JOHN CALE + BEN GIBBARD + MARK LANEGAN AT UCLA’S ROYCE HALL ON THURS, SEPT. 30. 8PM / ALL AGES / $38-68. HTTP://WWW.UCLALIVE.ORG/.

I Nyoman Wenten can be anybody! Born in a small Balinese village, Wenten studied traditional Indonesian music, dance and acting with his master-puppeteer grandfather. He now holds an MFA from Cal Arts, a doctorate from UCLA and is chair of the World Music Program at Cal Arts. where he and his wife Nanik promote the gamelan every day to students who enter curious and exit entranced. He and his ensemble Gamelan Burat Wangi will perform the Indian epic Ramayana tonight and tomorrow at REDCAT. This interview by Drew Denny.

What’s the function of gamelan in Balinese society? What kinds of events and ceremonies require a gamelan?
I Nyoman Wenten (director): I like that question! Of course, so many ceremony in Bali! You know like baby born, three-months-old baby is very big ceremony—sometime parents hire gamelan player to celebrate the ceremony of three-months-old baby. Then of course tooth file ceremony! All the rites associated to humans as social beings—called Manusa Yadnya. Related to faith, Hindu religion. Temple ceremony, cremation… so gamelan play, dance and perform! And many different type of gamelan, not only the one you see it here. We have thirty different ensemble. Each ensemble has its own instrumentation, repertoire, function and so forth. Quite a variety of gamelan in Bali especially.
How old is gamelan?
I Nyoman Wenten: Of course they have a type of gamelan—you categorize it as ancient, middle age, or modern gamelan. Ancient—what we call gambuh or gambang marching gamelan. Gambuh is a big flute—huge three big flute, small drum for accompany dance. Said it was in existence in 14th century, maybe even before. Also suling, made out of iron is considered very ancient gamelan. Then we have modern Balinese gamelan called gong kebyar—we have it here. Gong kebyar, yeah!
How do you describe the sound of gamelan to someone who’s never heard it? I don’t know what words to use to talk about those rhythms!
I Nyoman Wenten: I will tell them gamelan is very nice melody, a variety of rhythm, tempo-wise some time very slow sometime quick fast, a lot of dynamic changes, have to have very good technique to play, and fun!
What’s the relationship between gamelan music and dance?
I Nyoman Wenten: Fantastic question! You haven’t studied dance here yet? You have to next time! Music and dance has very close interwoven relationship because without music just movement is not complete. Dance has to be within a space and accompanied by music. Each style of dance has its own musical accompaniment. Of all thirty types of gamelan, some accompany dance, some just instrumental pieces but a quite a few ensembles be able to accompany many different types of dance.
What are your favorite dances?
I Nyoman Wenten: Of course I start to learn Baris—they call warrior dance—then mask dance then the new modern Balinese dance. Mask dance is my favorite dance! I can perform by myself all different characters by change the mask—they call Topeng Pajegang.
What do the masks look like?
I Nyoman Wenten: Masks very close to human. Of course many different color. Strong male characters have a red mask, white big eyes, maybe open mouth. Refined character has small eyes, smile, close mouth. Many different type of villager, buffoonery… I can make a mask about you! I take a picture and tell the mask makers, ‘Would you make a mask like this lady here?’ And then I practice your walk, your laugh, and then I perform the next day—Drew, you come to my performance and say, ‘Hey Wenten! Sound like me! Laugh like me!’
So you can be anyone?
I Nyoman Wenten: Anyone!
That’s a good feeling, eh? What character will you be in Ramayana?
I Nyoman Wenten: I will be the evil king Ravana! Oh, he’s very strong character, very proud and nobody stronger than him or more powerful than him—he can fly actually!
You’re gonna fly?
I Nyoman Wenten: Yes! The feeling to fly. I kidnap the princess—I admire I really love the Sita. Ramayana is the old very ancient Indian epic supposed to be from 4,000 BC.
That’s an old story—Who’s the princess?
I Nyoman Wenten: The princess is my daughter! So I kidnap her! But of course it’s a play. We change personalities. We become the characters.
How did you meet your wife?
I Nyoman Wenten: When I graduated in Bali from music conservatory, I love to study in Java. One reason I be able to watch the Javanese music—before I decide to go to Java, I was a member of presidential group of artists chosen to go culture exchange to many different country. So Javanese group from Sumatra join with Bali group, about 85 of us. So many of us from many different parts of Indonesia touring to China to Japan to perform for Mao Tse-Tung and Kim Jong-Il… I was a member starting 1964-67 and when the president pass, they say no more. So I was lucky. I was still very young. 17 years old. Opened my mind. Beautiful dance, that Javanese dance. I thought, ‘I have to go to Java!’ So I go to Java, and that why I met my wife. She’s from Yokyakarta, central Java.
She’s an amazing dancer!
I Nyoman Wenten: She’s a court dancer. She studied in the palace! Her father is from royal family.
You’re royal?
I Nyoman Wenten: I’m trying to climb but I am falling down… aaaaahhh! OK! It’s OK I’m down here.
What were the mid-’60s like in Indonesia? That was such a tumultuous time here…
I Nyoman Wenten: Believe it or not, maybe global! Indonesia as well. I didn’t feel it until the so-called communist coup but who knows who’s behind it? Real communist coup or just a plot to destroy one another. It was a bad situation in 1965. They call it September 30th accident—no, massacre. One million people all over Indonesia killed.
What’s the political climate in Indonesia now?
I Nyoman Wenten: Now, oh the last ten years the government a little bit more open—so called democracy is considered very strong in Indonesia. People can vote openly for president or criticize the president. Through the parliament, you can voice your idea. So it’s a little bit more open, just in the last fifteen years or so.
Did you see or experience any oppression as an artist during the years following the coup?
I Nyoman Wenten: In certain part of Indonesia, yes. In Bali because the art of music and dance is always close knit into our culture and the religion—they believe in Hindu religion—we don’t feel that much pressure but of course, the rest of Indonesia is always dealing with some government restriction. Now we have what they call ‘pornography rules’—people not allowed by the law, but who know when they really do this? But you cannot wear sleeveless shirt. Or short skirt and so forth, and for dance you should cover more… so they try to make it difficult for artists to express their inner selves, to create. Woman and man. Who knows if this will work?
Where do you go when you take the Cal Arts ensemble to Bali?
I Nyoman Wenten: We got a grant from the NEA to perform Ramayana so luckily enough we have those people who are very serious about studying Balinese music who wanna go to Bali. We went twenty total—about fifteen Cal Arts students. I put them in the village called Ubud, not too far from my house so we bus them every day to my house to practice. We have a gamelan in my house. Almost every day from 11 to 5 o’clock we practice but we break for lunch. Next year you come!
I’m there! What comes next after Ramayana?
I Nyoman Wenten: Spring concert here at Cal Arts. Maybe we do different program but part of the Ramayana so Cal Arts community can see us perform. Always Nanik and I think about new programs, not only same dance. Different Balinese dance or maybe we create a new dance, based on traditional dance from Bali of course. I perform Javanese dance also so always we create new dance drama for Java. I want you to dance—why not study some!
It was your idea to combine tap and gamelan, yes?
I Nyoman Wenten: Tap! The tap dancer with the gamelan—the name of the group is Rhapsody in Tap, very famous group in LA so they get a grant for me and gamelan for two years for touring. We went to Bali, New York, Canada, many different L.A. venues like Japan American National Museum.
How does the Balinese community react when you bring your ensemble from LA?
I Nyoman Wenten: They always very supportive. To see Americans play or westerners play gamelan, they say ‘Wow! They on TV! We have to study hard because they play well. We don’t wanna study gamelan in America!’ They worry—quite a few people say ‘Pak’—they call me ‘Pak’ like a ‘guru,’ they say, ‘Pak Wenten, in the next ten years the children here don’t wanna play gamelan so… I’m afraid to come to America to study gamelan!’ I say, ‘It’s OK, don’t worry! As long as we have the same faith—the Hindu faith—we have an art and we have music and dance so don’t worry.’
You have a doctorate in ethnomusicology—what other forms did you study?
I Nyoman Wenten: When I was a student here—I got my masters here in ’75—I studied modern ballet, composition, and world music like African music and dance and Indian music. Then they hired me to open the Indonesian program here. I still dance modern, off and on I perform modern dance up until now. Yes, still! I’m older person now! Still dance! Then I get opportunity to study at UCLA. I get my degree 1996. Ethnomusicology degree. So there also I study Persian music, Brazilian yeah. I enjoy that so much because there’s so much to learn! Then I have opportunity to learn something beyond gamelan so I took this opportunity. I came to Cal Arts back in the ‘70s. I was invited to teach a summer workshop here—1972 just after Sylmar earthquake—big earthquake. 7.2. I came for eight weeks and taught the all-star gamelan with performers from many different universities. Then I went back, brought the students to Indonesia for three months—we have a big huge grant to bring the people to have a tour to Bali!
When you first came here, did many Americans know about gamelan?
I Nyoman Wenten: Not that much. There were existing gamelan programs at UCLA—started ’61, department called Institute of Ethnomusicology. They offer gamelan—both Balinese and Javanese. There was Wesleyan, Michigan, then us here in ‘72.
You’ve been here since the beginning!
I Nyoman Wenten: Since the beginning—I went back to Bali. Then they offered me a job. They said ‘Wenten, you wanna come back to Cal Arts? Maybe also you can study, get a degree?’ and I very excited about that. I came back to get my MFA, my second degree. I finished spring of ‘75.
When did you start playing gamelan?
I Nyoman Wenten: I start dance first when I was maybe six years old—so cute! The Baris Warrior Dance—you play it in class! Because I have a gamelan in my house—my grandfather and father own gamelan—so naturally, I try gamelan when I was young. I was probably seven years old. At first I play just round the house. My grandfather and my father taught me. Of course, I go to grade school and then I go to conservatory. I study at school from many different teacher who came from many parts of Bali to teach. I was lucky to meet many different great teachers! This was 1962-65.
Where are you from on Bali?
I Nyoman Wenten: I am from small village called Sading. Very close to capital of Bali, about five miles north of Denpasar. Probably about 2,000 people.
Do those other forms of music influence the way you work?
I Nyoman Wenten: Oh definitely! To see so many different art form here—only in America you be able to see the best Korean court dance and Argentine tango… Who ever imagine you see Ravi Shankar, sitar performer, the best Indian musician, the best African group—global! You never be able to see this back home in Indonesia because here they can afford it to bring them. Of course, visually I see and I listening. So many different music influence my feeling inside me, it come out! Maybe I’m a little bit unique than my friend in Bali when I dance. Like our visiting artists who come here from Bali, they say, ‘Wow, it’s so different!’ I also dance with the best dancer in Java and show them a video. They say ‘Pak Wenten, I never imagine you can dance like that!’ So I can contribute something for Bali because I experience thirty years—not away from Bali but you know… I observe so many different cultures, then I go back to Bali every summer for three or four months. I do collaborations there. People see me and say ‘Where you get this?’
So gamelan evolves?
I Nyoman Wenten: Like a snowball! You cannot just stay still. Roll the snowball! Get bigger!

I NYOMAN WENTEN AND GAMELAN BURAT WANGI IN RAMAYANA: AN INDIAN EPIC ON SAT., NOV. 7, AND SUN., NOV. 8, AT REDCAT, 631 W. 2ND ST., DOWNTOWN. 8:30 PM / $18-$30 / ALL AGES. REDCAT.ORG. VISIT I NYOMAN WENTEN AND GAMELAN BURAT WANGI AT MYSPACE.COM/GAMELANBURATWANGI.

The Hazards of Love is this theatrical narrative album that The Decemberists have been performing beginning to end with guest vocalists Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond). Each time she stepped out from behind her keyboard to sing, Worden seemed to take all the breath out of the room and use it as her own. The audience could not get enough of her.

The visuals were stunning—from exploding fungi to wolf constellations to arms flailing in slo-mo to drowned Greek ruins—there were very few moments where my eyes left the projection screen to notice the live band playing below it. This show was perfectly executed; a thrilling blend of art and sound.

And then Colin Meloy told us to come back after a brief break for some more music. “That’s nice of them,” I thought. “They must be exhausted!”

Nearly an hour later, The Decemberists’ second concert of the night was finally wrapping up. I’ll give them credit—they maintained an energy I wouldn’t think possible after what was essentially a live rock opera. A sweaty Meloy jumped off stage to flirt with his front-row fans and then led us in several extended sing-alongs, organist Jenny Conlee did some swing dancing with a lucky audience member… They rocked out. For the 1/3 of the crowd who were serious Decemberists fans, this must’ve been a dream come true. For the remaining Royce Hall performance junkies and visual arts students in attendance, this was a long, long night. Thankfully, Meloy asked Stark and Worden back out for a jaw-dropping cover of “Crazy On You,” leaving those of us who didn’t know what we were getting into with a nice little parting gift.

—Amber Hollingsworth

Sparks is one of L.A. RECORD‘s favorite bands—re-enacted on two of our covers and interviewed here—and they will be playing a giant hometown show on Sat., Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day—hello, young lovers!) at Royce Hall at UCLA! Tickets go on sale tomorrow and are available here. More info below.

Fresh from their monumental London live performance of all 21 of their albums in 21 nights, Sparks return to Los Angeles to perform two landmark albums in their entirety— their most recent ‘Exotic Creatures Of The Deep’ and the 70′s sensation ‘Kimono My House’, to be followed by a selection of assorted Sparks favorites.

“The brave among us know for a fact that next to no one is making such criminally underrated and startlingly original music, in any genre, these days” – BBC online

“International treasures” – Q Magazine

“The most important band in modern rock” – NY Press

When:

Sat, Feb 14 at 8pm

Where:

Royce Hall

Price:

$40, 30 ($17 UCLA students)

(from Carried To Dust out now on Quarterstick)

This interview by Kevin Ferguson.

You went to UCI?
Joey Burns (guitar/vocals): I did! And survived! I wound up studying German, but I can speak a little Spanish. I need to learn—I gotta speak Spanish! My friend Jacob Valenzuela—who sings the song ‘Inspiración’ on the new record—he comes up with these kind of colloquialisms when he speaks. I love that aspect.
Why did you go to UCI?
I applied for UCLA—I applied undeclared—and oddly enough had I applied to the music school with the honors that I had in music, I probably would’ve got in! It’s ironic that I wound up doing what I’m doing now, which is kind of somewhat ethno-musically minded. But I followed my heart. Now I’m here in Tucson recording a track for a Hollywood movie called Love Ranch. It stars Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci. It’s about a couple that ran a healthy and legal bordello just outside of the Reno city limits. I’ve been watching Helen make out with this—
Are you sure you want us to publish spoilers?
Good point! I don’t want to ruin the movie.
How would Calexico have scored No Country For Old Men?
We’d take our cue from the director and the theme of the movie. I wouldn’t want to play it necessarily so Southwestern. I like the soundtrack to There Will Be Blood because has that sense of organic instrumentation. The harmonies and everything tap more into this deeper theme, rather than like a superficial surface connection. That’s what I think I would’ve wanted to do with that. There’s really some dark dialogue and themes. I wouldn’t necessarily come out blazing with this huge Morricone style. That’s not really what we’re into doing anyways. But for a movie, it becomes more about what the director wants. This movie that we’re being asked to do, we’re being asked for all the right reasons—which makes it the more enjoyable to want to do. I would really want to take it to some dark places—more treated sounds, prepared guitar, mix things like that in. More effects and more textures. Something that you would expect to hear from an earlier Calexico album: producing sounds and tones through combinations of instruments to give it more depth.
Why did you decide to cover ‘One More Cup of Coffee’ for the Dylan movie soundtrack?
It was in the script. We read the script and loved it and noticed that they had that song mentioned. I heard that they were thinking about trying to get Roger McGuinn to do that song. We have a connection to Roger through his family here in Tucson. We said to ourselves, ‘Let’s make a version and see if they like it.’ Again—a great script and a great read!
Did you ever get to meet Nancy Sinatra? What was she like?
She was really cool! Very down to earth. We met her after we recorded our part of the project. She was very, very approachable. No attitude—very funny. Her daughter was there, so we saw the mother-daughter connection—we think Nancy is still very much the daughter! It was a very monumental meeting, like when I met Willie Nelson and Mickey Raphael, his harmonica player. He told us his ambition is to come and record and write a record with us. We were like, ‘You know a lot of people…’ and he said, ‘Yeah! Tell me who you need!’
Why does your heart forever belong to Arizona?
I was born in Montreal, Canada. My parents moved to L.A. in ‘67. I moved in 1993. Why have I stayed here since ‘93? I think it’s very easy for a musician to stay here. Low overhead! It’s relatively cheap to live here. Rent is pretty low and the downtown scene is pretty exciting. It’s close enough to the coast where I can still see friends. Lots of artists live here or move here temporarily—it’s got this strange transient vibe here. There are a lot of stories—a lot of strange stories. You can see people on the street and you can imagine some of the strange stories too. I like the fact that here are a lot of different cultures living here, it’s not just about this Western mentality. There’s a mass of immigrants from Mexico, the native and indigenous cultures…
Is it suffering like Phoenix is? Californian retirees polluting it with McMansions?
That definitely happened for a while. I think now—of course—things are slowing down. We had a lot of people coming into town buying up houses, just like everywhere else. Maybe Phoenix is just philosophically aligned more with the idea of McMansions. With Tucson there is still a really great sense of character and history of architecture.
How are you handling the city tearing down Magic Carpet Golf?
It’s not an easy situation to deal with. I’ve gone and photographed it. A lot of the main attractions and larger than life figures and sculptures that make up the beauty and mystery are gonna be moved to this other location—I think it’s gonna be the Valley of the Moon? It’s up near the Fort Lowell and Campbell area. So there is hope. They’re not gonna throw those statues away. That’s how I’m handling it. I’m handling it today. I actually went there today to take photos of it.
What was the first album you bought at Toxic Ranch Records?
Oh God! The first record I ever bought there? That’s a good question! I probably bought one of the Bloat Records releases. Probably Doo Rag. It was probably in some kind of strange cardboard package.
What is the most spiritual experience you had at the Desert Museum?
The most spiritual experience was actually walking away from all the crowds of people and walking up to the wash that’s across the street. It was a while ago. A friend and I were checking out all of the wildflowers—we were kind of away from the main trail—and we saw a group of tourists talking about what might have happened thousands and thousands of years ago. I think there was water there at one point. That’s when I kind of felt connected to this time and place—like to what life might have been like years ago, and that was right across from the Desert Museum. [A train goes by, whistle blaring.] There goes the train!
Is that the same train on ‘Throws Daggers’?
Yeah!
Did you plan on having it in the song?
It was totally accidental! We were just recording it a block away from where I’m standing in Solar Culture Gallery. It’s right on the train tracks—that’s what makes this place so exciting. It’s on a lot of the old songs on Calexico albums. They were all unintentional. We tried lots of times to record in between train crossings.
What is the most potentially psychedelic site in Tucson?
I think the most psychedelic site for me is if you keep going past Old Tucson studios—past the Arizona Desert Museum—if you keep going to this place called Signal Hill. I mention it on the old record. It’s this Indian hill with some beautiful petroglyphs on the top of the hill. It kind of overlooks the valley. I think that just being there—sober or not—and looking at these petroglyphs as the sun is going down—it’s conducive for many a psychedelic trip.

CALEXICO WITH THE CAVE SINGERS ON MON., SEPT. 29, AT THE HENRY FONDA THEATRE, 6126 HOLLYWOOD BLVD., HOLLYWOOD. 8 PM / $18 / ALL AGES. GOLDENVOICE.COM. CALEXICO’S CARRIED TO DUST IS OUT NOW ON QUARTERSTICK. VISIT CALEXICO AT CASADECALEXICO.COM OR MYSPACE.COM/CASADECALEXICO.