Photo courtesy New Community Management
Inhale deeply. Hold it. Now release. Feel better? Recovered from what was eating you?
That’s a pale imitation of the release you’ll experience at Idyllwild Arts Academy Tuesday, Oct. 16, during “An Evening with Orpheo McCord: A Sonic Journey for Peace of Mind.”
The percussionist and composer returns to IAA, where he earned his high school diploma in 1998, as a seasoned musician. He is a member of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and also has toured and recorded with The Flaming Lips, The Fall and Cass McCombs.
Many years on the road have given McCord an authentically global perspective, and his debut solo album, “Recovery Inhale” (Sound Creature Records), released last January, resonates with his long fascination by the sounds of Ghana, Mali, Morocco and Cuba.
He explains that after acquiring a marimba with a built-in amplification system, he “started to experiment with adding fx pedals” and “developed a unique sonic palette.” Experimentation with these new musical ideas in his home studio, in Ojai, resulted in “an ambient/post modern/meditative” sound to “calm the nervous system.”
This is the sound of McCord’s debut album. “Recovery Inhale,” he says, “allows the listener space to let go from the daily chatter that inundates us all.”
The event is Tuesday, October 16, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Lowman Concert Hall. It is free and open to the public, but space is limited.
