Lewis Childs - Lessons

info@LewisChilds.com
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BIOGRAPHY

The first profound musical memory I have starts with Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha. I remember nearly falling asleep during the first forty-five minutes; I was eleven years old. Then Alla Rakha's hands dissappeared. The tabla player was playing so fast that I literally could not see his hands! From then on, I knew that music could inspire the impossible. Music has taken me on a journey that I could not have forseen. In San Luis Obispo, I was cast in a few musical theater numbers where I learned to get comfortable singing in front of people. My first performances of original music were in Europe while busking on the streets. Some of the people I met didn't speak the same language, and music provided the medium for us to communicate our influences and ideas. I came back to the states inspired and decided to get some formal training. I had to prepare for auditions, and spent the next year studying on my own and moving pianos. The University of Oregon became my new home. My voice teacher Milagro Vargas was instrumental in my development as a vocalist. She demanded that I establish a high level of self discipline which I believe is crucial to any artists' growth. It was there that I got into singing early Renaissance Music and Art song. What struck me about the lieder and chanson was that the music painted pictures with sound. The poets were often focused upon their craft while the musicians attended to the compositions. It was during this time that I also fell in love with Brazilian music and started to learn some of the songs. I graduated in 1999 and went down to Brazil to learn Portuguese and study the music and culture. Rio is my favorite city, and the Carioca's gave me a warm welcome. While there, I enjoyed a burst of creativity and wrote more than ten songs. When I came back, I spent some time in L.A. doing children's theater. Returning to the city where I was born was inspiring. I began to see the city in a different way, and met the most amazing people. Still the Northwest was calling and I had the opportunity to play some festivals with O'Carolans Consort, an Irish folk music group. When summer ended I was missing Brazil and pouring over some Brazilian records at the library when I discovered the Brazilian martial art form called "Capoeira." Listening to the songs of Mestre Moraes, I was enchanted by the seamless blend of music and movement. I looked for teachers and found one in Mestre Almiro. He is a Master Instructor of Capoeira Regional descended from the lineage of Mestre Bimba.

Mestre Almiro taught me a great deal about Afro-Brazilian traditions, and the system of Capoeira Regional. In short, I Iearned to be patient , strong and flexible, and above all, I developed deep feelings of respect for the gifts of life. I started performing with his group in 2001 which had a strong educational and cultural component. From these experiences I learned about creating a dynamic show complete with music, movement, and dialogue between the audience and performers. During this time, I co-founded the band Xevi Nova with Andy Sterling. We played Brazilian covers of Tropicalia, Bossa and Samba. Xevi has continued to play with a variety of talented musicianswho are passionate about Brazilian Music. Currently, everyone in the band

speaks Portuguese and we are begining to write music for an upcoming E.P.

I was also active in responding to the events of 9/11 helping to create the CD: Portland Artists' Response to 9/11. From this project I learned about the artists role in bringing community together in difficult times.

Giving back as a teacher, has always been a part of my musical development. In 2002, I began offering lessons in voice and guitar, and created specialized classes for the community. I became increasingly interested in making instruments from recycled materials, and offered workshops at Buckman and Willowbrook. Students, taught me how to listen, and how to improvise, as the nature of the group is always changing. I worked as a director of a music program in Camas, WA at the JWR center (2003-2005) where I honed my craft as a teacher and group facilitator. It was here that my interest in recording was taken to a new level. I was lucky to have access to state of the art recording technology, and students who were interested in learning about the process. During this time we hosted battle of the bands and acoustic unplugged nights were I learned about running live sound for shows. In 2005, World of Songs was born with harmonica player and long-time friend Joe Powers . In this project, we combined our ecclectic influences to explore songs and traditions from around the world. We produced a full length album that covered material from ten different countries, and enjoyed the privledge of collaborating with some fine musicians and dancers. In 2006, we had the opportunity to go on a tour to Japan where we played for harmonica lovers and world music enthusiasts alike. In 2007 we returned to the University of Oregon to play Beall Hall in the New Music Series. During the same year, I had the opportunity to do some commercial work for the Jogo Bonito campaign that Nike was creating for young soccer players. From this project I learned a new style composition where the voice is not confined by language, but is used more like an instrument to inspire the harmonic texture with different rhythms and modes of expression. Over the past year, I have been taking all of these influences and experiences, and trying to make sense of them. The upcoming album will feature many of the gifted musicians I have collaborated with over the years, and will be available this Fall!

Cheers-

— L.C.