The Tyrant show looms. On Thursday night, our ensemble of Shanto Acharia, JP Carter, Daniel Deorksen, Stephen Lyons, Ida Nilsen, and José Teodoro will conjure tales of feral labour and maritime maundering, phantom postcards and confusion at the movies. Euphoric atmospherics, songs and storytelling, semi-improvised post-rock. Doors at 7:30. First set erupts at 8:00 pm sharp. Link to tickets in bio.
#appliedsilence #postrock #vancouverconcerts #improvisedmusic #screendoor
West Coast friends, I come to do stuff on your turf.
February 15 & 22, I facilitate a Dream Reportage workshop for Geist for writers of all genres and levels of experience. It’s gonna be great: conversations about dreams, recall, and how the unconscious generates form and content. There will be exercises. See the link in bio to register.
February 19, Peter Mettler and I will present his gorgeous 1994 film Picture of Light at the Cinematheque. We’ll do intro and Q&A. Anvil Press will sell copies of Nothing But Time: Conversations with Peter Mettler on Life and Cinema, which Peter and I will be happy to sign if you’re into that sort of thing. I will also intro screenings of other Mettler films. Find a link to tickets and info on the series in my bio.
February 24, the Vancouver launch for Nothing But Time will transpire at Upstart & Crow. There will be readings from me and some obscenely wonderful special guests, as well as conversation and delicious libation c/o Off the Rail Brewing. Please come! Again, see link in bio for deets.
Finally, on February 26 Applied Silence, my ongoing collaboration with composer-musician Stephen Lyons, will be performing at Tyrant Studios. Our band is going to be awesome: joining Stephen and I will be Shanto Acharia, JPCarter, Daniel Deorksen, and Ida Nilsen, coming at you with all the big hits from Screen Door, along with songs from a whole new thing. Yes: songs! Tickets via link in bio.
#joséteodoro #appliedsilence #petermettler #nothingbuttimeconversationswithpetermettler #writingworkshop
Here’s a clip from my new video for “Stand Still, Pretender”, now out there on Bandcamp.com. Hey, it’s Bandcamp Friday this Friday, Feb 6!
“Stand Still, Pretender” by Rick Maddocks is inspired by the sonic palette of spaghetti-western soundtracks. It might be about a slippery someone who scorches the earth as they pursue profit and power. It’s a key song in the concept album BLUE HORSE OPERA, which envisions a world upside down: the southern desert of spaghetti westerns has become the black desert of the Canadian oil sands.
The song features:
Rick Maddocks - vocals, acoustic guitar
JP Carter - trumpet
Dory Hayley - soprano vocals
Stephen Lyons - drums
Liam MacDonald - percussion
James Meger - bass
Tyson Naylor - keyboards
John Raham - tubular bells
Jon Wood - electric guitar
Joshua Zubot - violin
Leah Abramson and Julia Ulehla - backing vocals
I had some creative fun weaving together mysterious images of some slippery characters and scenarios for this video. Hope you enjoy it!
The album BLUE HORSE OPERA is available for download and streaming at /
You can check out more at
@jpcarter_@doryhayley@okwendyhere@fondoftigers@liammacdonaldmusic@leahabe@tysonrnaylor
#singersongwriter #spaghettiwestern #americana #folkmusic #altcountry
…….
Jazzzd to announce our ensemble for the February 26 show. Applied Silence Janus-head Stephen & José will be joined by the lovely and talented Shanto Acharia & JP Carter (both Fond of Tigers), Daniel Deorksen (tyrant-in-chief), & Ida Nilsen (Great Aunt Ida, The Beans, et al).
Aside from reimagining splinters of Screen Door, we’ll be sharing songs from Finisher, a project inaugurated under the auspices of Playwrights Workshop Montreal. Get your tickets via the link in bio.
photo fby Laura Barrón
#appliedsilence #vancouverlivemusic #tyrantstudios #danieldeorksen #joséteodoro #stephenlyons #collaboration #experimentalmusic #idanilsen #shantoacharia #jpcarter #fondoftigers #screendoor #spokenword #postrock #hybridart
West Coast friends, on February 26 at Tyrant Studios, Applied Silence will perform two sets, one consisting of radically reimagined selections from our debut LP Screen Door + one of new songs from a project in development. Stephen and José will be joined by an ensemble of guest artists soon to be announced. Doors at 7:30. $20 advance/$25 at the door. Link to tix in bio.
photo of SLPL by Craig Sinclair @craigcraigcraig
#appliedsilence #stephenlyons #joséteodoro #screendoor #vancouverlivemusic #tyrantstudios #postrock #newmusic #spokenword #experimentalmusic #canadianmusic #strangeandbeautifulmusic
5 YEARS AGO TODAY this album was sent out into the world. What a trip it has been! This record was the beginning of something incredibly special. Hope to connect with these fine people again soon. ❤️
#parklandmusicproject #parklandmusicproject_eminentghosts #eminentghosts #studioalbum #greatfriendsgreattimes❤️ #eastvan #raincityrecorders #offseason
BLUE HORSE OPERA is finally out there in the world!
It’s been a long time in the pipeline, but I’m happy to share this 17-track concept album (!) inspired by the climate emergency and spaghetti-western soundtracks. It’s not an opera opera—it’s a horse opera, as in the old slang term for a western film.
I was so fortunate to be joined by a dozen wonderful musicians from Vancouver and beyond, working with an eccentric palette including twangy guitar, soprano vocals, trumpet, oboe and flamenco dance. My musical compadres were:
JP Carter - trumpet
Dory Hayley - soprano vocals
Stephen Lyons - drums
Liam MacDonald - percussion
Geronimo Mendoza - oboe and English horn
James Meger - bass
Tyson Naylor - keyboards and accordion
Dayna Szyndrowski - flamenco dance
Jon Wood - electric guitar, banjo and lap steel
Joshua Zubot - violin
Leah Abramson and Julia Ulehla - backing vocals
Blue Horse Opera was engineered and mixed by John Raham at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver. BC.
Mastered by Graemme Brown at Zen Mastering.
Album artwork by Terry Wong.
Hope you enjoy this offering!
BLUE HORSE OPERA is available on rickmaddocks.bandcamp.com and on other platforms.
@jpcarter_@okwendyhere@fondoftigers@liammacdonaldmusic@leahabe@tysonrnaylor@lenaresidency@terrywongillustration
#americana #spaghettiwestern #altcountry #atmospheric #folkmusic #singersongwriter
BLUE HORSE OPERA started by chance. I went to Fundacíon Valparaíso in Almeria province, Spain, a few years back with the intention of working on a novel. This artist residency happened to be located in the region where many spaghetti-western films were shot in the 60s and 70s. There happened to be a classical guitar in the corner of my room at the residency. I picked it up and started playing. I kept picking it up and playing, and soon tunes took shape, themes started to gain flesh and bone, and a narrative began to emerge. The theme for “South of Circumstance”, the first single from BLUE HORSE OPERA, is one of the first things I played at the Fundacíon Valparaíso.
This was my view from my room while the melodies and lyrics chose to announce themselves that wonderful month. It took a few more years to develop them, while the peculiar influence of the spaghetti-western landscape seeped deeper into their bones. The album BLUE HORSE OPERA will be released on November 7.
The novel, unrelated, is still unfinished.
@valparaisofoundation@sandra_carvalho_glez@kunst.katrin.koenig@jadambateman@jpcarter_@doryhayley@okwendyhere@fondoftigers@liammacdonaldmusic@leahabe@tysonrnaylor@lenaresidency
rickmaddocks.bandcamp.com
#americana #spaghettiwestern #singer-songwriter #altcountry #atmospheric #southofcircumstance #bluehorseopera #folkmusic
“South of Circumstance “, the first single from BLUE HORSE OPERA, is now streaming on Bandcamp. Please consider the album on October 3, Bandcamp Friday! Link in bio.
Featuring: Rick Maddocks on vocals, guitars and effects; JP Carter on trumpet; Dory Hayley on soprano vocals; Stephen Lyons on drums; Liam MacDonald on percussion; James Meger on bass; Geronimo Mendoza on cor anglais; Tyson Naylor on keyboards and accordion; Dayna Szyndrowski on flamenco dance; Jon Wood on banjo and electric guitar.
Engineered and mixed by John Raham at Afterlife Studios.
The album BLUE HORSE OPERA is not an opera. It’s a horse opera, as in the old slang term for a western film.
BLUE HORSE OPERA will be released November 7, 2025. It’s available now for PRE-ORDER on Bandcamp! We invite you to get yourself a digital album on Bandcamp Friday, October 3.
rickmaddocks.bandcamp.com
@jpcarter_@doryhayley@fondoftigers@tysonrnaylor@liammacdonaldmusic@afterlife_studios_@lenaresidency
#singersongwriter #folkmusic #altcountry #spaghettiwesternmusic #spaghettiwesterns #atmospheric #americana #bandcampfriday
Had a moment to reflect on the amazing time I had in Vancouver. Love these peeps. I can’t imagine my 20 years on the coast without these two legends. So many shows. So many life changing experiences. I live a very privileged life to call these people friends. ❤️
#thankful #friendsforever❤️ #vancouver #luckyinlife
