Josh Lopes: Dither, John Zorn, and the Art of Blasting White Noise

Guitarist and composer Josh Lopes opens up about the intersection of classical chamber music discipline and underground experimentation. He walks through the collaborative history of Dither, the psychology of working directly under John Zorn, translating Laurie Spiegel’s planetary orbit tracking data to fretted instruments, and how an iPad mechanical failure turned a performance at the Stone into a living nightmare.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:25 - From Rhode Island to the Avant-Garde Scene

01:46 - Euphoniums, Marching Band, and Transferring Schools

03:44 - William Paterson University and the "Bossa Nova" Trap

05:44 - Unlearning Jazz Robot Habits and Developing Soft Skills

06:39 - Getting Academic Probation for Breaking Into Shea

09:25 - The Difference Between Chamber Musicians and Jazz Players

11:47 - Forming the Electric Guitar Quartet

14:22 - The Intensity of Performing John Zorn's Game Pieces

18:39 - A Shattered iPad During a Solo Bagatelle

20:09 - A Weird Mother's Day Encounter with John Zorn

22:23 - Playing "Rugby" at The Kitchen

23:22 - Translating Laurie Spiegel's Electronic Scores

26:50 - The Pretentious Venice Biennale Concert

28:37 - Blasting White Noise for Sensory Deprivation Music

33:03 - The $100 Vintage Japanese Guitar Project

35:15 - Learning Tuvan Throat Singing in a Trader Joe's Milk Cooler

37:37 - Discovering "Genghis Blues" and Ham Radio Harmonics

41:56 - Teaching Music in Newark to Kids Who Don't Listen to Music

44:29 - Replacing Standard Notation with YouTube QR Codes

49:49 - Why Good Guitarists Secretly Have Mental Disorders

51:13 - Missing the Grit of the Old Stone

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