MAY 1
MORGAN CRAFT & DJ MUTAMASSIK
ROUGH AMERICANA
Rough Americana is wholly live & improvisational. Raw and visceral, Umpth to 1st generational.. ROUGH AMERICANA blazes new trails in sound. Picking up frequencies from Memphis-America to Memphis-Africa to Unseen Forces, this is the new hardcore grit-prov that brings fire to electronic music…
Morgan Craft – stunt guitar, DJ Mutamassik – turntables, tape recorder and effects
MAY 4
POESiA 100%: a Celebration of Pablo Neruda
Poetry reading and film screening honoring the centenary celebration of the Chilean poet
Featuring poets Mark Eisner, Mark Doty, Willie Perdomo, Katherine Jamieson and others reading new translations from “Essential Neruda” (City Lights Press). The evening will also include a special showing of Pablo Neruda: a Documentary, a remarkable account on the author and his life as narrated by famed Chilean author Isabel Allende.
As Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote, Pablo Neruda was “the greatest poet of the twentieth century – in any language.” His words and their history remain extremely vital today.
Proceeds benefit documentary.
MAY 7
ALAN LICHT’S DIGGER CHOIR
Performance is free and open to public participation
Composer/guitarist/improvisor/author Alan Licht will conduct the Digger Choir, augmented by invited guest artists, to perform vocal arrangements of John Stevens’ “Sustained Piece”, Alan Licht’s “Your Back Pages”, and “O Superman” by Laurie Anderson.
The concert will feature untrained vocalists as well professional singers performing in various stations in the space, not on a stage. The pieces will emphasize equanimity between the performers (and the audience) but also each performer’s individuality. The Stevens’ piece is rarely, if ever, performed.
The evening’s title is in homage to the English Civil War-era agrarian movement and the late 60s San Francisco street theatre “life actors” – social activists (which included actor Peter Coyote and the late Emmett Grogan).
MAY 8
AKI ONDA
Cassette Memories
Cassette Memories is a musical performance, or a ritual, which conjures up the general essence of memory by playing his own personal memories. It is a spectacle which is Music for the Eyes. Partly visible, but seen mostly in ones imagination.
Aki Onda is a self-taught musician, currently living in New York, who plays cassettes and electronics. He has been obsessed with taping field-recording sound as a diary by a cheap cassette recorder more than a decade, using them for performing. His latest album “Bon Voyage!” was selected in the Wire magazine’s 50 records of the year for 2003. He has collaborated with such musicians as Eye Yamatsuka, Nobukazu Takemura, Tujiko Noriko, Ikue Mori, Haco, Shelley Hirsch, Alan Licht, SFT, Blixa Bargeld, and Linda Sharrock.
MAY 11
RATTAPALLAX 11 Launch Reading & Party
Featuring Charles Bernstein, Roger Bonair-Agard, Elena Alexander, Charles Martin, David Mills, Urayoan Noel, John Rodriguez, Henry Israeli, and Tom Savage.
Hosted by Edwin Torres and Idra Novey.
Derek Beres will DJ. “New Chilean Poetry” read by Shradha Shah, Aracelis Girmay, Jonathan Bourland, Andrew Gebhardt, and others.
MAY 14
JONATHAN BEPLER
You Know Low
An exciting multichannel karaoke event, where the composer performs solo vocal improvisation to sounds prepared at other locations.
Composer Jonathan Bepler has been doing sound installations and collaborations with Artists, Choreographers and Directors for some years, now. He has recently completed the scores for the Cremaster films with artist Matthew Barney, music for dance works by John Jasperse and Jennifer Lacey, and a mobile soundtrack for the Japanese hills. He is an agonizingly trained vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, he performs once a year or so.
MAY 15
MICHIYO YAGI & ELLIOTT SHARP
Solos and duos
One of the most versatile masters of the koto, Michiyo Yagi has performed in rock bands, jazz groups, movie soundtracks, classical ensembles, noise improvisations and of course Japanese traditional and folk groups. Using both orthodox and unorthodox techniques, she takes the koto to an exciting new world incorporating influences from traditional Japanese and Korean music as well as the American maverick tradition of Partch, Cage, Nancarrow and Terry Riley.
She will perform with composer and sonic innovator Elliott Sharp, considered one of the founders of the “Downtown” scene and who has collaborated with an extraordinary range of musicians: from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to the Radio Symphony of Frankfurt, blues legend Hubert Sumlin to junglist DJ Soulslinger. With both traditional and extended techniques of his own invention, he has extended many boundaries.
MAY 19
OPEN WALLS EXPERIMENT
All Artists welcome to exhibit (1-2 pieces per person – hang upon arrival).
Opening will include an open bar (BYOB to the bar), a book and music store (all interested in having their items sold must come at 5PM to consign merchandise), and special musical performances (those interested in participating come prepared).
Installation will remain up for three weeks.
This is a research project, where based on observation, we will fine tune the nature of the experiment as we go. The objective is to pursue the exploration of creativity and provide an intriguing opportunity for exposure. Maximum participation of emerging and established artists is essential in forming an interesting specimen.
MAY 20
Tim Barnes brings an opportunity for you to experience the sounds and techniques of improvisation in an installation-like setting.
TOSHI MAKIHARA QUARTET
Scott Rosenberg (woodwinds), Audrey Chen (voice, cello), Paul Neidhardt (percussion) and Toshi Makihara (percussion)
TIM BARNES (percussion(s) / JASON ROEBKE (upright bass) / NATE WOOLEY (trumpet) TRIO
BARRY WEISBLAT (electronics) / MASAHIDE TOKUNAGA (reeds) DUO
MAY 22
ELLERY ESKELIN TRIO
Celebrating their 10 year anniversary
Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone), Andrea Parkins (sampler and accordion), and Jim Black (drums)
Since 1994, the band has been touring regularly every year in Europe, the US and Canada. Eskelin’s conceptual efforts have been focused greatly with this ensemble resulting in a music that while containing some jazz elements may not be jazz in any strict sense. An amalgamated approach to playing and composing is employed drawing inspiration from many sources. Together, they have released numerous recordings on the Swiss hatOLOGY label, including their seventh release, Arcanum Moderne.
Following the performance, the Project Room invites the public to a post-concert party, celebrating both the band’s anniversary and the recent release of their DVD Video European Tour Diary.
Ellery Eskelin has been living in NYC since 1983. Eskelin has performed with Joey Baron’s “Baron Down”, Mark Helias’ “Open Loose” and Gerry Hemingway’s Quartet.
MAY 23
sTUNgUN
Jonathan (Guitar & Lead Vocals), Kane (Lead Guitar), Julian (Drums), Lucian (Bass & Backup Vocals)
sTUNgUN, the NYC based band are four 13 year old musicians currently working on material for an upcoming demo tape. The band’s first gig was at the Liberty Heights Tap Room in Red Hook in December 2003. The group defines its original music as rock-oriented, but it also combines diverse elements of punk and rap into its songs. Co-curated by friend and one time classmate, Sarah Fiol.
MAY 27
“Healing Poetry”
Hosted by Patricia Brody.
Featuring Rafael Campo, Marie Ponsot, Grace Schulman, Brendan Costello, Helen Barnard, Michael Morical, Ellen Peckham, Elaine Schwager, Sam Friedman, Sina Quayras, Michele Rosenthal, Yerra Sugarman, Barry Wallenstein & Frances Richey.
MAY 28
NE(X)TWORKS
A collection of new composer’s music
Ne(x)tworks is a boundary-breaking group of performing composers generating totally original avant-garde music. Varying in size from two to eleven players, Ne(x)tworks specializes in open form music, with almost every piece involving improvisation.
Kenji Bunch – viola, Cornelius Dufallo – violin, Tim Kiah – bass, Rubin Kodheli – cello, Joan La Barbara – voice, Christopher McIntyre – trombone, Brian McWhorter – trumpet, Jesse Mills – violin