October 14–21, 1999

music issue

Toys in the Studio

David Forlano: Better music through trash-picking

Philadelphia experimental sound artist David Forlano has an ear for music. But equally important is his eye for sound. It’s a necessity in a genre where viewing the performance is often as memorable as hearing it, and improvisation requires performers to select the perfect instrument at the perfect time. His large Fishtown warehouse/performance space/handmade jewelry business accommodates a diverse collection of musical "instruments." With the exception of a few exotic children’s toys from the Far East, however, most of the objects displayed about the room — water cooler bottles, metal salad bowls, odd-shaped scrap metal — are less obvious playthings, and would not look out of place in a landfill.

Forlano is a trained visual artist, so sight and sound have always been connected in his mind. "Visual appeal doesn’t always equal good sound, but it’s often the reason why I pick up an object," he explains.

As Forlano continues the tour of his space, he demonstrates how everyday objects can form into a ramshackle orchestra: Sheet metal resonates deeply like a gong, a bicycle wheel emotes the delicate percussion of a gamelan, enormous garage-door springs and saw blades fire and ricochet like lasers. For a moment, the whole scene feels like shop class with John Cage or Einstürzende Neubauten’s F.M. Einheit.

There’s a long history of making music with industrial refuse and toy instruments in both rock and jazz — to which Forlano admits he has a pretty blind eye. He played piano and clarinet as a kid and guitar as a teen. Later, he attended Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft school and studied tabla with Painted Bride’s Lenny Seidman. Yet he arrived at experimental music with the curiosity of a child banging pots and pans in the kitchen.

Girlfriend and dancer Roko Kawai got him out of the kitchen and onto the stage. "Get up off the ground, move with your instruments!" she urged him. It took some time for Roko to convince him that a flailing arm or a certain posture had anything to do with music. But convince him she did. At David’s recent Fringe Fest performance of Thwap, audiences had a hard time deciding whether to watch him or dancer Josie Smith.

Forlano also befriended innovative sound performer/mentor/kindred spirit Toshi Makihara, who gladly shared some of the tricks of the trade with him. One of the most important tricks in Forlano’s arsenal is the Styrofoam cooler. Styrofoam allows struck objects to resonate with little interference, and Makihara and Forlano keep the stuff around like Tommy Lee keeps spare drum sticks.

For me, the tour is as educational as it is informative. I’ve never mustered the gumption to perform live, but I, too, have been conducting living-room musical experiments with found objects for years. Since my inspiring visit with David Forlano, trash day has become a blue-light special at a Medley Music store. And I’m booking a flight to India to buy up all the children’s toys customs will allow.

—Chris Nosal