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Owen Pallett: Towards the New

CKUA Chillout

Owen Pallett is an award-winning musician and composer. Proficient on many instruments, they’re best known for their string work, in which they play the violin into a loop pedal, incorporating multi-phonic looping into their live shows. This sends the violin signal to amplifiers across the stage. The result is a unique sound that blends classical and electronic styles.

Their musical education began early. “My older brother played the cello, and I picked the violin at age 3.” Their parents chose the Suzuki method for their children’s instruction, and Pallett says, “Suzuki lets you start really young. I was reading music before I was reading English.”

This early immersion into reading music has made them very attentive to musical scores. “It informs my process. I love scored music, and I’m not a good improviser.”

When asked how many instruments they own, Pallett says that they’ve tried to keep it reasonable. “Most musicians own many instruments, but I have had a bit of a mandate to have only as many as I actually need.” For stringed instruments, that means a violin, a viola, a cello, and a 5-string violin. The 5-string violin was made for them by Gary Bartig, an American luthier and musician with a background in electronics and sound engineering.

“Instruments like a 5-string violin are still comparatively fringy. The maker uses several different adaptations to make it work. It’s a few millimetres deeper, and it looks like it has a bit of a caboose. It gives a balanced sound. I just emailed him, and had him ship it to me. I loved it right away.”

And, they add, “I’m a little bit rough on my instruments, so it makes me feel less insane, beating the s**t out of a violin that is not expensive.”

As Pallett looks back on their career so far and looks ahead to what is next, they understand that the music business can be difficult to navigate.

“I put out my first solo record when I was 25. It was a shocking transition. I didn’t have a publicist. Someone just decided to review it. I got a lukewarm review, and it really messed me up. I was suddenly someone who was being written about and talked about. I emailed the reviewer and asked for help. I don’t think I ever really got over that transition from anonymity.”

They say it was only later, in their 30s, that they started to experience how that initial rush of attention crests and then wanes. “That was very hard. Taking on a career in an ageist industry can make you feel like zombie. It’s been perplexing.”

“But,” they add, “my last three albums, and my live shows, are much stronger than anything I did in my 20s.”

They mention Beth Orton as an artist who continues to evolve. “She’s had an amazing career, and her music still captivates me. My own musical consumption skews towards the new. I am interested in new things. So many musicians are lifers, and I continue to find myself intrigued by their work.”

Owen Pallett plays Dickens Pub with special guests in Calgary on January 24, and Winterruption YEG with Sam the Living on January 25. Find tix for the Edmonton show at winterruptionyeg.com

Sam the Living and Owen Pallett will be included in CKUA Chillout’s live broadcast coverage from Winterruption YEG on January 25. Tune in, starting at 7:30pm MT. 

“Polar Vortex” from Pallett’s album, Island:

To learn more about CKUA’s winter festival coverage, on-air spot spotlights, and live broadcasts, visit ckua.com/chillout.

Thank you to all the donors who gave their financial support to increase our winter festival coverage.

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