VARIANTI ~ The COVID Years
Music from Spoot Studios 2020-2024
Sound and Words by Amy Denio & Friends

In order of appearance: Amy Denio, voice-clarinet-alto sax-baritone horn-ukulele-guitars-cello-bass-accordion-percussion-Ableton programming / Cynthia Hughen, piano / Grispapi, voice / Chris Stromquist, drums / Steve Kirk & Tara Forth: orchestration. Recorded & mixed by Amy Denio. Four mixes by Mell Dettmer. Mastered by Steve Turnidge at Ultraviolet Studios, Seattle.

This music came to me on the fly at Spoot Studio between June 2020 and December 2023. The moods vary, and range of instruments weave a bittersweet soundtrack for the saga of the ever-evolving coronavirus.

Some songs are written in honor of beloved friends (living or dying or recently passed). Four Dr. Seuss tongue twisters popped out one November day. Crow Totem is the result of a collaboration with Steve Kirk and Tara Forth in the Seattle Composers Alliance, and the voyage settles down with a prayer for peace.

Coastal Salish tradition holds that songs are hunters, hanging out in the atmosphere, waiting for the right person to bring them to life. I am happy prey.

AMY DENIO
HANSVILLE, WASHINGTON
3/15/24
Ides of March!

I’ve been collaborating sporadically with composer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Kirk.

Conversation is the result of my most recent collaboration with composer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Kirk.

What began as a simple guitar riff using only two fingers and letting open strings ring like a bell developed into a sonic adventure, thanks to Steve’s inventive orchestration. I played guitar and sax on the track, and Steve did everything else.

LISTEN to CONVERSATION

Enjoy!

Home now after a four-day immersion at beautiful Bear Creek Studio, finishing up the newest recording by guitarist Greg Meredith’s ensemble The Crown.

Stocking Stuffers! Xtempore4 | Right Brain Records Features a track from Gli Autopiloti, a live recording from Rome with my trio with Adriano Lanzi and Roberto Fega  Sogno | Anto Ferrante Anto invited me to collaborate with an all-star cast on alto sax, clarinet, and general production. It’s a beautiful album! Amy Denio & Bill Horist: Church and State | Amy Denio (Right Brain Records) Extraordinary guitarist Bill Horist and I played two concerts in Seattle in 2023, and Scott Schaffer of Right Brain Records produced the recordings. One is Church (recorded in the Chapel Performance Space), and the other is State (Bill’s and my live soundtrack for Metropolis, screened at the Georgetown Steam Plant). songs for all the days | jean mann I had a chance to collaborate with Jean on a few of the songs on her newest album, rich with neo-folk musings. I love her gentle style.  Still thirsty? There’s plenty to explore on my Bandcamp page!

CONCERTI

TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER @ 8pm Amy Denio & Timothy Scallon Live soundtrack to The Patchwork Girl of Oz!  @ Jules Maes Saloon, Georgetown (Seattle) 5919 Airport Way S / Seattle WA 98108 Sponsored by the Seattle Composers Alliance

SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER @ 6-9pm SEATTLE COMPOSERS ALLIANCE Year-End Celebration @ the Seattle Drum School / 1010 S. Bailey / Seattle 98108 Join us for a relaxing and convivial get-together with fabulous composers! We’ll be sharing music we’ve produced in 2023!The SCA’s mission statement is ‘Connecting Seattle Music Creators to Opportunity, Education, and Community’. Thanks to the Seattle Drum School for their generous sponsorship of this event!  I’ve been teaching there since 2017. If you or someone you know wants to learn an instrument, taking lessons at the Seattle Drum school is an excellent choice!

Meet Amy Denio – CanvasRebel Magazine

Researching photos to submit, came across this shot from Slovenia on the last day of a Kultur Shock tour, taken by Photo Zula, our friend Alen Zulic 🙂

ALEN ZULIĆ Fotografija

Raven Chronicles Press commissioned me to create a theme song for their website!

I employed my musical alphabet to compose RAVEN WALTZ.

The letters R-A-V-E-N spelled out the tonalities (F# – A – C# – E – G) and I put my alchemical skills to work.

Enjoy!

Darek Mazzone and I have been exploring music together for nearly 25 years. Our first encounter was improvising together at the OK hotel in 1999, and the forces of nature have kept our creative paths crossing through the years.

Darek founded Old Age Records in Seattle. Their first release is Kultur Shock: Acoustic Live, from Kultur Shock’s acoustic concert at Town Hall in Seattle in February, 2023:

The Stranger published an informative interview with Darek and his globe-spanning projects, check it out!

I’ve been collaborating with Abel Rocha (venezuelan harp, guitar, cuatro, voice) and Madeleine Sosin (violin, jarana, voice, bombo, maracas, other percussion) for nearly 20 years, and our pan-Latin repertoire is mesmerizing. Sometimes we even throw in one or two of my compositions…

In Latin culture, music creates the bridge between the living and those beyond. Let us honor those in our lives who have passed, but whose spirits are still shining brightly. Please join us at this upcoming concerts.

Friday 10/27/23 ~ Correo Aereo Trio @ Seattle Art Museum, celebrating El Dia de los Muertos

Saturday 10/28/23 ~ Correo Aereo Trio @ The Goat, INDIANOLA WA

Nos vemos!

IT’S TIME FOR KULTUR SHOCK’S ANNUAL SHOCKTOBERFEST! Meet us @ the CLOCKOUT LOUNGE in Seattle to celebrate two new releases: Live at Town Hall acoustic recording (Old Age Records) 2-song vinyl release (on Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles Records)We’d love to see your shiny dancing faces! FRIDAY 6 OCTOBER ~ ACOUSTIC NIGHT Live at Town Hall CD release party Support: Orkestar Zirkonium Special guest: DJ @darek_mazzone (WoPop, KEXP, Old Age Records) SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER ~ ELECTRIC NIGHT Alternative Tentacles 7″ vinyl release party Support: Redshift (also on Alternative Tentacles) TICKET LINKS: FRIDAY: https://bit.ly/3qJs1Cn SATURDAY: https://bit.ly/47J4kKY

KULTUR SHOCK

TOP: Guy Davis (bass) Amy Denio (alto sax, clarinet, guitar, voice), Val Kiossovski (guitar, voice

BOTTOM: Chris Stromquist (drums & percussion), Eleni Govetas (violin, oud, voice), Gino Jevdjevic (voice, percussion)