San Diego Reader

Synoposis

Influences: John Zorn, Steve Mackey, Frank Zappa

Background:

Guitarist Derek Keller earned a Ph. D. in composition from UCSD, befored being signed in 2004 to experimental bandleader John Zorn’s Tzadik Record label. As of 2010, Keller lives in Sacramento.

In 2011, he debuted his historical opera California Tableaux, which he calls “a kaleidoscopic look at California’s cultural mixtures, from the era of Sir Francis Drake and his alleged landing on the Marin County coast in the late 1570s, to our most contemporary era.” The topical score tackles subjects like illegal immigration and border patrol policies.