In this series, KMFA Story Seeker Natalie Zeldin explores Austin musicians and groups that are "on the edge" between classical and...something else. Check back for more articles about these new music innovators.

If you find an object that makes a cool sound when you hit it, Matt Teodori has probably already figured that out. After all, he holds a doctorate in percussion performance. Matt is a member of line upon line percussion, an ensemble that performs contemporary, often-experimental music crafted for what they describe as “adventurous and curious listeners”. The trio has commissioned new works from composers which they have performed and recorded on their debut album. The ensemble, which was founded in Austin, has been named “Best Ensemble” in 2013 and 2014 by the Austin Critics’ Table.

Here, KMFA interviewed Matt to learn more about what he does:

KMFA: How did you get started playing percussion?

I guess like a lot of percussionists, I was just hitting things around the house, so my parents thought it might be good to get some lessons. Most of my upbringing on percussion was on the drumset. I wasn’t part of the normal middle or high school band system, so I didn’t end up doing classical percussion stuff until I was scrambling to put together an audition tape. That’s when I realized that percussion wasn’t just about drumset.

Where you surprised when you got to college about what classical music was?

It was a huge learning curve. I was really behind--I didn’t have the chops that incoming percussion majors have. I had been pretty oblivious to what the orchestral scene was like and what playing in an orchestra was like. I got a crash course. It was a whole new world to me; I was really excited.

Do you think it’s annoying when people say “I could do that [banging on stuff]?” And what do you say to them?

Actually I think that one of the simple pleasures about percussion is that it’s very elementary in a way. It’s actually kinda fun when people feel like they can feel like they can envision themselves doing what we’re doing. We’re happy that people feel like they have a connection to what we do.

We recently held a fundraiser where people participated in performing Steve Reich’s Clapping Music. The group appreciated how a simple pattern like that can have its own challenges. Also, we always invite people after our concerts to check out our setup. So, it’s not really a bothersome thing that people will ask. Hopefully if we play well, people will get something out of it and see that there’s definitely some work happening here.

How did line upon line percussion get started?

We started while we were all in school at UT and we were all enjoying our time in percussion ensemble. But the sad reality is that most people only do percussion ensemble in school. So, we started as a collective and called some art museums in Austin with our show. Then as the time commitment got involved, we became more identifiable and reinvented as a trio in 2010.

Where does the name “line upon line” come from?

It’s from a verse in Isaiah talking about how we learn--little things one at a time, and end up getting our act together. It’s been a really apropos name, and it has really programmed us in a way. In school, you learn how to hit things really well, but you don’t learn to make people care about you hitting things. We are all sort of self-taught in that way: running a non-profit, bookkeeping, grant writing--it’s all trial by fire. So, the name still works, and we still live it every day.

You guys like to commission music. Why do you think that that’s important?

First of all the most fun we have with a group is working with composers on their music. We hold the craft of composition in high regard; people spend a lot of time shaping pieces. It’s also our sound education, thinking of new instruments and adaptations of instruments to come up with something interesting. It gives us a chance to expand our palate and understanding of what we do.

How do you obtain all the instruments that you need for your ensemble?

It is a slow process of acquiring instruments. Before we program anything, we ask, “Do we own everything?” If not, do we purchase, rent, borrow? We also do a lot of instrument making. We’ve gotten decent with a chop saw. When we work with a composer, we often offer to make certain things. We recently cut and tuned a set of 10 pipes.

What do you have coming up this month?

This week we have the next show of our Austin series. We’re playing works for 3 percussionists and piano. The virtuoso pianist is Charlie Magnone, who is a real new music champion and Co-Director of Fast Forward Austin. We’re playing two John Cage pieces, and works by Phillipe Hurel and Mathias Spahlinger.  The Spahlinger piece is played mostly on found objects, including gutters, scissors, and even breadboards. These things are not meant to be percussion, but they are orchestrated into this amazing sound world. The Cage pieces use prepared piano (discussed here).

What do you like to do when you’re not banging on objects?

I’m a really avid cyclist, so you can find me on any of the hills in Austin. I love them all.

To purchase tickets to the show on November 19-20th, click here.