Formed in NYC in 1993, the improvising collective No-Neck Blues Band (NNCK) favors anonymity, autonomy, and obfuscation. Alongside founding member Keith Connolly (2016 AIR), they return to open ISSUE’s Fall season at First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn.
ISSUE presents the first commission from Eden Girma (2026 AIR). Part dreamscape and part summoning circle, an intimate diasporic familial archive is pieced together through the eyes of a five-year-old child.
In partnership with Franklin Furnace as part of their 50th anniversary commemoration and November release of "Back to the Present: 50 Years of Free Expression with Franklin Furnace" ISSUE presents an evening of performance and conversation.
Incorporating elements of noise, trance and minimalism, Sergei Tcherepnin (2012 AIR) presents new work for Serge Modular synthesizer.
Wanton performance artist Ann Liv Young’s most recent alter ego, the homespun psychologist Sherry, confronts extremes of personality– tonight Sherry, who shares, is paired with her opposing (though not opposed) character, Mary, who marries. Dancer Jen Rosenblit and C. Spencer Yeh come together for a collaborative set.
Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain
ISSUE presents the No-Neck Blues Band, one of the most enigmatic, mysterious, and defiantly anti-commercial groups to emerge from 90s NY. Electric guitarists Loren Connors & Tom Carter play duo, pairing ancestral blues and psychedelic drone. Vocalist Suzanne Langille performs duo with Cammisa Buerhaus.
Active for over 30 years, composer William Basinski's haunting and melancholic soundscapes have made him an icon of contemporary ambient music. Tonight he performs solo. Aki Onda and Raha Raissnia return to ISSUE for their second duo, performing with oil paintings, film/slide projectors, tape recorders, and tube amps.
A pioneering force behind the evolution of minimalism, violinist and composer Tony Conrad’s performances are droning, mesmerizing explorations of new worlds of sound. This evening Conrad plays solo, joined by multi-instrumentalist Lee Noble, and a collaborative performance by Amen Dunes and visual artist Tom Thayer.
Ben Vida performs the East Coast Premiere of Damages Particulates, an eleven movement solo composition for fixed and live electronics presented in four channel expanded stereo. The program also includes his recent work "Extraction", accompanied by a micro-lecture on the theme of "Extraction" by curator Anthony Elms.
Ten Years Alive on the Infinite Plain
ISSUE collaborates with the Kitchen to present the X-Patsy's founding members: actress Barbara Sukowa and artists Robert Longo and Jon Kessler, joined by the extraordinary musicians Anthony Coleman, Knox Chandler, Jonathan Kane, and Ernie Brooks. Rhys Chatham opens with a performance of his legendary "Guitar Trio".
Francesco Tristano had already established a formidable reputation as a classical pianist when he broke new ground with his piano arrangements of Detroit techno classics. Tonight he plays a program crossing Buxtehude, Berio, and his own work, and electronic composer Byron Westbrook presents a new multi-channel work.
Yasunao Tone’s expansive practice eschews standard notions of media and embraces contradiction. His most recent sets harsh, scrupulous digital noise, are generated by his own modifications to the MP3 encoding system. Tone performs solo, joined by his recent collaborators Talibam!, a duo of Matt Mottel and Kevin Shea.