{"id":9551,"date":"2026-03-19T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/whitney-johnson-lia-kohl-and-macie-stewart-go-beyond-the-chamber\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T12:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T12:30:00","slug":"whitney-johnson-lia-kohl-and-macie-stewart-go-beyond-the-chamber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/whitney-johnson-lia-kohl-and-macie-stewart-go-beyond-the-chamber\/","title":{"rendered":"Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart Go Beyond the Chamber"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Macie Stewart, Lia Kohl, and Whitney Johnson. (Credit: Leah Wendzinski)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All but one of the song titles on Body Sound<\/em>, the debut album from experimental string trio Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart, line up nicely\u2014a few words, usually two, usually nouns, separated by a vertical bar: \u201cdawn | pulse,\u201d \u201cshadow | mess,\u201d \u201cfog | mirror.\u201d The straight line in the middle means different things in different disciplines. In computing, it\u2019s called a \u201cpipe\u201d and serves as a conduit. In poetry, it denotes a pause or break. In music, it marks the beginning and end of measures. The classical textures, ambient forms, and conceptual investigations of Body Sound <\/em>cover a similar semiotic range, separating, connecting, and shaping disparate sonic ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson (viola), Kohl (cello), and Stewart (violin) begin with free-form improvisations, blending and contrasting the rich tones and grainy timbres of their instruments. Tracks like \u201cstone | piece\u201d and \u201ccough | laugh\u201d benefit immensely from the longing orchestral sonorities and lapping tidal rhythms that abound in chamber and symphonic music. Though Body Sound<\/em> marks the trio\u2019s debut, the members have previously worked together\u2014Johnson and Kohl on last year\u2019s For Translucence<\/em> (Drag City) and Kohl and Stewart on 2020\u2019s Recipe for a Boiled Egg<\/em> (Astral Spirits), and all three on Stewart\u2019s When the Distance Is Blue<\/em> (International Anthem),<\/em> from last year\u2014and you can hear that experience in the intuition and attention that suffuses these songs. But improvisation is only the starting point. Like their Chicago peers SML, Johnson, Kohl, and Stewart then shape the spontaneous material in post-production, adding loops, effects, and layers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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