Songs created for, Philadelphia based choreographer and dancer, Ellie Goudie-Averill:
Banana Dance Machine - premiered on December 18th 2009 at the INhale Performance Series at the wonderful CHI Movement Arts Center in Philly.
Penumbra - premiered October 8th 2009 at DNA’s RAW Material in NYC.
Cake Dance - Performed at Arts Iowa City, the Folly Theater (Kansas City) and the Cool NY Festival (NYC).
Landscapes - Performed at the Lawrence Arts Center’s Invitational Choreographer’s Showcase and at the DUMBO Dance Festival, NYC.
01.23.10 - Dreamer - a Tiny Vipers song reinterpreted
http://cllct.com/files/Caleb_Engstrom/1444/dreamer.mp3
01.19.10 - Consolation Prize - a Sharon Van Etten song reinterpreted
http://cllct.com/files/Caleb_Engstrom/1444/consolation%20prize.mp3
01.02.10 - The Book of Love - a Magnetic Fields song reinterpreted
http://cllct.com/files/Caleb_Engstrom/1444/The%20Book%20of%20Love.mp3
12.15.09 - New Wine - a Johannah Swank song reinterpreted
http://cllct.com/files/Caleb_Engstrom/1444/new%20wine%20-%20j.s.mp3
05.08.09 - I'll Be on the Water - an Akron/Family song reinterpreteted
http://cllct.com/files/Caleb_Engstrom/1444/ill%20be%20on%20the%20water%20cover.mp3
To download 4 free live songs recorded to tape click DAYTROTTER
For information (shows, listening, purchasing) click MYSPACE
If you are interested in inviting me to perform you should email my good friend Seth at seth@nicodemusagency.com My email address is = caleb.engstrom@gmail.com ...they are getting ready for bed. Many species of birds gather together at dusk in preparation to spending the night in a large group, or roosting for the night. Sometimes there are thousands of individual birds in these groups. No one knows exactly why various species of birds do this. One possibility, of couse, is the idea of safety in numbers. By gathering in very large groups the risk of any individual bird falling prey to a nocturnal predator such as an owl becomes very low. Another possibility relates to the observed fact that this behavior, especially in some species, is more common in winter. That is by gathering in large groups the birds moderate the effects of cold weather with the collective heat of massed bodies. ( http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mersehead/seasonal_highlights.asp ) One ornithologist, Michael Westerfield, theorizes that the majority of the birds in these groups are younger, unmated birds without their own territory. The socialization aspects are vital to these birds in seeking out mates. As Westerfield says, "The communal roost serves primarily a social function where birds challenge each other, find potential mates, and communicate, in one way or another, their individual and joint experiences." This certainly appears to be the case with parrots, who gather morning and evening for mutual grooming and social interaction. This is a description of what crows do: "During the day, the crow population may be spread out over a very wide area, but perhaps an hour or more before dusk, birds will begin to fly towards the roost, collecting together into ever larger flocks as they get nearer. Generally, it seems as though most birds do not fly directly to the communal roost, but stop at nearby "staging areas". In some cases there may be several staging areas fairly near the roost. Often staging areas are in cemeteries or other areas where fairly open areas are surrounded by or interspersed with trees. Birds will fill the surrounding trees, hunt for food on the ground, and engage in general socializing. A roosting area may be virtually empty while nearby thousands of crows mill about in a staging area. As dusk approaches, the birds will abandon the staging area and gather in the communal roost. Often every suitable branch on every tree for a considerable distance will have a crow occupying it and there are constant alarms and mass flights and continual interactions of birds both in flight and in the trees. The noise level can be tremendous. As it grows dark the birds settle down and remain quite until dawn when they disperse again. Almost nothing is known about why crows form these communal roosts or of the dynamics of the populations involved. It appears that crows will travel considerable distances to a roost, but that not necessarily every crow in an area will travel to a particular roost every night. There is some indication that some individual crows may go to a roost some nights but not others." 