Sonic Bloom Introduces Ilya Goldberg
by Joel Center
As Georgetown, CO, gets ready for yet another annual Sonic Bloom, one artist in particular is preparing for his first official solo set. Ilya Goldberg has been playing gorgeous music to accompany down-tempo electronic artist Emancipator since 2010, when they met each other at the Fox Theater in Boulder. Soon after that, they played their first show together at Cervantes, and they’ve been collaborating ever since.
Now, for the first time ever, Goldberg is scheduled to play a set without Emancipator, and Sonic Bloom has definitely played a key role in that. Last year, Bloom executive and musician Jamie Janover asked Goldberg if he had any material he could play while Tipper was getting ready to go on, and, as fate would have it, Goldberg managed to put on an incredible and unexpected last-minute performance. The experience struck a chord at the festival, and this year Janover is scheduling Goldberg to play a full hour-long set on Sunday night.
When CMB had the opportunity to speak with Goldberg directly, I was anxious to learn more about his solo setup, and how it would be different from the music he’s been creating with Emancipator. With the mere mention of his upcoming appearance at Bloom, one could hear the excitement rise in his voice. “I have been jamming a ton the past few days, working out and recording some new tunes. I am really excited for the set.” Goldberg will be armed with his violin, of course, as well as a mandolin, both running through various plug-ins on Ableton Live, while also controlling a midi keyboard with his feet. He also mentioned having a special guest percussionist join him for a few songs.
When the conversation moved its focus from his solo project to Sonic Bloom specifically, Goldberg seemed incredibly excited to be a part of the event. “I have so much family in Colorado, I love this place, and I am really excited to be playing Sonic Bloom – one of my favorite festivals. I think this is my third one now, and the vibe is just so cool. Not a lot of festivals are like that. Good people and music all around.” He also wanted to make a specific shout-out to all of his family and friends in Boulder and Denver, where he’s spent so much of his time. “Send all my love to everybody!”
Although I was hoping for a full-scale tour this summer, right now Sonic Bloom is his only scheduled solo set. When asked about his future plans regarding his various musical endeavors, Goldberg replied, “I just want to keep playing and making music. That’s really the only thing I want to do right now, and it looks like (this summer) is going to be full of that.” He did, however, mention plans to play a few unofficial sets at this year’s Burning Man.
When he’s not touring around the country playing shows and festivals with Emancipator, Goldberg plans to be in the studio as much as possible, jamming and recording new tunes for his solo album, which he hopes to release in early 2014.
Sonic Bloom 2013 is absolutely stuffed with incredible artists, workshops, and art installations, and it only gets better every year. If you don’t have your ticket already, both full-event and single-day passes are still on sale. Goldberg will be joining Random Rab on Friday night as a special guest before playing his solo set at 5:45pm on Sunday at the Dome Stage. This is sure to be an historical performance not to miss out on!
Keep an eye out for any Emancipator or Goldberg dates coming up in Colorado, as there are sure to be many in the future. One last word from Ilya Goldberg: “Just music, traveling, and good times. Lots of inspiration coming up.”
www.SoundCloud.com/IlyaGoldberg
Category: Buzzworthy
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
 |
 |
