Big Ears Festival // Feb 6-8, 2009. Knowxville, TN

  Quote

Press Release • 12/08/2008

EXPLORATORY ‘BIG EARS FESTIVAL’ ANNOUNCED FOR FEBRUARY 6 – 8, 2009 IN HISTORIC KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

 

IMMERSIVE, ADVENTUROUS GATHERING TO INCLUDE PHILIP GLASS, ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS, FENNESZ, MICHAEL GIRA, JON HASSELL & MAARIFA STREET, FENNESZ, MATMOS, THE NECKS, NEGATIVLAND, PAULINE OLIVEROS AND MANY MORE

 

 

The weekend of February 6 – 7 – 8, 2009 will see the maiden voyage of a new “boutique” music festival concept called BIG EARS in Knoxville, Tennessee. The mission of BIG EARS is to create a dynamic cross-genre music and arts festival experience. Spearheaded by Ashley Capps, president of AC Entertainment and longtime fan of cutting edge music, the BIG EARS experience will include concerts by legendary innovators along with young cutting edge visionaries and experimentalists crossing a variety of genres. The festival will also include art installations, exhibitions, performance art, seminars with artists, and interactive experiences.

 

Artists confirmed include enormously influential composer/performer Philip Glass; 2005 Mercury Prize-winning cabaret act Antony and the Johnsons; trumpet wizard Jon Hassell and his multi-cultural trance fusion band, Maarifa Street; Australia’s improvising ambient groove trio The Necks; Swans-founder and godfather of the new avant-folk movement Michael Gira; sonic anarchists Negativland (presenting their subversive “live” radio show “It’s All in Your Head”); the richly textured electronic soundscapes of Fennesz; the ever-inventive electronic group Matmos; and, last but not least, renown composer and electronic music pioneer, Pauline Oliveros will present her meditative Deep Listening experiences. More additions to the weekend line up will be announced soon.

 

The selection of Knoxville, Tennessee as the launching pad for Big Ears is not an accident. “We wanted to create a ‘getaway’ event, outside of the usual major cultural centers, and Knoxville is a great choice. There are two fabulous historic theaters with extraordinary acoustics (including the 750-seat Bijou which celebrates its 100th Anniversary in 2009) along with a variety of other great venues, including the legendary experimental music outpost, The Pilot Light, and the Knoxville Museum of Art; excellent restaurants, and downtown hotels…and they’re all within a short walk of one another…plus, it’s our hometown and we want to show it off!”

http://www.bigearsfestival.com/

At the very least, I will go see Philip Glass and Dan Deacon.

This is probably the coolest music that has happened here in many years.