MUSIC
MUSIC
Gene’s music—eclectic, ambitious, and hard to classify—is part of a life-long search to discover and express fundamental truths through the arts.
Best known for his opera Matter, Gene has also written a wide variety of music over the years, from classical instrumentals to quirky pop songs.
As a young man, Gene began with the kind of guitar-based folk songs common in the 1970s, pairing melody and lyrics.
Never a great instrumentalist, Gene soon discovered his true “axe”—the multi-track studio. He found that complex works could be created one simple track at a time—laying down a little guitar, some bass, backing vox, and so on. As the technology evolved, Gene’s vision of what was possible grew.
Albums of songs
Recording in various studios or with the latest home-studio technology, Gene released several albums in the medium of the day—cassette tapes, and later, CDs.
“Method in the Madness” was folk-rock based, with often melancholy, globally-conscious lyrics. “B-sides” and “4-Track Mind” introduced more complex chord changes and surrealistic imagery. Switching gears, Gene recorded a suite of pieces for solo piano. Gene’s experience leading tours through Europe yielded “Europe in 22 Minutes”—a musical journey from Amsterdam to Rome to Paris.
Gene’s style was becoming clearer: music that was largely acoustic, melody-based, with lyrics informed by poetry. Gene consciously turned away from the heavy drum-based industrial style.
Branching out— Matter
In the classical vein, Gene wrote a Sonata for Violin and Piano—a serious, complex 15-minute piece that was mastered, performed, and recorded by two talented musicians. Gene was commissioned to write incidental music for various avant-garde theatrical productions. Zig-zagging in another direction, many of his more whimsical songs were performed by the accomplished vocal group the “Cheeseweasels.” Gene’s next album, “Ballard Winter,” was considerably moodier.
All of these musical elements culminated in Gene’s ambitious opera, Matter. As a theatrical multi-media spectacle, it was a mix of music, theater, and the visual arts—involving acting, lighting, sets, costumes, poetry, story, and big themes. It told the story of a mysterious back-to-nature cult fighting to save their primeval way of life. The 2-hour opera unfolded in two acts—the first light, the second (spoiler alert) turning tragic. The music blended classical and more modern sounds, with dialog set to music. Most of all, Matter championed one of Gene’s life-long themes—living life as a journey of discovery.
After Matter, Gene produced less music and turned more to writing prose. It’s often asked whether Gene still writes music. As Gene himself said: “We’ll see.”
The Matter CD is Now Here
After 25 years, Archive Music has finally made the Matter soundtrack available on AMAZON.
20 songs from the full-length opera
18-page insert with story and lyrics
Still in original shrink wrap
“Unlike any show I’ve ever seen… The evocations of mystical experiences are extraordinary… Undeniable originality.” — Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Every week, you’ll find a new song from Gene’s catalog you can listen to and download free.
One week might be a folk song, the next a meditative solo piano piece or a Cheeseweasel deluxe. Most are written, produced, and performed by Gene. (Apologies to any uncredited musicians.)
ACOUSTIC WARNING: The audio quality is, unfortunately, pretty Lo-Fi. These songs are quite old. Many were never anything more than rough demos to start with, recorded quickly on the equipment of the day. Even the professionally-recorded masters often ended up on a fragile cassette tape stored in a musty basement. Many sound like dusty ‘78s. They’re faint remnants of another time.
But hey, they’re free. Enjoy.
Free Music— Listen and Download
This week’s song (Dec 28-Jan 4)
With this serene song, here’s hoping the New Year brings a measure of serenity amid the dark and cold.
The song was actually written in the 95-degree heat of an August afternoon. Gene Openshaw and David M. Hall wrote it with guitars slung over their shoulders, standing in a sliver of shade on the brown grass of a summer lawn.
At that moment, the idea of a chilly winter night with slow-motion snowflakes was a pleasant if faraway dream.
Apparently, the grass is always browner on the other side of the season. Enjoy the pleasures of winter while you can.
And enjoy the lovely baritone voice of Brian Steberl on the lead vocal.