I've hinted at this in some previous posts, but I'll be headed down to Knoxville, TN this weekend for the 4th edition of Big Ears Festival, which Rolling Stone has called "the classiest, most diverse festival in the country.” With good reason: encompassing everything from experimental and new music, to industrial electronica and indie rock, the festival is the brainchild of veteran Knoxville promoter Ashley Capps, best known as the driving force behind Bonnaroo and the Forecastle Festival.

This year, the artists in residence are the Kronos Quartet, who will be playing no fewer than six concerts with everyone from Wu Man and Laurie Anderson, to Bryce Dessner and Nels Cline. And, if that's not enough to get you going, there's tUnE-yArDs, Ben Frost, The Bad Plus, Bil Frisell...For fuck's sake, they're even flying in Terry Riley to jam with his son Gyan and Tracy Silverman. Wow.

Check back here and @feastofmusic for updates throughout the weekend.

I first heard Doug Perkins and Todd Meehan - otherwise known as the Meehan/Perkins Duo - perform Tristan Perich's Parallels at MoMA in 2013, as part of MoMA's Soundings exhibition. The performance, which was held outdoors in the Summergarden, combined tuned triangles, hi-hats and 1-bit electronics in an ecstatic, trance-inducing swirl of sound. 

Over the past year and a half, the Meehan/Perkins duo has performed Parallels multiple times, refining their technique and honing their chops. They performed it again last night at Gowanus' Sky Gallery to celebrate the CD release of Parallels on the Physical Editions imprint, which includes a fold-up poster of the complete score. (Three additional recordings are set to be released later this year.)

In contrast to the MoMA event, last night's performance provided a more concentrated listening experience. For the first 20 minutes, the mix of triangles and electronics produced a shimmering, ethereal glow. Then, suddenly, the 1 bit music erupted with a series of quick pulses that made you sit straight up in your seat. The music steadily grew more complex from there, with Meehan and Perkins showing incredible dexterity as they kept pace with the electronics, finally ending after 45 minutes of thrilling, bewildering sound.

More pics on the photo page. 

Pierre Boulez, NY Philharmonic, 1975

from Répons (1981-84)