Holcombe Waller Plugs In, In The Studio
The last time Holcombe Waller came into the Soundcheck studio, it was just him, a guitar, and our piano. While he was playing, listeners commented about the pureness of his voice. During Waller's most recent visit to our studio, his voice remained just as strong -- but everything else was totally different. He lugged a huge rig with him, complete with two keyboards, a massive pedal board and a hands-free microphone.
“I wanted to go out and have a few more textures on hand than just guitar and piano,” Waller says about his new setup.
The hands-free mic (imagine the headset performers like Britney Spears or Chris Brown might use while simultaneously performing and dancing) allows him to twist back and forth as he switches between instruments. “So I’m trying this,” he continues. “And this is actually the debut attempt to make it all plug in and work.”
Even though it’s been a couple of years since Waller’s last album, he’s kept busy. Currently, Waller is working on a theatrical song cycle, Wayfinders, based on a book by Canadian anthropologist Wade Davis. He also recently received funding from Creative Capital to compose an LGBT Requiem Mass.
“The idea,” Waller explains, “is to really engage community, engage members of the presenting church in Portland, [and engage] members of the performing arts community to help devise the content and form of that mass. What it would mean, what the role of music in a liturgical context is.”
