In the Loop

Caryn Lin brings her unique music constructions to the Nelson Odeon on Saturday

There are classical violinists, there are jazz cats, and there are experimental musicians. Caryn Lin, however, carved herself a niche composing “Native American, West African, technotribal, Australian, cosmic, Celtic rock” pieces. With looping pedals tucked beneath her toes and an electric violin in hand, Lin weaves one-woman soundscapes onstage. She brings techniques learned in Germany to the 99-seat Nelson Odeon for an 8 p.m. show on Saturday, Oct. 10.

When Lin went to Germany, it was with the intent to continue her education in violin, but she ended up learning more about herself than her instrument. “{The lessons} didn’t last long,” Lin said. “I had just finished college at Northwestern University and had spent all those years in a practice room, so I realized that I really didn’t want to do that anymore. I just decided to stop taking lessons and went out on the streets. I started just playing with different people, playing folk music like Bob Dylan and Jackson Browne.”

In Germany, Lin performed in a country band. Barely familiar with Hank Williams, she made ends meet with a handful of other musicians who also played music from home.

“The funny part is, I was in Germany for four years, and on my last night there I was playing an acoustic violin with a pickup on it,” she said. “I didn’t know anything about sound effects because I had a totally classical background. A guitar player from another band came over and asked me if I wanted to try his echo box and I thought, ‘Your what?’” Lin was familiar with effects equipment for guitars, but repurposing guitar pedals for a violin was new territory. When the guitarist at the bar took her cable, plugged it in and started noodling around with dials, Lin was speechless. The night had a lasting effect on her perspective as a musician. Although she left Germany the next day and never saw that guitarist again, she took the technique with her back to the states.

“I don’t even remember his name, but it totally changed my life,” she said. “When I came back, I bought an electric violin and started playing with sound effects. I’ve been doing it ever since.”

During each performance, Lin constructs pieces from the ground up. The loop pedals each record and play back any sounds she wishes, starting with a single beat, which builds into a rhythm, then melody and harmony. All accompaniment heard behind her is of her own making. Every part of the violin is fair game for musicmaking, from tapping her palm on the body to flicking one fingernail along the strings. Lin contributes her own voice, handheld percussion and the occasional animal call for added texture, which results in raw, organic music that can change at each performance.

Lin has found that children and adults alike take interest in the method of how she patches each song together, making her shows a high-demand event at schools throughout the Northeast. “I’ll step on the pedal for them and the kids will record sound effects,” she said. “We’ll have one kid’s voice made really high-pitched like Alvin the chipmunk and another one really low like Darth Vader. I’m working on my sixth album and doing concerts, but I’ve been doing schools for the past several years.”

Lin’s schedule takes her to various stops in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut through the holiday season and she has no plans to slow down in the near future. Decades of working as a musician—especially in front of young audiences—shape her attitude toward the industry as she follows the beat of her own violin.

“I knew the whole time I was in college that I wasn’t going to be a classical violinist,” Lin said. “This will sound corny, but you have to follow your heart. I never in a million years thought I’d be doing what I’m doing now. You have to pay attention and not be afraid to go out on a limb.”

Caryn Lin plays Saturday at the Nelson Odeon, 4035 Nelson Road, Cazenovia. Tickets are $18. Attendees are advised that parking is extremely limited; the best bet is a lot behind two homes on the property neighboring the venue. For more information, call 655- 9193 or visit www.nelsonodeon.com. o