Big Ears 2019

[Steve F.]

They've announced the first round of artists and it looks pretty great:

Mary Halvorson / Code Girl
Nils Frahm
Lonnie Holley
Rachel Grimes / The Way Forth
The Messthetics
Irreversible Entanglements
Derek Gripper

Someone had to start this thread, so I did!

[battema]

Never heard of this fest, but that's certainly an interesting start for a lineup!

[mike_hunt]

Fuck yes. Mary Halvorson's Code Girl is fantastic. Discovered her earlier this year; can't wait! Will be great to see Nils Frahm also.

[markwoll]

Might could get interested in this.

[battema]

All jesting aside...I'm excited to see who might be on the bill this year. I have a few hopes for some still-living legends (Harold Budd, Morton Subotnick), and certain favorites that I will *always* be happy to see, especially in such a great setting. Many times though, it's the ones I didn't know anything about going in that impress me the most.

Got my pass already ( https://bigearsfestival.org/ ), and all the gradual announcements are going to be like opening little Christmas presents throughout the year

[littleatlas_steve]

Thanks for posting this, Steve. I have always wanted to go to this fest. It strikes me as a a festival devoted to musicians pushing boundaries regardless of genre (or perhaps within many genres). Knoxville also seems like a great town to host such a fest. Thanks for putting the bug in our ears!

"another" Steve

[NogbadTheBad]

I'll probably be there again next year but I'll wait on more announcements.

[Zappathustra]

Irreversible Entanglements was my favourite album from 2017, a record of immense intensity and inspiration.

[Steve F.]

Irreversible Entanglements was my favourite album from 2017, a record of immense intensity and inspiration.

Another reason to try and attend.

[walt]

Like last year,when the full roster of artists is posted, i'll toy with the idea of going,but probably won't.It's a great festival,i went two years in a row, but my reasons for not going a third year still remain.My loss.

[Steve F.]

Like last year,when the full roster of artists is posted, i'll toy with the idea of going,but probably won't.It's a great festival,i went two years in a row, but my reasons for not going a third year still remain.My loss.

Does it have to deal with the lack of seats at the venues? That’s sorta the deal-killer for this otherwise completely wonderful festival in terms of my being interested in attending.

I can stand for a show once in a while, but I cannot walk to venues and stand for most shows for several days....My flat feet just won’t put up with it.

[walt]

Does it have to deal with the lack of seats at the venues? That’s sorta the deal-killer for this otherwise completely wonderful festival in terms of my being interested in attending.

I can stand for a show once in a while, but I cannot walk to venues and stand for most shows for several days....My flat feet just won’t put up with it.

That's one issue for me.It's not that i'm incapable of standing( i stood for This Is Not This Heat recently, i didn't like standing but i toughed it out).I just prefer to sit; i'm not a young man anymore and i get antsy if forced to stand in an enclosed location with bodies in close proximity.Walking isn't an issue.

Mostly it's my lack of desire to sit through hours and hours and hours of music.These days a couple of hours of live music is fine, maybe music in the morning,some more later in the day, something in the early evening; but not music starting at 11 am and ending at 2 am(with breaks for meals, relaxation,walking to venues etc).You have to want to cram as much live music as you can handle to get your moneys worth from these festivals, and i don't have that urge anymore.

[Brad to the Bone]

Mostly it's my lack of desire to sit through hours and hours and hours of music.These days a couple of hours of live music is fine, maybe music in the morning,some more later in the day, something in the early evening; but not music starting at 11 am and ending at 2 am(with breaks for meals, relaxation,walking to venues etc).You have to want to cram as much live music as you can handle to get your moneys worth from these festivals, and i don't have that urge anymore.

If "less music" is what you are looking for you should come to my festival! It will only take up 3 to 4 hours of your time each night, along with an optional "Pay What You Can" matinee on Sunday afternoon:

http://www.improvisedmoo.com/

[battema]

More names announced today:

Clarice Jensen (I have her new album and it is quite lovely)
Jlin
Rafiq Bhatia
Matt Wilson
Kayhan Kalhor & Brooklyn Rider
DRAGNET GIRL with live score from Coupler

I'm not super familiar with all of these, but reading the short descriptions from Big Ears, there are some potentially awesome goodies in here: https://bigearsfestival.org/lineup/

Happiness continues to abound!

[Steve F.]

I'm not super familiar with all of these, but reading the short descriptions from Big Ears, there are some potentially awesome goodies in here: https://bigearsfestival.org/lineup/

Happiness continues to abound!

I saw the Matt Wilson Salt and Honey show when it hit DC. It was supremely entertaining. A very good, Americana singer / guitarist (Dawn Thomson) doing adaptions of Carl Sandberg's poetry set to her music with an all jazzer backing.

NOT jazz / NOT country - but really good songs and really good playing.

[littleatlas_steve]

I saw the Matt Wilson Salt and Honey show when it hit DC. It was supremely entertaining. A very good, Americana singer / guitarist (Dawn Thomson) doing adaptions of Carl Sandberg's poetry set to her music with an all jazzer backing.

NOT jazz / NOT country - but really good songs and really good playing.

Is this the same Matt Wilson who was in Trip Shakespeare (from Minneapolis)? Brother of Dan Wilson (Semisonic)?

[proggy_jazzer]

Is this the same Matt Wilson who was in Trip Shakespeare (from Minneapolis)? Brother of Dan Wilson (Semisonic)?

No, it's this guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_W...(jazz_drummer)

[Steve F.]

Is this the same Matt Wilson who was in Trip Shakespeare (from Minneapolis)? Brother of Dan Wilson (Semisonic)?

No. This is the Midwest born and educated jazz drummer and composer and bandleader.

[markwoll]

Brooklyn Rider was there this year too.
No Nels Cline announcement yet

[NogbadTheBad]

Only one I recognized was Brooklyn Rider who were great last year.

[battema]

Jlin sounds like she will be right up my alley. And the live Coupler score could be a blast too.

[Steve F.]

and I saw Brooklyn Rider at Rhizome in October, and they were fine as well.

[walt]

Kayhan Kalhor plays the kamancheh, the Persian spiked fiddle.He performs the traditional Persian and Turkish music for that instrument and has collaborated with Western classical people and other players from his tradition.I know he has played with Brooklyn Rider before.

I saw Kalhor in duet with baglama(lute) master Erdal Erzincan at the Schimmel Center in NYC in May.A master of his art(as is Erzincan).

[battema]

Walt - definitely check out Clarice Jensen's newest one "For This From That Which Will Be Filled." Beautiful stuff, includes what might be among the last collabs with Johann Johannsson that will ever be heard.

[neuroticdog]

Walt - definitely check out Clarice Jensen's newest one "For This From That Which Will Be Filled." Beautiful stuff, includes what might be among the last collabs with Johann Johannsson that will ever be heard.

This is great...presses alot of essential buttons for me...

Ambient-yep (somewhat)
electronically treated acoustic instrument (commonly known as electroacoustic)-yep
Loopy-yeppers

Haven't heard of her before so thanks for the heads up. (Surprisingly, the Johannsson collab is my least favorite piece with my initial thought that it takes to long to reach an understated payoff...may grow on me though)

best
Michael