Handlebars as flute

Over at Laughing Squid, guestblogger Doctor Popular posted a video he shot of accordionist and experimental musician Mark Growden playing a haunting tune on a set of handlebars. Mark Growden plays the handlebars

[#1 posted by Wingo , October 14, 2008 11:54 AM]

Whoa - that is fascinating. I'm still fuzzy on how he achieves the overtones, but that is seriously cool.

[#2 posted by Wally B , October 14, 2008 12:09 PM]

Extremely cool. Just... wow.

[#3 posted by Dan , October 14, 2008 12:12 PM]

The original master:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

[#4 posted by otherthings , October 14, 2008 12:13 PM]

Aw yeah! I saw him do this live at the Odeon a couple of months ago, at the Monsters of Accordion show. Growden's an amazing talent!

[#5 posted by doktor tchock , October 14, 2008 12:24 PM]

darn, i was totally hoping that it would have to utilize the wind while biking to be played.

still awesome.

[#6 posted by Doctor Popular , October 14, 2008 12:36 PM]

This would be a great spot to see/hear more bicycle related music. My friend Meredith, from SteamPunkWorkshop, built a bicycle guitar instrument that plays while you ride. Here is her concept sketch http://www.flickr.com/photos/satiredun/298399996/
I can't find any audio/video though.

[#7 posted by Anonymous , October 14, 2008 12:38 PM]

A very young Frank Zappa playing a bicycle on the Steve Allen Show...

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/48434/detail/

[#8 posted by Brookelynn23 , October 14, 2008 12:46 PM]

I love how he explains the traditional concepts that clearly inspire his innovative style! This is a great video.

[#9 posted by Icky Bob , October 14, 2008 1:33 PM]

Nice to know we can find something to make music with after the apocalypse...

Someone saw Mark at the Odeon a couple months ago? Strange, chicken shut that place down a few years back.

Must mean 12 galaxies back in August. That place is shut down now too...

[#10 posted by ctp , October 14, 2008 2:35 PM]

YAY Mark!!!

And 12 Galaxies closed??? Sheesh, where have I been?

[#11 posted by moustache , October 14, 2008 5:52 PM]

Although I've been beaten to it twice over, I feel compelled to point out Zappa's fantastic "Bicycle Concerto" on the Steve Allen Show. Some of the best awkward TV footage ever, not to mention a fantastically rare and early display of experimentation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

Mark definitely rocks the handlebars though. Well done on his part!

[#12 posted by Ghede , October 14, 2008 6:13 PM]

Goddamnit. I'm beginning to regret ever hearing that song. No, not the handlebar solo. While I was watching/reading/seeing this, all I could think was "I can play my bike with no handlebars, no handlebars"

[#13 posted by sammich , October 14, 2008 6:23 PM]

LOL - Puts me in mind of when my kids, at Glastonbury ('95 I think), insisted on going to see the Saw Doctors, only to be disappointed thet they weren't playing saws...

[#14 posted by guvnor , October 14, 2008 6:33 PM]

It's always a thrill to hear Mark Growden play when he passes through Sacramento.

It's a shame to hear about 12 Galaxies though... seems like the half-life of decent venues is getting shorter and shorter. (On the other hand, there's never any shortage of sports bars with enormous flat-panel plasma screens mounted on every available surface)

[#15 posted by adamnvillani , October 14, 2008 10:10 PM]

I saw a documentary once about Cambodian refugees where one monk/flutist told of how the Khmer Rouge were going to let him live if he could play music for them, but he didn't have a flute. So he took a bicycle and fashioned a flute out of it, and he played it, and (obviously) they let him live.