Josh Lopes: Dither, John Zorn, and the Art of Blasting White Noise

Guitarist and composer Josh Lopes opens up about the intersection of classical chamber music discipline and underground experimentation. He walks through the collaborative history of Dither, the psychology of working directly under John Zorn, translating Laurie Spiegel’s planetary orbit tracking data to fretted instruments, and how an iPad mechanical failure turned a performance at the Stone into a living nightmare.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:25 - From Rhode Island to the Avant-Garde Scene01:46 - Euphoniums, Marching Band, and Transferring Schools03:44 - William Paterson University and the "Bossa Nova" Trap05:44 - Unlearning Jazz Robot Habits and Developing Soft Skills06:39 - Getting Academic Probation for Breaking Into Shea09:25 - The Difference Between Chamber Musicians and Jazz Players11:47 - Forming the Electric Guitar Quartet14:22 - The Intensity of Performing John Zorn's Game Pieces18:39 - A Shattered iPad During a Solo Bagatelle20:09 - A Weird Mother's Day Encounter with John Zorn22:23 - Playing "Rugby" at The Kitchen23:22 - Translating Laurie Spiegel's Electronic Scores26:50 - The Pretentious Venice Biennale Concert28:37 - Blasting White Noise for Sensory Deprivation Music33:03 - The $100 Vintage Japanese Guitar Project35:15 - Learning Tuvan Throat Singing in a Trader Joe's Milk Cooler37:37 - Discovering "Genghis Blues" and Ham Radio Harmonics41:56 - Teaching Music in Newark to Kids Who Don't Listen to Music44:29 - Replacing Standard Notation with YouTube QR Codes49:49 - Why Good Guitarists Secretly Have Mental Disorders51:13 - Missing the Grit of the Old StoneBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.