Philip Glass at Bang on a Can in June (more by Andrew Frisicano)

Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson are headlining the NYC Film-Makers Co-op Benefit at Santos Party House on November 16. Other artists performing include David Barton's band Liquid Blonde, Little Annie, Transgendered Jesus, the Love Butchers, and possibly more to be announced. Tickets for the show are on sale now.

Meanwhile, the New York Philharmonic and Philip Glass Ensemble are performing Glass's music for the 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi: A Life Out Of Balance TONIGHT (11/2) and Thursday (11/3) at Avery Fisher Hall. This will mark the first time that the New York Philharmonic have ever performed Philip Glass's music. Tickets for both shows are still available but are almost sold out so act quickly. A trailer video is below.

In other news, Beck (who recently worked with Stephen Malkmus and Thurston Moore) is working on a Philip Glass tribute remix album with producerHector Castillo. The album will feature contributions from Beck, Bjork, Lou Reed, Memory Tapes, Tyondai Braxton (ex-Battles), Amon Tobin, Roger Waters, Cornelius, and potentially more to be announced. No release date has been announced yet.

Speaking of Lou Reed, you can still stream the album he made with Metallica, "Lulu", over at loureedmetallica.com (if you dare!).

NY Philharmonic video below...

Continue reading "Laurie Anderson playing benefit w/ Philip Glass (whose work is being performed & remixed elsewhere too)"

words & photos by Andrew Frisicano

"13 consecutive hours of experimental and avant-garde noodling" - NY Times on the Bang on a Can Marathon as quoted by Glenn Branca

The 2011 Bang on a Can Marathon went down on Sunday, June 19th, at the World Financial Center in NYC. As usual, a healthy contingent stayed for the duration (not me, I made it from around 5pm to the end). But even in just those last few hours there were some incredible performances. I caught Bang on a Can All-Stars playing with Philip Glass (who also opened with a solo performance of his "Metamorphosis IV"), a lively set from Sun Ra Arkestra, a show-stealing piece by Evan Ziporyn for himself and three other clarinetists, and a closing, full-on rock set by Glenn Branca Ensemble, who played from his album The Ascension: The Sequel.

Before that, Signal performed a droning, dramatic piece by BoaC cofounder Julia Wolfe, and Talea Ensemble and soprano Tony Arnold lead the NY premiere "An Index of Metals" by Fausto Romitelli, which tapped a laptop for atmospherics that bounced around the room's different speakers. Asphalt Orchestra similarly made good use of the Winter Garden space, marching around various quadrants of the room (and starting off the day with an outdoor performance). As you'll see in the pictures below, the Sun Ra Arkestra also made their way around the room, leaving the stage in a procession to the back.

As with past years, the Winter Garden was an adequate but not ideal venue. The sound could vary dramatically in different corners of the massive room, from bone dry in front of the stage to an echoey wash-out in the wings and the back (most noticeable when a speaker takes the mic, and is unintelligible from various vantage points). At the same time, the open space encourages the concert's free-flowing, low-pressure atmosphere, which is a huge part of its recurring appeal.

More pictures from the day, and a couple of videos, below...

Continue reading "2011 Bang on a Can Marathon (pics, video & review)"

Asphalt Orchestra at Lincoln Center (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

The Bang on a Can Marathon returns on Sunday (6/19) with a mammoth thirteen hours of FREE live music kicking off at 11AM at NYC's World Financial Center Winter Garden (200 Vesey Street). Featuring over 150 musicians/composers, the fest includes performances from, and compositions by, names like Philip Glass, Glenn Branca Ensemble, Sun Ra Arkestra, David Byrne/Annie Clark, Bryce Dessner, Frank Zappa, Bjork, Yoko Ono, and many more. The full lineup and schedule is below.

Continue reading "Bang On a Can Marathon Sunday -- full schedule"

Asphalt Orchestra outside Lincoln Center in 2010 (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Sunday June 19
Bang on a Can Marathon
Presented by Bang on A Can and Arts World Financial Center

Bang on a Can returns with its incomparable 12-hour super-mix of genre-defying music featuring over 150 astounding musicians and composers from throughout the world. Highlights include Philip Glass performing live with the Bang on a Can All-Stars; music by Bryce Dessner of The National; sonic downtown legend Glenn Branca; the outerplanetary Sun Ra Arkestra; the Asphalt Orchestra playing music by David Byrne/Annie Clark, Yoko Ono, and Frank Zappa; the intrepid Signal in a blistering string orchestra work by Julia Wolfe plus New York premieres by Richard Ayers, Fausto Romitelli, Poul Ruders, Toby Twining and much more! 12pm-12am. World Financial Center Winter Garden, 220 Vesey Street.

Meanwhile catch Bang on a Can performing Steve Reich at Carnegie Hall on April 30th.

In July Bang on a Can head to MASS MoCA for 20 days. Details below...

Continue reading "Bang on a Can Marathon initial 2011 lineup announced, Summer Festival at MASS MoCA too "

As previously mentioned, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson curated February at the Stone. Along with daily shows by many notables, every Sunday in February, including today (the Superbowl one), is an open house.

EVERY SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY--STONE OPEN HOUSE
Laurie Anderson and Anna Brenner invite you to Stone Open House.
FEEL FREE TO COME IN ANY TIME BETWEEN 3 AND 10PM
From the practical to the theoretical, SOH will be a place to hang out, drink great coffee, read, listen to unusual presentations and invent alternative ways to live and work. Part think tank, part party, SOH will host a series of presentations that cover a wide range of topics- from the history of boilers to teaching music to dogs. In cooperation with Housing Works Book store, SOH will present a library of must-read books for people interested in expanding in unpredictable ways.

2/6 Sunday (KM)
OPEN FROM 3PM TO 10PM
Scheduled Lectures:
4:00 PM--Eyvind Kang: Mood, Being, Acoustic Image (a workshop for bowed strings to which all are welcome, bowed string players should bring instruments!)
6:00 PM--Erik Ehn: Writing is breaking / Writing about genocide
8:00 PM--Roma Baran: Suddenly Jewish
Admission to the Open House is FREE. A TEN DOLLAR fee will be collected from those attending each lecture.

DOWNLOAD: Steven Drozd - "Born" (MP3)

Tibet House US Benefit 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)

No word on how a giant vagina entrance, a bear suit, Wayne Coyne in an inflatable ball, Hulk hands and similar props will work at Carnegie Hall, but The Flaming Lips will join recent addition Taj Mahal at the 21st Annual Tibet House US Benefit Show on 3/3. The two join a veritable all-star lineup that includes Michael Stipe, The Roots, Patti Smith with Jesse Smith & Michael Campbell, Angelique Kidjo, James McCartney, and of course curator Philip Glass. Tickets for the concert are on sale via Carnegie Hall, while tickets for the concert and a fund-raising dinner are on sale via Tibet House directly. (Note: Do not expect a full set by any band - they usually play 3 songs each at the most, with a few collaborations and group sing-alongs).

In related News, Wayne Coyne recently talked to Spin about some of the Lips' plans for 2011...

First up, the band is heading to New York to cut tracks with synth-pop artist Neon Indian and longtime producer Dave Fridmann, and they're hoping to release the results on the fly. "We're going to do two or three songs with him and that shit should be ready to go pretty quickly," says Coyne, who posted a demo of a potential collaborative track earlier this week. "I have a couple of tunes that he's heard and we'll just do that shit and fix that up and fuck around together."

Coyne adds that he'd love to do similar collaborations with Deerhoof and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: "I think everybody would be up for doing something. But a lot of it comes down to us fitting into their schedules. I can always sneak in on their thing."

Finally, Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips recently dropped the score for The Heart Is Drum Machine, a documentary that examines music and human attraction to it. The twelve-track mostly-instrumental LP features tracks like "Born" (downloadable above, streamable below) and a cover of Elton John's "Rocket Man" featuring none other than Maynard James Keenan of Tool/A Perfect Circle. The film also features Drozd, Keenan, & Wayne Coyne, alongside appearances from Jason Schwartzman, Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, Juliette Lewis, Spoon's Britt Daniel, George Clinton, and many others who all discuss their personal connection to music. The Heart Is A Drum Machine is out now on DVD and the soundtrack is out now on iTunes.

The soundtrack tracklisting, the film trailer, and that song stream are all below.

Continue reading "Flaming Lips & Michael Stipe playing Tibet Benefit, Deerhoof playing Europa, Heart Is A Drum Machine score out now"

by Andrew Frisicano

Signal at LPR

New music ensemble Signal will visit (Le) Poisson Rouge on Sunday, April 11th for two performances of Philip Glass's 1981 album Glassworks (its NY live premiere) along with Glass's "Music in Similar Motion" and other works. Tickets for the early set and late set are both on sale. Clips from Glassworks are posted below.

Also coming up, Signal will be at Merkin Hall on May 27th to debut a new piece by Nico Muhly and UK composer Harrison Birtwistle's The Corridor (its US premiere). The show is part of Kaufman Center's Contemporary Contexts series and Face the Music, "Kaufman Center's critically-acclaimed teen ensemble," will open with a pre-show performance of Muhly's "Honest Music" and "How About Now." Tickets are on sale for that.

Nico Muhly (who worked on the new albums by Jonsi and Sam Amidon, and who played himself quite a bit at Big Ears Fest) was commissioned along with composers Sean Shepherd and Matthias Pintscher to write a piece for Contact!, the NY Philharmonic's new music series that kicked off last December. All three pieces debut April 16th at Symphony Space (and played again a day later at Metropolitan Museum of Art). Tickets for Symphony Space show are on sale.

Outside of NYC, Signal travels upstate to join Eastman School of Music's Musica Nova and others in performing Steve Reich pieces in Rochester and Buffalo this May and June (works include Music for 18 Musicians and Pulitzer winning Double Sextet).

Another thing Signal has on its calendar is the 2010 Bang on a Can Marathon, set for Sunday, June 27th, noon-midnight, at World Financial Center Winter Garden. At the fest, the group will participate in Shelter, a multimedia work co-composed by BoaC founders Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe and David Lang. The initial lineup also includes the US premiere of Professor Bad Trip by Fausto Romitelli. A video of that piece is below.

Most recently, Signal joined Shara Worden and others to perform Sarah Kirkland Snider's Penelope at Galapagos on Saturday, April 3rd.

All the above-mentioned videos posted below...

Continue reading "Signal's upcoming shows include Bang on a Can Marathon, works by Philip Glass & Nico Muhly (who has shows too) "

photos by Chris La Putt

Performances by Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Gogol Bordello brought the crowd at Carnegie Hall to its feet on Friday night, as the musicians took part in the 20th annual Tibet House benefit.

The concerts, whose musical acts are organized by composer and Tibet House Vice President Philip Glass, are scheduled to coincide with the Tibetan New Year and bring in anywhere from $100,000 to $250,00 for the nonprofit group every year.

The evening began with chanting from several Drepung Gomang Monastery monks, followed by comments from Glass about the difficulty in finalizing a final roster of performers every year given all the participants' busy schedules. Next, Robert A. F. Thurman, the president and one of the co-founders Tibet House, likened the Tibetan people to the Na'vi, the blue, cat-like aliens featured in James Cameron's sci-fi film "Avatar." He noted that both groups of individuals deserved and needed saving, and repeated the film's catch phrase "I see you" for double effect. [Wall Street Journal]

Continue reading "Tibet House Benefit 2010 in pictures (Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Regina Spektor, Gogol Bordello & more)"

Tibet House US will hold its 20th Annual Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on Friday, February 26th. Philip Glass, the concert's Artistic Director, once again brings together an original line-up of contemporary artists including Patti Smith, Jesse Smith, Michael Campbell, Baaba Maal and Pierce Turner with more performers being confirmed soon.

Carnegie Hall is located at 881 Seventh Avenue (at 57th Street). Concert tickets are $35 to $85 and can be purchased by calling Carnegie Charge at 212.247.7800 or in person at the Carnegie Hall Box Office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue). Tickets go on sale December 24th.

photos by Ryan Muir

As those keeping count already know, Dirty Projectors played four NYC shows in November with Tune-Yards. Two were at Bowery Ballroom. Two were at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The final one featured two very special guests, one of which was The Roots, who, members of the Dirty Projectors then played with again on Fallon the night before Thanksgiving.

We had pictures/reviews from three of the four shows: Bowery, MHOW, MHOW (DP & TY), Bowery (DP & TY). The missing "DP" pics from MHOW are in this post.

As previously noted, Dirty Projectors also have another NYC show coming up, but in much fancier quarters. Tickets are still on sale for the February 19th show at Lincoln Center's Allen Room.

And it ends up that will be only one of two extra special shows the Brooklyn band plays in NYC that month. The other, though it will only be a short set, will happen exactly a week later...

Tibet House US will hold its 20th Annual Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on Friday, February 26th. Philip Glass, the concert's Artistic Director, has once again brought together an amazing, original line-up of contemporary artists.

For the past twenty years at Carnegie Hall, the annual concert has assembled some of the biggest names in music and offers audiences a mix of unprecedented musical collaborations and solo offerings. And 2010 will be no exception!

Concert tickets are $35 to $85 and can be purchased by calling Carnegie Charge at 212.247.7800 or in person at the Carnegie Hall Box Office (57th Street and Seventh Avenue).

One day later (2/27), the Dirty Projectors will play the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic. Tickets are on sale.

All dates and more pictures below...

Continue reading "Dirty Projectors playing 2010 Tibet House benefit concert & w/ the LA Philharmonic (dates) ++ pics from MHOW"

by Andrew Frisicano

Mode Records has etched its name in the annals of music history, producing the avant-garde and modern classical music of influential composers such as John Cage, Morton Feldman, Iannis Xenakis, and Harry Partch. In its twenty-fifth year, they are hosting a six-hour benefit concert featuring very special performances by Philip Glass and John Zorn and a rare performance of John Cage's "Concert for Piano and Orchestra" with "Aria." This marathon of experimental music luminaries in the intimate Abrons Playhouse helps Mode Records to continue producing the best of New Music into the 21st century.

Thanks to the recession (and the other more nuanced factors we can lump in with it), the Mode concert is neither the only benefit nor the only marathon happening this week. Another benefit marathon this week (also with John Zorn) is happening at the Clemente Soto Vélez (CSV) Cultural Center (dubbed "The Suffolk" for CMJ this year) on Friday, Nov. 20th and Saturday, Nov. 21st. The beneficiaries of the 28 hour marathon are non-profit Arts For Art and the annual Vision Festival, which is going into its 15th year. Night one acts include Sex Mob, John Zorn solo, pianist Connie Crothers and her quartet, Sam Hillmer's Regattas and $KELETON$ Big Band (who are also at the Stone in December). Night two includes Milford Graves & Marshall Allen Duo and a cast of rotating musicians and groups. A full schedule is here. Tickets are on sale.

Yet another (!) benefit marathon comes from WFMU, who is currently holding a 24-hour benefit that runs until Wednesday, November 18th (today) at 7pm. More details on the fundraiser and why it's needed are below. Donate here.

A poster, the full Mode Fest lineup and relevant videos and info are posted below...

Continue reading "Mode Records benefit w/ Philip Glass (whose opera is @ BAM tonight) & John Zorn (who plays the Vision Fest marathon)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: So Percussion New Amsterdam/BAM Next Wave Podcast (MP3)

So Percussion @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple in December '08 (more by Zach Stern)

The four members of So Percussion do not seem themselves as mere drummers. Instead they are explorers of sound: some exotic, others everyday, some invented, and others found. Their newest work, Imaginary City, is a multi-layered meditation on the American urban landscape, which combines the sound explorations of So Percussion's original compositions with the video art of Jenise Treuting and the theater direction of Rinde Eckert. These different artistic media do no exist discretely, but rather as a fluid exchange of sound, image, and gesture, all of which will be brought to life in the BAM Harvey Theater on October 14-17 as part of the BAM Next Wave Festival.

Imaginary City was actually premiered in one of those cities, Helena, Montana, on October 2nd. Before that, the group performed the piece as a work-in-progress - one of those shows was August 28th at Kasser Theater at Montclair State University in New Jersey and an excerpt of that performance is posted below. From the clip, you get a glimpse at the variety of instruments and sound-objects used in the piece (not only those played in the video, but those littering the stage as well) and a taste of its narrative thrust.

Imaginary City runs October 14th through Saturday, October 17th. Tickets are on sale (with some prime seats still available for each night).

Imaginary City is just one of the programs in BAM's Next Wave Fest - each of which mixes music and visuals in a unique way. The shows coming up include singer and composer Meredith Monk's Songs of Ascension (Oct 21-25), The Long Count with by National members Bryce and Aaron Dessner and lots of indie-rock-world guests(Oct 28/30/31), and the US premiere of Philip Glass's Kepler (Nov 18/20/21).

So Percussion video is below...

Continue reading "So Percussion - playing 'Imaginary City' @ BAM through Saturday (video) ++ The Long Count, Kepler & more coming"

BAM has announced the schedule for the Next Wave Festival 2009, a series of fourteen new music, theater and dance pieces that'll run from September 15th to December 19th.

The lineup includes a number of awesome-looking BAM commissions and premieres.

Bryce Dessner & Aaron Dessner of The National (and Dark Was the Night fame) and Matthew Ritchie have put together a piece called The Long Count, to feature Kim and Kelley Deal (The Breeders), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond, Decemberists) and Matt Berninger (The National) on vocals (Oct 28th-31st).

Imaginary City, a new 70-minute work by So Percussion, will be accompanied by video and take inspiration from the Italo Calvino novel of the same name (Oct 14th--17th). Meredith Monk will compose and perform in Songs of Ascension alongside her vocal ensemble and the Todd Reynolds String Quartet (Oct 21st--25th). (As a side note -- Reynolds and Monk both appeared, separately, at the Bang on a Can benefits at LPR on June 3rd.)

The program features a concert staging of the Philip Glass opera Kepler (Nov 18th, 20th, 21st). And, maybe in time for the first snow (...) a performance by DJ Spooky and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) of Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica, a piece "based around DJ Spooky's sound recordings in the Antarctic that explore the acoustic qualities of ice" (Dec 2, 4 & 5).

Most of the programs above will have an "Artist Talk" companion program, free to those with tickets to the event.

There's a couple ways to get tickets to the series. Friends of BAM will get the first stab at subscription packages, which let you pick a combo of shows to attend, on Monday, June 15th. Subscriptions for the general public go on sale Monday, June 22nd. Single ticket sales for Next Wave Festival starts Tuesday, September 8th (Aug 31st for Friends of BAM).

Full music lineup below...

Continue reading "BAM Next Wave Festival 2009 - members of The National, The Breeders, Shara Worden, So Percussion, DJ Spooky..."

"With a vital role on band sensation Grizzly Bear's new CD Veckatimest and an appearance this Thursday, May 28th, backing up the band at Town Hall, the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus embarks on a six-week run of performances spanning music as diverse as indie rock and Mahler's 8th. That's business as usual for the BYC, which has sung with Alicia Keys for a Sesame Street special, backed Elton John at his birthday concert at Madison Square Garden, premiered Philip Glass's Symphony No. 5 with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and commissioned a body of work by musicians including Nico Muhly and Fred Hersch. The BYC is an astonishingly active group of kids that performs on the highest levels of the New York music scene, whether it be symphonic, rock, hip-hop, gospel, avant-garde classical, jazz..." [press release]

Continue reading "Brooklyn Youth Chorus backing Grizzly Bear at Town Hall, playing w/ Nico Muhly, Holy Ghost & more "

by Martin Longley

Like many other new music ensembles, Signal have the ability to shape their membership to the needs of each interpretation. Their recent performances of pieces by Steve Reich and Michael Gordon called for line-ups that were heavy on percussion or amplified guitars and keyboards. Sunday's selection of works by Philip Glass called for a more traditional spread.

Now, Signal's membership is pared down to a string orchestra form, the dancefloor of (le) Poisson Rouge arrayed with double basses, cellos, violas and violins. Signal are following their own precedent at the venue by taking up much of the club's space, and with a few more tables placed around the perimeter, there's even less room for an actual standing audience. Nevertheless, the joint looks packed once the tables are filled, with folks squeezed in front of the bar, their absolute silence falling with uncanny suddenness once conductor Brad Lubman takes his position. This is a very positive factor for the venue. Just before commencement, David Bowie's Hunky Dory album is strumming out of the speakers, the crowd chattering loudly. Then, a complete switch takes place within moments, as the audience snaps into concentration mode. This is the kind of musical schizophrenia that helps make the club a crucial addition to the scene, now fully established after nearly a year's innovative activity.

continued below...

Continue reading "Signal performed Philip Glass @ (le) Poisson Rouge"

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* THIS WEEK IN INDIE
* Melvins @ Webster Hall
* Queensryche @ Nokia Theatre
* The English Beat @ Maxwell's
* John Zorn Improv Night @ The Stone
* Bill Frisell Trio @ Village Vanguard
* Local Correspondents Festival @ Bar 4
* Brooklyn Folk Festival @ Jalopy Theater
* Danielson, Dan Zimmerman @ Mercury Lounge
* Rodriguez, The War on Drugs @ Bowery Ballroom
* John Prine, Justin Townes Earl @ Beacon Theatre
* Sam Mickens Ecstatic Showband and Revue @ Zebulon
* McCoy Tyner Trio w/ Ravi Coltrane @ The Allen Room
* So Cow, Guilty Faces, Dinowalrus, Lame Drivers @ Cake Shop
* Azita, Wrekmeister Harmonies, Bear in Heaven @ Bruar Falls
* Rooftop Films Kickoff w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Open Road Rooftop
* Monster Magnet, Bang Camaro, Black Water Rising @ Gramercy Theatre
* Oakley Hall side project, James F!*#% Friedman, Arboretum @ Coco 66
* Dan Deacon ensemble, Future Islands, Teeth Mountain @ 979 Broadway Backyard
* John Medeski w/ Tisziji Munoz, Don Pate & Bob Ra-kalam Moses @ Issue Project
* NY Gypsy Fest w/ Slavic Soul Party, Scott Kettner's Forro Brass Band @ LPR
* NYC Popfest: The Radio Dept, Cats On Fire, Liechtenstein, Tartans @ Don Hill's
* Skeletonbreath, Drink Up Buttercup, Holy Ghost Tent Revival @ Southpaw
* Marc Ribot: Los Cubanos Postizos, Cotito, La Cumbiamba eNeYe @ LePoissonRouge
* UI w/ Nadia Sirota, Chiara Quartet, itsnotyouitsme, Nico Muhly @ Galapagos
* No Fun Fest w/ Bastard Noise, Thrones, Grey Wolves, Xeno & Oaklander, Carlos Giffoni, Chris Corsano, Axolotl, Raglani, Noveller @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Fever Ray, Dead Weather, and other tickets went on sale today.

As mentioned before, Wordless Music is presenting a gig on Sunday, May 17th (this weekend) with ensemble Signal. They'll be performing music by Philip Glass. That show'll be one of the best chances to catch Glass' work in the near future. Tickets are still on sale. - AF

Video of Bastard Noise performing @ 924 Gilman St below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

by Andrew Frisicano

Master storyteller Ira Glass took to the stage with illustrious composer Philip Glass at St. Ann's Warehouse on Tuesday [April 18th] for an intimate evening of music and conversation. In a time when little is for certain at most not-for-profit institutions, the success of the "Glass on Glass" benefit has ensured the theater's next season.

Ira Glass, host and producer of public radio show "This American Life," asked questions of Philip Glass, who alternately riffed on a gleaming Yamaha and answered Ira's questions about the method and processes that lead to his great musical successes.

To hear him explain it, though, Philip's work is not particularly innovative, nor necessarily 'new.' His compositions flow from natural, simple chord experimentation, he said, as he challenges himself to answer questions such as 'How do you achieve coherency without formality?' or 'How do you make it sound as if you have three hands?'

Ira asked if Philip might play one of his shorter pieces -- a prelude, for example. After illustrating the chord structure he said lightly, "I assure you, there is nothing else in the piece. But it'll take me six minutes to convince you of that." [Brooklyn Eagle]

On top of his speaking events, there are also a number of upcoming chances to catch Philip Glass' music. One of the best is Signal's performance of Glass' Symphony No. 3 and Suite from The Hours, with pianist Michael Riesman and conductor Brad Lubman, at Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday, May 17th. Tickets are still on sale.

New work by Glass will be showcased at the opening celebration/benefit for the 2009 World Science Festival at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday, June 10th.

The evening's festivities will include the New York premiere of "LIFE: A Journey Through Time"--a moving and majestic concert piece, specially adapted for the World Science Festival, setting the lyrical imagery of National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting to an original score by the renowned composer Philip Glass, and performed by the Orchestra of St. Luke's under the baton of acclaimed conductor Marin Alsop.

At the same venue, on Saturday, July 25th, pianists Dennis Russell Davies and Maki Namekawa will perform the US and North American premiere of Glass' Four Movements for Two Pianos, as part of this year's Lincoln Center Festival. Also on the program for that is "the New York premiere of Chen Yi's China West Suite, as well as four hand piano versions of contemporary works by Stravinsky and Steve Reich." Tickets are on sale.

Finally, if "free" is more your price range, the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park is presenting The Bacchae by Euripides, featuring a score by Philip Glass, from August 11th - 30th.

This visionary interpretation, featuring a lush choral score by Philip Glass, re-imagines the classic story about what happens when a government attempts to outlaw desire.

More information on Shakespeare in the park and the Jewel Heart benefit, plus videos of Glass' Symphony No.3 and The Hours and a clips of the other Glass on The Colbert Report, below...

Continue reading "Philip Glass spoke w/ Ira Glass + Upcoming Glass benefits, talks & performances (Shakespeare in the Park included)"

by Andrew Frisicano

St. Ann's Warehouse is hosting its spring benefit, "A Gala Evening with Philip Glass + Ira Glass," on Tuesday, April 28th. The pair will engage in the "World Premiere Performance of Glass on Glass, a one-time-only evening with cousins, composer Philip Glass and master storyteller, Ira Glass, host of public radio's This American Life."

Tickets for the event, which run in $150, $350, and $1,000 packages, are on sale now.

Another upcoming benefit, for the Children's Health Fund, features a performance by Willie Nelson (with CHF co-founder Paul Simon) on Wednesday, May 27th at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Tower. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other notables will be in attendance as well.

To reserve a spot for that event, contribute between $1000 and $100,000 to the CHF (thx rajohn for the tip).

Willie recently played at the Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis in February, and has a US tour coming up. The closest stop to NYC on that is a show at New Brunswick, NJ's State Theatre on Saturday, April 18th. Tickets are on sale. All dates below..

Philip Glass tracks "Prophecies" and "Pruitt Igoe" from Koyaanisqatsi were recently featured in The Watchmen, and PBS is in the middle of screening GLASS: A Portrait of Philip Glass in Twelve Parts, a 12-part doc on the composer as part of its American Masters series.

The night after the St. Ann's benefit, Wednesday, April 29th, Glass' work will be performed by Michael Riesman, director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, at new downtown venue The Greene Space. The music will be integrated into a radio theatre performance of The Invisible Man.

On May 17th, "Signal performs Philip Glass' Symphony No. 3 and Suite from The Hours with pianist Michael Riesman, conducted by Brad Lubman at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City." (Tickets are on sale.)

Part of Glass' Koyaanisqatsi, Willie Nelson's best-of compilation infomercial video, and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Philip & Ira Glass; Willie Nelson, Paul Simon play benefits & other upcoming shows "

by Andrew Frisicano

On Tuesday, April 28th, NYC public radio station WNYC will open the Greene Space, a new street-level venue on the corner of Varick and Charlton Streets in lower Manhattan. The space's inaugural 10-day festival kicks off the same day."Information about ticketing is forthcoming."

As Variety points out, the ground-floor venue will be "something of a downtown version of Rockefeller Center's "Today" show setup (minus the Al Roker groupies)."

"The Greene Space perfectly expresses WNYC's impulse to continue to innovate public radio and inspire people in new ways," said Laura Walker, WNYC President and CEO. "As we produce live events and audio and video programming streetside on Varick Street, we love the fact New Yorkers will be able to see our hosts in action, participate in political dialogues, and enjoy cultural performances. We become a part of the New York City and Hudson Square community in a tangible, visible way. WNYC has tremendous assets: its people, its ethos, its technology, its listeners and the city itself. Finally we have a way to combine them all."

The same day, WNYC will host an "audio theater" presentation of H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man from 7-9pm. In the production, "Michael Riesman, Director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, will give a rare live musical performance on piano, blending music from multiple Philip Glass compositions and live improvisation into a never-before-heard piece."

One regular program to be held in the space will be "Evening Music LIVE with Terrance McKnight and David Garland," whose scheduled guests include "Simone Dinnerstein, Renè Pape, Gabriella Montero, John Zorn, Nico Muhly, Elliott Sharp, Jason Moran, Don Byron and Ute Lemper, among others."

For the space's "First 'First Friday'" on Friday, May 1st, WNYC is partnering with neighbor Sounds of Brazil (SOBs) for a "Cinco de Mayo on El Primero de Mayo" fest with food, music and dancing.

More info on the Greene Space's plans below...

Continue reading "WNYC opening the Greene Space in NYC with a 10-day festival "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Sonic Youth - The Eternal (montage) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: David Byrne & Dirty Projectors - Knotty Pine (MP3)

Dan Deacon fans @ the 2008 Bang on a Can Marathon (more by Leia Jospe)

On April 2nd, 2009, New York's electric chamber ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars return to New York's Merkin Hall for their annual People's Commissioning Fund Concert.

The All-Stars will perform three world premieres by international up-and-coming composers Kate Moore (Australia-Holland), Lok Yin Tang (Hong Kong), and New York's David Longstreth, also known widely for his ground-breaking indie rock band Dirty Projectors. The second half of the concert is a terrific double-feature: a recently commissioned work by the legendary American composer Alvin Lucier, and the New York Premiere of a live collaboration composed for the group by Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, for which Ranaldo will join the All-Stars on stage. The concert is a special edition of WNYC's New Sounds Live, hosted by John Schaefer.

David Longstreth has been keeping busy. He just premiered the Dirty Projectors' new 6-person line-up in anticipation of new album Bitte Orca, out June 9th on Domino. The MP3 above is his band's collaboration with David Byrne for the new Dark Was the Night charity album. On May 3rd they'll be performing at Radio City Music Hall for the same cause.

Ranaldo is also playing with Sonic Youth April 16th-19th at BAM, at No Fun Fest on May 16th, and on the band's 16th album, The Eternal, also out June 9th (on Matador).

Last year's Bang on a Can Marathon, the all-night fest happening this year at World Financial Center on May 31st, included a 4am Dan Deacon set (pic above). The lineup last year also included Signal (a.k.a. large ensemble w/ So Percussion) performing Steve Reich's Daniel Variations.

This Thursday (3/19), Reich will be speaking at Japan Society with Nobukazu Takemura and WNYC's John Schaefer in the first New Yorker/Nihonjin: Contemporary Cross-cultural Dialogues Series to "discuss post-minimalism, emerging trends in contemporary classical music and their collaboration on Reich Remixed." Tickets are available here. Reich Remixed (w/ tracks by DJ Spooky, Coldcut & more) is out now on Nonesuch (click for clips).

Signal (Brad Lubman, conductor) will be performing Michael Gordon's "Trance" at Le Poisson Rouge on April 22nd. The show is co-presented by the Wordless Music Series and Bang on a Can. Tickets are on sale. Signal will perform Philip Glass' Symphony No. 3 and Suite from The Hours with pianist Michael Riesman at the same venue on May 17th. Tickets are also on sale.

The Bang on a Can All-Stars (line-up below) are also performing at this year's Look & Listen Festival 2009 in New York (May 1-3) - which includes a So Percussion performance of John Cage's Third Construction and Child of Tree, and a Todd Reynolds and So Percussion collaboration on Meredith Monk's Gotham Lullaby (video below).

Full April 2nd Merkin Hall program and line-up below...

Continue reading "upcoming Bang on a Can, Signal & Steve Reich events - David Longstreth, Lee Ranaldo & Nobukazu Takemura included"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Bo-Keys - Cracker Jack (MP3)

Wardell's Band with Robert Parker @ Ponderosa Stomp '07 in NOLA

Ponderosa Stomp is an American roots music festival that showcases the world's most authentic, vibrant rockabilly, R&B, jazz, blues, soul, funk, and swamp pop....The 8th annual Ponderosa Stomp will take place in New Orleans on April 28-29, 2009.

The only date with details so far, "A Tribute to Wardell Quezergue," honors the songwriter and arranger known as the "Creole Beethoven" with a performance of recent Quezergue (pronounced Kuu-zair) arrangements by:

New Orleans musician, producer, and session man Mac Rebennack (Dr. John); R&B icons The Dixie Cups and Robert Parker; soul greats Jean Knight, Dorothy Moore, Tammy Lynn, and Tony Owens; legendary New Orleans drummer Zigaboo Modeliste; garage-music pioneer Michael Hurtt; plus an all-star ten piece band led by Wardell Quezergue himself in a rare New York appearance.

Though it doesn't mention it on the schedule, Eli Paperboy Reed will be performing with Barbara Lynn at the SXSW stomp. Eli is also playing the same SXSW venue two days earlier, and a show at The Bell House in Brooklyn this Thursday night (3/12). He's also playing a lot of other places. All tour dates below.

The Lincoln Center Festival in NYC will also host the North American premiere of a work by Philip Glass, performed by Dennis Russell Davies and Maki Namekawa as part of Two by Four with the Ruhr, four-hand and two-piano works.

Full Lincoln Center Fest '09 highlights, Eli tour dates, and a Wardell Quezergue bio, below....

Continue reading "Ponderosa Stomp in Austin SXSW & NYC for 2009 Lincoln Center Festival (full lineup) + Eli 'Paperboy' Reed touring"

photos by Tim Griffin

"It's been 10 years since Tibet was the hot issue in the rock community, but some stars still carry the torch. One of the biggest forums for this activism is the annual Tibet House benefit in New York, where an eclectic group of artists bands together to salute Tibetan culture.

This year's concert, held [Tueusday] at Carnegie Hall, started off on an energetic note, with Antibalas raising the sedate crowd to its feet. After playing a song, they were joined by Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo, who wowed with an energetic cover of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," before performing one of her own songs, "Emma." Antibalas then exited stage right, while bluesman Keb' Mo' joined Kidjo for one more tune.

Curator Philip Glass then took the stage to introduce his son Zack, who was performing with the Patti Smith Band. The younger Glass played two pleasant, mainstream folk-rock tunes, the furthest thing possible from his father's experimental compositions. He was followed by Vampire Weekend, who played with a string quartet and debuted a new song that sounded even more influenced by Paul Simon's "Graceland" than its previous work, as well as "M79" from its self-titled debut.

At this point, the tone of the show changed, with the elder Glass perforing an original piano composition with the string quartet. The piece was lovely, but felt out-of-place after so much upbeat rock. To add to the discombobulation, the National, who played two excellent new songs, followed Glass.

...Patti Smith, a fixture at many Tibet House benefits, took the stage with her daughter Jesse accompanying her on piano.... [full review @ BILLBOARD]

Continue reading "The National, Vampire Weekend, Patti Smith & more @ the Tibet House Benefit @ Carnegie Hall (2009) - pics"

Le Poisson Rouge's ode to Philip Glass/Chuck Close (more by Chris La Putt)

As someone kindly pointed out, tickets are now on sale for the 2009 Tibet House Benefit concert happening at Carnegie Hall on February 3rd. The list of artists confirmed so far is in the title of this post.

Vampire Weekend are in the middle of their three-night NYC run at Terminal 5.

Patti Smith also has a three-night December run of shows coming up in NYC, AND, like Vampire Weekend (these two artists have a lot in common), is speaking at an upcoming NY Times event.

The Tibet show is a month before the REM show at Carnegie Hall that Patti Smith is also playing and which was organized by Michael Dorf who has Philip Glass playing multiple shows at his new City Winery.

Philip Glass is also playing a Roulette benefit Saturday December 6th at Roulette.

The Tibet House benefit show is an annual show put on by Philip Glass. Patti Smith has played it before. So has Antony, Sufjan Stevens, The Black Keys, Trey, Ray Davies, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Damien Rice, Band of Horses, and many, many more.

Video of Antony performing "You are My Sister" in 2006 (a fine moment), below...

Continue reading "2009 Tibet House Benefit concert w/ Philip Glass, The National, Patti Smith, Jesse Smith & Vampire Weekend"

photo inside City Winery (Michael Dorf on stage) (from Eater)

In addition to a functioning winery and 21,000 square foot restaurant/event space, City Winery is also equipped with a full stage, state-of-the-art sound system and in-house A/V-making it one of the most interesting venues to ever hit Manhattan. Whether you are planning a private party, a public concert or an intimate evening of music and/or the spoken word, City Winery's stage and staff can accommodate a variety of live performances and cultural activities that will appeal to sophisticated New Yorkers, and wine connoisseurs, alike.

All known upcoming City Winery events are listed below...

Continue reading "shows @ City Winery (Philip Glass, Rufus Wainwright, etc)"

Godfrey Reggio, Philip Glass & WNYC @ Prospect Park, 7/25/08 (heartonastick)

Designed as an elegant restaurant with a wine cellar, it will have a two-tier membership program offering private concerts and other events. (At the upper level members can also make their own barrels of wine.)

It will open this fall, Mr. Dorf said, adding that he wanted to have singer-songwriters and jazz performers one or two nights a week. "I really think that all those people who were coming to the Knitting Factory in 1988 and 1991 are going to appreciate how we're developing this space to really enjoy performance and culture," Mr. Dorf said. The first confirmed booking is Philip Glass, who will play four nights in March. [NY Times]