Live Looping and Effects Pedals

Please note: this workshop is for women and girls only. Catalyst: Festival of Creativity presents Live Looping and Effects Pedals with Marlo DeLara and Sarah Statham Age: 16+

Level: Beginner Time/Date: 6.00 – 9.00 pm, Tuesday 15th November 2016 Venue: DINA, Cambridge St, Sheffield, S1 4HP

Cost: Free, but registration is required Registration:  yswnsheffield@gmail.com

This workshop caters for those who may be interested in purchasing music effects pedal and have questions about the skill of live looping. Looping pedals allow for a musician in live time to record and create layers of music. By using effects pedals with vocals or instruments, one can distort or lengthen, altering the user-led layered soundscapes.

By combining effects and looping, one person can in effect become an entire band. The potential to pull together and collect sounds from various instruments, looping offers the ability to curate, explore and perform on the spot and grow with ideas with varied and nurturing freedom of expression.

In this workshop, participants will learn the basic functioning and play with basic guitar effects and looping pedals, learn to apply the effects to different instruments, and experiment with improvising with these new techniques. We will provide various effects pedals and looping pedals. Participants are encouraged to bring their own pedals and instruments with which to experiment. It would also be helpful if you could bring some headphones – but again, don’t worry if that’s not possible.

About Marlo and Sarah: Born in Baltimore, MD, USA, Marlo DeLara is a sound performance artist currently pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds. Under theMarlo Eggplant alias, De Lara produces textural compositions which develop from microscopic tone landscapes into dense and expansive states of noise and drone. Her works aim to blur the definitions of (un)intentional sound and music. The many noises and tones of De Lara’s live performances are sourced from autoharps, contact mics, vocals and loops, amongst other tools. Her pieces have minimalist origin stories that can be breached through a knowing and often slow-burning approach to improvisation. DeLara has been performing internationally for over a decade and as curator of the Ladyz in Noyz international compilation series, an ongoing project from 2008 to the present, she continues to promote emerging female sound artists/experimental musicians.

Sarah Statham is a musician and promoter based in Leeds. Most known for playing guitar and singing in Esper Scout, as well as drumming for Molars, Ecate and Living Body and releasing solo material under the name Fig by Four. Originally from Manchester she’s been in bands for over ten years, writing, self-recording and touring in the UK and the US as well as teaching at the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in NYC, the Leeds Music Hub and other places locally. She’s part of the Chunk DIY music and arts collective; a group of bands who host gigs and practices at their venue/studio Meanwood base. A proudly passionate champion of the underdog spirit and an infectiously encouraging member of the Leeds Music Scene.

This event is organised by Lucy Cheesman (Sheffield Hallam University/YSWN Sheffield) and Amy Beeston (University of Sheffield/YSWN Sheffield). For any additional information on this workshop or any other of our Catalyst: Festival of Creativity events, please contact us on yswnsheffield@gmail.com.