Journal
- Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Composer Donnacha Dennehy, whose piece Land of Winter, performed by Alarm Will Sound and conductor Alan Pierson, was released earlier this month on Nonesuch, shares some insight on the work, which explores the subtleties of Ireland’s seasons via twelve connected sections representing the months of the year, in a new essay. "It is the varying quality of light that truly demarcates the seasons," he says, "from the shorter days of grey or piercing light in the winter to the warmer but mercurial light of summer days that at solstice stretch almost to midnight. I like this play between light and time, and it is the major inspiration behind the piece."
Journal Topics: Artist Essays, Artist News
- Friday, October 15, 2010
Ben Folds and Nick Hornby appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night, with Folds performing "Saskia Hamilton," off their album Lonely Avenue. Watch the episode here. The two will be in Washington, DC, next week for a PEN/Faulkner event. Following Folds own US tour, he returns to DC for a National Geographic Live! event in December featuring his photos, which he discusses on National Geographic Weekend, now online.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News, Video, TelevisionFriday, October 15, 2010Punch Brothers perform at Stanford's Dinkelspiel Auditorium tonight; the San Francisco Chronicle says the band performs "with a sense of adventure that's hard to resist." This closes out the band's run of shows in California that included Wednesday's show at LA's El Rey Theater with Jon Brion, at which, says the Los Angeles Times, Punch Brothers "flexed the kind of instrumental chops that even a non-player can admire." They head next to the East Coast to join T Bone Burnett's Speaking Clock Revue benefit for music and arts education programming in public schools.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist NewsThursday, October 14, 2010Ben Folds and Nick Hornby's week of events in New York City culminates with an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight. That follows a free event at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square—conversation, performance, and signing of their new album, Lonely Avenue—that leads Daily Candy's Weekend Guide of things to do in the city. You can listen to Folds and Hornby's guest spot on WNYC's Soundcheck from yesterday here.
Journal Topics: Artist NewsThursday, October 14, 2010Rhys Chatham, whose Lincoln Center Out of Doors performance of A Crimson Grail was released last month on Nonesuch, returns to New York and to the cutting-edge cultural space he once curated: The Kitchen. Chatham and artist Angie Eng perform the a multimedia piece, Echodes, there Friday and Saturday. Time Out New York recommends it as Top Live Show and calls A Crimson Grail "gorgeous." Hear selections from A Crimson Grail in a short film at nonesuch.com/media.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist NewsThursday, October 14, 2010Wanda Jackson is in Texas this weekend to play The Continental Clubs of Austin and Houston. Austin's American Statesman says: "It's an exciting time to be Wanda Jackson." The Boston Globe says of her recent Boston-area show: "Jackson’s signature growl was in glorious form. Her voice still has its distinct, syrupy twang, and she was vibrant as ever, weaving recollections, wisecracks, and in-the-moment observations in among the music."
Thursday, October 14, 2010Sara Watkins will be on the big screen as a guest on A Prairie Home Companion as the show is broadcast live in movie theaters across North America Thursday, October 21. A high-definition video feed of a special Thursday night performance from the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, will be sent via satellite to movie theaters live at 7 PM CT. Also on the show will be Old Crow Medicine Show, Joe Ely, and Andra Suchy.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News, Film, RadioWednesday, October 13, 2010Ben Folds and Nick Hornby will appear today on WNYC's Soundcheck. The pair will discuss their songwriting collaboration on their new release, Lonely Avenue, and Folds will perform live. Tune in at 2 PM ET on 93.9 FM or listen online at wnyc.org. The pair performed last night as part of SPIN magazine's Liner Notes series at a benefit for the Housing Works AIDS Charity in New York City. Folds and Hornby continue their New York appearances with a performance on Thursday evening at Barnes & Noble's Union Square location for the series Upstairs at the Square.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010Kronos Quartet returns to the Bay Area to perform at Stanford University's Memorial Auditorium tonight, following two sold-out shows at New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge. The concert marks the Opening Night of the Stanford Lively Arts series. On the program, titled Awakening: A Meditation on 9/11, Kronos reflects on that fateful day in works from a dozen countries, joined on stage by the Cantabile Youth Singers.
Journal Topics: On TourWednesday, October 13, 2010There's just one more day to submit your remix of Philip Selway's "Beyond Reason," off his solo debut album, Familial. Final submissions are due at Indaba Music by 5 PM EDT on Thursday. Once all the submissions are in, it's time to start voting. From October 14 to 28, fans and a panel of judges, including Selway, will review the submissions. Indaba will announce the jury’s choices of Grand Prize Winner and two Runners-Up on November 11, as well as the public’s choice of 15 Honorable Mentions.
Journal Topics: Artist News, WebTuesday, October 12, 2010Steve Reich, Nonesuch Records, and Indaba Music have launched a search for collaborators to remix the third movement of Reich's new piece 2x5, which Gramophone recently described as his "smartest, most sonically nourishing record for years." For four weeks beginning today, remixers can visit Indaba to create their own version of the movement. From November 9 to 23, fans and a panel of judges, including Reich, will review the submissions. Indaba will announce the jury’s choices on December 7, as well as the public’s top ten.
Journal Topics: Artist News, WebTuesday, October 12, 2010Punch Brothers are back in California, headlining at LA's El Rey Theater with Jon Brion, the producer of their album Antifogmatic, opening. LAist spoke with fiddler Gabe Witcher and says: "Punch Brothers' music is the sound of synapses firing. The band's mix of unpredictability and virtuosity means there's always something new to uncover in their original pieces." Mother Jones spoke with Chris Thile and says: "What the Punch Brothers are doing musically blows the pants off most of their contemporaries."
Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist NewsMonday, October 11, 2010Ben Folds and Nick Hornby are in New York City this week for a few special events to celebrate their new album, Lonely Avenue, including appearances at the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe and Union Square Barnes & Noble, plus a spot on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The Financial Times gives Lonely Avenue four stars, saying of Folds/Hornby, "Both are excellent: witty, sophisticated lyrics about love and loss set to a range of styles." And, finally, Folds and fellow Chatroulette sensation Merton offer a joint public service announcement you can watch here.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News, Reviews, Television