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Well. I hit my first Big Ears dud (first in 2 years!). The Glass/Anderson combo just didn't work at all for me. The levels were off, and while I appreciate "free" music, a lot of this sounded unintentionally arhythmic & atonal. I love both of these artists... Just not this set. I should note that everyone else seemed to be loving it, so I'm sure it was my ears that were off...
I wasn't there, but I met two separate couples who each said it was mediocre. The latter one said it seemed very slapdash, like the seams were showing. So no, I don't think you're alone.
Soooo, how was the nerd music festival, you nerds?
The Good: I really liked the additions of the new spaces. They added to an already great festival. I never tried to get into a Sanctuary show but I really liked the JLA installation there. Knoxville is lucky to have that new venue in-town. The Mill & Mine was outstanding. A lot was stiff fresh (you could smell the floor sealer on the first night) but those kinks will get worked out. I don't remember hearing a bad sound whatsoever. Doesn't mean it didn't happen but I never heard one. Thursday night, I was wandering in a stupor trying to find The Mill & Mine when a local got me pointed in the right direction. My wife made a comment how he was a "nice local". All I could say was that everyone here seems that way.
And then there was Sunn O))).
The Bad: It was great times IF (big if) you could get into venues. I don't know if was because of the Tennessee being separately ticketed, more people, or only a show or two happening at a time, but there were lines. I showed up to The Necks 35 minutes early and was around the corner waiting for doors. Given, it was The Necks but it just felt like most shows hit capacity early on. If you pay $150 bucks, you should get $150 worth of shows and not just a chance at them. I understand capacity, yadda, yadda. I just think there needed to be more music playing and more options if you got shut out.
That said, I saw some great stuff.
No order: Sunn O))) Sunn O))) Sunn O))) Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith Anthony Braxton 10+1 The Necks
Post by Mensch Maschine on Apr 4, 2016 8:31:29 GMT -5
A few more takeaways from this weekend....
The new venues were great (including the not new, but new to me, church). Fantastic sound in each, and it was nice having something close to the Standard.
With a festival like this, it's going to be impossible to not have some conflicts... but I was surprised at how few there were, and how most of my picks were typically, and conveniently, in a geographical cluster (one day I went back and forth between the Standard and The Mill & Mine... the next day it was between Tennessee Theatre, Bijou, and the Square Room). I don't know the method to ACE's madness, but they've come up with one hell of an algorithm.
I loved that they added more films this year, but when I'm attending a festival for live music, the live music is going to win most time slots. The only film I made it to was "The Heart of a Dog" (which was FANTASTIC). I wonder if that was the case for others too... does anyone know what the attendance was like for the film series? I really wish that more films had been shown during the early part of Thursday.
This isn't a new complaint, but I have to say it again... could the door for the Square Room be in a worse location?! It's especially crappy for the quiet/sit down events (like Ikue Mori) where everyone has to walk in front of the audience when they are arriving/leaving.
I'm really happy that the festival did so well with attendance this year (or at least appeared to do so well; I don't know what the real numbers were) - but the standing in lines & 1-in-1-out moments of the festival were a real drag. I ended up missing some shows I had hoped to catch a portion of, just to ensure that I wasn't locked out of a "must see" pick. Did anyone do VIP? Was cutting in front of the line with the pass easy (i.e did the staff assist, or did you have to explain yourself to the angry people immediately behind you?) If I do the event solo again next year, I'll likely do VIP just to eliminate the lines.
Surprise shows: a fun treat or a pain in the ass FOMO schedule killer? It takes me WEEKS to decide on a schedule, as I neurotically add & remove picks over and over again. The surprise shows send me into an existential fit
The diversity of artists was, once again, stellar. Big Ears does a brilliant job with the overall aesthetic balance.
If you ask me, the real "Composer in Residence" was Laurie Anderson. She was EVERYWHERE. And again, if you didn't see "The Heart of a Dog," try to find a copy to rent/stream/buy. It has a 98% Rotten Tomato rating, and for good reason...
A festival like this is going to have some overlapping, which means people will be entering/leaving shows all the time. I wish there was a better way to handle this in the 2 theaters and the Square Room. There probably isn't a perfect way to solve this (you can't force people to not leave a venue, and for shows where the pieces are long and/or continuous, it may not work to prevent people from entering until a break in between compositions). But it's definitely distracting (especially if you're sitting close to an aisle).
Overall a brilliant weekend, and still my favorite festival in the states!
Post by Mensch Maschine on Apr 4, 2016 17:05:08 GMT -5
And the reviewer of the Guardian agreed with us... "On paper, it seems like these musicians could have a lot to say to each other in a duo format. But this performance, whose setlist drew from both artists’ solo catalogues, misfired frequently. Unfortunately, each player seemed to subtract from the other’s music."
I wasn't there, but I met two separate couples who each said it was mediocre. The latter one said it seemed very slapdash, like the seams were showing. So no, I don't think you're alone.
So it was fortunate that I said Arkestra made the ticket worth it to me, cause I got really sick and that was the last show I made it to. I'm finally somewhat recovered today though.
So it was fortunate that I said Arkestra made the ticket worth it to me, cause I got really sick and that was the last show I made it to. I'm finally somewhat recovered today though.
So it was fortunate that I said Arkestra made the ticket worth it to me, cause I got really sick and that was the last show I made it to. I'm finally somewhat recovered today though.
Until next year!
I feel special we made it to that show as well then. Glad you're feeling better.
So it was fortunate that I said Arkestra made the ticket worth it to me, cause I got really sick and that was the last show I made it to. I'm finally somewhat recovered today though.
Until next year!
I feel special we made it to that show as well then. Glad you're feeling better.
Post by steveternal on Apr 8, 2016 10:18:27 GMT -5
Stellar fest once again, and by most measures it's only getting better. My top five:
1 & 2 (tie). Anthony Braxton 10+1tet/ Anthony Braxton Trio — Although the shows were markedly different, including the atmosphere of a seated event versus a tight-standing club, these two shows were bookends in their tone and energy and especially in their compositions. Braxton was everything I expected him to be: a consummate bandleader, putting composition first, and yet letting rip on his sax when it was in service of the greater musical good. All his players were top-notch and easily kept pace. But most of all, watching his compositions unfold rather than only listening to them was like seeing for the first time. Frankly, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to merely *listen* to a Braxton album again. 3. Knoxville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Steven Schick performing "Become Ocean" — of course JL Adams' compositions make space a pivotal factor, where placement and acoustics are just as important as motifs and structures. So while the prize-winning recording of "Become Ocean" is already gorgeous on its own, to hear this piece live in the grand Tennessee Theater was transcendent in the truest sense of the word. Strong, measured yet passionate playing by the KSO brought this modern masterpiece to life. 4. The Necks — I didn't know what I liked about them; I didn't know how to describe them; I couldn't even quite say what they did. But I knew I had to witness it all the same, and witnessing it brought a level of understanding that, frankly, I'm still not sure I could put into words. I started out still unsure, but about 10 minutes in something clicked, and the glacially shifting groove was all that mattered. And at the same time, it wasn't mere droning or jamming, but sincere musical choices being made, like Abraham starting off improvising in a major pentatonic scale and closing in a minor pentatonic, or Buck keeping a steady rhythm in four different tempos with four different limbs. All in service of something so subtle. Masters. 5. The Gloaming — The quintet handily created the most lush, most achingly gorgeous music of the weekend, made all the more poignant as it stood in contrast to the atonal and free improv and drone that dominated the weekend. The show was also among the most communal, as the group took the time to explain the origins of songs and tell stories. Doveman drank red wine onstage, toasting the audience. Charming and humorous though they were, the show could've benefitted from briefer interludes, but it still soared.
Honorable Mentions: BIG|BRAVE (won me over); eighth blackbird w/ Glass, Muhly & Beiser performing "Music in Similar Motion"; Maya Beiser solo; Yo La Tengo's psych-drone jam.
Highlights: going with my awesome nephew and agreeing on pretty much everything to see, great buskers (seriously up a level from past years), the blast-from-the-past of seeing my former music teacher perform as part of neif-norf, all the friendly fellow attendees I chatted with, Muhly/Amidon/Sirota/Doveman's finale of "The Only Tune", generally descent weather, bringing the bike again, Lärabars, napping in "The Sanctuary", Yo La Tengo/Lampchop's version of "Autumn Sweater", and of course seeing all your beautiful faces.
Lowlights: capacity issues: I made sure to note in the online survey that I'd be happy to pay a little more for my GA weekend pass if that meant a smaller amount sold and fewer capacity issues; missing Wolf Eyes b/c they ended 30 minutes early; box seats at the Bijou being reserved for VIP; too long of a check-in line Thurs night meant missing the first 20 minutes of the Symphony; Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith (such high hopes for this show, but I wasn't feeling their free explorations).
Post by steveternal on Apr 8, 2016 13:29:14 GMT -5
Also, an incomplete wishlist:
John Zorn as Composer in Residence: Masada Naked City The Dreamers Cobra various Book of Angels and collaborations Aphex Twin Snarky Puppy GY!BE Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble Merzbow Japp Blonk Ry Cooder The Tallest Man on Earth Keith Jarrett solo Joanna Newsom Robin Williamson Terje Rypdal Squarepusher Mostly Other People Do the Killing The Melvins Jandek The Residents Matthew Shipp Squarepusher Mike Patton
