This interview with the man behind Λ was conducted by Justine Mainville, half of Math the Band. Both of the rad permanent players behind Math the Band are among the Mercantile Buildings newly situated, year-long artists-in-residence at AS220. We are psyched to have them around. As for Λ, mystery and ambiguity abound in this project. A veteran of the local music and performance art scene, Λ mixes elements of electronic, noise and classical music to make tracks that fluctuate in both style and form.

The Interview -  Λ*

JM: The symbol is Lambda, the internet says it's "pronounced ARC" and I heard through the grapevine, it's Delta. So, what is the proper name & pronunciation for your project? And is the mystery/confusion element intentional?

Λ: Pronounce it however you would like, I think. I say ARC. And I am very interested in esoteric-ism, and it is present in my work, so perhaps there is a small intention to remain mysterious and elusive.

JM: Solo artists often see more changes in their style without the answering to other band  members. Has this project changed forms over the years? If so, what forms has it taken?

Λ: The general idea has remained the same through out whatever incarnations I've had over the years. I've had band members, too, though I was still writing everything. I started out as "xx" and made three albums that are very poor, changed the name to WIRES!WIRES!, which I had for several years and releases, then PANOPTICS, for one year, and finally to Ʌ. I picked Ʌ because I just couldn't find anything I was happy with that didn't seem to hold me to some sort of musical expectation.

JM: I see you have played quite a bit with Diana Joy, do you have a collaborative relationship as far as music and performance go? Do you collaborate with other musicians in this project?

Λ: Diana Joy and I have a very wonderful working relationship, and briefly, we had a project called RAGNAROK. We finished maybe one EP's worth of tracks and played around during last summer. We're both very interested in the performance aspect of live music, and she has a lot of experience in the performance arts. I think that's particularly important with electronic music. I have collaborated with a good handful of musicians, and for the LP I'm working on now, I will be working with a different artist on each track.

JM: What do you use to make your music?

Λ: I write on various things, mainly piano, sometimes guitar. I then transpose what I've written into editing software, and use MIDI for software synthesizers. I would love to be using more hardware, but I pared down my set a lot to allow me to play anywhere very easily.

JM: What things, physical or nonphysical, inspire you? Do you find inspiration in Providence?

Λ: I am inspired by the desert. I lived in Los Angeles for a bit, and found myself a few times in the Mojave, once at night and once during the day. It was a very life changing experience and is very visually arresting. I am also interested in light, its dynamics, and its importance. Providence is a very beautiful city, there are lots of varieties of landscapes to see. Waterfront, Victorian, starkly urban, industrial, so it is inspiring in that within such a small space, there are a lot of contrasts.

JM: It's kind of hard to find information on you, do you tour often? What is your favorite place to play?

Λ: Yeah I manage to be practically un-googleable. I do not tour, ever. I have thrown around the idea though. I have played in Providence, Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Providence many times, but otherwise not too much.

JM: What should someone heading to your show expect?

Λ: Providing I'm at the right venue, a nice light show. Either way, expect to feel like you're drowning in black syrup.