Ulnae is the fairly new project of singer Lily Taylor and cellist Darcy Neal (also of Bludded Head), who combine free-form sound, visuals and a bit of theatre into their experimental live show. In preview of tonight's Dead Week Print Show at Rubber Gloves and the Meme Gallery, with Zorch, New Fumes, Def Rain and Summer of Glaciers, we asked Taylor and Neal a bit about their collaboration.
See also: - Denton's Darcy Neal has gadgets and gizmos aplenty
What has the birthing process for Ulnae been like, if there has been one? Lily Taylor: I get the feeling that Ulnae will always be changing; it is the nature of how we work together. We've been doing some shows down in Austin at Green House for Johnathan Cash and How I Quit Crack. Each time, we've tried to present something new. We are now involving more costume elements to our performance set, along with the projected imagery and soundscapes.
How did you two come together, and over what common ground? Darcy Neal: I saw Lily perform her solo set at the Emergent Media Lab in Denton, and began promoting her sets out of respect for her fresh and unique style. I have been building custom handmade electronic instruments for quite some time, and saw Ulnae as an opportunity to manifest the environment that would accompany these instruments, while Lily has been performing in performance art drag shows, mostly in San Francisco. Our styles have merged together in a very unique way. We both have similar interests of improvisational electronic music and performance art. We've recently been inspired by Ruth White and Diamanda Galas. Taylor: I think we've had similar influences, and a similar relationship with music in the past; Darcy plays cello and I am trained as a vocalist. We're both interested in experimental music, from electro-acoustic music to noise to doom. We've been listening to a lot of Ruth White recently. It doesn't hurt that we are living in a place where there is a lot of amazing experimental music happening, inspiring us to join the conversation.
Do you approach Ulnae as an art piece? Sound piece? Theatre? Neal: We are artists who work visually as well as musically, and Ulnae is the manifestation of our creative influences. We present ourselves as a band, with projected visuals and costume elements. I know that it will continue to evolve over time. Taylor: We approach Ulnae as a band or an ensemble. We are artists who work on material to present, and some of that material is music.
What other projects have you two been involved in this year? Taylor: Ulnae recently performed at an art installation and performance show in Austin for How I Quit Crack, who is booked to play 35 Denton this coming March. Earlier this year, Ulnae performed with composer and UNT grad student Martin Back at an International Home Theater Festival show thrown in Denton. We are working on a new International Home Theater Festival for April/May.
Dead Week Print Show 2012 happens tonight at Rubber Gloves and Meme Gallery. Starts at 8 p.m.
