With all due apologies to the brief distraction from which iteration of Yes is the least suckworthy ATM...
Big Ears 2017 is happening in Knoxville, starting yesterday and running through Sunday with the promise of some pretty amazing performances. It's literally impossible to see everything, but hopefully I and the precious few others (markwoll, nogbadthebad) who came can share a few thoughts here as the weekend plays out. And with that said, here's my recap of Thursday's fun!
Kickoff - not exactly thrilling but cool if only because it demonstrates how much the city of Knoxville supports Big Ears. The mayor came out as with prior years to talk about how much culture the festival brings to their town (she also has a running joke with the festival creator, promising to reference Captain Beefheart in her speech each year). This was followed by a few brief performances by musicians from the local colleges and programs. Kudos to Knoxville for not just talking about the arts, but seeming to throw actual support and $$ into the mix.
Ahleuchatistas - I've seen these lovelies from Cuneiform before, and it was a real thrill to see them cut loose in a sizable room with a healthy audience cheering them on. They were supremely powerful; in a few places they made me think of the finest moments from the band Battles. Super happy to see them receive such a warm welcome, and a nice high-energy way to get the festival rolling.
Sarah Kirkland Snider - knew nothing about her before the fest beyond the brief blurb in the promo materials. I guess she was just the composer and didn't actually perform, but that was fine. Musically, this was a soft blend of chamber rock, Americana and a very light sprinking of electronica/processing. Moderate-sized ensemble (maybe just under a dozen players including strings, a guitarist, percussionist, harp, piano, and a dude on laptop) with two male and one female vocalist (Mark told me the latter is also the person behind My Brightest Diamond). If this makes any sense, they reminded me of a "gentler" Thinking Plague. In keeping with the overall song cycle theme, there were also subdued but well-coordinated visuals behind the band, almost like a slide show of old photos. I thought it was quite lovely, engaging and exactly the sort of thing that is great about these fests: went from "who?" to "wow, so lovely, let me go buy this album."
Anna Meredith - another unknown before the show started. WOW. Amazing high energy quirk pop/electronica with a wildly weird/clever arrangement: Meredith on synths/percussion/wind (I couldn't tell which, maybe an oboe or clarinet?), a cellist, tuba player, guitarist and drummer. It sounds nuts and it definitely was but it all worked. They were clearly having a blast up there and the energy/enthusiasm was infectious. Musically it was deceptively complex with lots of syncopation introduced and some very fast lines between the players. There were moments that reminded me of everything from Philip Glass to Passion Pit to Nirvana, and a zillion points in between.
I had about 30 minutes to spare before the last act went on, so I wandered over to a nearby venue and checked out an ensemble called DakhaBrakha, some sort of percussion-type Ukranian folk act (apologies if I butchered that description). Very different but very cool...I could only stay for a few minutes but between the (I'm guessing traditional?) outfits and vocals it was an interesting little interlude.
Blonde Redhead with American Contemporary Music Ensemble - the band performed their album Misery is a Butterfly in full. Honestly wasn't familiar before this although I knew *of* the band. Shoegazer pop with fairly lush arrangements. I liked it, but also was running on fumes and took off about halfway through. I may investigate their albums though, as I suspect it's something I'll like.
One minor note...as much as I liked last year, the one thing that I missed was a contrast between higher-energy and more downbeat performances. This year already feels a bit more like prior years; one moment I am chilling out and the next, feeling pumped. It's really great.
Three days to go!
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Originally Posted by battema
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