Some Other Maps
New music derived from the lost score to David Amaral and Joshua Dumas’ 2012 anti-war semi-opera about PTSD, dementia, ghosts, and love, called “Here are Lions.” Music by Joshua Dumas with Robbie Hamilton, Kate Parks, and Kedgrick Pullums.
Full Backstory:
In 2012, David Amaral and I created an anti-war semi-opera about PTSD, dementia, ghosts, and lost love. It was called “Here are Lions.” It was created on a shoestring, built from the profound generosity and creativity of the performers listed below. It had a brief run at Elastic Arts, and then was tucked away.
In 2014, I spilled coffee on my laptop and lost most of the music from the show. Only scraps mined from emails and file-sharing sites remained: A few scores, some lyrics, and some snippets of flute, clarinet, oboe and synth.
Ever since, and always with a bit of sadness, I’ve been poking at these remnants, trying to figure out how to re-compose or frankenstein the leftovers into something coherent.
In Spring 2021, I finally decided to start fresh. I was never going to be able to recreate the original score; perhap I might find closure by using the scraps to make something new. So, with the help of brilliant pal Robbie Hamilton, and through the fractured lens of time and data rot (and maybe some personal growth?), comes this new music. “Here Are Lions” becomes “Some Other Maps”
Robbie Hamilton: drums, percussion
Kate Parks: clarinet
Kedgrick Pullums: flute, oboe
Joshua Dumas: composition, bass, synths, piano
Recorded and mixed by Joshua Dumas at High Concept Labs (2012) and Ahriman’s Bath (2021)
Additional recording by Robbie Hamilton at Strange Magic (2021)
Mastered by Scott Craggs at Old Colony Mastering (2021)
The original “Here Are Lions” cast and creators that provided the first soil for this music so many years ago:
Directed, written and created by David Amaral
Composed and created by Joshua Dumas
Starring Lucy Carapetyan, Carla Kessler, Ian McCabe, Shaw Nigro, Nicole Ripley, James Whittington
Production Assistance by Isaac Fosl-van Wyke, Katy Collins
Music performed by Kate Parks, Kedgrick Pullums
Vocal melodies composed by and lyrics adapted (from Tennyson’s “Ulysses”) by Carla Kessler and Joshua Dumas
Special thanks to Molly Feingold and the HCL crew