Twenty-five people gathered at the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum on October 18th for something special – the inaugural Modulate Music Festival. After years of planning and dreaming, we finally brought experimental electronic music to Virginia City’s most resonant space. It went better than we could have imagined.

The Venue

The Fourth Ward School Museum proved to be the perfect venue for our festival’s debut. The acoustics in the E.L. Wiegand Great Room are remarkably bright and resonant – we achieved quality sound without overwhelming our audience’s ears. We were able to capture the resonant character of the space in our recordings.

Sound and Light: A Last-Minute Save

The night before the show, we were setting up using one of our older sound systems. Honestly, it sounded rough and way too loud. My good friend and fellow upright bassist Joe Sladwick contacted his friend Will Finn to run sound for us. Joe made some quick phone recordings and sent them to Will for advice.

Will told Joe not to fear – he would bring one of his sound systems and lighting rigs for the show. Will’s setup made us sound and look professional. We cannot thank Joe and Will enough for their support. The sound was amazing, clear but not loud, capturing the natural acoustics of the Wiegand room. Will’s lighting rig created moods that shifted with each piece, complementing the performances perfectly.

The Performances

Fine Pleiadian Leathers opened the evening, bringing an organic vibe with the Moog Mother 32 and drum machine. Their stage presence set the tone for the night, and their visual projections – changing shapes and colors peppered with recognizable logos and motifs – provided the perfect complement to all performances throughout the evening.

Kitzke took the stage second and impressed us with a well-polished, modern performance on a Polyend Tracker Mini and Elektron Analog Four MK-I. His set demonstrated the evolution of experimental electronic music – sophisticated, contemporary, and engaging.

The Language of Birds performed improvisational pieces that highlighted Alan Michael’s sonic sculpting abilities utilizing tape echo, delay, and electric guitar. I accompanied Alan on Fender Mustang Bass and looping pedals. We were fortunate to have Kitzke join us for several explorations as well, creating spontaneous collaborative moments.

My solo performance brought both challenges and satisfaction. I made mistakes with my prepared material – I needed to restart sequences and make sure I had the correct patches assigned. Despite the restarts, I was very satisfied with my performance. By the end, I found myself figuring out how we can do this all over again. (This is what I originally posted about my solo performance. After chatting with Kitzke and several friends, they convinced me to post this about myself):
“Miles closed the night with a raw, pulsating performance that mixed his music theory sensibilities with hypnotic electronic grooves!”

I have honestly not had such a wonderful response from an audience for my personal work in decades. For those of you who attended, I cannot thank you enough.

Looking Forward: Modulate 2026

We are planning Modulate 2026 and want to make this an annual October tradition. We are looking to highlight different artists alongside returning performers. This is an inclusive event welcoming individuals from all communities, please reach out and become a part of our vision.

If you know any artists who would like an opportunity to perform their original experimental electronic work, please contact us. We want to continue building this community and creating space for boundary-pushing electronic music in Northern Nevada.

The first Modulate Music Festival proved something we have believed for years – there is an audience for experimental electronic music, and there are artists ready to push boundaries in a supportive environment. The Fourth Ward School Museum, Will Finn’s technical expertise, and twenty-five open-minded listeners made it possible.

Thank you to everyone who made this night happen. See you in October 2026.

We’re excited to unveil the official branding for our October 18th event – Modulate Music Festival.

A New Identity

What began as an experimental electronic music festival now has its official name and visual identity: Modulate. The name reflects what we do – modulating sound, frequencies, and creative boundaries.

Elektronische Musik

The German phrase “Elektronische Musik” isn’t just design – it’s a nod to the historical lineage of electronic music pioneered in Germany at studios like WDR in Cologne. This festival stands in that tradition of serious electronic composition and experimentation.

Event Details

When: October 18th, 2025, 7-9:30 PM
Where: Fourth Ward School Museum, 537 South C Street, Virginia City, NV
Tickets: $10 at door, 21+ Only

Live performances with:

• Miles Kiechler
• The Language of Birds
• Kitzke
• Fine Pleiadian Leathers

Four artists bringing experimental electronic compositions, live improvisation, and multimedia visual elements to Virginia City’s historic venue.

From Concept to Reality

This festival represents years of planning and collaboration among electronic music enthusiasts who wanted to create a dedicated space for experimental work. With our official branding now in place, Modulate Music Festival is ready to become an annual tradition in Northern Nevada’s music scene.

Mark your calendars. October 18th. Modulate Music Festival.

I’m excited to share that I’ll be performing at an intimate backyard concert on September 27th at Trabert House from 7:30-10:00 PM.

The Performance

This will be a special evening in the backyard featuring a mix of acoustic folk and experimental electronic music. The lineup includes Ghost Cat and BLIVIT bringing acoustic folk-style music, while The Language of Birds (my electronic group) represents the experimental electronic side of the evening.

The contrast between organic acoustic folk and electronic experimentation creates an interesting dynamic – especially in the relaxed outdoor setting of a backyard concert where electronic music will stand out against the acoustic backdrop.

About the Event

When: September 27th, 7:30-10:00 PM
Where: Trabert House (backyard)
Format: BYOB, Good Times Indeed

The evening promises to be an “interesting showcase” in a relaxed, outdoor environment. Backyard concerts have a special energy – they combine the intimacy of house shows with the open-air atmosphere, creating space for both focused listening and casual interaction under the stars.

Looking Ahead

This performance comes just weeks before our larger Experimental Electronic Music Festival on October 18th in Virginia City. It’s a perfect opportunity to preview some material and connect with the local experimental music community in a more intimate, outdoor setting.

Backyard concerts represent something essential about music – the direct connection between artist and audience in a natural, comfortable environment. Looking forward to sharing electronic compositions under the open sky alongside these talented acoustic folk acts.

October 18th approaches – here’s what’s happening behind the music

The Artists

Fine Pleiadian Leathers creates original sound constructions using analog synth, classical guitar, mic, and hand percussion with a looper and various pedals. Expect guitar-driven textures meeting monophonic inventions in a free-range exploration of sound.

Kitzke explores sound across a spectrum from experimental ambient to dream pop, bringing the same colorful flavor to every project. For this performance, expect a live electronic set exploring house vibes aimed to tickle your brain and wiggle your bum.

The Language of Birds consists of Alan Michaels and Miles Kiechler. Both doubling on synthesizer with Alan on electric guitar and Miles on electric bass. Alan brings decades of synthesizer experience from Seattle’s independent music scene, having worked with the Telepaths, Radios, and Visible Targets. TLOB will be performing primarily improvised explorations for this performance. Utilizing synths and pedalboards.

Miles Kiechler I will be performing original music written on synthesizers, drum machine, and samplers. For this batch of music, I limited myself to a small set of gear without using a computer in the process. These works are the result of this particular setup.

The Venue: More Than Just Four Walls

The show will be at 7:00 – 9:30 PM on Saturday October 18th. The Historic Fourth Ward School Museum provides more than just a performance space – there’s a bar onsite serving beer, wine, champagne and hard seltzers.

The Collaborative Vision

We wanted to create an annual event where artists could perform their work in a dedicated setting alongside their peers. This inaugural festival represents our hope to establish a recurring tradition – if we can make this fly, we’re aiming for our next gathering in October 2026.

We specifically chose to call this an Experimental Electronic Music Festival because of the improvisational and unconventional approaches that define much of the music. This distinction matters to us – we want to be clear that this isn’t EDM, but rather a space for boundary-pushing electronic art that defies easy categorization.

What to Expect

This will follow a traditional concert format enhanced by visual elements. Fine Pleiadian Leathers opens the evening and will then provide visually reactive projections for all subsequent performers using rear screen projection and a Hypno Visual Synthesizer.

Performance Order:

• Fine Pleiadian Leathers – Opening set, then visual accompaniment
• Kitzke
• The Language of Birds
• Miles Kiechler

The visual projections will respond and interact with each artist’s sound, creating a multimedia experience that evolves throughout the evening. This isn’t just background imagery – the visuals become part of each performance, adding another dimension to the experimental electronic compositions.

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Experimental Electronic Music Festival October 18th, Virginia City

I’m excited to announce a very special performance happening on October 18th at the Historic Fourth Ward School Museum in Virginia City, Nevada.

What This Event Is

As electronic music enthusiasts who have been producing our work and honing our craft for years, we wanted to create something different: an event that provides a dedicated space for artists to present their experimental electronic work in a multimedia environment. This isn’t just a concert – it’s a curated experience where innovative sound meets visual and spatial artistry.

The Vision

The Historic Fourth Ward School Museum provides the perfect atmospheric backdrop – a space where exploratory electronic compositions can resonate within walls that have witnessed over a century of learning and community gathering.

The Artists

This inaugural festival brings together four artists who share a passion for pushing electronic music boundaries:

• Fine Pleiadian Leathers
• Kitzke
• The Language of Birds
• Miles Kiechler

Event Details

When: October 18th, 2025
Where: Historic Fourth Ward School Museum
537 S C St, Virginia City, NV 89440
Tickets: $10 at the door

Join us for this inaugural experimental electronic music festival.

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