Immersion Composition Society
Encyclopedia
The Immersion Composition Society (ICS) is an underground
network of composer
s, organized into independent groups, called lodges, who periodically spend one or more days composing unusually large volumes of music for the purpose of creating raw material for their new projects. There are several dozen lodges in the U.S, Canada, Europe, and South America. The book The Frustrated Songwriter's Handbook details the ICS approach to creative songwriting.
by two songwriters, Nicholas Dobson and Michael Mellender. Noticing that they were spending large amounts of time thinking about music and waiting for inspiration to strike — instead of actually writing music — in early 2001 they developed a new songwriting method that involved composing prolifically while trying to avoid any kind of self-editing or self-consciousness.
The result was a songwriting "game" that took place over the course of a single day. They both began to play it compulsively. Within a year, Dobson and Mellender had formed a society of songwriters, and this game — which came to be called the "20-Song Game", was its central activity.
of songwriters. The lodge exists as a way for all of the members to force themselves to write as much music as possible. The privacy and secrecy of a lodge are there to create a "safe" environment for musical experimentation, free of unwanted criticism and negative social pressure. The members of an ICS lodge do their best to support each other completely, and each member is encouraged to indulge any musical whim or subject matter — no matter how ridiculous or questionable it may seem to the songwriter at the time. Each lodge has a "lodge head," and any number of members, averaging up to a dozen.
, guitarist for British band Doves, as inspiration for their 2009 album Kingdom of Rust
.
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
network of composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s, organized into independent groups, called lodges, who periodically spend one or more days composing unusually large volumes of music for the purpose of creating raw material for their new projects. There are several dozen lodges in the U.S, Canada, Europe, and South America. The book The Frustrated Songwriter's Handbook details the ICS approach to creative songwriting.
History
The Immersion Composition Society was started in Oakland, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
by two songwriters, Nicholas Dobson and Michael Mellender. Noticing that they were spending large amounts of time thinking about music and waiting for inspiration to strike — instead of actually writing music — in early 2001 they developed a new songwriting method that involved composing prolifically while trying to avoid any kind of self-editing or self-consciousness.
The result was a songwriting "game" that took place over the course of a single day. They both began to play it compulsively. Within a year, Dobson and Mellender had formed a society of songwriters, and this game — which came to be called the "20-Song Game", was its central activity.
Songwriter lodges
The ICS is made up of local chapters called "lodges." An ICS lodge is not unlike a small, local secret societySecret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
of songwriters. The lodge exists as a way for all of the members to force themselves to write as much music as possible. The privacy and secrecy of a lodge are there to create a "safe" environment for musical experimentation, free of unwanted criticism and negative social pressure. The members of an ICS lodge do their best to support each other completely, and each member is encouraged to indulge any musical whim or subject matter — no matter how ridiculous or questionable it may seem to the songwriter at the time. Each lodge has a "lodge head," and any number of members, averaging up to a dozen.
The 20-Song Game
The 20-Song Game works like this:- The members start the day split up, working in their separate homes or studios. Each lodge member then attempts to conceive, write, and record as many new songs as possible before the day is over.
- In theory, they are all aiming for 20 new songs. In practice, anything can happen. Making it to the 20th song is not the real point. the Game is more about breaking free of inhibitions, playing and exploring, and entering a state a complete creative frenzy.
- The members do not use previously written material in their session, although broad details such as genre, mood, key, lyrical subject matter, or time signatures can be planned ahead. Song titles can also be planned ahead.
- If the Game is being played by multiple players, in the evening there will be a meeting. At a set time all participants get together to listen to the music that they created for the meeting, and to swap session stories. this is how lodges of the ICS play the Game.
- This game can also be played alone. A common method for solo players is to keep an online journal of one's sessions, or to interact with other users on an internet forum. The ICS Forum on the group's main website was created for this purpose.
Regional variations and special games
As more lodges were formed, ICS members from all over began to create regional variations, session themes, and new games with names like "Hat-Lib," "Spooling," and "Composer Tennis." It is also common for Society members to personalize the 20-Song Game over time, cycling through periods with higher and lower volume goals. This was the point when ICS methodology started to evolve into a larger system for songwriters that could be used to tackle more or less any goal that the user wanted, including low-volume goals such as developing production, arrangement, and craft. A popular example is a member invoking "album clause," where for the purpose of working toward an album project, the member suspends some of the ICS customs at his or her whim.The Frustrated Songwriter's Handbook
The songwriting method employed by the ICS is detailed in the The Frustrated Songwriter's Handbook (ISBN 0-87930-879-6), written by Nicholas Dobson and Karl Coryat and published by Backbeat Books. The book details the philosophy of the ICS and refers to the ICS songwriting system as "Immersion Music Method." Immersion Music Method and the book have been cited by Jez WilliamsJez Williams
Jez Williams is the guitarist/songwriter of Doves. He was born in Manchester, England, and he is also the twin brother of bandmate Andy...
, guitarist for British band Doves, as inspiration for their 2009 album Kingdom of Rust
Kingdom of Rust
Kingdom of Rust is the fourth studio album from British indie rock band Doves. The album was released on 6 April 2009 in the UK via Heavenly Records. A CD/DVD release of Kingdom of Rust, originally announced when promotion started for the album, was pulled by the label three weeks prior to the...
.
Lodge list
As of January 2010, there are over 30 active lodges worldwide (not all are listed here):| Lodge | Location | Date Started | Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin Lodge | Oakland, California | 2001 | |
| Wig Lodge | Oakland, California | 2001 | Site |
| New Lodge | Oakland, California | November 2001 | |
| Neptune Lodge | Vancouver, Canada | December 2001 | |
| Bullet Lodge | Minneapolis, Minnesota | October 2002 | Site |
| X-ray Lodge | Santa Cruz, California | 2002 | Site |
| Thelemic Lodge | Washington DC | 2002 | |
| Capsicum Lodge | Oakland California | 2003 | Site |
| Urchin Lodge | Reno, Nevada | 2003 | |
| Red Curtain Lodge | Denver, Colorado | 2003 | |
| Limestone Lodge | Bloomington, Indiana | 2003 | |
| The Black Lodge | Austin, Texas | 2003 | |
| Kraken Lodge | Milwaukee/Waukesha, Wisconsin | 2003 | |
| Veronica Lodge | Portland, Oregon | 2004 | |
| Zero Lodge | Dallas, Texas | 2004 | |
| Glamour Lodge | Hollywood, California | 2004 | |
| IncreduLodge | Seattle, Washington | 2006 | |
| Loge Cromorne 13 | Paris, France | 2007 | |
| Lazarus Lodge | unknown, France | 2007 | |
| Burning Lodge | London, UK | 2007 | Site |
| Eastside Lodge | Manhattan, New York | 2007 | |
| Heater Lodge | The North, UK | 2007 | Site |
| Limey Lodge | London, UK | 2007 | |
| Clutter Lodge | Gorinchem, Netherlands | 2007 | |
| Sardonic Lodge | Seattle, Washington | 2007 | Site |
| Sunburn Lodge | Tucson, Arizona | 2007 | Site |
| Hodgepodge Lodge | Frankfort, Kentucky | 2007 | Site |
| Geniuscar | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2008 | Last.fm > Site |
| Keinotodellinen Saunaloossi | Finland | 2008 | |
| Roger Lodge | Houston, Texas | 2008 | |
| Red Rug Lodge | Toronto, Canada | November 2008 | |
| Cull Lodge | Boston, MA | 2009 | Site |
| Mulch Lodge | Sudbury, MA | 2009 | http://www.ourstage.com/fanclub/themulchlodge |
| 668 Lodge | Brooklyn, New York | 2009 | Site |
| Jupiter Lodge | San Antonio, TX | 2009 | Site |
| The Pine Lodge | Sheffield, U.K. | 2010 | |
| Empty Bucket Lodge | Hamilton, OH | 2010 | Site |
| The Basement Lodge | Winnipeg, Canada | 2010 | |
| The Malmö Lodge | Malmö, Sweden | 2011 | |
External links
- Official ICS site: http://www.ics-hub.org/
- International ICS Community FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Immersion-Composition-Society/125887087505256
- Feature Article: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/writers-unblocked/Content?oid=1091163