“Hamm brings the Theremin to life.”
stephen hamm has played:
Massif Music Festival (Nelson, B.C.), Forest Fest Sound Symposium (Gabriola Island), Ignite the Arts (Penticton, B.C.), Woodstove Festival (Cumberland, B.C.), Rogue Fest (Wilson Creek, B.C.), Backyard Fest (Nanaimo, B.C.), Khatsahlano Arts Festival (Vancouver, B.C.).
He's performed with: Pink Mountaintops, The Space Lady, JOHN OTWAY, Pointed Sticks, Eugene Chadborn and many more!
Biography
NEW THEREMIN MAN SINGLE: SAGITARIUS A-STAR IS RELEASED DECEMBER 1ST, 2023
Vancouver’s Stephen Hamm Theremin Man has just announced his sophomore release with the advance single “Sagittarius A-Star” and accompanying video. “Sagittarius A-Star” is the first single from the upcoming Theremin Man Album, Songs for the Future, recorded with producer Felix Fung (Pointed Sticks, Colleen Rennison, Mode Modern) and Drummer Shawn Mrazek (Flash Bastard, The Evaporators). The new track layers theremin, synths, bass, guitars and melodic vocals with the end result being a heavy psychedelic aural-dream that references the black hole at the center of our universe; Sagittarius A. Stephen describes the new track “Sagittarius A” as “...an invitation to a fantasy escape, shrugging off convention and letting our minds wander into a deep space fantasy.” Regarding the video he continues, “The question this video asks is what happens when you enter a black hole? Physical objects are crushed, dimensions and time stretch and warp. In a hallucinatory daze you find yourself in a tunnel with strange beings, a drummer, Shawn Mrazek and the Theremin Man!” The video was shot by Vancouver's R.D. Cane, who’s film career has spanned from CBC television series’ The Beachcombers and Switch Back, to making music videos with Art Bergmann and Maurice and the Cliches among other notable Canadian bands.
CHECK OUT THE NEW VIDEO ‘SAGITTARIUS A-STAR’ BY R.D. CANE
THIS IS WHAT ELDER GOD PRODUCTIONS BLOG HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE RECENT SHOW AT THE RICKSHAW THEATRE IN VANCOUVER:
Taking the stage first on Friday night at the Rickshaw Theatre was a solo act that used pre-recorded tracks, Stephen Hamm: Theremin Man. Normally a solo act where it's just one person doing their thing does nothing to spark my interest especially not at a venue like Rickshaw.
Of course normally said solo act doesn't rock a theremin, so such preconceived notions are out the door. Getting to witness an expert using a notoriously difficult-to-master instrument was fantastic, a journey into the farthest reaches of space where that unique sound takes you.
Looking like Vincent D’Onofrio if he lived in a hippie commune, they stood center stage with the theremin and a laptop that played pre-recorded tracks in the new wave/electro-rock vein. When the main draw is the theremin, it makes sense to minimize the rest of the “band”. Can bust out a theremin concert just about anywhere.
For those that don't know, a theremin is an instrument you play without touching. It reacts to how close the person is to it, playing with the magnetic fields surrounding it. It was the product of early Soviet government-sponsored research into proximity sensors, so you know, commie shit.
While watching this master manipulate those magnetic fields they made it look easy. The weaving of their hands, each finger moved, the slightest nuance manipulating the sound just so. The theremin emits such a spacey, otherworldly sound the songs sort of pick you up drifting you along with them.
I thoroughly enjoyed this set and have been digging into their music on Bandcamp, of which there is a good selection. They got me moving, which is essential for Him, and entertained the hell out of me with a rarely-seen instrument.
“Stephen Hamm: Theremin Man discusses his journey from playing in legendary Vancouver bands such as Slow and The Evaporators to communing with the universe as a theremin-wielding one-man band.”
PRESS LINKS
- THE VANCOUVER SUN: Covid-19 inspires rockers to chill out on unusual instruments
-
THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT: Vancouver legend Stephen Hamm finds the right balance of style and soul-searching substance with Theremin Man
- FOR THE LOVE OF BANDS: A top-rated music blog from the Netherlands
- BEATROUTE MAGAZINE: Stephen Hamm Makes Joyful Noise On Theremin Man
- NANAIMO NEWS BULLETIN: Theremin Man' Stephen Hamm Creates Music from Electric Fields on CD
- VANCOUVER COURIER: Chilled Hamm: Vancouver punk legend finds solace in the theremin
-
ALIENATED IN VANCOUVER Stephen Hamm, Theremin Man: of space-age rabbit holes, gentle idealists, meditation and plus-sized clothing (an interview
- THE PARTAE A leading music blog out of Australia premieres the video for SPACE SISTER
