13-O'Clock Blues band
by Jon Catler ~
13 O'Clock - The Witching Hour - the time of night when supernatural creatures are particularly active. When the connection between the real world and the supernatural world is strongest. When even time itself can turn be stretched and turned. Just before the Witching Hour begins, The 13 O'Clock Blues Band starts to tune up. It begins slowly, coming out of the mist and into the evening air. Pitches rub up against each other and vibrate, rhythms commingle and converge, until pitch becomes rhythm and rhythm becomes pitch. Time stands still even as it reaches out to infinity. Then it starts to emerge, through shards of a boogie bass line. It is joined by impossibly pure chords crying in the cracks. The drums sound as the music shifts to a higher gear, spiraling towards an unknown vortex that seems to be interacting with the music. Clouds materialize and engulf the music, waves of eternal sound propagating through the space and resonating, even after the band has stopped. Another Witching Hour has come and gone, and the 13 O'Clock Blues Band has been there to play with the forces that only come out at night.
As the source of their energy, the band draws its musical elements from the volcanic flow of the Harmonic Series. Overtones from 8 - 16 are used as the starting point, with higher Overtones being added as the music progresses. Uniquely, the rhythms are also drawn from the Harmonic Series. The fundamental, 1, is doubled to yield an octave higher, which is the second Harmonic, 2, and doubled again it becomes 4. In Harmonic Rhythm, this pitch will sound 4 times in the bar. The 5th Harmonic will sound 5 times per bar, against the 6th which will sound 6 times, and the 7th which will sound 7 times, etc. The resulting cascade gives each pitch in the Harmonic Series its' own identifiable rhythm, just as each pitch has it's own ratio.
With each pitch having its own ratio and rhythm, every note has its own strong identity. In this way, the meaning of each pitch can be illuminated by giving each note its own word. If a man is singing a blues, he may position himself as the central character, so the word 'Man' would be sung on the tonic, or root, of the key he was singing in. In a blues in 'A', he would sing the word 'Man' on the pitch of 'A'. The words 'Woman' or 'Devil' could be sung on a blue note, such as the flat seventh (7/4) or flat third (7/6). (A female singer would put the word 'Woman' on the tonic, and 'Man' or 'Devil' on the blue notes). Perhaps the word 'Child' could be the ninth (9/8), just above the Man. And the perfect fifth (3/2) could be the 'Spirit', riding along with the Man. 'Brother' could be the perfect 4th (4/3), distinct from the Man but related. The 11th Harmonic lies just a quartertone above, and sounds like a 'Thought'. And the 13th Harmonic, which is the highest prime number in the 8 - 16th Harmonic Series scale, completes the scale, animates the entire system, and lends its numerical identity to the bands' name - it can be 'Life'.
With these elements of Harmonic Music, Harmonic Rhythm, and Harmonic Lyrics in place, the 13 O'Clock Blues Band conjures their music from Natural sources. Every performance is different, growing naturally from a small seed to a dark, tangled forest. The pieces can last for an hour or more. 'Parallel Blues' produces a 12/8 shuffle from the Harmonic Rhythm, and makes its way to the three blues chords, using each chord as a fundamental of its own 8 - 16 Harmonic Series. Rhythms are transformed by their contexts - in the key of 'E', an 'E' note would be sounded 4 times per bar. When the IV chord, 'A', is played, the 'E' is now the 6th Harmonic of 'A' and is sounded 6 times per bar. This parallel treatment covers the three blues chords. 'Man/Woman Boogie' derives from a Harmonic boogie rhythm. Two thirds, the 5/4 major third and the 7/6 half-minor third, are often sounded simultaneously and can coexist because of their Harmonic relation. The boogie bass line continues while the Harmonic Rhythms pile up. In the clearing, the Harmonic Lyrics tell the ever changing story of Human struggle.
Who's who in the band:
Jon Catler, 64-Tone Just Intonation guitar, vocals
Meredith Borden, autoharp, vocals
Joseph Liebhart, 12-Tone Ultra Plus guitar
Dane Johnson, 12-Tone Ultra Plus guitar
Mat Fieldes, bass
Lorne Watson, drums
