (This Is Fire - 2006)
Ka Baird : interview part 2
Ka Baird / Sapropelic Pycnic : A Love Supreme (A Love Supreme - 2016 - No Index)
Ka Baird : interview part 3
Ka Baird : live at the Kraak festival - 2018-03-02 - Beursschouwburg - Brussels
Ka Baird : interview part 4
Ka Baird : live Radio Panik session - 2018-03-04 - Beursschouwburg - Brussels
Ka Baird : interview part 5
Ka Baird & Andy Ortmann : Bodies Never Learn (Psychic Activation Ritual - 2017 - Nihilist)
Ka Baird : interview part 6
Michel Zerang and Spires That In The Sunset Rise : Triangulura (Illinois Glossolalia - 2017 - Feeding Tube Records)
Ka Baird is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist living and working in NYC. She is one of the founding and continuing members of the long running avant psych project Spires That In The Sunset Rise. Described by Jack Rose as a "female Sun City Girls," STITSR have contributed a different slant to the New Folk movement by incorporating various avant-garde and world music influences into their music. Their sound has been compared to the Raincoats, Meredith Monk, Comus and Harry Partch. Their most recent album "Beasts In The Garden" was described by Marc Masters as "some kind of long-lost Terry Riley/Angus MacLise collaboration, equally devoted to divine repetition and center-seeking ritual." Since 2001, they have released eight full length records and several side releases.
Since relocating to NYC in November 2014, Baird has set off in numerous directions apart from Spires with new collaborations as well as honing in on her own solo work. Her current work explores piano improvisation, electroacoustic interventions, extended vocal techniques, physical movement, and her unusual electronic manipulation of the flute. She released an album of piano improvisations through Brooklyn label Perfect Wave "See Sun Think Shadow" in November of 2015 and a tribute record "A Love Supreme" dedicated to John Coltrane through Chicago label No Index in January of 2016. She has toured extensively both nationally and internationally with performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), MoMA PS1 (Brooklyn), Roulette Intermedium (Brooklyn), Issue Project Room (Brooklyn), Cafe OTO (London) and numerous festival appearances with Spires including TUSK (Newcastle, UK), Incubate (Tilburg, Netherlands), and Festival Of Endless Gratitude (Copenhagen, DK). She also co-runs the label and concert organizer Perfect Wave with Camilla Padgitt-Coles.