Dominick Gray returns to the Toledo School for the Arts stage with his solo project, Telesconic 9000.
Telesonic 9000 will perform on Thursday, Dec. 19, 7pm, at The Portal at Toledo School for the Arts, 1401 Adams St.
Gray, Toledo-born and Berlin-based percussionist brings his solo project back to Toledo for an innovative evening.
Sci-Fi Sound
His transformative “retro-futustic” sound immerses people in a blend of past and future elements, with a multi-media mix of film visuals accompanying his sound.
“The live show is a bit like a concert and a film screening mixed together. It’s kind of at the intersection of those things. So it’s pretty percussive, mostly instrumental music, and a lot of drums, since I’m a drummer, but that is the foundation where all these interesting multimedia and audio visual concepts come into play,” Gray said.
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“It’s retro-futuristic, so it mixes the past and these visions of the future that we used to have,” Gray added.
His live shows pay homage to American cinema, with all of the footage screened during the concert coming from 20th-century American films. Through the unique blend of music and visuals, Gray describes the evening as “a self-reflexive connection to the American past and some hope about the American future.”
Gray moved to Chicago from Toledo in 2008 to work with Blue Man Group following graduation from Toledo School for the Arts. In 2014, he moved to Berlin where he works as a music teacher and freelance musician.
In an attempt to find a solo show, Gray decided to mix visuals with his percussive sounds.
“I kind of just wanted to have a solo show, and realized that you needed something visual, to have more than just a drummer alone on stage,” Gray said. “And then I found this archive of public domain films, and just started collecting and re-editing all of that. So after a bit of experimentation, it came together pretty quick, and I’ve just been developing since then.”
Return To Home
Gray is excited to return to Toledo, where he grew up, and to the stage where he studied at Toledo School for the Arts.
“Well, it’s always super nice to come back, and all the family’s there, and all of my favorite restaurants are there. And there’s something that’s always, let me put it this way, the familiarity is always great for a recharge and recalibration for everything I’m trying to do, you always get some insight where you come from,” Gray said.
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“And this time, specifically, it’s really nice because I’m doing this show at Toledo School for the Arts, where I studied music. You know, it’s the first place I really studied music. So coming back to such a formative place with my show and everything I can present is just very special.”
Tickets to the show cost $20 and can be purchased on the Toledo School for the Arts website.
For more information, visit ts4arts.org/event/the-portal-presents-telesonic-9000-dom-gray/.
