Phillip Glass will be making his first MusicNOW appearance

Here is what each night looks like…

March 28: Free organ concert with James McVinnie at Christ Church Cathedral. Doors at 7:00 pm, show at 7:30 pm.

March 29: eighth blackbird with special guest Philip Glass at Memorial Hall. Doors at 7:00 pm, show at 7:30 pm.

March 30: Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner w/ Pedro Soler and Gaspar Claus at Memorial Hall. Doors at 7:00 pm, show at 7:30 pm.

The full on official press release below…

The MusicNOW Festival returns to Cincinnati March 28-30, 2012 with new work from Nico Muhly, Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang and performances by Grammy winners eighth blackbird with special guest Philip Glass, James McVinnie, Pedro Soler and Gaspar Claus, and a workshop presentation of Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner’s new collaboration.

For the seventh consecutive year, MusicNOW is proud to present a program of exciting new music from some of the most adventurous artists working today.

This year’s festival features composers Philip Glass and Nico Muhly. Muhly is a prolific composer and collaborator, in 2011 he premeired two (!) operas – “Dark Sisters” a commission from the Metropolitan Opera and “Two Boys” a commission from the English National Opera. His more pop oriented work includes collaborations with Antony and the Johnsons, Bjørk, Jonsi (Sigur Ros) and Grizzly Bear. Two new works from Muhly will be premiered at the festival – a commission for eighth blackbird and a workshop presentation of a new song cycle collaboration between Muhly, Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner.
The New York Times describes eighth blackbird as “a dexterous sextet that balances trills and tempos.” They will be joined by special guest Philip Glass to perform “Music in Similar Motion” and will also premiere Muhly’s new, yet to be titled commission. MusicNOW is also pleased to present a FREE organ concert at Christchurch Cathedral featuring James McVinnie formerly of Westminster Abbey in London. The organ program includes a new composition by Richard Reed Parry and a new composition from Pulitzer Prize winning composer David Lang along with pieces by Philip Glass, Bach, and Arvo Part. McVinnie will also perform Nico Muhly’s “O Antiphon Prelude.”

Pedro Soler returns to the festival this year and will be joined by his son Gaspar Claus to share work from their recent, Bryce Dessner produced recording, “Barlande,” an improvisation combining traditional flamenco guitar and cello.

Tickets for the festival will be onsale January 27th at 10 am. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets. Individual show tickets are $25 and festival passes will be available for $35.
The full festival schedule is as follows:

MusicNOW was founded in 2006 by Bryce Dessner of The National. Through the years, the festival has invited contemporary musicians and risk-taking artists who do not fit neatly into genre defined categories. Past performances have included festival-only collaborations, world premiere compositions, and sold out audiences. The festival has featured Sharon Van Etten, The National, Justin Vernon, Joanna Newsome, Andrew Bird, Toumani Diabate, Bang on a Can, Grizzly Bear, Sufjan Stevens, Glenn Kotche, and Kyaw Kyaw Naing among others. MusicNOW is presented by Chamber Music Cincinnati.

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The MusicNOW hangover continues here on ENS, if you missed our video of The National from yesterday, check it out here. And if you missed any of our coverage, it’s all together right here.

One more video to share today from The National’s performance at Music Hall the other night. The tune is a rarity live, and a rarity in general as well. The song, “Exile Vilify” is a tune found on the Portal 2 video game soundtrack. Matt commented that in order to hear it while playing the game, you have to “play for like 3 days” so unless you want to do that, check the video below. Owen Pallett was kind enough to play his violin on the song as well. Enjoy!

As MusicNOW 2011 rides off into the sunset, I once again have to provide my overall thoughts on the festival. If you follow this blog or know me personally, you know I am attached to this little festival, which took some big steps forward this year. But just like anything else, I have some criticisms, not really of the festival itself, but rather how it is embraced, so I’ll get into that a bit as well. Here we go…..

MusicNOW added important layers to the festival this year that will help it in future years.

This year, not only could you experience MusicNOW in its traditional format with three nights of unique music, but you also had an opportunity to go to a great poster show, a intimate songwriter performance and an early screening of The National documentary. I know there were some technical issues with the doc screening, but folks who showed up early at Music Hall on Sunday night still go to see it. As for the poster show and songwriter set, well, they were both incredible, but not nearly enough people experienced them both. So while I felt fortunate to be in attendance for both, I wish more could have taken it in. How does this help for future years? Well, in my opinion, this sets an example of how the nights of music begin to turn into a full weekend experience. I think that in future years, this could bring more people from out of town to Cincinnati for the festival rather than picking and choosing one night over another. I’m hoping they build on these pre-show options moving forward.

Why MusicNOW is special.

MusicNOW is a special event. It’s the best weekend of music you can experience in the Cincinnati area all year, with apologies to other amazing options like MidPoint. Each night, it’s not just another touring set from a band halfway through a 15 city trek. It’s not a musician playing the same setlist they have dragged across the country for six months. No, MusicNOW is a unique experience. As one of my friends posted on Facebook during the festival and I quote “MusicNOW. “Amazing, unique, only here, only now”. That right there could be a tagline for the festival moving forward. And how true it is, as evidenced by the opening night of the festival on Friday. The night began with yMusic performing a piece written by Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, who returned after a couple of other festival appearances in previous years.

Shara Worden was up next, and along with yMusic showed off a list of great new songs which she said were being heard for the first time in the Midwest. Shara is one of those singers that is truly incredible on record, but for some reason, takes it to another level in person. Her ability to command the room with her voice, in combination with yMusic’s meticulous instrumentation raised the temperature in an already muggy and hot Memorial Hall. One thing is certain, the next release from My Brightest Diamond should be nothing short of excellent.

As great as the night began, the final performance of Friday somehow managed to make me temporarily forget about what had happened only minutes before, and in some ways, what had taken place in previous years of MusicNOW. Yes, I’m going out on the limb and saying that Friday night of MusicNOW, and more specifically the Sounds of the South set was the best night of music in the festival’s history. Flanked by friends like Justin Vernon, Sharon Van Etten and more, Megafaun and Fight The Big Bull conjured up a brilliant interpretation of Alan Lomax’s original group of recordings. From old spirtuals to call and response sing-alongs, the collective force behind the set was as special as any I have been in attendance for. As many as 13 performers were on the stage at times, each taking turns guesting and being featured throughout the two hours, and each time a song finished, I could not help but feel like what we all just witnessed would be difficult to duplicate. Sounds of the South was originally a commissioned piece from Duke University, where almost the exact same group of friends performed it for three consecutive nights.

But I would go out on another limb and say that the fourth night was the most special all around. Justin ‘Bon Iver’ Vernon even tried to put it into words the next morning on his blog.

Last night was a most insanely humbling evening of music. There are no words for the opportunity given to us all that played last night; to share those musics. To share it with the other musicians who are so respected and admired.

The absolute ‘wow’ factor that summed up Friday night was more that I have personally experienced, especially for a set of songs that I had previously probably never heard before, and certainly not from any of the participants.

Despite that huge Friday mountaintop I feel like we reached, Saturday did its part to keep the momentum strong. Tim Hecker was first up, and was also the first electronic musician to perform in the six year history of the festival. Those that were prepared for the long, continuous chill-wave ride Hecker took us through were rewarded, but I’m sure others unfamiliar with him previously may not have been as receptive. That said, Hecker is an artist whos sounds serve as a beautiful backdrop for lots of environments (including writing, as I’m listening as I type this.)

Hecker’s set gave way for Little Scream next, which is the mostly solo work of Laurel Sprengelmeyer, who’s beautiful debut album was released earlier this year on the Jagjaguwar label. And while the minimalist nature of the record makes for a beauty all its own, Laurel invited an incredibly talented group of performers on stage with her, which is a MusicNOW tradition, to help flesh out her songs. Among the guest were Richard Reed Parry, both Bryce and Aaron Dessner, Owen Pallett and Shara Worden. The added artillery took the songs to a new level live, and created a set that was a great example of the collaborative element that makes MusicNOW so special.

Owen Pallett closed out the night with yet another great set, bringing his unique brand of dense chamber pop into full focus for the crowd. Pallett commented that he had recently had his bow returned to him from the shop and you could tell how he fell in sync with it again almost instantly. Song from Heartland like “Midnight Directives” and “Lewis Takes Action” really sounded great in the hallowed halls of the historic venue, and even when the set wound down, I think most of us were prepared to hear more.

Sunday night was the icing on the already memorable cake with The National, the hometown heroes, returning to Cincinnati for the first time since 2008. It didn’t feel like MusicNOW, even though we were just next door, but the crowd at Music Hall was primed for the band to end the weekend on the right note. Of course, many people who did not attend the previous two nights made it out for night three, and I’d venture to guess some had no clue about MusicNOW at all. I even chuckled a bit when Matt Berninger commented that Bryce was “the inventor of MusicNOW, after all”.

Although there were loads of rumors about a special unannounced guest for the final night, that didn’t happen. But I doubt anyone was disappointed. Sharon Van Etten, who Aaron Dessner described to the crowd as a ‘modern day Patti Smith’ started things off with a dark, emotional set. Sharon’s contributions to the entire weekend were a welcome addition, and I hope she returns in future years for more. The headliners hit the stage next, ready for their first MusicNOW appearance ever. I’ve seen a couple other reviews refer to the set as a triumphant return or a conquering of the city, but for me, it was simply a classy capper to the weekend. New material made its way into the set, with tunes like “Think You Can Wait” from the film Win, Win as well as a song for the video game Portal 2.

Of course, the tunes that everyone wanted were present and as fresh as the first time I’ve heard them as well. Songs like Abel, and Mr. November brought the raw emotion out of Matt, as usual, and more mid-tempo items like “Slow Show”, and “England” (with Owen Pallett) shone just as bright. Of course, what National show would be complete without Matt taking a ridiculously long microphone chord into the audience? He did so on “Terrible Love”, to the thrill of the crowd (myself included). The encore was perfect, including tunes like “Exile Vilify” and the unplugged closing song, with all the MusicNOW musicians still in town, of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”.

Final thoughts

If you cannot already tell after my 1500 word explanation of this weekend, I am pretty passionate about MusicNOW. So it’s only natural that I’m bothered that all three nights were not as successful at the box office as they were on the stages. It boggles my mind that this city is not willing to support a festival like MusicNOW, six years into its existence, in a historic part of our city on an otherwise non-eventful weekend. I know, there are always things that get in the way, and I don’t expect everyone that reads this to be as passionate or committed as I am, but for some reason, it is really really difficult to get Cincinnati to show up at a concert with performers they aren’t already incredibly familiar with. Returning to the statement about the festival being totally unique, it is one of the few events you could show up to with little to no previous knowledge about the musicians performing and be awed by the results.

But that is not easy to explain. So for those of us that care about MusicNOW and want to see it live a long and fruitful life here in Cincinnati, support it and let the people that run it know you want it to continue. If you were present this year at MusicNOW, what are your thoughts about the weekend and the future of the festival? And if you did not attend, what kept you away?

~Joe @eachnotesecure

On Sunday night, The National closed out MusicNOW if fine fashion, playing a set with old favorites, current classics and a couple songs that we don’t hear from them live very often. One of those was a gem with Sharon Van Etten guesting called “Think You Can Wait” which is a tune they penned for the Paul Giamati film Win, Win. We have some video of the performance for you here today on ENS, enjoy!

There were many many amazing moments during MusicNOW 2011, and for us, several of those happened on Friday night. The talented folks at A Story Told Well were on hand and took some amazing video that I want to share with you today. I know not everyone could make it, but these vids are probably the next best thing, so take some time to watch and enjoy all three for the first time, or relive your Friday night MusicNOW experience.

As our little festival begins to grow, it’s fun to see it beginning to take up more and more of the weekend. We already let you know about the documentary screening on Sunday afternoon, but were you aware that there is a poster show opening this weekend as well? Tomorrow (Saturday) at Artworks, you have an opportunity to buy some great festival related posters from John Solomine of Spike Press.

If you are like me, you love concert poster artwork, and might even have a few of them framed around your home. I plan to do that with these pieces, which are really cool looking. So be sure to get yourself to Artworks on Saturday from 4pm – 6pm and claim your posters.

They are each 19″x25″ screenprints with 3 colors using a split fountain. Available separately for $30 each or as a set for $50.

Another great video unearthed from the MusicNOW vaults for you today, and this one from Justin Vernon. We have talked alot about his amazing performance from last year, and even shared some video footage from the event, but this video puts the others to shame. It was shot by the Projectmill crew and one of Cincinnati’s finest Pete Ohs. Enjoy this video of Justin performing with yMusic on the tune “Beach Baby”, complete with the string quartet wearing cameras around their heads, providing a unique point of view.

Enjoy and get excited for MusicNOW 2011, it starts tomorrow!

Many people still know Owen Pallett by his original stage name, Final Fantasy. In 2009, however, he retired it in favor of using his own name for his music. What didn’t change, however, was the steady progression of his densely composed electro/acoustic chamber-pop. His last full-length, 2010’s Heartland, was a universally acclaimed follow up to his break-through effort, 2006’s He Poos Clouds. Along the way, he’s used his technical musical prowess to contribute strings sections and other instrumentation to works by the likes of Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, Death From Above 1979, and Stars, as well as various singles and soundtracks.

Pallett will perform at Memorial Hall Saturday, May 14th as part of the MusicNow Festival. He recently agreed to answer some of Each Note Secure’s questions about the past, present, and future of his various musical projects.

[Each Note Secure] What have you been up to since your last album, Heartland, and the other EP’s you released in 2010? Do you have any other recordings in the pipeline?

[Owen Pallett] I’m working on some film stuff right now. I’ve got a new band together, too. We’re rehearsing and thinking about the fourth LP.

[ENS] You’ve arranged strings for recordings from artists ranging from Arcade Fire to Fucked Up and Duran Duran. Does this musical activity satisfy you creatively in a different way than your own musical output? Do you have a specific interest in working with groups with very different sounds from your own, such as Fucked Up?

[OP] What draws me to working on other people’s records is, specifically, a feeling of utility. Just as many musicians, producers and magazines are interested in the aesthetic of analog recording, I am interested in preserving a non-sample based recording practice. I prefer the sound of a live string quartet to string samples, for example. As an arranger, I hope to create agency for bands, facilitating a percussion ensemble or a brass quintet or what-have-you. That’s my interest.

[ENS] It’s been over a year now since you dropped the Final Fantasy moniker for your musical output. Do you find that recording and performing under your own name at all changes your approach or feeling about your music?

[OP] No. It confused people. It happened so close to the album’s release. But it passed. My band and I have been playing the best shows of our lives. Seriously, we just got back from the best European tour I’ve ever been on, with any band.

[ENS] How did you first become involved with music? What originally influenced you?

[OP] That’s a straightforward question on a crooked topic. You can’t really put too much stock into one’s “original influence”. I mean, I don’t listen to much of the same music that I listened to as a kid. I can tell you that the first three cassettes I owned, as a five-year-old, were the Bach Double, a Purcell mix that my dad made, and Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste. But you won’t find any tracks and traces of that stuff in my music, twenty years on, you know?

[ENS] Your “Final Fantasy” title and the sound of a few of your compositions led me to believe that you may have been influenced in some way by music from video games. But I also found out recently that you actually had a hand in composing the music for the PC game Traffic Department 2192 back in 1994! What was it like professionally producing music at such a young age? Do you feel video game music has influenced you?

[OP] I don’t think my music has much to do with video games. “Final Fantasy” as a moniker was meant to call to mind the slavish devotion that one has to “grind”, or level-up, one’s characters in a JRPG. It also refers to the grotesquely melodramatic emotions in that specific game series. You won’t find any Nobue Uematsu quotes on my records.

As for “Traffic Department”, I spent far more time helping my brother program that game than I did write music. My brother ended up using two, three or four of my songs; the lead composer Robert A. Allen wrote most of it. So I was credited as a programmer. I was 12. I used Visual Composer, a computer based FM synthesis sequencer. It was amazing, amazing fun. I loved that program and was sad when everybody switched over to the sample-based Mod Tracker software.

You have to remember that 90% of the people working in the creative section of the video game industry are under the age of 30. And many of them are teenagers. This was especially true in the 90s.

[ENS] I hear interesting character-based stories in the lyrics of some of your songs. What kinds of stories intrigue you from a songwriting perspective?

[OP] I’m mostly interested in writing some manner of social commentary, but from a fictional standpoint. I typically cast myself as the bad guy, it makes for interesting writing. I mostly draw from old blues records for inspiration in that regard.

[ENS] What are your plans for the rest of the year?

[OP] I’m doing some film score stuff, mostly electronic based stuff that I’m hoping I’ll be able to fashion into an album. I’ve got plans for the next record but I’m not rushing anything. I’ve been touring for so long that I’m mostly focused on “seeing friends” right now than anything else.

-Interview by John Crowell @terriblesounds

One of the more underrated performances of last years MusicNOW festival was Colin Stetson. He took the stage and had a compelling performance, and I know I walked away a big fan. Here is a video that just surfaced of one of the songs Colin performed at last years festival, a song called “Stand, Walk.”

This video was shot by Charlie Gibson, Joshua Mattie and Pete Ohs of Projectmill.

The video was also edited by Pete Ohs.

Brad Cook, Phil Cook & Joe Westerlund of Megafaun. Photo by Jeremy M. Lange

Not only do you get Megafaun with Justin Vernon, Sharon Van Etten and Fight The Big Bull, but also Shara Worden performing with yMusic. Opening nights at MusicNOW are legendary, so don’t miss out on this opportunity.

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