The sixth annual Red & White Party is ready to blow your mind on December 14, with the festivities spreading across two spaces at (le) poisson rouge on Bleecker St. In the lounge beginning at 8:00, Jomai Etu of the Tribe of Magic will be manning the turntables, joined by various special surprise guests, with Maga Bo taking over at midnight at Joro Boro at 1:00. On the main stage, Caveman gets things going at 9:00, followed by Hank & Cupcakes at 10:00, DJ Roxy Cottontail at 11:00, DJ Michael Magnan at 12:30, and Die J! Mars at 2:00. Promising a cross-section of “subversive and seductive underground sounds,” the party also suggests wearing dancing shoes and drinking helmets.
Multiple venues
October 19-23
Full Festival Badge: $495; CMJ Play Pass: $149
Individual tickets available www.cmj2010.com
CMJ offers the opportunity to check out more than just up-and-coming bands from the small towns of Ohio, Georgia, Texas, and across the United States; the festival also includes several international showcases featuring new bands from all around the world that music fans probably wouldn’t get the chance to see otherwise, and certainly not all together in one evening. The durably chic Hiro Ballroom will be hosting the two-night France Rocks NYC showcases — of course, would you expect a French band to be seen in a less-than-chic venue? On Tuesday, the Rodeo, the Bewitched Hands on the Top of Our Hands, Emilie Simon, Revolver, and Soko play the Bureauexport Party, followed by Thursday’s Social Club Party with Mustang, the Aikiu, Pilooski, Yuksek & Brodinsky (aka the Krays), and Mikix the Cat, hailing from Paris, Bordeaux, Nice, and other hotspots Française. The French showcase at Hiro in 2008 was more than worthwhile; it’s hard to go wrong with French Europop, so we’re looking forward to these as well.
The annual Oh Canada event takes place Tuesday night at Fontana’s, with free admission, free Bloody Caesars, and free beer — oh yeah, there will also be performances by in-Flight Safety, Whaletooth, Freedom or Death, Gobble Gobble, and Kidstreet, hosted by Alan Cross. New Zealand was a CMJ darling in 2008, spurred by the popularity of the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, about a slacker folk duo trying to make it in New York City. Although Rhys Darby won’t be on hand as he was when we checked out the talent-packed New Zealand showcase at the Delancey two years ago, Tuesday night’s lineup at (le) poisson rouge should still be a Kiwi lover’s delight, with Lawrence Arabia, Street Chant, Ruby Frost, Kids of 88, Zowie, and Electric Wire Hustle, with complimentary 42Below cocktails.
Israel Unlimited is presenting the Sound Exchange Showcase Wednesday night at Drom, with Onili, Sagol 59, Hybrid Lava, Carusella, Tamar Eisenman, Izabo, and Ivri Lider taking the stage. A bit of the Blarney comes to CMJ on Thursday night as Windings, James Vincent McMorrow, Autumn Owls, and the Cast of Cheers lead the Music from Ireland showcase into the Bowery Poetry Club. Japan’s Boom Boom Satellites are at the electro showcase headlined by legend Gary Numan (“Cars”!) at the Best Buy Theater (formerly the Nokia) on Saturday, along with Brooklyn’s Rasputina; the other Japanese band at the fest, Sparky Quano, will be at Googie’s Lounge on Friday, with Germany’s Mark Mulholland, Brooklyn’s Danny Ross, the American duo the Winterlings, and Louisville’s Mark Geary. Saturday night is Swedish night at the Backstage Bar, with Raymond & Maria (who will also be playing Googie’s Lounge on Wednesday), Moto Boy, and the suspiciously faux-Irish-sounding O’Spada, with DJ sets and an afterparty by the Swede Beat and Taken by Trees. In addition, the Stockholm folk group First Aid Kit will be at the Delancey on Thursday and the Rockwood Music Hall on Friday.
On the eve of the International Day of Peace, Pete Seeger, Stephan Said, and Blitz the Ambassador are teaming up to celebrate the launch of difrent, “the global broadcasting platform for music for social change, a one-stop where artists, activists, and organizations come together to advance local initiatives around the world on a constant basis through music and video releases.” The performers will be backed by an all-star band featuring Cindy Blackman on drums, Kevin Hunter on mandolin and guitar, Yousif Sheronick on percussion, and Art Baron, Earl Gardner, Lenny Pickett on horns, with surprise guests expected. Born in Cleveland, Said is an avid activist for interfaith dialogue, his own heritage a mix of the Muslim, Catholic, and Jewish faiths. Seeger isn’t about to let his age (ninety-one) stop him from fighting for the truth; he recently decried efforts to get him to pull out of the Friends of the Arava Institute Israel-friendly program “With Earth and Each Other: A Virtual Rally for a Better Middle East,” telling the organization’s leader, “I could understand why someone might want to boycott something financially, but why would anyone want to boycott talking with each other?” Born in Ghana and based in Brooklyn, hip-hop genre bender and visual artist Blitz the Ambassador seeks to present to the world a different side of Africa.
This fall, innovative multimedia artist Laurie Anderson will perform the New York premiere of her 2010 Vancouver Olympics commission, DELUSION, as part of the BAM Next Wave Festival. But Anderson fans don’t have to wait until then to see the experimental guru, who will be celebrating the release of her latest album, HOMELAND (Nonesuch, July 2010), with a special intimate concert at le poisson rouge on July 13. Consisting of Anderson’s trademark violin-based soundscapes and talk-singing, the record features such poetic tales as “Transitory Life,” “Strange Perfumes,” “Flow,” and “Bodies in Motion.” HOMELAND’s guest roster includes Lou Reed, Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, and the great Kieran Hebden, also known as Four Tet; the CD/DVD package comes with a thirty-six-page book and a forty-two-minute art documentary.
Laurie Anderson featured songs from her new album, HOMELAND, at intimate show at (le) poisson rouge (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Update: Laurie Anderson burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the surprise success of “O Superman,” an experimental song dedicated to composer Jules Massenet that had all the markings of a one-off novelty hit. But in fact Anderson was a well-connected innovative performance artist who was soon presenting large, multimedia productions around the world, including “United States I-IV,” “Songs and Stories for Moby Dick,” and “Homeland,” incorporating stunning visuals and unique instrumentation (tape-bow violin, talking stick, and various voice filters) into her complex narratives. At the center of it all, however, outside of all the bells and whistles, is the music itself, as she proved at an intimate packed house at (le) poisson rouge on July 13. For ninety minutes, Anderson let the music do the talking, playing a stripped-down version of her brand-new album, HOMELAND, with Material’s Bill Laswell on bass, Rob Burger on keyboards and accordion, Antibalas’s Colin Stetson on various saxes and other brass, and a three-man team supplying backing vocals. Playing keyboards and violin and regularly channeling alter ego Fenway Bergamot, Anderson, in her trademark white shirt and thin black tie, delighted the crowd with splendid versions of “Only an Expert,” “The Beginning of Memory,” “Another Day in America,” “Falling,” and other tunes from HOMELAND, as well as bonus songs “Pictures and Things” and “Mambo and Bling,” commenting on the state of the nation, delving into politics, the economy, environmentalism, and other societal concerns. After the main set, Anderson came out for two encores, each time performing a virtuoso violin instrumental, then departing with a big smile on her face. (You can find more photos from the show on our flickr site here.)
Abrons Arts Center and other venues on the Lower East Side
466 Grand St. at Pitt St.
Sunday, June 20, through Wednesday, June 30
Admission: free – $25 (festival pass $150) www.visionfestival.org
The 2010 Vision festival gets under way June 20, kicking off eleven days of avantjazz at venues on the Lower East Side, with the Abrons Arts Center serving as home base. Run by the nonprofit group Arts for Art, this year’s event will honor Muhal Richard Abrams, naming him Master of the Rightful Arts of Music with a special series of programs June 24 at Abrons. Each day generally takes place at a single location, beginning with poetry and music at Gathering of the Tribes on June 20, a free outdoor concert with Little Huey’s Sextet & Children and the Roy Campbell Trio on June 21 at Campos Plaza Playground, followed by the Darius Jones Trio, the Lowest Common Denominator, Crackleknob, and the Bradley Farberman Ensemble at the Local 269. Among the other shows (at Abrons unless otherwise noted) are Frank London’s Kali Krew at Drom on June 22, Rob Brown’s New Quartet on June 23, contemporary dance choreographed by Jason Jordan on June 25, 28, and 29, Amiri and Amina Baraka with Thulani Davis and others on June 26, Billy Bang’s Spirit of Sir One on June 27, a drum tribute to the late Rashied Ali on June 29, and William Parker’s Southern Satellites at (le) poisson rouge on June 30. Many evenings will also include postmidnight jam sessions at Clemente Soto Velez. In addition, Abrons will host a related multimedia art installation June 23-29.
Masks and Mayhem is only one of many Purim parties taking place all over the city on February 27
The Jewish holiday of Purim is a time of rejoicing, celebrating the defeat of the Persian leader Haman, who, serving under Persian king Ahasuerus in the fifth century BCE, sought to kill all the Jews. There will be Purim parties all over town on Saturday night, when people will gather with noisemakers and good grog, partaking in the triangular delicacy known as hamentashen, and reading from the Megillah. Chris Noth will host the Aish Center’s “Masks and Mayhem” in the Sony Atrium, with food from Eli Kirshstein, a free drink, music by DJ Roy Baron, and a costume contest that can earn you a pair of first-class tickets to Israel or a Private Chef’s Table for Ten at Solo. The Shushan Channel will be going crazy at 92yTribeca with their eighth annual Purim spiel, “Lady Graga,” led by Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead and taking on pop culture as only they can. JDub records will be getting down at the CSV Cultural Center with a Hamanbashin costume contest and party featuring live performances by the Shondes, Can!!Can, and Gangsta Rabbi, DJ sets by Ultragrrrl and Matt Elkin, and Patrick Aleph delivering the whole Megillah channeled through Sid Vicious. Israeli hip-hoppers Hadag Nahash will be partying late into the night at (le) poisson rouge. At City Winery, Storahtelling presents Bloody Esther, starring Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross, better known as the First Lady of Judeo Kitsch. And in Brooklyn, Heeb magazine has teamed up with 3rd Ward for the Pour ’em Party, featuring Team Facelift, the Shining Twins, Dirty Fences, and DJs Johnny Tropical, Drew Heffron, and Kool Jew, while the Sway Machinery will headline the third annual Purim Bash at Littlefield, along with Djarara.
Poland’s Unsound Festival is currently under way in New York City for the first time, featuring 11 days of modern music from all over the world through February 14, at such venues as Lincoln Center, Public Assembly, the Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building, Harvestworks, and Issue Project Room. The series includes electronic music workshops for children, an art show, a tribute to Andy Warhol, panel discussions, and plenty of cool concerts, with performances by Finland’s Vladislav Delay, England’s Untold, Germany’s Jan Jelinek, Switzerland’s Kadebostan, Ukraine’s Zavoloka, Poland’s Zenial, Holland’s Legowelt, New York’s Alexander Kaline, and dozens more. One of the best lineups of the fest occurs on February 10 at le poisson rouge, when “Silence and Noise Part 1” features Kids Electronic Music Band, America’s Mountains, Sweden’s Tape, Austria’s Radian, and Canada’s Tim Hecker. Friends since middle school, Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp founded the music label Apestaartje in 1999 and shortly after that formed the group Mountains. Working and living in Brooklyn, the duo released two albums last year on Thrill Jockey, CHORAL and ETCHING, featuring monumentally minimalist electronic soundscapes mixing guitar, binaural field recordings, live sampling, and other subtle instrumentation primarily recorded live in their Brooklyn studio. The duo’s beautiful, hypnotic compositions take listeners on intriguing musical journeys that range from about two minutes to more than twelve, welcoming all comers into a mesmerizing, meditative, masterfully melodic experience. Labelmates Radian recently released their first album in five years, CHIMERIC, with Martin Brandlmayr, Stefan Nemeth, and John Norman displaying a somewhat calmer side to their electronic music on such songs as “Git Cut Noise” and “Feedback Mikro / City Lights,” with more bass, guitar, and drums added to the computerized samples and sequencing.
