I recently appeared on the podcast You Should Check It Out, which is co-hosted by Greg Loman, a fantastic guitarist who played on quite a bit of future TGC material. He worked with Roger Waters at Walter Reed hospital with the group The Resilient and collaborated with his son Harry Waters on The Halcyon, a short film on Dust. I had a great time talking to Greg and his friends Nick Kline and Jay Rossman. This is the first time I’ve gotten to publicly talk about my own music outside of form interviews, and I debuted a few clips of new material. I also talked a bit about the new King Crimson book, so check it out!

Episode #076 – Special Guest: Gabriel Riccio (Part 1 – Creating Music)

Gabriel Lucas Riccio is a vocalist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, transcriber, and engraver from Salisbury, MD, currently residing in Chicago, IL. You can find a whole lot more about him on his website (TheGabrielConstruct.com). He was so much fun to talk to that we’ve split this conversation up into two episodes.

This week we dive into Gabe’s music & process. His first album Interior City, released as The Gabriel Construct in 2013, was his first major endeavor in a studio setting & he poured everything he had, creatively speaking, into the project. Believing the project would be therapeutic and finding himself, at the end of it, unsatisfied with the result, he spent the next few years struggling to create more music while he contributed to other artists’ projects. He also spent that time learning to cope with his depression. The process has been long but he’s rounded a corner the last 18 months and he’s brought some fantastic new music to share with us today.

We’re thankful to Gabe for coming on the show and hope you join us next week for Part 2, where we dive into his work transcribing King Crimson. Have a great week everyone!

Songs:
The Gabriel Construct – Inner Sanctum
Gabriel Riccio & Sophia Uddin – Between Entwines
The Gabriel Construct – Hiding a Light
The Gabriel Construct – Build

Episode #077 – Special Guest: Gabriel Riccio (Part 2 – Transcribing King Crimson)

This week we bring you the second half of our conversation. About 7 years ago, Gabe uploaded a transcription of King Crimson’s “The ConstruKction of Light” to YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kd5kG4847I], completing his senior comprehensive exams. A few hours later, a positive comment from Trey Gunn appeared & the two connected. Gabe went on to transcribe a book for Trey Gunn (and another for The Stick Men) before tackling King Crimson. With a team of proofreaders & Trey’s assistance, the completed “King Crimson: The Discipline Era” is now available. It includes all three 1980s Crimson records: “Discipline”, “Beat” & “Three of a Perfect Pair”. We really get into the weeds on this one & it is absolutely delightful (hope you agree)!

*Unfortunately it’s recently sold out, but we believe more will be coming in the near future…so keep an eye out if you’re interested!

Thank you again Gabe for coming on the show & have a great week everyone!

Songs:
King Crimson – Neal & Jack & Me
King Crimson – Dig Me

Make Weird Music interviewed the full team for the upcoming King Crimson Discipline Era Transcriptions book: Trey Gunn, Matt Tate, Dean Pascarella, Anthony Garone, and myself:

Order now at https://musicscores.bandcamp.com/merch/the-discipline-era-transcriptions-king-crimson

Limited edition, full-band transcriptions + tabs of one of King Crimson’s most innovative eras:

Discipline
Beat
Three Of A Perfect Pair

All three releases meticulously transcribed by Gabriel Riccio.
Editing and tabs by Trey Gunn.

This version of King Crimson (Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford) shocked the world with the pioneering musical language brought forth on the “Discipline” release in 1981. They went on to record two more albums in this configuration — “Beat” and “Three of a Perfect Pair”.

Gabriel Riccio set the standard for deep and thorough transcriptions with the King Crimson “THRAK” book. Trey Gunn was a member King Crimson for 10 years and has worked with Robert Fripp for nearly 20 years.

Proof-readers include Matt Tate, Dean Pascarella and Anthony Garone.

Produced on high-quality paper in 9″x12″ format, spiral bound for lay-flat-open reading. 256 pages.

Pieces included:

Discipline —

Elephant Talk
Frame by Frame
Matte Kudesai
Indiscipline
Thela Hun Ginjeet
The Sheltering Sky
Discipline

Beat —

Neal and Jack and Me
Heartbeat
Sartori in Tangier
Waiting Man
Neurotica
Two Hands
The Howler

Three of a Perfect Pair —

Three of a Perfect Pair
Model Man
Sleepless
Man With an Open Heart
Dig Me
Industry
Larks Tongues in Aspic (Part III)

Tony Levin’s “The King Crimson Barbershop”

Anthony Garone recently interviewed Travis Orbin, Sophia Uddin, and I for his Youtube channel Make Weird Music:

The interview is about Travis’s 3 new solo releases, which you can hear below:

Silly String Redux (Bandcamp)

Finite Complete (Bandcamp)

Finite III (Bandcamp)

Physical copies of all 3 records can be purchased at Travis’s Big Cartel Store.

Over the past year, I have recorded the following in my home studio:

-Afroman’s beer ad dance song, ‘Cold Fro-T-5 and Two Frigg Fraggs’. I contributed the 808 drums and recorded Afroman rapping, singing, and playing guitar, bass, and keyboards.

-Travis Orbin’s sixth solo release ‘Finite II‘ came out today. I engineered Sophia Uddin’s violin parts:

I also ran sessions for the violin, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and upright bass parts on Travis’s fifth release and debut full length, ‘Silly String II‘:

-Matt Tate’s bass parts on Stephan Thelen’s upcoming record ‘Fractal Guitar‘, featuring David Torn, Henry Kaiser, and Markus Reuter.

-I engineered, co-produced, and helped arrange the vocals on Baroche’s debut EP, ‘Sides‘:

I also recorded Sophia Uddin’s 7-string violin parts on the opening track.

-Two songs, ‘Viotar‘ and ‘El Touba‘ for Sophia Uddin’s group ‘Folklear Nuclei’.

-Sacha Mullin’s second Christmas EP, ‘Snow & Such‘, was entirely recorded and mixed in my apartment. I edited some vocals on his sophomore record ‘Duplex‘ and have been helping him to record demos for his next record. I also played keys with Sacha on Chicago Acoustic Underground, Episode 701.

-I recorded and performed a guest vocal spot on Instar’s track ‘One Word at a Time’ from their EP ‘The Ex Nihlio Cycle‘, also featuring Travis Orbin:

I am always available for engineering work, so contact me if you’re interested in hiring me.

Firstly, I’ve got a few shows coming up in Chicago. I have my first gig with Sacha Mullin since 2015 – it’s a CD release show for his new record Duplex. Sophia and I are doing a duo gig as The Gabriel Construct. Then Pavlov3 is reforming for our first gig of 2017.

-7/15/17 Sacha Mullin at Cafe Mustache (CD Release show)
-7/16/17 Gabriel/Sophia duo with Nine Worlds Ensemble at Uncommon Ground Devon
-8/28/17 Pavlov3 with Sonar at Reggies Music Joint

I’ve been working with Trey Gunn on a sheet music book for King Crimson’s THRAK for quite a few years now, and it ships September 1! You can preorder it here.

Here’s a sample… Bruford playing sextuplets phrased in 5s against a 4/4 groove while Fripp improvises:

On a somewhat related note, here is a sample of a piece I engraved and helped orchestrate for Markus Reuter:

Sun Trance by Markus Reuter (short cut) from Dennis Kuhn on Vimeo.

The Gabriel Construct’s live lineup has merged with Chapman Stick/U8 Touch Guitar player Matt Tate’s Pavlov3, essentially becoming one band with two leaders. We have a number of shows coming up.

-Pavlov3 @ Progtoberfest II on Saturday October 22, 2pm (Facebook) (Tickets)
We will be playing on the same day as many legends, including Mike Keneally and Trey Gunn. We couldn’t be more excited!

-The Gabriel Construct opening for Kayo Dot at Cobra Lounge! Sunday 10/23, 8PM (Facebook) (Tickets)

-Both bands @ Harding House Halloween Festival. Saturday October 29, 4pm (Facebook)
We will be playing alongside some of the best local Chicago bands, including a light sleeper, Origin of Animal, and Lovely Little Girls.

-Pavlov3 opening for Renaissance at Arcada Theater, St Charles, IL! Saturday 11/12, 8pm (Facebook) (Tickets)

-Pavlov3 opening for Felix Martin at Cobra Lounge! Sunday 11/13, 8pm (Facebook) (Tickets)

-Both bands @ Q-Bar in Darien, IL on Saturday November 18 at 8pm (Facebook)
This will be TGC’s first show outside of Chicago, and we’ll be playing alongside our friends in Legacy Black, who will be playing their first show ever!

-The Gabriel Construct headlining at Martyrs, Chicago, IL on December 12 (with The Phantom Broadcast and Conflux) (Facebook) (Tickets)

-Pavlov3 opening for Sons of Ra album release party @ Reggies Music Joint, Friday December 16 at 7pm (Facebook) (Tickets)

I am also working on a sheet music book for Pavlov3, which I imagine will be the second sheet music book ever for Chapman Stick and U8 Touch guitar. And on that note, the Stick Men drum book is complete and you can check out a bonus score and track from their new record here.

We will be playing a show at Beat Kitchen at 9PM on Wednesday September 7, 2016 with Gushing Cloud, Pavlov(3) and The Four Three. Bill Banks, Sophia Uddin, Thor Bremer and will be playing in both TGC and Matt Tate’s newly reconfigured Pavlov(3). We first played with Pavlov last October at Martyrs. I’m excited to finally share the stage with Matt!

The Four Three is trombonist Mike Hagedorn’s new trio with Alex Perkolup and Jeff Goulet, and this will be their second show (go check out their first one on Wednesday!). All three of them are members of Lovely Little Girls and Hot Garbage, and have been known to play with Cheer-Accident.

Gushing Cloud is the electronic solo project of saxophonist/bass player Cory Bengtsen (also of Lovely Little Girls and sometimes Cheer-Accident). This will be the first GC show in 2 years. Witness the madness below and I think you’ll be as excited to see this as I am:

Buy Tickets ($8)
Facebook Event