Always in search of new venues, we played a show at Silvie's on Irving Park at the behest of Diana Lawrence--an amazing singer and pianist who writes fun, quirky pop songs. Also on the program was Corbett Lunsford and his Mysteriam project.
Silvie's is a particular genre of bar in Chicago that has almost no regulars; it is almost exclusively supported by the bands' friends who fork over the modest cover and drink the cheap beer. It always seems like an ill-fated business model, but maybe other bands have more friends to make up for the off-nights.
On a typical night at Silvie's, the crowd generally seems to reflect the dingy carpet and neon lights of the venue and the rough, edgy grit of the bands. On an atypical night, the crowd is a who's-who of the Chicago theater and arts communities who are having their first experience at Silvie's to watch three diverse groups, brought together more by personal loyalties than musical aesthetics.
Our program was fairly typical, it being hard to find the time to compose quality music that fits in a diverse variety of venues, but we introduced a new arrangement of the Smiths' "How Soon is Now?" The arrangement has a lot of potential that I'm hoping to flesh out in coming months.
Overall, a successful experience but one that didn't lead to new prospects--ultimately unsustainable.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Saturday, July 12, 2008
July 11, 2008: Gallery Cabaret
We had our first real experience with a good sound system last night at the Gallery Cabaret. Jaime Wagner--owner of Strobe Recording Studios, where we've recorded and will do so again soon--invited us to open for his band, For Pilots. The contrast in genre could hardly be greater, but it somehow made sense in a dreamy, post-modern kind of way.
We started with "Ocean of Winter" for the first time. "Ocean" has typically gone toward the middle or end: it's a big serious piece with no real introduction and lots of drama. But if you think about it like the first movement of a symphony, then it makes sense. The form of "Ocean" is even a take on Sonata form with two main themes (the verse section and the chorus section) that follow the usual tonal structure.
After "Ocean," we played "Winter Scene" by Trevor (flute) that he had written a couple years earlier; it was a nice way to dissolve some of the tension. (No, we didn't plan the coordination of Winter pieces.)
Next, we played "Someone Else" with introduction by solo cello (Michelle) and NIN.
Despite Amos not being at the concert, Michelle and Trevor played his duet for cello and flute.
Which brought the evening to "Next to Silence," a world premiere that I had just finished the hours before the concert (really, just the hour before I had to leave). The piece was inspired by a documentary I saw on Icelandic music on pitchfork.tv. I saw bands like Sigur Ros playing really beautiful music and attracting huge audiences at the same time. And so, "Silence" is one of the saddest pieces I've written, inspired by a chunk of rock in the middle of the ocean. There is no recording of it, yet, but you'll get to hear it at Millennium Park before we take an August-September hiatus.
There was much debate over what piece we should end the whole evening with. We decided that "View" would be a good closer, closing on a slightly more subdued note than we do typically. "View" is a song written by my good friend and colleague Corbett whose music is out there under the name Mysteriam.
Thanks to those who came out! We'll see you all at Millennium Park: July 20, 2008; noon; stage by the Bean.
We started with "Ocean of Winter" for the first time. "Ocean" has typically gone toward the middle or end: it's a big serious piece with no real introduction and lots of drama. But if you think about it like the first movement of a symphony, then it makes sense. The form of "Ocean" is even a take on Sonata form with two main themes (the verse section and the chorus section) that follow the usual tonal structure.
After "Ocean," we played "Winter Scene" by Trevor (flute) that he had written a couple years earlier; it was a nice way to dissolve some of the tension. (No, we didn't plan the coordination of Winter pieces.)
Next, we played "Someone Else" with introduction by solo cello (Michelle) and NIN.
Despite Amos not being at the concert, Michelle and Trevor played his duet for cello and flute.
Which brought the evening to "Next to Silence," a world premiere that I had just finished the hours before the concert (really, just the hour before I had to leave). The piece was inspired by a documentary I saw on Icelandic music on pitchfork.tv. I saw bands like Sigur Ros playing really beautiful music and attracting huge audiences at the same time. And so, "Silence" is one of the saddest pieces I've written, inspired by a chunk of rock in the middle of the ocean. There is no recording of it, yet, but you'll get to hear it at Millennium Park before we take an August-September hiatus.
There was much debate over what piece we should end the whole evening with. We decided that "View" would be a good closer, closing on a slightly more subdued note than we do typically. "View" is a song written by my good friend and colleague Corbett whose music is out there under the name Mysteriam.
Thanks to those who came out! We'll see you all at Millennium Park: July 20, 2008; noon; stage by the Bean.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
A Night of Sight and Sound
Each concert brings a new friend into our lives. At the gig at Abe Frohman's Neighborhood Joint on Western--which we threw together at the last minute to make up for venue troubles--we were invited to play in an evening of mixed media and performance: A Night of Sight and Sound. For those of you who missed it, there were two bands, a comedian, an emcee, belly dancing, electronic mash-ups, and then us. As usual, we got a positive reaction and more invitations to perform and collaborate. Stay tuned to hear the results!
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