Brilliant local illustrator Levi Hastings made this sketch at the last reading party.
  • Levi Hastings
  • Brilliant local illustrator Levi Hastings made this sketch at the last reading party.

So as you already know, the silent-reading party is tonight. As you don't yet know, Katie Kate has fallen ill with whatever our harpist fell ill with last time, so she won't be playing piano at the reading party tonight. This is horribly sad. HOWEVER, it's not that horribly sad, as another pianist selected by Katie Kate will be filling in for her. His name is Mitchell Gustin. He will be playing piano from 6 pm to 7 pm tonight. Then Samuel Anderson will be playing solo cello from 7 pm to 8 pm. As you know, the silent-reading at the Sorrento is free. And as you know, there's one more special guest tonight, Stranger news editor Dominic Holden. Usually I interview special guests before the reading party here on Slog, but Dom is probably very well known to you, so this time I'm interviewing tonight's musicians, one of whom has never played the reading party before.

Mitchell Gustin
So how do you know Katie Kate?
Primarily through our association with Cornish College of the Arts. Katie Kate is Cornish alumni. With the help of some mutual friends, we were put in touch and really hit it off.

What are you going to be playing at the reading party tonight?
For this setting, a selection of my own original piano music. So much of my music is about getting lost in the flow of sound, that it could provide a relaxing texture to the reader's journey. Some of the material that will be played can be found on my SoundCloud page. Thank you for listening!

What other music projects are you involved in?
In our electro-ambient duo Clü Clay, local musician Anthony Cammarota and myself improvise using electronics, voice, guitar, saxophone, and keyboards to create sonorous environments for various spaces. We love to play at art galleries as we find it fills the space for viewers moving from point A to point B. Join us for a live performance on KEXP's Sonarchy Radio at 12 am on Sunday, February 16. Recently, a short film titled Lost in Abandon, was released by Pop Cult Pictures, in which I wrote the score. Lastly, I am working on producing a show held at Cornish College in PONCHO Concert Hall on April 11 at 7 pm called Compworks, in which we will present an evening of various compositions ranging from dance painting to hardcore death metal. Free and open to the public.

Samuel Anderson
What are you going to play at the reading party tonight?
Mostly Romantic-era classical with a few selections from Bach, naturally. I will also be using a loop pedal to build some more textural pieces. This will be the first time using any electronics at a reading party event and my thought is that less moving melodies and the ability to create droning chords will fit the environment well. Personally I have a hard time reading and listening to music at the same time if the music is too busy.

What other music projects are you up to?
Lately I have been developing a solo project called "Arkomo," writing a new record with Hey Marseilles, and producing records for several local groups out of my home studio. Later this week I'll be heading to the British Virgin Islands with Hey Marseilles to perform on a cruise ship.

What have you been listening to lately?
Most recently in local music I have been digging into OC Notes' 104 track release "Rap Loops." He's awesome—like Seattle's own Madlib or something. There's a weekly happening at a venue on Summit and Pike called Love City Love that features Amos Miller, Evan Flory-Barnes, Audra Boo, Hollis Wong-Wear, Devon Lewis, and some other incredible musicians and artists. The improv music+poetry+dance vibe going down there is super inspiring to me and is directly influencing the newer material I am writing.

What were you reading after you finished playing last month at the reading party? You stuck around and I saw from across the room you were reading something.
After my performance last month I was reading George Orwell's Down and out in Paris and London. I'm not an avid reader but Orwell has always been one of my favorite authors. This week I'll have with me a collection of short stories curated by Judd Apatow called I Found This Funny which I find very funny but also very dark at times.