Hello everyone & happy September!

This Thursday, Sept. 10 will kick off Popcorn Youth's fall programming. I'm beyond thrilled to present one of the most ambitious PY lineups thus far: the happy return of Brooklyn avant-garde duo MOUNTAINS, with supporting acts DUANE PITRE, DESOLATION WILDERNESS, TZAR and KEIR NEURINGER'S OTHER PEOPLE. That's right: five wonderfully varied acts held in the inimitably gorgeous 3rd Floor Concert Hall at the downtown CSMA.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Mountains >> http://www.myspace.com/apestaartjemountains
Duane Pitre >> http://www.myspace.com/duanepitre
Desolation Wilderness >> http://www.myspace.com/desolationwilderness
Tzar >> http://www.myspace.com/tzarduo
Keir Neuringer's Other People >> http://www.myspace.com/kneuringer

7:30PM doors / 8PM prompt start
3rd Floor Concert Hall, CSMA
330 E. State St., Ithaca, NY
ALL AGES / $10 / $8 with student I.D.

Some information about the performing acts:

MOUNTAINS>>> A love of sculpting sound in front of an audience is at the heart of Mountains, otherwise known as Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp. Mountains is often compared to artists such as Brian Eno and Fennesz, citing their extended melodies and their unique broad guitar work. Mountains seamlessly blend pastoral electronic sounds with both field recordings and a plethora of acoustic instruments. The effect is incredibly sublime and hypnotic as the sounds slowly wrap themselves around each other and alter themselves in the mind of the listener.

The group’s third album, Choral, is a uniquely soothing and addicting listening experience and an aural crazy quilt: warm and inviting with many details to discover and explore. Guiding us through sonic peaks and valleys, the band takes us on a journey through their realm of experimentation, occasionally crossing over into psychedelic and kosmiche (Harmonia, Cluster, Popol Vuh) territory.

DUANE PITRE>>> Brooklyn-based, avant-garde composer and performer. Thursday's performance will feature a rare solo appearance from this composer — who used to skateboard professionally for Alien Workshop — who typically collaborates in large ensemble formats. His current works explore both chaos and discipline, and the relationship that exists between the two. Pitre primarily works with long-tones and utilizes alternate tuning schemes that focus on microtonality, enabling him to explore unaccustomed harmonic intervallic relationships.

Pitre has presented his works in NYC at such spaces as Roulette, The Stone, and ISSUE Project Room (where he was the Spring 2009 Artist in Residence). He has shared bills with artists such as Marc Ribot, Tony Conrad, Audrey Chen, Sean Meehan, and James Blackshaw. Pitre has releases on Important Records, Trome Records, Quiet Design, NNA, etc. He's appeared on compilations with artists such as Keith Rowe, Sir Richard Bishop, Tetuzi Akiyama, and Jandek; and he has appeared on soundtracks with Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis, and Animal Collective.

DESOLATION WILDERNESS>>> K Records, West Coast band. They left the parking lots and the malls, the high schools and the valleys, and found their home at the summer night overlook. Taking the sounds of the cities below and amplifying them into a pitched resonance, they write slow burners and warped guitar/synthesizer/vibraphone ballads influenced by drone music, the photorealistic art of Robert Bechtle, and musique concrète; with a pulse included.

"By stripping electronic dream-pop to its core and rebuilding it with lo-fi guitars, drums, bass, and vintage keyboards, Olympia, WA's Desolation Wilderness have tapped into a new sound — one that's truly transcendent." —SPIN Magazine

TZAR>>> Tzar consists of two of exceptional instrumentalists, drummer/bass pedalist Willie B, and organist Michael Stark, who have played together for 10 years now. They have been the preferred rhythm section for such artists as Johnny Dowd, Sally Timms, Jsan & the Analogue Sons, and Hank Roberts. From Thelonious Monk to ZZ Top, their influences are vast and their sound individual.

Willie B has performed and recorded with many artists such as Jamie Lidell, Warren Zanes (Del Fuegos), NYC punk legend Jayne County, Hellwood, and Neko Case. From punk to jazz to country, Willie's versatility is his strength. He is best known for incorporating organ bass pedals into his drum setup, allowing him to play bass and drums simultaneously. This original sound has become his signature. Born in Queens, NY, Michael Stark has been writing for and performing with experimental trio Wingnut as well as Tzar. Both have toured extensively in Europe and the U.S. with artists such as rock legend Johnny Dowd.

KEIR NEURINGER'S OTHER PEOPLE>>  Born in New York in 1976, Keir Neuringer is a composer and performer (saxophone, voice, electronics). His output ranges from pulse-based electronic music, through free jazz and experimental electroacoustic improvisation, to music for theater and notated compositions for contemporary chamber ensembles. Keir Neuringer collaborates with a wide and undefined network of musicians, including Rafal Mazur, Ensemble Klang, Joel Ryan, DJ Sniff, Carlos Iturralde and Matt Bauder. He has performed and exhibited works in the US, Mexico, Israel, Turkey, South Africa and throughout Europe.

Keir Neuringer's Other People features an all-star line-up of top Ithaca talent performing Keir's material of the last decade. Conceived for people who can bring energy, personality and soul to outsider music that blends structure and improvisation without losing the beat, there's no fast answer to the genre question (though nods and winks are sent in the direction of the Decoding Society, Zappa, Tortoise and Threadgill). This music makes its own rules and then breaks them into pieces.



XO ! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE ! XO