this week in music

RED ROOSTER: WALK

New York band recently celebrated CD release at DROM

RED ROOSTER
www.redroostermusic.com
Formed in 1998 by lead vocalist Jay Erickson and lead guitarist Nat Zilkha, Red Rooster enters its second decade with its third release, the impressive WALK (Wondermore, September 2009), which follows 2002’s PORCH SONGS and 2005’s DOSE. The longtime friends expand their brand of alt-country folk Americana roots rock with a wide array of instruments on the new disc, featuring Susannah Hornsby (Bruce Hornsby’s niece) on accordion and vocals, Andrew Green on banjo, Dave Gould on saxophone, Brandon Doyle on French horn, Jamie Forrest on mandolin, Dick Neal on dobro, Jon Howe on harmonica, Simon Wettenhall on trumpet, Jeremy Randol and Lucas Ives on drums, Daniel Engelman on bass, and Peter Nilsson on keyboards. “Lord, these songs won’t get me far / I’m gonna write them as far as they’ll go,” Erickson sings on the opening track, “Bluebird,” and the band does indeed take them as far as they will go. Lush harmonies and bluesy interludes drive “Satisfied Mind,” while funky horns and guitars propel “The Places in Between.” The centerpiece of the album is the noirish story-song “Let It All Go,” with a panoply of sweet guitars and horn solos and an infectious chorus.

New album was recorded in Brooklyn and upstate New York

WALK was recorded in Brooklyn and upstate New York, and that dichotomy is evident in both the music and the lyrics as the city and the country continually do battle. “The city flows down in the street / Subway tracks lay down the beat / I miss the sound of the shuffling creek beside me,” Erickson sings on “Black Point Road.” The yearning “Washington Square” is a kind of companion piece to “Raining in Los Angeles,” spanning three thousand miles of heartbreak. The New York-based band held a CD release party on October 30 at DROM and is continuing the celebration with stops in Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, and Washington, DC, before heading out to the West Coast, where you can catch them in Oregon and California. (They’ll be in New Haven, Albany, and Wellsville in December.) Meanwhile, WALK is available as a “pay what you want” download at the band’s Web site and comes with three bonus tracks, including a cover of the Police hit “Every Breath You Take.”

PERFORMA 09

Fischerspooner will kick off Performa 09 at MoMA on Nov. 1

Multiple venues
November 1-22
Admission: free – $30
www.performa-arts.org
The third biennial Performa festival gets under way on November 1, kicking off three weeks of eclectic performance and installation art sponsored by Performa, a nonprofit interdisciplinary arts organization founded by RoseLee Goldberg that celebrates cutting-edge visual art and education. Although we’re suckers for multimedia performance art and site-specific sound and video installations, it can also be hit or miss, with concept often winning out over execution. But we’re here to narrow down the myriad choices for you; below are ten of our recommendations, in chronological order, to help you sift through the more than 150 artists participating in some 110 events at 80-plus institutions.

Lilibeth Cuence Rasmussen will look at the present and future at the Performance Project

Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen will look at the present and future at the Performance Project

Other highlights include Arto Lindsay’s “Somewhere I Read” at Duffy Square on November 1, Tracey Emin reading from “Those Who Suffer Love” and “Strangeland” at the Performance Project at University Settlement on November 7, Kalup Linzy at Taxter & Spengemann on November 8, Omer Fast’s reinvention of the game Broken Telephone at Abrons Art Center November 11-13, Mai Ueda’s “Family Dinner in a Parallel Universe” neo-fluxus event at the Emily Harvey Foundation on November 14, Yeondoo Jung’s “Cinemagician” theater piece at the Asia Society November 19-21, Marina Rosenfeld’s “P.A.” audio installation at the Park Avenue Armory on November 22, and Guy Ben-Ner’s live untitled film being screened nightly at 7:00 at Performa Hub at 41 Cooper Square throughout the festival.

Many of the events are free, with other ticket prices ranging from $10 to $30. There’s a whole bunch of awesome events, so do your best to try to check out at least one of these ultracool happenings.

Sunday, November 1 Fischerspooner, “Inbetween Worlds,” the Museum of Modern Art, $20, 6:00

Tacita Dean collaborates with Merce Cunningham shortly before the great choreographer's death

Thursday, November 5
through
Saturday, November 7 Tacita Dean, Craneway Event, feature-length film documenting Merce Cunningham dance rehearsals in an abandoned automobile factory, Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, $10

Friday, November 6 Jonas Mekas and Now We Are Here, live musical performance with lead singer Jonas Mekas and special guests, Emily Harvey Foundation, free, 9:00

Friday, November 6
and
Saturday, November 7 Auf den Tisch! (At the Table!), curated by Meg Stuart, featuring a revolving cast of artists and thinkers improvising at a large conference room table, including Trajal Harrell, Keith Hennessy, Yvonne Meier, Vania Rovisco, Meg Stuart, and others, Baryshnikov Arts Center, $20, 7:30

Saturday, November 7 First Saturdays: Rock Out, with “Twirl” by Jen DeNike, 6:00, and “Saaqiou” by Terence Koh, 9:30, Brooklyn Museum, free

Brilliant South African multimedia artist William Kentridge will discuss his latest work-in-progress at festival

Monday, November 9
and
Tuesday, November 10 William Kentridge, “I Am Not Me, the Horse Is Not Mine,” multimedia presentation about Kentridge’s work-in-progress, inspired by Shostakovich’s THE NOSE, Cedar Lake, $30, 8:00

Maria Hassabi follows up last month's "Solo" show with "SoloShow"

Thursday, November 12
and
Friday, November 13 Maria Hassabi, “SoloShow,” P.S. 122, $20

Friday, November 13 Guido Van Der Werve, “Nummer Elf: The King’s Gambit Accepted, the Number of Stars in the Sky & Waiting for an Earthquake,” Marshall Chess Club, $10, 7:00 & 9:00

Friday, November 13
through
Sunday, November 15 Wangechi Mutu, “Stone Ihiga,” multimedia performance and site-specific installation with music by Imani Uzuri, Saatchi & Saatchi, $15, 9:00

Deborah Hay and Yvonne Rainer collaborate for Performa 09

Tuesday, November 17
through
Thursday, November 19 Deborah Hay and Yvonne Rainer, “If I Sing to You / Spiraling Down,” Baryshnikov Arts Center, $25, 7:30

RADIO PLAY

Sue de Beer and Andy Comer collaborate on ghostly mystery at the Kitchen

The Kitchen
512 West 19th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
October 29-30, 8:00
Tickets: $10
212-255-5793
www.thekitchen.org
Video installation artist Sue de Beer and musician Andy Comer, formerly of such bands as the Prosaics and Tel Aviv, have collaborated on a multimedia adaptation of German writer Friedrich Schiller’s “The Ghost-Seer; or, Apparitionist, an Interesting Fragment, Found among the Papers of Count O*****,” a ghost story about a Venetian prince who “avoided all kinds of diversions, and though he was but thirty-five years old he had resisted the numerous attractions of this voluptuous city. To the charms of the fair sex he was wholly indifferent. A fettled gravity and a profound melancholy were the prominent features of his character.” De Beer, whose work includes PERMANENT REVOLUTION, THE QUICKENING, THE DARK HEARTS, and HANS AND GRETE, creates immersive environments through avant-garde video and sets; for example, her 2005 piece BLACK SUN consisted of a multichannel video shown in a homey screening room, with two comfy beanbag chairs and pictures and cutouts of cats, trees, and horses both inside and outside the space. For RADIO PLAY, de Beer has created the set and written the new text, which she will perform live onstage, accompanied by Comer’s original music, which to us sounds like a great way to kick off the Halloween weekend.

WEEKLY LISTINGS October 28 – November 4

Dessner brothers will lead special music event at BAM (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

THE LONG COUNT
Howard Gilman Opera House
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
Tickets: $20-$45
718-636-4100
www.bam.org

Wednesday, October 28
through
Saturday, October 31 “The Long Count” features three performances led by Bryce and Aaron Dessner of the National and visual artist Matthew Ritchie, with guest vocalists the Breeders’ Kim and Kelley Deal, My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, and the National’s Matt Berninger. There will be also be an artist talk with the Dessner brothers and Ritchie at the Hillman Attic Studio on October 31 at 6:00 ($8).

Dr. Leon Chang's life and work are celebrated at TECO (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

DR. LEON LONG-YIEN CHANG COMMEMORATIVE EXHIBITION
TECO
1 East 42nd St. between Fifth & Madison Aves.
Admission: free
212-557-5122
www.taiwanembassy.org
www.flickr.com/slideshow

Through Friday, October 30 In celebration of the life of poet, teacher, diplomat, artist, and calligrapher Dr. Leon Chang, who passed away this past May at the age of 101, the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in New York is hosting a splendid exhibit of Dr. Chang’s calligraphy, in beautiful scrolls and framed images, along with photographs and other memorabilia of a life well lived

Garth Fagan is presenting its thirty-ninth season at the Joyce (photo by Bob Joe)

GARTH FAGAN DANCE
Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
Tickets: $10-$49
212-645-2904
www.garthfagandance.org
www.joyce.org

Through Sunday, November 1 Garth Fagan’s thirty-ninth season features LANDSCAPE FOR 10, live music by the Ying Quartet, and more

SITI reinvents Sophocles at DTW

SITI COMPANY: ANTIGONE
Dance Theater Workshop
219 West 19th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Tickets: $20-$25
212-924-0077
www.dancetheaterworkshop.org

Wednesday, October 28
through
Sunday, November 1 Jocelyn Clarke’s reimagining of Sophocles’ classic drama, by the always inventive SITI Company

Emmanuelle Vo-Donh tests the limits of body and space at Danspace

ICI/PER.FOR
Danspace Project
131 East Tenth St. at Second Ave.
Tickets: $12-$18
212-674-8112
www.danspaceproject.org

Thursday, October 29
through
Saturday, October 31 Emmanuelle Vo-Dinh, with live music by Zeena Parkins, lighting design by Francoise Michel, and costumes by Virginie and Jean-Jacques Weil

COMMEDIA is part of Morphoses presentation at City Center

MORPHOSES: THE WHEELDON COMPANY
New York City Center
130 West 56th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Tickets: $15-$110
212-581-1212
www.morphoses.org
www.nycitycenter.org

Thursday, October 29
through
Sunday, November 1 One of the city’s hottest dance companies presents two programs: Wheeldon’s COMMEDIA, with music by Stravinsky; Lightfoot Leon’s SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU, with music by Arvo Part, J. S. Bach, and others; Alexei Ratmansky’s BOLERO, with music by Ravel; and the U.S. premiere of Tim Harbour’s new ballet, with music by Ross Edwards; and the second program: Wheeldon’s CONTINUUM, with music by Gyorgy Ligeti; SOFTLY; and the U.S. premiere of Wheeldon’s new ballet, with music by Rachmaninoff

SOUND/FRAME/REMIX
Austrian Cultural Forum
11 East 52nd St. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Admission: free
212-319-5300
www.acfny.org

Through Saturday, October 31 Multimedia exhibit focusing on new video coming out of the sound:frame festival

Amy Stein, "Riverside," digital C-print, 2009

AMY STEIN: DOMESTICATED
ClampArt
521-531 West 25th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Admission: free
646-230-0020
www.clampart.com

Through Saturday, October 31 Photographer (and taxidermist!) Amy Stein re-creates actual scenes involving animals that have been reported in a small town in northeast Pennsylvania, resulting in fascinating images that are at once beautiful and a little frightening

Sarah Silverman will go Jungian at the Rubin

THE RED BOOK DIALOGUES
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Tickets: $15-$25
212-620-5000 ext 344
www.rmanyc.org
Analysts delve into Carl Jung’s RED BOOK in a series of fascinating discussions featuring Albert Maysles, Alice Walker, David Byrne, Kathleen Chalfant, Marina Abramovicz, Cornel West, Billy Corgan, and many more.

Friday, October 30 Sarah Silverman, $25, 7:00

Wednesday, November 4 John Boorman, $25, 7:00

HAUSU (HOUSE) (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977)
BAMcinematek
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
718-636-4100
www.bam.org
www.youtube.com/hausutrailer

Saturday, October 31 Special Halloween presentation of very strange Japanese horror film, 2:00, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15

MARATHON FIREWORKS
Central Park
Outside Tavern on the Green
West Drive at 67th St.
Admission: free
www.ingnycmarathon.org

Saturday, October 31 Live entertainment and fireworks in honor of the New York City Marathon, 6:30

The wild rumpus continues in SoHo

SENDAK IN SOHO
Animazing Gallery
54 Greene St. at Broome St.
Admission: free
800-303-4848
www.animazing.com

Through Saturday, November 6 Special exhibit of the work of Maurice Sendak in conjunction with the release of WHERE THE WILDE THINGS ARE movie

Japanese ghost stories get the multimedia treatment at P.S. 122

AMERICAN KAMIKAZE
P.S.122
150 First Ave. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Tickets: $15-$20
212-352-3101
www.ps122.org
www.temporarydistortion.com

Through Saturday, November 14 Temporary Distortion’s adaptation of Japanese ghost stories, written and directed by Kenneth Collins, with video projections by William Cusick, and starring Brian Greer, Yuki Kawahisa, Lorraine Mattox, and Ryosuke Yamada

Taylor Mac's multigenre epic begins long run at HERE Arts Center

HERE Arts Center
145 Sixth Ave. at Dominick St.
Tickets: $35
212-352-3101
www.here.org

Through Sunday, November 22 Taylor Mac’s epic consists of five parts with forty musicians and performers, with direction by Paul Zimet, Rachel Chavkin, Faye Driscoll, Aaron Rhyne, and David Drake, with Kyogens directed by Kristin Marting

THE 25th ANNIVERSARY ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME CONCERTS

Bruce Springsteen will lead the crowd in first of two Hall of Fame shows at the Garden (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Madison Square Garden
32nd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
October 29 & 30, 7:30
Tickets: $79.50-$2,504.50
www.rockhall25.com
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which is based in Cleveland (and now has an annex in SoHo), is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary with a pair of concerts at the Garden that plan to tell the history of rock and roll music. Each night, four headliners will cover multiple periods of music, with specially curated sets and guest stars. On Thursday, October 29, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be joined by John Fogerty, Tom Morello, Sam Moore, and Darlene Love, Stevie Wonder will play with John Legend, Jeff Beck, Smokey Robinson, and B. B. King, Paul Simon will take the stage with Dion, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and someone named Art Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills and Nash will get mellow with Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor. On Friday, October 30, U2 gets down with Beck and Buddy Guy, Metallica rocks with Ozzy Osbourne, Ray Davies, and Lou Reed, Aretha Franklin gets some respect with Lenny Kravitz and Annie Lennox, and the Jeff Beck Band will headline a developing slot that opened when Eric Clapton had to cancel to get gallstone surgery. Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard are also expected to participate, while Van Morrison won’t be able to make it after all.

Currently, the only tickets left are going for the rather steep price of $2,504.50, with a convenience charge that nearly equals the price of the cheapest tickets. But keep your eye on Ticketmaster over the next few days, because new seats are almost always released for Garden shows as the date approaches. We were at the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland in 1995, which included some of the above acts in addition to Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers Band, Booker T. & the MG’s, Al Green, the Pretenders, James Brown, and George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars; the whole idea of the Hall of Fame might be stupid – the museum is fine but the induction thing is just plain dumb and meaningless – but they do know how to put on one helluva show.

PEARL JAM

Pearl Jam will kick out the jams in final Spectrum shows this week (photo by Karen Loria)

Spectrum
3601 South Broad St., Philadelphia
October 27-31
Tickets: $77
www.myspace.com/tenclub
www.wachoviacenter.com

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band recently said farewell to Giants Stadium with five shows that welcomed the wrecking ball to do its thing. Now Pearl Jam gets to do the same with the Spectrum, performing the last concerts ever at the famous Philly arena. But Eddie Vedder – himself a big Bruce fan – and the band have their work cut out for them, as the Boss just finished four spectacular shows at the Spectrum as well. But Vedder, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, and drummer Matt Cameron should be up to the task, touring behind their solid new album, BACKSPACER, which features such choice cuts as the classic-sounding “Johnny Guitar,” the propulsive “Supersonic,” the gorgeous “Amongst the Waves,” and the emotionally gripping finale, “The End.” As always, Pearl Jam has been mixing up their setlists plenty, including such classic covers as “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star,” “Little Wing,” “Kick Out the Jams,” “I Believe in Miracles,” and, of course, Who and Neil Young tunes, in addition to longtime PJ favorites, rarities, and old stand-bys. If you’ve never seen Pearl Jam before, you’re in for a real treat; their shows are three-hour marathons filled with raucous noise, bittersweet lyrics, and intense fan worship. Yeah, we know we’re called This Week in New York and generally don’t leave the NY/NJ area, but since there are no local shows scheduled (yet?), this is the closest you’re going to come, and it’s really not that far anyway. The great Social Distortion opens the festivities on October 27 & 28, with the great Bad Religion kicking things off on October 30 & 31.

RICHARD THOMPSON

Guitar virtuoso Richard Thompson will play all-request solo shows at City Winery (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

City Winery
155 Varick St. between Spring & Vandam Sts.
October 21-23, $35-$60, 9:00
212-608-0555
www.citywinery.com
www.richardthompson-music.com
Richard Thompson is one of the most entertaining performers around, whether he’s with his full band or doing a solo acoustic show. Although we’ve seen him playfully shoot down fans screaming out for specific songs, last year he held three all-request shows in California, and now he’s bringing that act to the intimate City Winery, and we could not be more excited. From his days in Fairport Convention to his much-chronicled marriage to Linda Thompson to his outstanding solo career, Thompson’s wry sense of humor, cynical lyrics, and guitar virtuosity continue to make for excellent records and even better concerts. Make sure to come prepared with your requests; you never know what he’ll end up saying yes to. (We’ll be asking for “Calvary Cross,” by the way.)

Richard Thompson considers another request at City Winery show (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

update: We might not have gotten “Calvary Cross,” but what we did get was another stunning performance by RT on October 23, closing his three-night sold-out stand at City Winery. Digging into a big bowl filled with audience requests, Thompson pulled out such utter delights as the unforgettable “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” a free-spirited “Valerie,” a misspelled “Al Bowlly’s in Heaven,” a killer “When the Spell Is Broken,” and a gorgeous “Walking on a Wire.” Thompson, who turned sixty earlier this year, also played several covers, including Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” a stellar sing-along version of the Easybeats’ “Friday on My Mind,” and, for Halloween, the bartender-requested “Monster Mash.” In fact, whenever Thompson, as amiable and acerbic as ever, didn’t feel like playing a requested song after that, he claimed it was yet another person asking for the Bobby “Boris” Pickett novelty tune. The end of the show featured such great numbers as “I Agree with Pat Metheny” (a funny riff on Kenny G) and a sensational “Matty Groves” as he reached back to his Fairport Convention days. (We couldn’t help but notice that his ex-wife and former recording partner, Linda, was mouthing the words from her seat in the audience as he sang.) Once again RT delivered a generous, wholly engaging, and marvelously entertaining show. Don’t dare miss him next time he comes around these parts, which can’t be soon enough.