IndieShark Music News, Reviews & Interviews
Ian C. Bouras is a welcome return to form for musicphiles like me. Being a filmmaker, it’s natural to keep one’s finger on the pulse of alternative music trends, after all alternative music has been one of the most obviously creative and eclectic genres to explore. Bouras is a classic, old-school example of someone who has made their art both synonymous with their pain, and a conduit for channeling said pain into something positive, and productive.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sdmprecords/?hl=en
He suffers from a unique disorder called Ataxia, affecting coordination and speech, which had an effect on his ability to play guitar. That he continues not only to make music, but to incorporate the challenges he faces into an exploration of unique musical acts is not only commendable, but adds a deep and haunting emotionality to each of his songs. Through some of the worst moments in one’s life can emerge the greatest artistic accomplishments. Bouras’ latest effort is the single The Sound of Raindrops on a Broken Heart, a sixteen minute musical soliloquy that calls to mind unique acts like Lazarus Remembers Lamoria or the work of artists like Brian Eno. Bouras is able to conjure up an extraordinary world sonically, you feel as a listener transported to a place beyond expectation and anticipation.
It’s unusual to listen to music that has that kind of visceral thrill, that really feels like if it were imagery based would be a visual feast. The Sound of Raindrops on a Broken Heart may not in and of itself be entirely original, but what it does do is continue the tradition of alternative music being escapist in nature. The fact Bouras isn’t ashamed or private about his condition may contribute to this. There’s this incredible sense of artistic freedom, of blind creative exploration into the abyss.
Bouras essentially confirmed this, in an exclusive interview with NeuFutur Magazine. “My playing has grown a lot since I started playing. Recently my playing has changed a lot. I was diagnosed with something called Ataxia, a rare neurological condition that has affected my coordination, so my playing has to adjust. Fortunately for me, my Ataxia is progressing slowly. Unfortunately, my coordination is starting to deteriorate a bit, and sadly that includes my ability to play guitar the way I want.
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/6ifTvnQ5uEkdvoYMtbCRuE
However, I have started to experiment with live looping,” he said. “I have attached a guitar synth to my guitar, and play bass, piano, synth, guitar, etc… live from the guitar synth and then loop them to create a full band. I run everything through a delay pedal, a phase shifter, and I have at least one other pedal, and I manipulate the sounds live, so I get to be a composer, musician, and audio engineer all at the same time, and not a lot of people get to do that, so I am lucky. I am not thrilled about having Ataxia, but I am happy to be forging my own path, and am the first person, that I know of, to be doing what I’m doing. Necessity being the mother of invention is allowing me to create something never done before. People do live looping, but not like this.”
Mark Druery
