roopam garg

DARK | Access

IMAGES: Inspired by https://dark.co/access…death metal pop art illustrator Riley Smith absolutely nailed the feeling of watching DARK playing Wingspan™ 8-string guitar.

DARK (Roopam Garg) is creating an innovative artist-audience interface model via website, based on the premise of inviting you into his headspace. Highly organized, catalogued and curated realtime insight into his works in progress: music, transcriptions, video, writings, graphics, essays.

The site updates as he generates new ideas.

I’ve never seen anything like it before — the DARK (virtual) experience is possibly analogous to being fly-on-the-wall inside an artist’s mind.

Subscription based. At a moment when touring is not an option, this might be perfect.

Dark & Chris Buono

roopam garg and chris buono
PHOTO: Roopam Garg (Dark.co) and Chris Buono casting shadows after recording.

Perfect spring day in early May when Roopam Garg flew in to take ownership of his new Wingspan™ 8-string guitar. He’s been a good friend ever since Camping With Animals As Leaders (2013) when we met for the first time. That amazing experience with Tosin, Javier, and Evan Brewer first introduced Ken Kinter and me to Roopam and Gabriel Levi…friendships which have shaped all of our trajectories over this past decade.

His visit was also a first opportunity to establish new connections. I had a hunch Roopam and Chris Buono would generate musical sparks.

Wingspan sounds INCREDIBLE. I am currently still exploring all facets of this instrument. I have only scratched the surface so far. I am finding this instrument to be transformative of my perception and relationship with guitar. I see it as a symphonic tool of strings: strings representing the universe. (Roopam Garg)

VIDEO: Roopam Garg and Chris Buono one take live improvisation in the guitar shop. This piece is pure energy. Roopam with Wingspan™ 8 and Chris with Spearfish™ fretless.
VIDEO: Chordal progression. This longer one take live improvisation sets a mood. Love hearing Wingspan™ and Sketch™ 7-string being played in the shop where both instruments were designed and built. Signal chain is Strymon Iridium > Logic.