I'm sitting in the Asheville, NC airport after spending an amazing long weekend at the Ethermusic theremin festival. It was four days of workshops, performances, and networking. Some highlights:
- Seeing four great thereminists perform separately, and in various ensembles. Two of them -- Barbara Buchholtz and Wilco (his real name) Botermans -- I'd never seen before. Barbara is great at combining theatricality with musicality (most thereminists do one of the other). Wilco is a master of using effects on the theremin and using the theremin as a controller for other sounds. I've seen Pamelia Kurstin and Lydia Kavina on several occasions, but there's something about playing in front of your peers (in this case over twenty other thereminists) that brings out the best in a performance.
- Meeting Herb Deutsch, who along with Bob Moog (who is ailing and could not attend), is one of the fathers of electronic music. Just an incrediblly friendly and welcoming personality.
- Playing "Rainbow Connection" and "Video Killed the Radio Star" during an open mic, and having Lydia come up on stage to compliment my playing. Lydia is most definitely
not
effusive with her praise, so I took it as a high honor.
More later, including details of my sidetrip to Athens to see the Olivia Tremor Control and the Tall Dwarfs play in a forest on Saturday. Gotta catch my flight outta here!
Reasons tonight's Hold Steady show rocked:
I was there via cellphone! My friend A called me during "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" because I had sent him a mix with that song on it the week before. He first tried to convince me that he was in Chicago and would be at my apt. in 5 minutes and then held the phone up for me to hear the song. I've explained to him a dozen times that that never works, and it just sounds like fuzz, but he persists.
The Hold Steady album has grown on me much more than I thought it would. I saw their performance at Intonation but I had just gotten there and it was like 3 pm and 98 degrees - not the ideal situation, but they were still fun.
More later, including details of my sidetrip to Athens to see the Olivia Tremor Control and the Tall Dwarfs play in a forest on Saturday. Gotta catch my flight outta here!
I take it that the published rumors that Jeff Mangum might make a surprise appearance proved untrue?
I take it that the published rumors that Jeff Mangum might make a surprise appearance proved untrue?
You read that he showed up with OTC at their show in NYC last week, right?
Which was in the same venue as the Hold Steady show, leaving my friends who had been at both shows awed at their excellent streak at the place.
Huh. The Pixies and Elvis Costello played the Newport Folk Festival this past weekend. (bugmenot: projo@dodgeit.com/bugmenot)
Huh. The Pixies and Elvis Costello played the Newport Folk Festival this past weekend.
I think I just heard Pete Seeger crying. Ha HA!
t /Nelson
And Bob Dylan is the one making like Nelson.
Any opinions on James Blunt? He just did a mini-concert here at the Coffee Monster HQ, and I was intrigued. He apparently has the #1 single and album in Britain. Never heard of him, but if he knocked that frog ring-tone off the top of the charts, he gets many points from me.
