Honey Behind the Sun (2021)
for four electric string instruments (electric violin, electric viola, electric cello, and electric bass) and effects pedals [8:30]

Honey Behind the Sun is a short piece for electric strings: the contrabass, which takes the role of a soloist, and the electric violin, viola, and cello, which play a supporting role. The bass plays an expressive pizzicato quasi-improvisation in a microtonal mode, long sostenuto phrases modeled on the resonant buzzing of the Indian rudra veena. The other instruments play through delay pedals set to long decay times of 6-7 seconds, but at varying rates, so that repeated material is always being pulled apart in different directions — and through overdriven amps that color the sound. The title comes from an early Muddy Waters recording, in homage to the microtonal inflections and the pioneering dirty, tube amp tone of his electric guitar. The piece was commissioned by Ensemble Modern for this occasion and is dedicated to Paul Cannon.