So, you know those holiday craft fairs they have during Christmas time, where locals sell beaded jewelry, knit scarves, and 50/50 raffle tickets? Replace those tables with ones filled by local new music organizations, and you get some sense of what last night's New Music Bake Sale was like. Held in the banquet hall of a Brooklyn Heights church, there were silent auctions, an iPod raffle, and, yes, baked goods. Even if you weren't hungry, your $15 got you two beers and four hours of live music by Newspeak, Ensemble de Sade, ACME, Dither, and So Percussion, among others. (Special commendation to Caleb, who played in three groups and contributed his own Trio for violin, cello and piano.)

As the evening wore on, the crowd got more restless, prompting percussionist Lukas Ligeti to stop mid-performance to remind the crowd that this was "a new music concert, not a nightclub." An uncomfortable silence followed, but at least we could hear him - and he could hear himself. I'm not a big fan of stage tantrums, but this one was worth it. (More pics below.)