I just got out of Alex Ross' Rest Is Noise presentation here at the Texas Book Fair, where he interpersed book excerpts and other observations with samples of Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Messiaen and Reich. The reading was held in a Senate conference room in the basement of the State Capitol: about as far away from Barnes & Noble as you can get. Someone asked Alex about how to best get acquainted with this music, and he responded:

"I have this thing where I feel like I've never truly experienced a piece of music until I've heard it performed live. Music is a communal experience, one of the few times where everyone in a room shares the same reaction. And, that is incredibly powerful to be a part of."

The host suggested we immediately, "all get up en masse and go hear a concert together." To which I wanted to say: "There's actually one happening right down the street."

I did get to chat with Alex for a minute after, and tried to get him to come to the Fun Fun Fest, but he got pulled away to go sign books. Too bad he couldn't make it: I'm listening to this incredible Canadian kid called Final Fantasy who plays violin and piano in Reich-like phase. And, the crowd is roaring their approval. Hopefully, just the first of many musical surprises this weekend.