Sharon and I made our annual spring trip to Knoxville for the Big Ears music festival.
Last year we decided that next time (this year) we would go for the more expensive festival pass that enabled us to skip the lines (well, the general admission lines). We bought them as soon as they went on sale, before they had even announced ANY of the artists, because that’s when they are the cheapest — Big Ears ratchets up the price over the 3-4 months prior to the festival itself. So, we had good access and didn’t have to wait in lines.
Also this year, great weather! Hardly a drop of rain the whole four-day weekend, not miserably cold, we’ll take it! Better than last year for sure.
The rundown:
Thursday:
Peter Gregson — solo cello in a cathedral
Rachel Grimes: The Way Forth —
Lucy Negro Redux — Nashville Ballet with Rhiannon Giddens
Theo Bleckmann: Music of Kate Bush —
Susie Ibarra, YoshimiO and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe —
Altered Statesman —
Bob and Eric’s 1st Period —
Mercury Rev —
Earwig Deluxe —
Friday:
Joan La Barbara, Alvin Lucier and the Ever Present Orchestra — (with Oren Ambarchi and Stephen O’Malley)
Harold Budd and Nief-Norf —
Carl Stone —
Aurora Nealand, Bill Frisell, Tim Berne, David Torn —
Spiritualized —
Triptych: Robert Mapplethorpe photos with Roomful of Teeth —
International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) — in a cathedral, I showed up late and they played a short set, so only 10-15 minutes for me
Mats Gustafson and friends — Fire! is MG plus Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin
Saturday:
Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble: Cellular Songs
Kara-Lis Coverdale: Pipe Organ Concert
Starfilm by Johann Lurf
Mosaic Interactive: Dreams
Dragnet Girl with Live Score by Coupler
This Is Not This Heat
Mosaic Interactive: Rituals
Nils Frahm
Jerusalem In My Heart
Sons Of Kemet
Sunday:
Tim Story presents The Roedelius Cells
films by Jodie Mack: The Grand Bizarre and Hoarders
Vijay Iyer and Craigh Taborn
Richard Thompson with the Knoxville Symphony Strings: Killed In Action