Collin Sherman - Ouroborosuite (2026)

The United States is eating itself. The ceaseless vitriol of the political sphere permeates nearly every moment of our lives. For those of us not (yet) specifically targeted by the current administration, we can try to go through our normal daily routines ignoring the onslaught of news items constantly reminding us that things are not normal; but at some point this becomes impossible. As the administration launches enforcement actions, initiates public attacks, murders innocent civilians, and attempts to justify these things with blatant lies, it can feel as though even the most innocuous daily actions become somehow political – a declaration of a side taken.

I have spent many years making instrumental music, the vast majority of which I would never consider political. Yet when I make music now, it feels different; when much of every day is spent fretting about the government’s egregious abuses of power, illegal and immoral actions, and destruction of democracy, every note seems to become a cry – a cry for change, a cry of dismay, a cry of outrage. For this album, it seemed inevitable that I make some of these thoughts explicit. I use the symbol of the ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail, as an analogy for the United States. While the ouroboros is often associated with rebirth or rejuvenation, it also has more destructive connotations. The snake devours itself, relying upon its natural drive to consume while destroying itself in the process. Whether the country experiences a rebirth after the current administration is gone, or destroys itself strongarming its way into short-sighted policy goals, remains to be seen.

The suite presented here reflects some of the thoughts and emotions I have in response to our current governmental nightmare, perhaps most obviously reflected in the rare vocal performance on “Force Beyond Control”. Although it hardly needs to be said, I have taken a side – and it is firmly in opposition.

Collin Sherman: soprano saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, tárogató, electric cello, keyboards/midi instruments/synthesizers, guitar,vocals, drum programming.