Big Ears Festival 2017 [Knoxville, TN]

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/big-ears-expands-to-four-days-announces-64-performances-w443384

"alt-country weirdos Wilco"

Bryars and Bley the obvious highlights, also psyched for Supersilent and a bunch of other stuff.

This is a very attractive lineup but a question to people who have gone before: Doesn't it get "oppressive" listening to this kind of focused art music for four days? After a couple hours of sit-down chin-stroke sets I need to listen to a DJ set or go see a garage band or, like, clipping or whatever. I just feel like I really appreciate the dialed in curation of this on paper but I might be pulling my hair out at the real thing.

Bonnaroo is thataway.

i was almost pulling my hair out at Wilco a few years ago (it was free)

Agreed, my only beef is that it is a little light on the unhinged stuff this year, but there's still Deerhoof, Aleuchatistas, Rangda and DJ Rupture if you need a good freak-out.

Not unhinged, but DakhaBrahka isn't exactly chin-strokey either. For me a lot of it comes down to sequencing. I usually won't plan to go to two or three drone/ambient things in a row, throw a curveball in there as a palate-cleanser. Plus, I imagine there'll be more stuff tba.

Given the Wilco participation and general aesthetic of the fest, seems like a missed opportunity to book Loose Fur. I'd fly across the country for that.

Bryars and Bley the obvious highlights

uh, MUSICA ELETTRONICA VIVA

I also have to say, Nief Norf and ACME are such a treat to get in a festival setting because like a well curated program of John Luther Adams and Morton Feldman and whatever doesn't feel as easy as seeing, like, a set of rock festival bands

gotta say, this is the least immediately attractive lineup of any of the Big Earseses since I started going back in 2014; the only acts that really jump out at me are Johansson, the Magnetic Fields, and obvious Gavin Bryars. but then again getting blindsided by new stuff is always part of the package with Big Ears so I'm not too concerned about that.

speaking of Bryars, given that he, Jeck, and Rupture will all be playing, what are the chances of their take on The Sinking of the Titanic being performed? it's actually probably my favorite version of that piece (their version > Bryars' original > the 1990 version, although all three are good in their own way) and the idea of seeing it performed live at the Tennessee gives me a Feeling.

I really got to go over Jelico and get to some of these gigs next spring.

we are stoked to play our three act version of Robert Ashley's 'Perfect Lives' at this

!!!

i would go to see Colleen

just my own hang-up, but I feel weird about the idea of paying to get ahead of other people in line

I would feel weird about you paying to get ahead of me in line, too.

I hadn't planned to, but it looks like I'm going to this after all!

\^o^/

I wanna go back just to hang out in Knoxville when a bunch of music weirdos are in town.

The daily schedule is now up at http://bigearsfestival.com/. Let the planning begin.

ahhhhhhh

app not updated tho

This would be such a good chaser if I could afford a flight right now

https://safeasmilkfestival.com/sam17

damn now that's a lineup

looks like NYCTaper is headed to Big Ears, expect some sets to be uploaded!

"Italian improv-jazz-noise-electroacoustic trailblazers Musica Elettronica Viva"

not italian. still the coolest thing on the lineup. christ, i didn't know richard teitelbaum was still alive!

Circle! Circle needs to play Big Ears.

Matthew Shipp and Alvin Curran are scheduled at the same time. If I go see Roedelius at St. John's Cathedral I would have to leave early to walk to The Mill & Mine for MEV. d'oh!

I'm tempted to leave Matthew Shipp early and catch the last half of Alvin Curran.. but the Square Room is tiny and it will probably be packed, right??

square room is tiny but Curran's set is competing with Matthew Shipp, Meredith Monk, Johann Johanssen and Robyn Hitchcock, Frode Halti and a Secret Show at the Terminal so who knows

Just typing that sentence is proof enough that this is the best music festival in America

I know I should figure out my schedule before I pick up my wristband and such, but gah what a task.

STOKED.

Running late — we're gonna miss the opening event but hopefully we'll catch some of Nief-Norf!

Our schedule for today:
Nief-Norf
Carla Bley
Matana Roberts
Anna Meredith
Kapp & Shipp
Blonde Redhead

hey y'all

this is gonna be fun

fingers crossed we can get through our string section rehearsal in time to make it to Matana Roberts tonight

tryna catch ILXors like Pokemonsters here at the fest so say hi

That Anna Meredith performance blew me away. Never heard her before. Band was all smiles and so was the audience. Blonde Redhead was excellent too. Great night all around.

I hit up 'Swimming to Cambodia,' Nief-Norf, Aleuchatistas, Carla Bley, Matana Roberts, Michael Hurley, Shipp/Kapp and 'Stop Making Sense'

The Norf Oliveros piece is going to be hard to top. Also, Stop Making Sense on that sound system was amazing

though getting up at 7 am to load in and prep for a noon show was . .. gnarly

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN PLAYING THIS FEST OMG

and we have seen a lot of rad shit too

Matana was rad

Alvin Curran killed it, such a great musician and just really wild and loose and crazy

Michael Hurley was super charming

Carla Bley trio was exquisite

bummed I missed Rzewski but we had to pack our gear

gonna be on a panel w Matana and the Deathprod dude tomorrow at 10 am if anyone is feeling masochistic

my review:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/live-reviews/big-ears-2017-live-review-w473743

what an amazing time

What a great weekend. Just got home.