Big Ears, Full Hearts, Can't Lose

[zircona1]

$65 + fees for Andre 3000. No thanks.

[monasterymonochrome]

Feb 27, 2024 8:29:20 GMT -6 zircona1 said:

$65 + fees for Andre 3000. No thanks.

Damn.  $50 was my 100% absolutely doing this limit.  Of course they found the near exact price to make it a tough decision.  Gonna crunch some schedule math today and see.

[clouddead]

Don’t do it.

[zircona1]

So are monasterymonochrome and I the only ones going to this next week?

[monasterymonochrome]

Figured I'd go ahead and post my planned schedule here for kicks. Was too busy at work this Jan/Feb to do another huge write-ups series, but oh well. I still had plenty of time to meticulously plan each day of the fest down to the minute!

Note that the set times here aren't the actual set times, but the window I'm shooting to stay for:

Thursday
-- Tord Gustavsen 6:00-6:50 (Bijou)
-- Mary Halvorson 7:00-7:40 (Tennessee)
-- Kurt Vile 7:45-8:45 (KCA)
-- Jlin 9:00-10:15 (Point)
-- Colloboh 10:20-10:50 (Standard) / Adrianne Lenker 10:15-11:00 (KCA - if I'm feeling crazy and drive from the Point to KCA, in which case I'd leave Jlin at 10pm)
-- Unwound 11:00-12:30 (Mill & Mine)

Friday
-- Yasmin Williams 12-12:55 (Standard)
-- Jana Horn 1:00-1:30 (Jig & Reel)
-- Joanna Sternberg 1:35-2:10 (Old City)
-- Sam Amidon 2:15-3:15 (Standard)
-- Henry Threadgill Zooid 3:30-4:45 (KCA)
-- Molly Tuttle 5:15-6:30 (Mill & Mine)
-- Brad Mehldau 7:00-7:50 (Tennessee)
-- Chocolate Genius Inc 8:00-8:50 (Bijou)
-- Laurie Anderson 9:00-10:25 (KCA)
-- Darcy James Argue 10:30-11:20 (Bijou)
-- Suzi Analogue 11:30-12:00 (Mill & Mine)
-- Carl Craig 12:00-2:00 (Mill & Mine)

Saturday:
-- Laraaji 9:00-10:00 (KMA)
-- Kassa Overall 12:00-12:55 (Standard)
-- Secret Chiefs 3 1:00-2:15 (Mill & Mine)
-- Eli Winter Trio 2:30-3:10 (Jig & Reel)
-- Cedric Burnside 3:15-4:10 (Mill & Mine)
-- Sons of Chipotle 4:20-4:45 (Tennessee)
-- Colin Stetson 5:00-5:30 (Standard)
-- Dave Holland Quartet 5:45-7:00 (Tennessee)
-- Kokoroko 7:30-8:30 (Jackson Terminal)
-- Herbie Hancock 9:00-10:40 (KCA)
-- Bonnie Prince Billy 10:45-11:45 (Tennessee)
-- Roc Marciano 11:50-12:10 (Jackson Terminal)
-- Son Rompe Pera 12:15-1:15 (Mill & Mine)

Sunday
- Kenny Wollesen Sonic Massage 10:30-11:30 (KMA)
- Sofia Rei & Jorge Roeder 12:30-1:00 (Jig & Reel)
- Silkroad Ensemble w/ Rhiannon Giddens 1:00-2:00 (Mill & Mine)
- Evan Lurie 2:10-3:00 (Bijou)
- Fatoumata Diawara 3:15-4:30 (Mill & Mine)
- Finom 4:30-5:30 (Regas Square)
- Thurston Moore / John Paul Jones 5:45-6:30 (Mill & Mine)

Then I leave early to pick Emma up at the airport to go hiking in the Smokies. Woohoo!

[monasterymonochrome]

Also noting that I avoided several conflicts by grabbing tix to individual shows in NYC. Namely, Beth Orton, Horse Lords, and Myriam Gendron. Might see Fred Frith at the Stone in April too. And the Messthetics in May.

Biggest misses otherwise are MAVI, Bar Italia, Kristin Hersh, Shabaka's new ensemble, and - of course - Andre 3k, who I did not end up buying tickets to see. Other folks like Digable Planets, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Ceramic Dog, Leyla McCalla, Bitchin Bajas I've seen before so it stings less.

[monasterymonochrome]

Oh yeah, and a big-ass playlist I made for this thing:

[zircona1]

Thursday - Henry Threadgill's Very Very Circus(?), Secret Chiefs 3, Unwound
Friday - Joanna Sternberg, Fred Frith and Ikue Mori, Kristin Hersh, Laurie Anderson, Titan to Tachyons
Saturday - Kronos Quartet, Beth Orton, JG Thirwell+Ensemble, Ceramic Dog, Bonnie Prince Billy
Sunday - Evan Lurie, Void Patrol(?), JG Thirwell's Silver Mantis, Medeski/Russo/Ribot

Subject to change of course.

[rango420]

Mar 15, 2024 11:38:16 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

Also noting that I avoided several conflicts by grabbing tix to individual shows in NYC. Namely, Beth Orton, Horse Lords, and Myriam Gendron. Might see Fred Frith at the Stone in April too. And the Messthetics in May.

Biggest misses otherwise are MAVI, Bar Italia, Kristin Hersh, Shabaka's new ensemble, and - of course - Andre 3k, who I did not end up buying tickets to see. Other folks like Digable Planets, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Ceramic Dog, Leyla McCalla, Bitchin Bajas I've seen before so it stings less.

I think I'm going to the Fred firth show on Wednesday will let you know if it's worth re-arranging anything for. sounded interesting and 4 blocks from my house and the "special guest" in the ensemble likely being someone also on their way to big ears made it seem like an easy call

[monasterymonochrome]

I’m at ATL on a layover and holy fuck there’s a Paschal’s outpost in Terminal B. Could not have started this trip off on a better note.

[zircona1]

Big Ears was once again a fantastic 4-day fest of music. Very well run, for the most part. Was also great to hang out with monasterymonochrome between shows. 

Favorite shows:

Secret Chiefs 3
Unwound (first time I've seen a mosh pit at Big Ears)
Joanna Sternberg
Laurie Anderson + Sexmob (work from her whole catalog including a cover of 'Junior Dad' for Lou)
Kronos Quartet (they did the Requiem For A Dream song and covered 'Purple Haze')
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (bedtime songs about the wilderness, bananas, animals, and uncomfortable suits out of $100 bills)
Ceramic Dog (once or twice I caught myself getting bored, but when they locked into a groove together it was great)
Void Patrol (see above)
Evan Lurie Quintet
JG Thirwell + Ensemble

Saw JG Thirlwell chatting with some people, didn't have the guts to go up and say my wife and I are big fans of Archer.

Edit: honorable mention to the 25 minutes of Molly Tuttle+Golden Highway I watched.

[monasterymonochrome]

Gonna drop my Big Ears reviews in a series of bullet point posts, now that I'm back from my TN/NC hiking trip. An amazing ~10 days in total. Being back at work SUCKS but what can ya do.

Thursday:

-- Flew into Knoxville, got my rental car and room at the Econolodge, then headed into town. Check out the Steve Keene gallery / painting performance and bought a cool little Blondie Parallel Lines painting for $30. Good shit.

-- First show of the weekend was bald ECM piano extraordinaire Tord Gustavsen at the Bijou Theatre. Perhaps the mellowest possible way to start a festival, but transfixing nonetheless. Tord's something of a minimalist Keith Jarrett - all gorgeous melodies, very little atonality. But everything is very spare - lots of musical silence and subtle dynamic changes with his Trio. Dude next to me was taping - hopefully it pops up on DimeADozen soon. RIYL: Vijay Iyer's trio records

-- Next up was Mary Halvorson and Amaryllis at the Tennessee Theatre. Mary has the coolest alien-ass guitar effects in the game. Worth it to see her in literally any configuration, just to hear what kind of wacky shit she's cooking up. This sextet was spotlighting her latest (great) record Cloudward and featured Adam O'Farrill on trumpet. Also played three new songs that were all killer & featured some wild Halvorson shredding. I walked down to like the third row of the theatre for this one, there's always at least one empty seat up there - my favorite Big Ears trick.

-- Headed over to the Knoxville Civic Auditorium for the last hour of Kurt Vile's set. This was my fourth time catching Kurt, but my first since his 2017 tour with Courtney Barnett. It was somewhat of a rambunctious hour, featuring a wild 12+ minute take on "Wakin on a Pretty Daze" that woulda made 90s Neil Young smile. On the shortlist for best indie rock song of the 2010s. New stuff sounded nice too, especially if you're plugged into Kurt's wavelength/humor. In a worse mood, it'd feel a bit sleepy but I was up for it.

-- Powerwalked the 20 minutes north to The Point to see Jlin. Started off underwhelmed. We're all sitting in church pews, and the sound was a little quiet. And like, if I can't shake my ass to dance music, I at least want to feel immersed. Fortunately, the sound folks fixed whatever was going on and I was able to lock in. And y'all Jlin brought it. Sounds were bouncing around everywhere, evolving from one minute to the next - flying every which direction but making cohesive sense. It was sick. I was in the second row and could see her triggering everything and tapping out the drum patterns - very cool to watch. And the crowd fuckin' loved it. Two standing ovations during setbreaks. Just lots of love in the room.

-- After that, I hopped in my car (which I'd parked earlier outside the church) and drove back to the KCA for the latter half of the Adrianne Lenker headlining set. Look, I'm basically a Lenker stan. This was my eighth time seeing her (6 w/ Big Thief, 2 solo) and her live performance remains as magnetic as ever. She has a knack for making even these big theaters feel intimate, despite it just being her and an acoustic guitar this time. Setlist pulled from across the new record, songs, and abysskiss. Big highlights were Real Home, Free Treasure (my fave on the new record), Zombie Girl, The Only Place, and - in true Lenker/Big Thief spirit - two unreleased songs, "Words" and "Cactus Practice".

-- Finally, I drove back north, this time to Mill & Mine for Unwound. Got in just in time for "Corpse Pose" while I ate a burrito from the back of the venue. The band obviously ripped - Sara Lund is such a cool drummer - and there was even some light moshing, as zircona alluded to earlier. They played "Look a Ghost" too which was a sick surprise, as they didn't do that for much of their earlier reunion tour. My energy was starting to wane by this end, but you bet I was headbanging with abandon during "For Your Entertainment." Great way to cap off probably my best Big Ears Thursday yet.

More, hopefully less wordy daily recaps coming soon-ish!

[monasterymonochrome]

Friday:

-- Started off with breakfast at Pete's Coffee Shop. Get the country ham - you'll thank me later. Walked across the street to Union Ave books and copped the newest Clarice Lispector translation. An auspicious start to the day.

-- First show was Yasmin Williams at the Standard. Is Yasmin the Yngwie Malmsteen of acoustic, fingerstyle guitar? This is my second time seeing her and it was a revelation. Appalachian-tinged melodies played with an astounding amount of flourishes and detail, finger-tapping like EVH, rocking a double-necked guitar like Jimmy Page. And she's also a very charismatic stage banterer. Even brought out William Tyler for a few tunes. All told, Yasmin is the most entertaining solo guitarist in the game right now, and the new stuff she played has me psyched for her next record (ETA ~ September).

-- Scooted over to the Jig & Reel, Knoxville's preeminent Scottish bar, for Jana Horn. A pretty straightforward reading of Jana's hushed singer-songwriting. Her bassist was adding a lot of cool counterpoints to Jana's melodies. Not mindblowing, but a nice way to spend ~35 minutes with a cup of hot coffee.

-- Bounced down to Old City for Joanna Sternberg, a Pitchfork-approved songwriter who's hitting the fest circuit pretty hard this year. Again, for a solo performance, they were a very engaging performer. Their songs are, like, hyper-sincere and emotionally forward, but not in a cloying way. Another good banterist, including ruminations on Tinkerbell's emotional volatility and Joanna's mom/manager. Their record didn't stay in rotation as much as I thought it would last year, but this set was a great time. Would recommend if they're playing a festival near you.

-- Then it was back to the Standard for Sam Amidon and his set of glitched-out folk standards. This set included my first Shahzad Ismaily sighting of the weekend (loved him using a half-full water bottle as a shaker) and featured a two-song sit-in from Sam's wife, the inimitable Beth Orton. They did a goosebump-inducing cover of Arthur Russell's "Lucky Cloud" which might have been my highlight of the day. Also loved the set-closing crowd singalong to gospel standard "Time Has Made a Change". I later found out that I missed John Paul Jones doing solo takes on Led Zep songs during this (I assumed, based on my research, that JPJ would be doing solo piano compositions). I was a little irked about that, but Sam's set was great enough to mostly forgive myself.

-- Henry Threadgill + Zooid was next up. There were like 5 sets celebrating Henry's 80th birthday, but this was only one of two that he was actually playing at. And honestly it was my most disappointing set of the weekend. Henry is a genius and legendary reedist, but he didn't seem to have it on this occasion. Maybe it was age (he seemed to lack oomph), maybe it was the material, but it didn't do much for me. A like my free jazz to have some urgency, some energy or central theme. This was mostly textural soloing - and mostly soloing by other ensemble members while Henry sat on his stool. Glad I got to see him, but ultimately a wash.

-- Audibled and hopped on a bus to see Fred Frith + Ikue Mori. Fred had one of the weirdest fuckin' rigs I've ever seen. One table, two guitar necks, a series of pedals, and then literally a collection of pots and pans, and bells and whistles. Ikue meanwhile was posted up on a Macbook. It was... okay I guess? I only saw ~10 minutes as they ended early, but zircona confirmed the whole set was pretty much what I heard: a playful set with lots of dicking around and Fun With Noises. Sort of like Roscoe Mitchell's Sound but without the tunefulness. Again, glad I got to see him, but also ultimately a wash.

-- Grabbed a kimchi hot dog with zircona and got to Mill & Mine early for Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. This was more like it - a high-energy ripping set of bluegrass. Molly is another magnetic bandleader in addition to being one of bluegrass's most gifted guitarists. Her solo runs were blistering and mind-bending. Played all sorts of good stuff (She'll Change, El Dorado, Dooley's Farm, Same Old Man, and a cover of White Rabbit that worked surprisingly well). The band was fire too, especially her bassist and mandolin player. Some absolutely sick solos and interplay amongst the band. The songwriting is occasionally a bit on-the-nose but w/e it's country and delivered with enough conviction to pull it off. Probs my fave set of the day.

-- Stopped at Cruze Farm for some soft-serve. Another money move.

-- Waited in a massive line for piano firebrand Brad Mehldau. Only this fuckin' festival could attract crowds down and around the block for a solo pianist. Brad is the king of teasing out pop melodies, altering their molecular chemistry, and reassembling them without missing a beat. Check out his 19-minute take on "Paranoid Android" for a taste of what I'm talking about. Dude was in fine form this evening - peaking early with a drop-dead gorgeous version of Elliott Smith's "Sweet Adeline" that morphed into Beck's "Already Dead". I really hope a taper was in the audience for this one. Brad did a few more Smith tunes (Satellite and Color Bars), plus STP's "Interstate Love Song" which I missed in the moment somehow. I left after about 50 minutes, but it was a great time.

-- Next stop was the Bijou for Chocolate Genius Inc and their performance of 1998's incredible LP Black Music. This shit ruled. Marc Thompson was easily the best frontperson of the weekend, delivering his songs of loss, family fractures, and hangovers with a Shakespearean seriousness and bravado. Between song monologuing was memorable too - speaking on the segregated history of the Bijou Theatre and telling tales of the making of his debut record. Band was aces. Marc Ribot on guitar, John Medeski on keys, Claude Coleman (of Ween) on drums, and Marc's daughter Zsela on backing vocals. Unfortunately, no cameo from Marc's eldest daughter, Tessa Thompson. More people should know this album. Check out "Half a Man" or "Safe and Sound" ASAP.

-- From there I high-tailed it over to the KCA again for Laurie Anderson's two-hour set. Got there just in time for the start of "X=X" into "IT Tango" - hell yes. A true delight to hear these songs in person, especially backed by Kenny Wollesen & Sexmob. I mean, a truly special set. Laurie is a treasure, expounding between songs on her career, the rise of AI (on which she is neither for nor against), and leading us all in a 10-second primal scream. She did O Superman! She did Walking the Dog - with the Dolly Parton section in Knoxville! Seeing Laurie Anderson play the hits with a Big Ears crowd is like seeing the Beatles at Shea Stadium. The energy was palpable, we all screamed, and some folks probably fainted in rapture too. Couldn't have asked for more.

-- I managed to jog over to the Tennessee for the last half of Rhiannon Giddens. Rhiannon's latest record didn't do much for me, but the songs feel much more alive in concert. She's just such a talented performer and infectious personality that you can't help but have a good time at one of her shows. The whole band was bouncing around, really feeling themselves. Her guitarist Niwel Tsumbu was especially awesome and made me wanna check out his solo stuff.

-- Then it was back to Bijou for Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, a big band set featuring ~30-piece orchestra conducted by the renowned arranger/composer. Just some good-jazz large band jazz here. Chock-full of soloing, huge tension-release payoffs, and the full 35-minute version of DJA's answer to Duke's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue". Another fun set to just chill in my seat and let everything wash over me.

-- Finished my marathon day at Mill & Mine for Carl Craig, Detroit techno wizard and the headliner of an all-evening dance party hosted by King Britt. Don't have much to add here other than it was a super fun time. I somehow mustered the energy to rock out to about an hour of this set before my legs started to cry for mercy. Carl dropped Inspectah Deck's "Protect Ya Neck" verse into one of his tracks, which ruled. Big Ears should have more late night DJ sets.


So yeah... that was 13 sets in one day, a new Big Ears record for me. And I think that's all for today's writeups. Hopefully I make it back here tomorrow to recap Sat/Sun!

[monasterymonochrome]

Saturday:

-- Started the day with brunch at Potchke and fuuuuck that was amazing - some of the best food I've had in Knoxville. The avo tartine on pletzl + the potato curry babka were righteous.

-- Waddled over to the Standard for Kassa Overall's day opening set. And this one set the bar high. I've typically found his records to be good-not-great, but the energy of this set was through the fuckin' roof. Kassa was a monster at the drum kit and the sax/reeds playing from Tomoki Sanders (Pharoah's kid!) was outrageous - especially when he hopped off the stage to play drums on the guardrail during a mid-song breakdown. A great mix of spiritual jazz and hip-hop that actually got some of the uptights in attendance to move their asses. A stupidly good time.

-- Next up was Secret Chiefs 3: Ishraqiyun, one of the "satellite bands" of Trey Spruance's SC3 project. For a bunch of white guys (+ Shahzad Ismaily!) doing Middle Eastern music, this kinda ripped. Got a little too "Fun with Time Signatures" at times for my taste, but when they focused on just shredding or riffing, it was awesome. By the end of the set they were really letting loose, feeling more like a jamband than a prog band to my ears. I'll cop a bootleg of this set if one pops up on the high seas.

-- Slight change of pace as I went back to Jig & Reel for the Eli Winter Trio. This was a super cool one for me. I went to college with Eli, DJ'd with him at WHPK, and saw him play probably 10-20 times at open mics, house shows, and DIY venues - some of which I helped organize / played at too. He started out playing more acoustic fingerstyle in the tradition of Robbie Basho, Jack Rose, or Daniel Bachman. Now he's moving into more electric country-scape territory, a la William Tyler. Always knew he had the goods so it's sick to see him put out records with Three Lobed, get American Drunkard writeups, and play fests like this. Dude has a real knack for melody, even as his music is starting to stretch out with the addition of pedal steel and drums. Felt like cosmic country jazz, if that makes sense. Shit, they even covered Don Cherry this time. Excited for his next record, and def check him out if he's on a bill in Chicago!

-- Afterwards I went back to Mill & Mine for Cedric Burnside. Cedric split his set into a solo acoustic and electric w/ drummer portion, which suited his catalogue of Hill Country and electrified numbers. Dude is the real deal - after all, his grandad is RL Burnside - and the (surprisingly young?) crowd was feeling it. I left after 45-minutes or so because I wanted to make sure I caught...

-- John Paul Jones w/ cellist Anssi Karttunen at the Tennessee Theatre. I knew going in that this was gonna be some weird shit and it did not disappoint. Basically JPJ was wildin' out on his mandolin hooked to all sorts of pedals and loopers, while Anssi played some textural accompaniments on his cello. Extremely free-form. No Zeppelin. Exceedingly Big Ears. By the end of the set the place had cleared out so much that I swear to god there were fewer than 400 people in the 3,000-cap theater - a set for the real twisted-brained heads. I sat back with a nice diet coke and enjoyed it for what it was. 1/4 of Led Zeppelin doing his own punk shit for 40 minutes.

-- Joined up with a Ceasefire protest moving through downtown Knoxville after the show. Heartening to see ~300-400 people show out for that in (however liberal) a pocket of Middle America.

-- And then returned an hour later to the Tennessee for the Dave Holland Quartet. The good vibes were flowing at this one. Dave is 77 but delivered a set full of cutting-edge, energetic and free jazz. Dude was a fixture of the electric Miles period, so he literally learned from the best. His band featured Kris Davis on keys and Jaleel Shaw on sax and they were cookin' with gas. The band was having a great time, and Dave himself was cheesing pretty much everytime someone took a solo. Everyone bounced off each other seamlessly, solos were exploratory but tight, and the rhythm section was living in the pocket. So yeah, basically my platonic ideal jazz set. They even did "Interception" from Dave's classic Conference of the Birds! Love love loved it.

-- Grabbed a kale salad for some much needed veggies, then bopped over to Kokoroko at Jackson Terminal. They're one of the major groups in London jazz, breaking out with their hit "Abussey Junction" on the 2018 scene-spanning We Out Here comp. They're a bigger band - 8 pieces - and use that depth of sound to their advantage, crafting some seriously bouncy and gorgeous Afrobeats-fused tracks. The guitar and trumpet solos on their take of "Abussey"? Ugh, just beautiful. Apparently this was part of their first-ever tour of the States too, which is wild. Hope they get much bigger with their next LP and can make a return tour.

-- Hauled ass over to KCA for the main event: Herbie Hancock. Hands down my favorite set of the weekend, and one of the most fun sets I've ever attended. The band was top-notch, featuring Terrence Blanchard on trumpet, Devin Daniels on sax, and a guitarist named Lionel Lueke who fuckin' shredded. Herbie himself has not seemed to miss a beat. Still soloing with elan, busting out the heavy synths, getting goofy with the vocoder. Dude exuded Fun Grampa energy in the best possible way. I started out about halfway up the auditorium, but left my seat about 50 minutes into the set and made my way to the front. As I mentioned earlier, there's almost always empty seats up front at Big Ears, since so many people come and go between songs/sets. So I waltzed down and found myself in the second fuckin' row, feeling charged up on coffee and diet coke, and proceeded to bop around and dance in my seat like a crazy person. The band was blazing. They did a searing 20-minute version of "Actual Proof" and then came the big moment. Herbie strapped himself into his massive KEYTAR and threw down for a set closing 15+ minute "Chameleon". By this point, all the weirdo/wooks were up front with me, standing up, and dancing like fools. Out comes his keytarred eminence and we had ourselves a fuckin' party. Swear to god Herbie came over during his solo and smiled right at me and the dude next to me. I about fainted. Then the 84-year-old legend did his best YEM Trey/Mike impression, hopping up and down with his guitarist (sans trampolines), and ended the set with a bang. I was buzzing - the shit was so cool. But I didn't bask in it for too long because...

-- I had to get back to Tennessee Theatre for the back-half of Bonnie Prince Billy. Zircona nailed it in his writeup - this one felt like campfire bedtime songs in some kind of magical realist tale. My hot BPB take is that he's getting better as his career continues. I think his last two albums + Wolfroy Goes to Town are some of his best works, and are records I find myself digging deeper and deeper into lately, as opposed to my earlier fascinations with (the still excellent) I See A Darkness and Viva Last Blues. Will just has a knack for writing off-kilter ditties that somehow feel both idiosyncratic and a part of the timeless fabric of Americana. So yes, the set was lovely. Joan Shelley, Nathan Salsburg, and Joshua Abrams came out. His violin and clarinet players were perfect, and the Will wins my Frontperson of the Day award. It would have been a fine way to end the night.

-- But it's Big Ears, so I kept going. First to Jackson Terminal again for a bit of Roc Marciano. Big Ears booked a solid lineup of alt-rap this year (Armand Hammer, FlySiifu, Aja Monet), but scheduled most of them at night against headliners, so this was all I got to see. Sadly, a pretty small turnout, but everyone that was there was engaged and throwing down. Roc was feeding off this energy for the 20 minutes I caught, and the show was awesome. Glad I made it even if just for a little bit.

-- I then ran back over to Mill & Mine for Son Rompe Pera, one of my most anticipated sets of the weekend. And honestly these guys were the breakout stars of the fest, playing like 4 shows over 5 days and surprisingly packing the house for their Saturday night closing set. They're a super fun group of brothers from Mexico playing punk-infused cumbia, loaded with a skittering energy and a healthy dose of marimba. This set was an absolute party. Big balloons tossed all around the crowd. Several raucous mosh pits (of which I only participated in one, as I am old and tired). Shirtless marimba soloing. An instant festival highlight - DO seek out these guys if they come to Chicago/wherever.

And that's a wrap on Saturday! 11 acts in total and another stellar day. My Sunday wrap-up will be much shorter and maybe dropping a little later today. Cheers!

[zircona1]

Was also nice that BPB played for 10 extra minutes at the end. Wish I could've seen Herbie, but there were like 6 or 7 acts I wanted to see Saturday night so I had to prioritize. I was satisfied with my choices.

[teekoh]

I would’ve killed for a kale salad last year.

[monasterymonochrome]

One last write-up here we go - much shorter today

Sunday:

-- Big Ears always schedules their Sundays lightly and tbh it's kind of annoying. Shows start later (1pm) and end earlier (11pm) on Sunday, the latter of which I understand. But they also seem to less densely pack the schedule - especially compared to Friday and Saturday. Still great music throughout, but it doesn't exactly let the festival end with a bang.

-- Regardless, I had to leave early to pick up Emma from the airport for our hiking trip, so I had to leave around 6:15/30 anyways. Started the morning getting awesome donuts at Status Dough. Then grabbed an Afghan-style bread bowl at Rom's. Both of these ruled.

-- First show was Silkroad Ensemble, led by Rhiannon Giddens at the Mill & Mine. I thought I'd only pop into this one, but found myself really engaged. They were doing folk songs from the various ethnic communities who built or were displaced by the Transcontinental Railroad. Highlights were "Rainy Day" adapted from a Chinese melody and "Roots" led by singer-songwriter Pura Fé. Some really cool musicianship and melodies here - has me interested in their recorded version of this project.

-- Went over to Jig & Reel one more time for Argentinian singer Sofia Rei accompanied by bassist Jorge Roeder, since Evan Lurie had already started + hit capacity at Bijou. Sofia has an incredibly acrobatic voice - flying around her songs like a operatic jazz singer. A really nice, light show.

-- I tried to see Matt Mitchell at the Old City PAC afterwards, but just missed getting inside before capacity. With fewer acts going on at any time throughout the day, every smaller venue hit capacity almost instantly.

-- Instead I waited at Mill & Mine for Fatoumata Diawara, a brilliant Malian singer/guitarist/actress. She frustrated me at first as the show started 20-25 minutes late, but it was worth it. Super bouncy rhythms, gorgeous singing, and some more engaging crowdwork + dancing. Fatoumata is an absolute force, easily my #1 priority for the day, and she did not disappoint.

-- Then I headed over to the Standard for the back-half of Void Patrol, feat. Colin Stetson and Cyro Baptista. Echoing zircona again, this was super cool, though occasionally unfocused. Pretty cool no matter what to hear Stetson honk around for a little bit though - I haven't caught him since his Pitchfork set in 2017. Dude is absolutely YOKED btw, probably my main takeaway of the set.

-- Walked over to see Chicago's own Finom at new venue Regas Square. The space was pretty tiny, maybe just 200-300 cap since they put chairs on most of the floor. Guitars were a little muted which was disappointing - I love the tracks on their 2020 album where they let it rip. New stuff sounded really good tho, very snappy rhythmically (esp. "Haircut"). Plus Spencer Tweedy on drums for the complete Chicago Experience.

-- Figured I'd take my chances at the Set of the Day - Thurston Moore w/ John Paul Jones - before leaving for the airport. Got in a loooooong-ass line wrapped way around back the Mill & Mine and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Set was supposed to start at 5:45, giving me 30-40 minutes to take it all in. But soon 6:00 rolled around, then 6:15... then 6:20. By 6:25 I had to give up the ghost and admit this wasn't gonna happen for me. Doors still hadn't opened yet, let alone the set actually starting. I drove over to the airport and thus endeth Big Ears 2024. Apparently Thurston & JPJ started around 50-60 minutes late - and didn't arrive at the venue until 20 minutes past their original start time? The reviews weren't super effusive either, mostly just the two of them making noise at each for a little bit. So it goes.

So there you have it! Big Ears 2024 in the books, ending with a bit of a whimper, but the Smokies were awesome so I can't complain.

I recently took their audience survey and requested the following artists for next year: "ABDULLAH IBRAHIM, Anthony Braxton, Bombino, Garcia Peoples, Hailu Mergia, Mulatu Astate, Jack DeJohnette, Julia Holter, Waxahatchee, Asher Gamedze, Omar Souleyman, Jesus and Mary Chain, King Sunny Ade (my pipe dream)"

[zircona1]

Apr 3, 2024 12:58:13 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

Started the morning getting awesome donuts at Status Dough. 

There is one of these about 2 miles from where I've stayed in the past. Loved going there for a donut + large coffee to start the day. 

[teekoh]

March 27-30, 2025

[zircona1]

2025 lineup dropping on Tuesday, 9/10.

TV on the Radio? Wouldn't get me too excited, but they'd fit.

[monasterymonochrome]

Aug 30, 2024 10:07:53 GMT -6 zircona1 said:

2025 lineup dropping on Tuesday, 9/10.

TV on the Radio? Wouldn't get me too excited, but they'd fit.

So psyched! Love how the lineup dictates so much of my fall/winter listening

[mookie]

Oh yeah posted this in the Other Festivals thread

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_vM6KEsafC

[zircona1]

Aside from ANOHNI, that doesn't really do much for me. Might sit this year out.

[thebosma]

Not sure I’d really see myself going to this just in concept but there’s quite a bit I’d like to see on there

[monasterymonochrome]

Holy FUCK! That might be the best Big Ears lineup for me since the first time I went in 2022. Michael Rother playing Neu! Taj Mahal! Tortoise! ANOHNI! I haven't even gotten to the middle and bottom sections yet and I'm already sold. Fuck yes.

[teekoh]

It looks really solid to me, too. Surprised that they went with basically no rap this year.

[monasterymonochrome]

Sept 10, 2024 8:38:36 GMT -6 teekoh said:

It looks really solid to me, too. Surprised that they went with basically no rap this year.

Ya that's about the only bummer for me.  Then again, last year's Roc Marciano set was disappointingly sparse.  Probably fewer than 80-100 people in the room.  Only really seeing clipping. on my first read-thru this year.

[monasterymonochrome]

No lie, I count 61 acts on here that I'd want to see, pre-research. I'm in heaven.

[monasterymonochrome]

S/o to Big Ears for continuing to keep their ears to the ground and booking the coolest rising avant-jazz/indie groups. All these folks have put out fantastic records in the last 1-2 years that I'd recommend:

- [Ahmed]
- Amaro Freitas
- Cowboy Sadness
- Lankum
- Mabe Fratti
- ML Buch
- Rachika Nayar
- SML
- Still House Plants
- Water Damage

Not to mention the sick ambient Americana curation, which feels destined for a Jig & Reel takeover.

Not to mention random one-offs by legends that I'd never see coming (Vernon Reid + Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Sam Bush from New Grass Revival, Les Claypool, Taj Mahal, Michael Hurley, Michael fuckin' Rother).

Plus healthy chunks of the current Blue Note and International Anthem jazz rosters, and neat indie acts that I'll be thrilled to see (Anohni, EitS, J. Pratt, Cassandra Jenkins, Julia Holter, Helado Negro, Phil Cook, Yaya Bey).

[thebosma]

If you haven’t listened to the Astrid Sonne album I def recommend it