keyboards and related technology . He started a career teaching music theory , songwriting , and project development at Full Sail University , where he still is teaching today . At some point in there , Gibbs said “ yes , and ” to Sak and added that to the mix , too .
A work-mate from Mars Music , John Wagner , who was playing piano for Sak at the time , invited Gibbs to a performance . Gibbs thought , “ It looked like fun . I watched a few shows and I just started doing it , working in the Lab . I did that for a few years pretty regularly , on the weekends . It was a steady income .”
What drew him to it was the sense of fun , but he also discovered aspects of his musical self in the process . “ Because of my range and classical training , I discovered I could apply a fi lm score to something instantaneously . I always felt that whenever I watched anything or composed anything , I could move emotion around musically , almost instantly , innately . Some musicians really like to know in advance what they ’ re going to be playing , but I really like playing off the cuff . I really like improvising .”
Even though it ’ s happening nearly instantaneously , there ’ s still a process underneath . “ You have a fi ling cabinet , a bag of tricks that you ’ re used to . I know how to make something sound like depression , or joy , or French , or this or that . I ’ ve got all these little tricks . I ’ ve gathered them over the years , and if you know music theory , you can remember it , because you understand what makes up the [ intended ] musical language .”
One of the things that sets Sak apart from many other improv troupes is just how often on-the-spot songs are improvised by the actors . “ With songwriting , you learn how to guide them through the songs that they make up . You know what a chorus is . You know what kind of chords to use . You know the places in the scale you want be . And how to raise the tension and release it , because that ’ s all it really is in the end : tension and resolution .”
Gibbs loves the behind-the-scenes aspect of performing with the actors . “ One of the most beautiful things about it is you ’ re not the center of attention . I get to be something else . It ’ s not me on stage playing for a crowd .” Since he has been doing this for so long and has become so familiar with the language of improv , Gibbs gets to be another actor . Which means that he gets to make offers to the actors . “ I really try to support them . To make the jokes that much better . I play like an actor . When they ’ re doing a Forward-Reverse scene , I ’ ll play what I just played backwards whenever they need to go backwards . If they slow down , I ’ ll move down in register . I remember because they have to remember , too . They taught me so much about music , about not overdoing it . To create space . To get to the heart of it .”
What Gibbs has gotten from playing improv sounds a lot like what my date in New York got from it , and what I myself have gotten from it : “ It not only changed my sense of humor , but it ’ s elevated my conversational skills . And my teaching ! I listen . I ’ m more accepting . Being silly and free is really cleansing . To let go and have that trust , and to fi nd laughter in it is really illuminating . Every musician should experience a role like this . There is no sheet music . You ’ re not the center of attention . You ’ re improvising , but not soloing . It ’ s a musical place that every musician should get to try .”
Gibb ’ s most recent original music project was the band The Deep Field Now , a creative future-rock sound collaboration . More currently , he is concentrating on writing solo singer-songwriting music for guitar and piano , and writing music for a new project called The Peace Lounge . A new rock band is also in development . You can hear some of his work with The Deep Field Now at thedeepfi eldnow . bandcamp . com .
Photos by Jason Fronczek
You can see more at : SAKComedyLab . com
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