Friends,
Please join us for our
First Friday Open House, featuring the modern classical music collective
Arts In Motion, starting at 9:00 p.m. Pre-show music and massive projections will begin outside at 8:00.
Arts In Motion is the same group that packed the studio with an impromptu pre-show back in April, and the more we work with them, the more impressed we are with their vision and ambition, both in creating music and in putting it in front of modern audiences. They aim for nothing less than a complete redefinition of classic music for the new century, one that embraces not only centuries of composition and songcraft, but also modern styles ands sounds, hip-hop, electronica and music visualization.
And, as founder Eric Haeker says, "Success in this endeavor requires far more than the addition of a violin to a band." Or, to put it another way, "Hey, man, we ain't gonna fall for no banana in no tailpipe."
Indeed, this show alone will feature performances of original compositions by Haeker and our friend Mary Bichner -- they met at the explosive Box Five show at Turtle back in February -- alongside electronic remixes of the works of Bach, Chopin and Handel, and video art from artist John Phillips. So we've got "21st century electronica," hip-hop/classical fusion, new works by AIM composers and orchestrators, and music visualizations. And, of course, Radiohead.
And in case all this sounds way too academic or theoretical -- or fun -- Haeker promises a deeply emotional experience as well. Arts In Motion intends to present 500 years of musical evolution -- sequenced into five suites kind of like the second side of
Abbey Road, each about 20 minutes in length, featuring two pianists, two DJ's, a keyboardist and a violinist, plus Mary's vocals -- and at the end of it, you may not be thinking about the theory of it at all. If I understand their plan, at the end of it, you are going to be an emotional wreck.
See, it's like I said. They're ambitious.
You can read more about Arts in Motion and how you can support them on their
web site.
And be sure to check out
CBS 3's recent feature on Mary and her work with Arts in Motion. Pretty heady stuff.
Our web site is
still right here, of course.
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Random digression of the month ... this Saturday, you should also check out
Festin' On Preston, an Indie Rock Flea Market at a new venue in West Philly. I can't really tell if this event is brought to you by Figurehead Productions, the people who brought you Thrilladelphia, or by Figurehead's girlfriend
Freshout Media, or both, or neither, but I expect it will be cooler than cool, doper than dope, meta-er than meta, etc.
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First Friday Open House ... doors open at 9:00 p.m., pre-show visual music projections begin outside at 8:00 p.m. As always, feel free to bring along anyone and everyone whom you think might appreciate it. We look forward to seeing you.
Turtle Studios, 225 Quarry St., in Old City Philadelphia
just off 3rd Street between Race and Arch
JSL