Cross Modulations Series: Johanna Brock + Common Ghosts

Co-Prosperity
3219-21 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60608

Johanna Brock (pronouns she/they) is a composer and violist who recently moved to Kansas City after playing an active role in the Chicago new music scene for over 20 years. Influenced by the sounds of orchestral music, free jazz, experimental electronic music, and queer nightlife, Brock creates other-worldly sonic landscapes that blend genres. With Resonance Arts, Brock is excited to share new work exploring rituals, nightmares, and mimicry, and featuring viola, voice, samplers, and effects pedals. Brock’s ultimate goal is to create immersive environments wherein she can play at the interstices of movement, music, and language.

Common Ghosts is the newest project led by Chicago pianist Erez Dessel. Featuring poet Kai Ihns, violinist Caroline Jesalva, and drummer Colin Dorion, the group strikes at the core of sound and language, deftly weaving together poetry and music and investigating where the two seem to blur into one. They take a multi-directional approach to music, letting cacophony accompany sentimental balladry, but they’re never adversarial, often falling into a dense groove that intertwines Ihns’ words with the rest of the band.