Download Heather McRae Perkins WaterDog Studio

Heather McRae Perkins
WaterDog Studio
[email protected] • www.waterdogstudio.com
Composer, Sound Designer, Mad Scientist - WaterDog Studio, Portland, OR
CURRENT PROJECTS
On-call sound and music creator for Milky Elephant, SpaceDog, Electronic Arts/Pogo,
GoBit Games, and Stupid Fun Club.
Producing recordings by artist Maro Vandarou, and collaborating on tracks with musician
Myshkin of Myshkin’s Ruby Warblers
Composing and recording original music for the CD “Telekinesis Nanette.”
Working with wilkes/barber choreography on multiple upcoming dance projects,
including Ten Tiny Dances 15.
CORPORATE POSITIONS
American Greetings (2001-2007) – Contract Sound Designer, Composer and Voice
Talent for the Egreetings and American Greetings animated greeting card lines.
Egreetings. San Francisco (1996-2001)– Chief Sound Designer and Composer for
animated greeting card line. Co-led team that designed the prototype for Director-based
and Flash-based “Egreetings” in 1995.
RECENT CLIENTS & PROJECTS
2008 – “Aussie Week” (Quantas & Australia Tourism Board’s web-based ad
campaign by SpaceDog ) Music and design for the “Myths Of Oz” campaign.
2007 – Starbucks/Milky Elephant Music and sound for interactive Starbucks web
banners created by Milky Elephant.
2007 – “Burger Shop” (PC Game by GoBit ) Music, sound effects and voice effects for
single-player video game for the Windows platform.
2007 – “Ten Tiny Dances 14” (Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts’ TBA
Festival, Wonder Ballrom, Portland OR, Sept. 15th) Performed live electronic music
with Cydney Wilkes and Mike Barber for “Bowl – A Goldfish Story in 9 Short Parts.”
2007 – “Carton Service Project” (Carton Service Warehouse, Portland OR, July
22nd ) Composed and performed live electronic music for choreographer Carla Mann at
this “confluence of dance, object and light,” a performance installation at a box
warehouse in Northwest Portland.
2007 – “Ten Tiny Dances 13” (Jazzbones, Tacoma WA April 28th and BlueHour,
Portland OR May 27th) Performed live electronic music on hand-held electronic devices
(while dressed as a NASA scientist from the 60s) for Mike Barber and Cydney Wilkes’
9-part mini-tiny-dance sequence “The Demise Of Pluto” as part of Ten Tiny Dances #13.
2006 – Music and sound design for Hooked On Phonics’ “Ready to Read” Game
2006 – “A Certain Facilitation of Impasse” (Disjecta, Portland OR, Dec 8th -10th)
Composed and performed live electronic music for Wilkes/Barber’s dance & video
performance.
2006 - BBDO Energy (Chicago) and Milky Elephant (New York) Created music and
sound effects for the “Cool Breath Power” TV ad campaign for WinterFresh Gum. (airing
nationwide, Spring/Summer 2006)
2006 – Ward Of Court (The Plant, Portland, OR, March 9th – 11th) Composed and
performed live electronic music for this animation, dance and music installation piece, in
collaboration with animator Rose Bond and choreographer Dawn Joella Jackson, at an
industrial warehouse in Southeast Portland.
2006 - SpaceDog (Loa Angeles) and Carl’s Jr. Created sound effects for Carl’s Jr.
“Build Your Own Burger” game
2006 - Ten Tiny Dances, Installation, Portland Building – Created electronic music
scores for videos presented by Carla Mann as part of this month-long public installation
of Ten Tiny Dances, funded by RACC.
2006 - Ten Tiny Dances 10 – March 2006, Wonder Ballroom – Created electronic
music scores for “Itchy Litmus,” a dance work by Cydney Wilkes, and “Dick
McPherson,” a dance work by Mike Barber.
Ten Tiny Dances 9, 2005, Portland and Seattle – Created electronic music score for
“Snag,” a dance work by Carla Mann, Nat Newberger and Jim McGinn
P:EAR Benefit – May 2005, The Plant – Performed live electronic music for “Climb,”
an aerial dance performance, in collaboration with Mike Barber and Cydney Wilkes.
On The Boards “New Works Northwest” April 2005 – Performed live electronic
music for “Proximity,” in collaboration with Mike Barber and Cydney Wilkes, at the OtB
Main Stage. Also created original score for a dance and video installation by Carla Mann,
Nat Newberger and Patrick Greenwood.
Miracle Theater, March 2005 – Created music and sound for Quiara Alegría Hudes’
play “The Adventures Of Barrio Grrrl,” which premiered in March 2005 at Miracle
Theater.
Cydney Wilke’s “Penta” – Waterfront Park– Feb. 2005 Composed and performed live
electronic music for the “Water” cycle of Cydney Wilke’s RACC-sponsored outdoor, site
specific dance performance series.
Penta Benefit – Performance Works Northwest, December 2004 – performed live
electronic music for an improvisational piece, in collaboration with choreographer Carla
Mann.
4 + 1 – Performance Works Northwest, October 2004 – performed live electronic
music for the improvisational piece “Human Satellite,” in collaboration with
choreographer Carla Mann.
PICA’s 2004 TBA (Time Based Art) Festival - Performed live electronic music for
“Fence,” one of the “10 Tiny Dances” series, in collaboration with Mike Barber and
Cydney Wilkes. Also created original score for “Skin,” an outdoor dance and video
installation by Carla Mann, Nat Newberger and Patrick Greenwood.
The Seattle Phonographer’s Union - Sound/Craft Series - Contemporary Crafts
Museum & Gallery, Sept. 2004 – performed as part of this collaborative ensemble,
presenting an improvised mix of unprocessed field recordings as part of the Sound/Craft
series.
“Vertical Garden” at the Portland Building, July & August 2004 – Created electronic
soundscape on multiple headphones for Hilary Pfeifer’s site specific sculptural
installation.
BodyVox’s “Waterbodies” – May 2004, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – Created
electronic music score for choreographer Jamey Hampton’s solo work “Water Body.”
P:EAR Benefit – May 2004, Holocene – Performed live electronic music for “4x4x3”
with Carla Mann, Nat Newberger and Patrick Greenwood.
Cydney Wilke’s “Penta” – Waterfront Park– May 2004 Composed and performed
live electronic music for the “Wood” cycle of Cydney Wilke’s RACC-sponsored outdoor,
site specific dance performance series.
Sound/Craft Series – March 2004, Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery –
Performed an evening of solo electronic music, with guests Carla Mann and Neena Marks
(dance) and Leah Hinchcliff (upright bass)
Cabaret Boris & Natasha – Performed works in progress at Performance Works
Northwest’s Cabaret, Feb 28 & 29, 2004.
Dance, Music and Visual Arts: Merce and his Collaborators - Participated in this
creative symposium and resulting live collaborative performance of music, dance and
visual art in the spirit of Cage, Cunningham and Rauschenberg, held at Reed Colege, Feb.
7-9, 2004.
Seattle vs. PDX Laptop Battle – Featured contestant at the 4th City Laptop Battle at
Chop Suey in Seattle, Jan. 23rd 2004.
Ten Tiny Dances 5 - Performed live improvised electronic music for a new version of
“4x4x4x3,” at the fifth “10 Tiny Dances” series, Dec. 18th, 2004.
Portland Laptop Battle - Third-round finalist in the Dec. 17th 2004 Portland All-Area
Laptop Battle at Holocene in Portland.
MTV.com – Produced music and sound for 3 animated greetings for MTV’s online
community, in association with Milky Elephant.
PICA’s 2003 TBA (Time Based Art) Festival - Performed live improvised electronic
music for “4x4x4x3” by Carla Mann, Nat Newberger and Patrick Greenwood, as part of
the Ten Tiny Dances showcase at Machine Works.
Carla Mann - Composed music for “These Sounds Escaped My Lips,” a dance work by
Carla Mann that premiered at Conduit in Portland, OR in July, 2003
Red-I Studios/LeapFrog Toys – Composed music and created sound effects for the
educational Leapster title “Math Baseball.”
Michael Curry Designs/San Antonio Spurs - created musical score for the opening
ceremonies at the San Antonio Spurs new SBC Center Arena Nov. 1st, 2002.
Smashing Ideas/Mattel - Composed music and created sound effects for CD-ROMbased animations accompanying Mattel’s new “MyScene” Barbie doll series.
Winter Olympics & Michael Curry Designs - Composed soundscape for the Emmy™
Award-winning Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
University of Oregon, Nike & Michael Curry Designs - Created theme song for the
University of Oregon’s new Duck mascot for the Homecoming Game at Autzen Stadium,
Oct. 26th 2002.
Geoff Hiller - Music & sound design for the online photo essay "New York City: After
The Fall" (Awarded Macromedia "Site Of The Day," July 4th, 2002.)
LeapFrog Toys - Music & sound design for "Magic Schoolbus – Lost In The Solar
System" LeapPad Book
Shoot the Moon Productions & Hasbro - Product sound design for a set of toy water
guns.
Dreaming America - Theme music & interface sound design for Mericom corporate ID
CD-ROM project.
Carla Mann - Composed original music for choreographer Carla Mann's "Little
Humans," premiering in Portland, OR Oct. 19, 2001.
Michael Curry Designs - Sound Design for "Spirits" Keller Auditorium, Portland, OR,
June 2001
CONFERENCES & PUBLICATIONS
Smashing Ideas - Wrote "Sound in Flash" chapter for Glenn Thomas' "Flash Studio
Secrets" book (Paperback - 288 pages 1st edition. Hungry Minds, Inc; ISBN:
076453548X)
United Digital Artists & Lynda.com - Speaker at the Flash Forward 2001 conference in
San Francisco, Feb. 2001, and at the Flash Forward 2000 conference in New York City,
July 2000
Bias, Inc – Edited and updated the 1998 Peak 2.0 User’s Guide (software manual for 2track audio editing program.)
OSC – Edited and wrote new chapters for the 1995 Deck 2.5 User’s Guide (software
manual for multi-track audio and MIDI recording and editing program.)
AWARDS
2002 - Macromedia's “Site Of The Day” for “New York City: After The Fall”
1999 - SoundDogs “Sound Design '99 Excellence Award for Macromedia Authors”
1996 - Elizabeth Mills Corothers Prize for Excellence in The Composition Of Music
1994 - Alumni Scholarship, Mills College
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
The Electronic Music Foundation (EMF)
Phonography Seattle
FreeSound
Women’s Audio Mission
B.M.I.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND INTERVIEWS
United Digital Artists & Lynda.com - Speaker on “Sound In Flash” at the Flash
Forward 2001 conference in San Francisco, Feb. 2001.
United Digital Artists & Lynda.com - Speaker on “Sound In Flash” at the Flash
Forward 2000 conference in New York City, July 2000.
KLCC F.M., Eugene OR, 1994 - Radio interview featuring electronic music.
KAVE F.M., Eugene OR, 1992 - Radio interview and live performance of original
acoustic music.
DISCOGRAPHY
CD releases
“SNAKES AND LADDERS,” with Tim Walters, as “Slaw,” 2002 (Doubtful
Palace Music)
“FAST FOLK – EUGENE” “Let’s Go” appears on “Fast Folk” magazine’s 1993
CD compilation featuring Eugene singer/songwriters (Fast Folk Records)
“LIVE AT THE LAURELTHIRST – THE EASTSIDE SOUND” - Band
Dangerous Household Objects included on1993 compilation CD (Rainforest
Records)
“AUDIO ALCHEMY” - “What You Think Will Happen, Will” appears on
Cassette Mythos’ 1991 CD compilation (WHAT NEXT? Records)
Cassette releases
“NEVER WHATEVER” - 1992 (Land-O-Newts)
“IT'S A TACKY WORLD” – 1992 (Land-O-Newts)
“ A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM” soundtrack – 1991 (Land-O-Newts)
“LOOKYFEESH” – 1990 (Land-O-Newts)
“IT'S THE HAPPENING THING” – 1990 (Land-O-Newts)
“HAMSTER WHEEL” – 1989 (Land-O-Newts)
“STEEL TRIBE” – 1989 (Land-O-Newts)
“LIVING ROOM” – 1989 (Land-O-Newts)
“THE PINK ALBUM”- 1989 (Land-O-Newts)
“WHY I DID IT / BINKY'S REVENGE “ – 1988 (Land-O-Newts)
“DANGEROUS HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS” – 1987 (Land-O-Newts)
“BURNING THROUGH “ – 1987 (Land-O-Newts)
PUBLICATIONS - SELECTED
The Portland Mercury, March 25th, 2004 – “This Week’s Music Picks” – preview by
Julianne Shepherd.
The Oregonian, May 24th, 2002 – “New York City; After The Fall” reviewed by D.K.
Row (The Arts – Critics Choice)
Keyboard Magazine, 2002 – Heather Perkins & Tim Walters (as “Slaw”) written up as
Keyboard’s “Unsigned Artist of the Month” for the CD “Snakes and Ladders.”
FakeJazz.com – 2003 - Slaw CD “Snakes and Ladders” (Heather Perkins and Tim
Walters) reviewed by Andrew Beckman
“Cassette Mythos” 1992 (Autonomedia, ed. Robin James) – Featured in Kevyn
Dymond’s chapter “A Perspective of the Independent Cassette Underground.”
Random Facts
I’ve also worked as a chimney sweep, millhand, line cook, stagehand, natural history
instructor, and wildlife rehabilitator. I was a guitarist in several rock bands. I was a
teenage falconer. I have two 20-year-old newts.
©2008 Heather Perkins / WaterDog Studio