Now Available
Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart
BODY SOUND [STONE PIECE]
(( photo by Jason Evans ))
IARC0106
Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart
BODY SOUND [STONE PIECE]
Out August 5, 2025
Chicago-based violist/composer Whitney Johnson, cellist/composer Lia Kohl, and violinist/composer Macie Stewart debut a new trio project with the release of BODY SOUND [STONE PIECE] on cassette. The release previews a new album by the trio coming via International Anthem in 2026.
"Stone Piece I" and "Stone Piece II" were born of string and vocal improvisations by Johnson, Kohl, and Stewart, recorded in January of 2025 by Dave Vettraino at Shirk Studios in Chicago. The group reconvened later that month at International Anthem Studios, where they made analog tape loops with the recordings from Shirk, manipulating and processing them by hand, creating and capturing new layers of sound in real time. The resultant collage is a gorgeously textural multidimensional abstraction of time and timbre, landing somewhere on the outskirts of minimalist classical, modern improvisation, ambient and pastoral music idioms.
Selected Press
Notes
Whitney Johnson - viola, voice
Lia Kohl - cello, voice
Macie Stewart - violin, voice
Tape loops on MCI JH-16, Tascam 58, Revox A77, Sony TC 580, and TEAC 6600 by Johnson, Kohl, Stewart, and Vettraino.
All music composed by Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart.
Produced by Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, Macie Stewart, and Dave Vettraino.
Recorded and mixed by Dave Vettraino at International Anthem Studios and Shirk Studios.
Mastered by David Allen.
Cover photo by Jordan Reyes.
Design by Zander Raymond.
About
Based in Chicago, Whitney Johnson composes, performs, and installs multi-channel sound with viola, sine waves, Max/MSP, organ, synthesizers, vocalization, tape looping, and field recording.
Lia Kohl is a cellist, composer, and sound artist based in Chicago.
Macie Stewart is a musician and multi-disciplinary artist based in Chicago, IL.