Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 15
April 22, 2023
Virtual Talent Agency PRISM Project Announces Gen 5 Talents: Ami Amami, Kou Tsubame & Lana Shikama
From a media release:
Virtual Talent Agency PRISM ProjectAnnounces Gen 5 Talents:
Ami Amami, Kou Tsubame & Lana Shikama
TOKYO: On April 21st, 2023, virtual talent management agency PRISM Project, a member of the Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. family of virtual talent brands, will announce its fifth generation of virtual talents (VTubers).
The three new talents—Ami Amami, Kou Tsubame, and Lana Shikami—were selected out of more than three thousand applicants from twenty countries worldwide, and join Sony Music and PRISM Project as globally-managed virtual talents with an eye towards bridging the gap between the online and offline entertainment spheres.
The three new talents will officially join as the agency’s fifth generation during their debut livestreams on April 28, 2023 beginning at 7:00pm US Pacific Time.
The first new talent debuts since PRISM Project’s transition into the Sony Music family in May 2022, fans can look forward to a night of lively musical performances and engaging narrative which will introduce PRISM’s newest members: Ami Amami, Kou Tsubame, and Lana Shikami.
Founded in January 2021, PRISM Project is a global virtual talent management agency headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with a roster of fifteen talented musicians, vocalists, gamers, and personalities.
During its General Audition 2022, from which Amami, Tsubame, and Shikami were selected finalists, PRISM Project saw the largest number of applications in project history, with over three thousand applications from twenty countries and regions worldwide.
PRISM’s General Audition 2022 placed a strong emphasis on advancing candidates who showed outstanding promise in developing not only their abilities and experiences as online content creators, but in bringing together a group with diverse skills, backgrounds, and personal accomplishments. Audition evaluators assessed candidates with a particular eye towards identifying talents with the potential to push the boundaries of what virtual talents can achieve, in both the online and offline entertainment industries.
“At PRISM Project, we intend to utilize all the resources of the worldwide Sony Music Group to provide both online and offline career opportunities to our talents,” remarked “Shogun,” PRISM Project’s producer and spokesperson in a statement.
“Within the virtual talent space, there are countless incredibly gifted performers who have both the skills and the drive necessary to succeed both in the classic sense as VTubers, but also in traditionally offline business spaces such as the voice acting and musical artist industries, in which we at Sony Music have over fifty-five years of experience. With the addition of Ami Amami, Kou Tsubame, and Lana Shikami, PRISM Project is honored to accept three incredible performers who have shown an above-and-beyond motivation and ambition to join the global ranks of Sony Music talents and artists, and who we are confident will quickly endear themselves to the virtual talent fandom for their unlimited energy, passion, and integrity as entertainment professionals.”
PRISM Project also announced each talent’s designer and illustrator:
Miyu Miyasaka designed the bubbly frog girl and idol aspirant Ami Amami, Nilitsu illustrated the wandering android with an important quest, Kou Tsubame;Hiyori Sakura brought to life the charming and quirky sun goddess Lana Shikami.In addition, fans should be sure to check PRISM Project’s official YouTube account for a debut trailer featuring the three new talents, voiced by the talents themselves.
Amami, Tsubame, and Shikami will hold their debut relay live streams on Friday, April 28th starting at 7:00pm US Pacific Time. Additional information about each talent will be posted via the talents’ social media channels in their weeklong pre-debut period.
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Ami AmamiBorn on a planet without the traditional four seasons, Ami Amami was inspired to seek out our world by a book she read in which she was entranced by tales of worlds with lush springs, sunny summers, dazzling autumns, and snowy winters.
By chance, her very first experience on Earth inspires her once again--this time, to spread her love for nature and the beauty of the four seasons through the power of song. Her pastimes include humming in the rain, playing in puddles with frogs, and bringing joy and hope to all who meet her.
Japanese orthography: 雨海あみ
Goals/Dreams: Teach the world that things aren’t so bad if you change your perspective
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Kou Tsubame“You see the lightning, now hear the thunder!”
Hailing from the far future, from a cyberpunk world echoing with distant thunder, Kou Tsubame toiled away at menial labor in ore mines and factories as just another mindless, robotic construct--until, whether by sheer luck or perhaps by divine providence, she was struck by lightning, her circuits and mind warping, fracturing, and reconstituting into her society's very first fully sentient cybernetic being.
Her one-of-a-kind personality and newfound intelligence led her to develop both an insatiable curiosity about all things human and a growing sense of horror at what androids on her planet really were--automatons deprived of the freedom to be anything they could dream of. Leaving behind her now-lonely and cold planet, she found herself on Earth, where entirely new experiences such as "friendship" and "love" awaited her.
Japanese orthography: 燕こう
Goals/Dreams: To show the world that all emotions, good and bad, are beautiful and give meaning to life
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Lana Shikami“Is it hot in here? No, it’s just me.”
The empress of a far-future society which venerates her as an avatar of the sun, Lana Shikami was possessed of a haughtiness and authority proper for the ruler of her own nation. One day, her loyal subjects awoke with the sunrise to find that their alluring, beguiling empress had left her life of power and luxury behind.
She next turned up on Earth, making a new life for herself on a small, rural island chain in the southern hemisphere. While she had traded her riches and imperial might for serene mountains, green pastures, and an abundance of sheep(?), she still wielded the awesome power of her magical voice, showing it to the people of Earth as a reward for their kindness and friendship. Her new, slow life in the countryside begins as she embarks on a journey to throw off the shackles of political responsibility and chart her own course as the golden lady of the land of the long, white cloud.
Japanese orthography: 獅守ラナ
Goals/Dreams: To captivate the world with her voice
April 11, 2023
Classical Piano | Luke Welch - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Piano Works (Independent / May 5, 2023)
Luke Welch - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Piano Works
(Independent / May 5, 2023)Check out Papillon, the first work/single released on Spotify [HERE]Register for the FREE album release concert on May 5, 2023 at Array Music [HERE]Presave the album and follow Luke Welch on Spotify [HERE]
Toronto pianist Luke Welch's upcoming release spotlighting the piano works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, like many projects coming to light these days, began during the COVID lockdowns.
"Everything is sort of connected to COVID," Luke says. "What had happened, when COVID first hit and all my concerts were cancelled, I decided to start a concert series from my living room," he explains.
His original intention was to cycle through a variety of composers - but he also, as many of us did at first, assumed that the pandemic would last a few weeks or months, and then things would go back to normal...
After about 8 months of online concerts, he was looking for new material to delve into. He had written a blog post about being a Black classical musician that had struck a chord with many of its readers. It led him to explore the field of Black classical composers
"I looked at Florence Price, Nathanial Dett," he says. He found mention of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor in books, but very few recordings, and literally no reference material to work from.
"Even finding the actual original scores, it took me a year," he says, describing a process of hunting them down on the internet via eBay and random people who happened to have them, including some from the UK.
"It's just nowhere," he said. It led to a realization. "It's time to start promoting this guy," he says. It put him in an odd position as a performer of works that were hundreds of years old. "I'd never heard the music before I recorded it."
In 2023, Coleridge-Taylor's discography is actually growing. "We seem to have caught the right trend."
Black classical composers are only now beginning to get their due. Like his blog post, however, it's a topic that still sparks debate, including negative reactions.
"I know in some ways, it's going to be helpful and educational."
About Luke WelchAward-winning pianist Luke Welch was born in Toronto, although he grew up just west in Mississauga. He had his first public performance under his belt at the age of seven, and began to study through a series of teachers, including Kyzysztof Jedrysik, Catherine Kuzeljevich, and John-Paul Bracey, before earning his BMus and MMus at Western University. He began his performing career after further graduate studies in Rotterdam, and has played on stages in North America, Europe and the UK, along with New Zealand.
Along with his solo performances, Welch is a sought after collaborative pianist who has worked with a number of prominent companies, including Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, the Holland Dance Festival, Codarts Rotterdam Conservatory, Royal Conservatory of the Hague, Dutch National Ballet, and National Ballet of Canada.
His previous recordings have been aired on WQXR-FM in New York, KING-FM in Seattle, CBC Radio in Montreal, and Radio Classique, and he's also known as a (rival, haha) writer on classical music. He was the recipient of the 2018 Harry Herome Arts Award by the Black Business and Professional Association.
He also enjoys his work as a pedagogue, and has taught students in Canada and Europe.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (from the album cover)Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Piano WorksTaylor, who lived from 1875 to 1912, straddles the turn of the last century, and late Romanticism, with a unique compositional voice that blends various elements. The release includes pieces that represent various points in his career.
Scenes from an Imaginary Ballet, Op. 74 (1910)Three Humoresques, Op. 31 (1897)IntermezzoPapillonValse Suite: "Three fours", Op. 71- 1909Coleridge-Taylor considered himself an Anglo-African, and based his works on African melodies from various sources, all while writing in a then-contemporary classical vein. Many of his pieces, such as African Romances, Op. 17, and Ethiopia Saluting the Colours, march, Op. 51, reference those roots directly. In the Andantino of the Scenes from an Imaginary Ballet, for example, you can distinctly hear the influence of 20th century American music.
Coleridge-Taylor traveled to North America three times. "Each time really significantly impacted him as a composer," Welch says.
While earlier works veer towards neoclassicism in some areas, the Valse Suite is sheer Romanticism in a range of emotions.
Welch's crisp, clear playing emphasizes the rhythmic nature of the music, and draws beauty from its movements. Welch says the Valse Suite, in particular, reminded him of the ballet classes he's worked with.
"The biggest thing for me was to be really precise about the rhythms," Welch says. "The score is very precise about what he wants."
Coleridge-Taylor left a legacy of more than 80 works for piano, orchestra, and voice, along with ballet scores. Along with expressing himself via the musical modes of the day and create his own voice, Coleridge-Taylor also set himself the task of trying to preserve African American and African music through his work.
"I think he was trying to do everything all at once," Welch notes. He speculates that the composer, who died young at the age of 37, may have been affected by burnout.
While he didn't opt for standard forms like the sonata, his influences were nonetheless also to be found in classical canon. "He was very traditional in his compositional style," Welch notes.
It's the blend of influences that makes him a unique voice of the late Romantic era. "I think that's what draws me to his music."
It also gave Welch a rare opportunity.
"The most enjoyable thing about this album was [...] that it's the first of its kind."
He'll be launching Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Piano Works with a concert and reception at Arraymusic in Toronto on May 5, 2023 at 7:00 pm.
The performance is FREE to the public - register for a place [ HERE ]For those who can't make the party, there will be a livestream.Later in June, he's planning on a mini tour in Western Canada to support the album.
April 3, 2023
Opera Atelier Celebrates the Arrival of Spring with Handel’s The Resurrection In Koerner Hall
From a media release
Opera Atelier Celebrates the Arrival of Spring and the Easter Seasonwith Handel’s The Resurrection In Koerner Hall
Handel’s first acknowledged masterpiece restored to its original splendour in Canadian premiere of Opera Atelier’s fully-staged production for live audience April 6, 8 & 9, 2023
Toronto, ON — Opera Atelier announces the much anticipated finale of its 2022/23 season Handel’s The Resurrection, on stage April 6 and 8 at 7:30pm and April 9 at 2:30pm at Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. The Resurrection marks the Canadian premiere of Handel’s first acknowledged masterpiece in a fully-staged production for a live audience.
Artist of Atelier Ballet Dominic Who in Handel's Resurrection, photo by Bruce ZingerThe company’s lavish production will feature musical accompaniment from Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra under the baton of David Fallis, choreography by Founding Co-Artistic Director Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg C.M., performed by Artists of Atelier Ballet, and an innovative, multi-level set by Opera Atelier’s resident set designer Gerard Gauci. The all-star Canadian cast includes Soprano Carla Huhtanen, Soprano Meghan Lindsay, Mezzo-Soprano Allyson McHardy, Tenor Colin Ainsworth, and Bass–Baritone Douglas Williams.
“Handel’s expansive vision for this timeless story of rebirth resulted in the creation of one of his greatest works,” says Marshall Pynkoski C.M., Opera Atelier Founding Co-Artistic Director and The Resurection’s Stage Director. “I’m delighted to be presenting this work as was originally intended – a work to be experienced by a live audience in a stunning venue. We view this production as the perfect opportunity to welcome the spring and embrace a city that is returning to live theatre with great enthusiasm.”
Written for Easter of 1708, Handel’s The Resurrection details the events between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and the tension leading up to Christ’s resurrection following his crucifixion and burial. The narrative plays out simultaneously across two spheres. In the celestial realm, a militant Archangel demands entrance to Hades and disputes the claims of a boastful Lucifer, insisting Christ’s death was an act of sacrificial love. Always the consummate showman, Handel ensured the opera is not without its moments of humour, as the Archangel and Lucifer spar for the upperhand. Meanwhile on Earth, Mary Magdalene, Cleophas and St. John the Evangelist struggle to make sense of Christ’s brutal death. Handel’s astonishingly sensual score and vivid word painting act as a catalyst for an exceptional play of emotions for all of the protagonists.
Bass-baritone Douglas Williams as Lucifer in Opera Atelier's filmed production of Handel's Resurrection, photo by Bruce ZingerOpera Atelier’s production of The Resurrection brings Handel’s transcendent work to life through an inventive transformation of Koerner Hall by Gauci — a major intervention unlike anything Koerner Hall has ever presented. The multi-level set features double staircases leading from the choir loft to the floor of the concert hall, delineating the supernatural and earthly worlds. The set also features two enormous pulpits for exclusive use by the Archangel and Lucifer, mirroring the story’s liturgical foundation. The staging is further enhanced by the evocative lighting design of Kimberly Purtell and the gorgeous costume design by Michael Legouffe.
The role of the Archangel, who opens the production, will be sung by coloratura Soprano Huhtanen. Last seen in Opera Atelier’s Don Giovanni, Huhtanen’s renowned vocal range and razor-sharp coloratura make her a natural for this role. Huhtanen interacts closely with the Artists of Atelier Ballet who act as a corps of angelic beings wielding swords in order to gain access to Lucifer’s kingdom.
Douglas Williams will play the role of Lucifer — a superb linguist, Williams is renowned for his impassioned delivery of Italian repertoire. Ainsworth is ideally suited for the role of St. John the Evangelist. Now one of Canada’s most distinguished tenors, this is the first role Ainsworth ever sang for Opera Atelier, when he made his professional debut in the company’s semi-staged production 20 years ago. Lindsay, as Mary Magdalene, and McHardy, as Mary Cleophas, round out the cast, promising deeply sensitive and nuanced performances.
Soprano Meghan Lindsay and Artists of the Atelier Ballet in Opera Atelier's filmed production of Handel's Resurrection, photo by Bruce ZingerThe production’s choreography by Lajeunesse Zingg celebrates the original splendour of Handel’s opera, and takes great advantage of Koerner Hall’s expansive stage – making use of the full corps of the Artists of Atelier Ballet. As the opera progresses, the presence of the divine becomes more palpable, and the dancers, as angelic beings consequently become more integrated into the action – interacting with the physical worlds of Mary Magdalene, Cleophas and St. John, and the supernatural realm of the Archangel and Lucifer. The Resurrection represents the first time both male and female Artists of Atelier Ballet will be armed with swords. Jennifer Parr’s fight choreography underlines the militant tone of the production’s opening aria.
“It is a delight to perform Handel’s work in Toronto’s celebrated Koerner Hall,” says Lajeunesse Zingg. “Handel’s superb score will be well-served by the hall’s renowned acoustics, as our artists explore the ecstatic sensuality of Counter-Reformation Rome.”
Opera Atelier Founding Co-Artistic Director Pynkoski has collaborated with many of the finest artists in the world of early music and his productions of opera and ballet have toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Toronto Arts Award, the Opera Canada Ruby Award for outstanding contribution to opera in Canada, the TIME Magazine award for Classical music and the Order of Canada. Most recently, Pynkoskis was named Officier dans L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in an investiture ceremony that took place on the stage of the Royal Opera House/Versailles.
Opera Atelier Founding Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer Lajeunesse Zingg has choreographed and performed in major theatres internationally. She received her training in London, Copenhagen, and Paris. Lajeunesse Zingg has received a multitude of awards including the prestigious Toronto Arts Award, the Opera Canada Ruby Award for outstanding achievement in the field of opera in Canada, was named by TIME Magazine as one of Canada’s most influential artists in the field of Classical music and was awarded the Order of Canada for her contribution to ballet and opera in Canada. Most recently, she was named Officier dans L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in an investiture ceremony that took place on the stage of the Royal Opera House/Versailles.
Tickets and information, please visit: operaatelier.comMarch 26, 2023
Alt-Rock Single | Blueburst: Vanish (Independent / 10 March 2023)
Blueburst: Vanish
(Independent / 10 March 2023) Stream/Buy On Bandcamp
Vanish is an album that comes after a two decade hiatus in the career of Craig Douglas Miller, founder of Blueburst. It was making the connected with English guitarist and singer-songwriter Marty Willson-Piper, probably best known from his work with Australian psych-rock band The Church, that led to its reawakening.
Willson-Piper's guitar sound is prominent on the bouncy track, driven by alt-rock energy. It's got earworm hooks, and an anthemic chorus. Miller's vocals are strong and sincere.
In the 1990s, Miller's band The Reach was garnering major label interest. It seemed like a heady time...but nothing panned out. It slid Miller into a period of what he calls musical hibernation, fuelled by untreated clinical depression.
The music is definitely retro in feel. That's something Miller isn't shy about mentioning.
“I wasted 20+ years doubting myself and not finishing any music. So it’s extremely gratifying to be back now with the best music I’ve ever made. And it’s been a joy doing it with one of my favorite guitarists of all time,” he says.
“Much of today’s so-called ‘alternative’ rock seems to have become just as overproduced and slick as the pop records they are supposedly an alternative to. But most of my friends, and a lot of younger people as well, are still listening to the albums we grew up with, I think because there’s a rawness and honesty in that music. That’s what we aspired to with Blueburst.”
Craig Douglas MillerAbout the lyrics, Miller says in a statement, “Turning 50 has shocked me out of ‘mid-life crisis’ mode, and started me in a new ‘Grab life by the balls while you still can’ mode. Many of the songs touch on that theme…making a difference while you can.”
Other collaborators on the album include drummers Michael Jerome (Better Than Ezra, Richard Thompson) and Brian Platt (The Cads), and bassist Ryan Kelly (Dayroom).
Blueburst’s first single, “Vanish,” was released March 10, 2023. New singles will be launched each month through the summer, along with a slate of live performances, with a full LP to come in Fall 2023.
Personnel: Craig Douglas Miller – guitars/bass/synth/vocals; Marty Willson-Piper – guitar; Michael Jerome Moore – drums
Websites:Official Website: https://www.blueburst.bandFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueburstmusicTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/blueburstmusicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueburstmusicNTHNL: Cosmic Flute Rides Again (Independent / 10 March 2023)
(Independent / 10 March 2023) Stream It On Spotify
Brooklyn Musician and Producer NTHNL's album "Cosmic Flute Rides Again" blends the elements of smooth jazz and electropop, with the flute as a thread that unites the genres. The breathy flute melodies trip along on top of synth beats and sounds in a nice balance of organic and electronic.
"I’m not quite sure why I made this album. It’s for some reason felt important to me to make a flute-fronted pop album to celebrate this instrument and to give it a wildly new context in which to sing. The flute is the oldest instrument we have evidence of, dating back at least 40000 years to both humans proper and Neanderthals. This instrument is almost as universal as music itself across human culture and serves as the gateway between the spiritual and the corporeal.
The Cosmic Flute music is joyous and absurd. You are supposed to come away feeling free, like you have permission, like the world is huge and expansive and full of beauty and possible meaning.
In my music I always spend a little bit of time in the shadows, but I like to return always. I think it’s super important to explore the dark, while always reaffirming the light," says Jacob “NTHNL” Rudi, a classically trained composer and pianist turned multi-flutist, producer and sound-healing practitioner.
Jacob “NTHNL” Rudi, Photo Credit: Rumi ItoThere are certainly elements of Western classical music idioms in some of the tracks, notably Prelude. Neon Flow stakes out more of a smooth jazz mode, layering melodic patterns over repetitive beats, then changing directions to a more traditional jazzy bridge. La Salle d'Attente is another jazzy track, where the sax takes the flute's place, punctuated by French poetry. Tracks like Full Spectrum, Avec Tendresse, and Nico's Exocrism Dance unfold to a scratchy electronic dance beat.
Alice is a standout track, one where classical and jazz techniques result in an entrancing and original sound. His playing is technically impressive, but more so in terms of musicality. As a composer, each track offers something a little different in terms of mood.
It's jazz for laid back listening, music that explores the expressive power of the flute and other woodwinds.
Personnel: NTHNL: Flutes, saxophone, keyboards, beat programming, production, mixing; Derek Dupuis: keyboard solo on Neon Flow; Aliya Ultan: Cello solo on Digital Exposure
Tracklist: Prelude (Cosmic Flute Rides Again)Neon FlowOur SecretLa Salle D’attenteFull SpectrumNico’s Exorcism DanceDigital ExposureSexual SelectionAvec TendresseAliceWebsites:Official Website: https://www.nthnlsound.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nthnl.soundInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nthnl.soundOur Secret is the first single from the album.
Folk Punk With Balkan Flair | Erik & The Worldly Savages: FUTURE THUNDER VOID (Independent / 7 March 2023)
Erik & The Worldly Savages: FUTURE THUNDER VOID
(Independent / 7 March 2023)Stream It On Spotify Stream/Buy on Bandcamp
"Embrace the Void. Don't chase the noise."
Balkan folk traditions mix with layered, melodic arrangements and instrumentation and growly punk vocals. It's an intriguing musical combination. THUNDER in our hearts is reminiscent of 60's era orchestral pop.
Surf rock guitars and an insistent rhythm create the urgency of Embrace the VOID. Trumpet, accordion and sax are inspired additions to the classic rock instrumental mix. They add a dimension of Balkan jazz to vintage rock idioms.
The music is interesting, if the message leans into the self-congratulatory.
...they are sheep, the stupid fools,
they don't understand
the thunder in our hearts...
(From THUNDER in our hearts)
You get the idea. I don't know about you, but when the message is that everyone else is a "sheep", I tend to tune it out.
Erik Mut is the singer and songwriter, with a mission to deliver a punk ethos with a raw edge. His personal philosophy is one of freedom and leaving the past behind, and it's reflected in the lyrics. The former Torontonian left his native county in 2008 at the age of 25, setting up in Belgrade, Serbia, to form his band. They played across Europe with many different musicians in the line-up.
"Written in Thailand and Mexico, Future Thunder Void takes place after the events of the previous "Break Free" EP. It describes the different sensations and feelings of a nomadic life in the modern world. It shows you how confusing, empowering and hopeful it can be. The single "Thunder In Our Hearts" covers what it means to recognize your own individuality and how it feels to broadcast that to the world; it speaks to those who believe in embracing the beat of their own drum without sacrificing success. It celebrates finding new, authentic ways of being fully in one's own ultimate lifestyle." - Erik Mut
P.S. While the band and leader obviously believe in their version of personal freedom, I'll just note that the whole digital nomad lifestyle comes at the cost of those who have to maintain the networks that allow it to happen, the local neighbourhoods they irrevocably change, and is obviously something that can be enjoyed only by the privileged few, among other problematic issues.
It's also hard to sell the idea of cultural sensitivity when you insist on unironically calling yourself an "expat".
The band will be touring through Europe in April. Current tour dates here.
Personnel: Erik Mut - Guitar/Vocals; Milan Yeqy Jejina - Drums; Caspar Wijnberg - Bass; Dusan Murisic - Trumpet; Luka Lopicic - Accordion; Milan Jeftic - Sax; Gojko Maric - Guitar; Milan Djordjevic - Guitar
Tracklist:THUNDER IN OUR HEARTSEMBRACE THE VOIDALWAYSSCARCITYLETTER BACK HOMEFUTUREWebsites:Official Website: https://www.worldlysavages.com/Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/worldlysavagesTwitter: https://twitter.com/worldlysavagesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldlysavages/Melancholic Melodic Pop | Earthly Frames: Taped Over (Independent / April 3, 2023)
Earthly Frames: Taped Over
(Independent / April 3, 2023) Preorder/Stream On Bandcamp
Gabriel Walsh is the founder and writer for Earthly Frames. His expressive vocals recall British alt-rock influences, ranging from a solid, warm tenor to a breathy high end. Layers of harmony overlay the complex and melancholic melodies, woven between inventive instrumentation that ranges from guitar to mandolin, banjo and harmonica. (He also plays harmoniums and drums).
Along with his own multi-instrumental talents, he's added collaborators on Fiddle (Neil FitzGibbon), Accordion (Daire Mulhearn), Uilleann Pipes (David Stone), Harmonica (Mike Ballard), Trombone (Nikola Ristevski), Tuba (Mike Damnjanovski), Violin (Maria Grigoryeva) and Cello (Lyudmila Kadyrbaeva).
This release is steeped in Americana, folk and roots, with slide guitar and the unusual instrumentation to create a laid back, yet rollicking sound that always offers something unexpected. Sometimes, it's the rhythms that shift away from the typical folk mode, or the harmonies that stray into jazzy and even avant-garde territory. On Irish Goodbye, he adds Celtic fiddling to the mix. Pixels incorporates a moody vintage organ and jangling guitar in a spooky take on surf rock.
Gabriel Walsh aka Earthly FramesThe effect is lushly orchestral, and often hypnotic. This band is known for changing their style and even genre with every release, however, so for next time, all bets are off. Walsh is a veteran pop producer who has played in several bands over the decades. Earthly Frames is his latest incarnation.
Tracklist:My Worst Self 04:09For a Blue Girl 04:29A Few Steps 04:34Monocacy 03:53Stay Strangers 03:28Dying, yet Gaming 04:22Irish Goodbye 03:33You Got a New Dog 02:42Pixels 04:13Watch Out for That One 02:32Taped Over 03:47Websites:Official Website InstagramTaped Over by The Earthly FramesMarch 22, 2023
Afrofuturism Meets Reggae | Trensettahs Sound System: La Fiebre & La Revolucion (Independent / 2 February 2023)
Trensettahs Sound System: La Fiebre & La Revolucion
(Independent / 2 February 2023)Stream FiebreStream Revolucion
Hip hop, reggae, reggaeton, and Colombian traditions combine in the music of Trensettahs Sound System. They've released a couple of singles recently that are worth a listen and relisten. They'll have you dancing to their message of emancipation.
They're calling the sound a bespoke version of Latin Afrobeat.
Fiebre, with Zalama Crew featuring Sizzla Kalonj, spotlighting the rhythms and grooves of Colombia. The essential beat is syncopated, with the words spoken in a counter rhythm. A melodic flute line adds an ethereal edge.
The video (below) features scenes from Black ghettos in the diaspora, inclduing Kingston, Jamaica and Cali, Colombia.
I'm a revolution...
Revolucion puts its message on its sleeve, so to speak, to a classic reggae rhythm with an echo of electronica. Just when you think you have it figured out, though, there's a rap section in Spanish.
Fight for your freedom,
Fight for your life....
Horns add melodic lines to poetry in multiple languages.
Trensettahs Sound System was founded, as they put it, as "a collective of Afro-futurists working to create and promote reggae music to fans all around the world".
The collective includes visual artists and techies, along with entrepreneurs and others. Their current overarching project is an ongoing release called Black Sounds of Freedom. Featured musicians include reggae legends Sizzla Kalonji, Mykal Rose, Steve Lightning, Jahnice, Sydney Salmon, and Fyahman. The album features more than 20 individual singers.
The group is a collective of musicians and DJs under the leadership of DJ Fyahman. Among their far-reaching plans:
A concert in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June.A 5 part docuseries that follows them to Colombia Jamaica and Ethiopia.The riddims are 100% original, with zero samples, and the music is set against the resistance movements that sprang up in Africa and across the African diaspora.
They make an annual pilgrimage to the African continent they say is vital.
It is hard for people living in the diaspora to make their first journey to Africa, and we want to make it easier and provide a lasting experience. This is not a call to move to Africa. This is a call to make Pan-African identity bloom across the globe. The pilgrimage is both spiritual and logical. It’s music and entertainment combined with cultural exchange, historical examination, and commerce seeing the biggest expansion. The West is no longer growing the way the continent is. Let’s collectivize!
The members hail from Cali, Colombia. Their album Cali Music Cartel, created with Zalama, will be released late in 2023.
They're aiming to start a movement. The music is a good place to start.
Links:
FacebookInstagramSpotifyMarch 15, 2023
Nature's Rallying Cry: Honoring Artist Mira Lehr (1934-2023)
From a media release
Nature's Rallying Cry: Honoring Mira Lehr (1934-2023)At the C. Parker Gallery to April 26, 2023
Features some of Lehr's last paintings: shown for the first time in the Tri-State region at the C. Parker Gallery (through April 26 in Greenwich)
Just days before Mira Lehr passed away on January 24, the artist had aptly titled her new exhibition Nature’s Rallying Cry. The second part of this show’s title – Honoring Mira Lehr – was added after her passing.
Beneath the Spruce, by Mira LehrWhen Lehr gave her final blessing in early January on which paintings would be shown at the C. Parker Gallery in Greenwich, she was still making new artworks every day in her studio. During recent years, Lehr created new work at an even greater pace than ever before during her six decades of artmaking.
Her passing was recognized worldwide, some of the many tributes published across the U.S. and internationally include: The New York Times; The Art Newspaper in London, Paris, Israel, China and Italy; on PBS Television; The Boston Globe; The San Francisco Chronicle; on MSN News across Latin America, and many more.
Most of the 26 artworks in this show have never been exhibited before, and were created during the last four years of Lehr’s life.
The nationally acclaimed, eco-feminist artist thrived on exhibiting her newest art, and she was looking forward to audiences seeing some of her most recent paintings at this show. Because of this, the exhibition includes one of Lehr’s last works, which she completed in January of 2023.
One of Mira Lehr’s last paintings, Orion’s Belt (completed by Lehr in January of this year)Nature’s Rallying Cry: Honoring Mira Lehr coincides with Women’s History Month in March, and Earth Day in April.
“The C. Parker Gallery is thrilled to bring Mira Lehr’s important artworks to the northeast for this show. Lehr was a pioneer in the arts, a leader in environmental activism, and a champion of women. Lehr’s vision of a better world shines through in this exhibition,” says Tiffany Benincasa, owner of the C. Parker Gallery.
“This collection gives tribute to both Mira Lehr and some of her final artworks. During the week of Art Basel Miami Beach, I was honored to work with Mira at her home studio, where she invited me to collaborate on selecting works. As we continued this selection process into January, I could not have imagined this would be the last time Mira Lehr would personally plan an exhibition,” adds Tiffany Benincasa.
This is the first exhibition of Mira Lehr's work after the death of the nationally acclaimed eco-feminist artist, who passed away on January 24 of this year.
Northeast U.S. show in Greenwich features some of Lehr's last paintings, for audiences in the Tri-State region: at the C. Parker Gallery through April 26.
Progression, by Mira LehrBecause Lehr is recognized for co-founding one of the country’s first women-led artist collectives more than sixty years ago, and due to her environmental art activism, Tiffany Benincasa chose the dates for this exhibition to include both Women’s History Month and Earth Day.
The Gallery will present a special panel discussion led by the New York-based art historian/critic Eleanor Heartney about Lehr’s legacy and impact upon the art world (on Saturday, April 22 at 2:00 p.m.). The C. Parker Gallery is located at 409 Greenwich Avenue.
Pale Lilac, by Mira LehrThe Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York recently acquired three of Lehr’s works for the museum’s permanent collection, in September of 2022. A year before her passing, Skira Editore (one of the world’s leading art book publishers), published a 400-page monograph honoring Mira Lehr’s artistic career, which began in the 1950s throughout several decades until 2023.
Her work can be seen in American Embassies around the world, sounding Lehr’s clarion call to save the environment across Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Departure, by Mira LehrIn 1969, the visionary Buckminster Fuller selected Lehr as one of only two artists for his groundbreaking World Game Project to spearhead sustainability and nurture the planet ‒ it was a year before the very first Earth Day, and was the catalyst for Lehr’s inspiration to devote her art to the cause of nature.
In December of 2022 during Art Basel Miami Beach, Lehr’s work was selected for three concurrent exhibitions for Miami Art Week.
Things That Change (Grids of Active Planetary Events), by Mira LehrThe Mistress of LightWorking with imagery from the natural world, Lehr created layered abstract compositions with unconventional materials. The lush flora of her Miami Beach home/studio was a profound influence on Lehr’s aesthetic vocabulary.
Her nature-based imagery encompassed painting, design, sculpture and video installations. Lehr’s processes included non-traditional media – she ignited and exploded fuses across her canvas with gunpowder and fire. The flames burned holes and left imprints on her paintings.
She layered delicate Japanese paper, applied resin, dyes and welded steel. She described her use of explosives as tying into the theme of creation versus destruction, which to Lehr is integral to the cycles and beauty of nature. The CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer referred to her as “The Mistress of Light.”
The art historian Irving Sandler described her use of imagery: “What makes Lehr's work different is the specificity of her references to nature. I was trying to think of any other artist working in this tradition who did it quite as explicitly as Mira does, and I couldn’t come up with one."
Blazing a Path for Women Artists in the 1960sLehr inspired new generations of women artists as a mentor and as a collaborator. Prior to her return from New York back to her hometown of Miami Beach in 1960, Lehr studied and worked in Manhattan as an artist.
There, in 1950s New York, she met some of America’s most prominent artists during the pivotal mid-Century era of American art, including: Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, and Ludwig Sander. She studied with James Brooks, Ludwig Sander, Robert Motherwell, and within the Hans Hofmann circle.
The eco-feminist artist Mira Lehr (portrait by Nick Garcia, 2019)Upon returning to Miami in 1960, she was shocked at the lack of an art scene, especially the plight of women artists. “Women artists felt stranded and hopeless in Miami,” said Lehr. “I was determined to change that.”
She co-founded one of the country’s first co-ops for women artists who were excluded from the male-dominated art world. It was called Continuum and thrived for more than 30 years, shining a spotlight on Miami Beach’s fledgling art scene.
Lehr convinced many of the famous masters from New York to visit Miami Beach, throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, where they led workshops for her league of women artists and helped foster the evolution of the art community in South Florida.
All of this was well before Art Basel made it to Miami, leading art critics to recognize Mira Lehr as “The Godmother of Miami’s art scene.”
Snow Falling Softly / Red Wave, by Mira LehrFull Bio: Mira Lehr (1934 - 2023)The eco-feminist artist Mira Lehr was born in New York in 1934. Her solo and group exhibitions number more than 300. She graduated from Vassar College in 1956, where she studied under the mentorship of Linda Nochlin, the renowned feminist art historian.
In recent years, Lehr’s work continued to achieve even greater acclaim, reaching new audiences as she created more new work than ever before.
Three of her works were recently acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York.
Sultry Night, by Mira LehrLehr's work has been collected by major institutions, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York; the Smithsonian Museum of American Art (DC); Getty Museum Research Center (L.A.); the Boca Raton Museum of Art; Perez Art Museum Miami; the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (NY); the Margulies Collection; the Mennello Museum of American Art; MOCA North Miami; the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum-FIU; the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU; and the Orlando Museum of Art, among others.
Her work is included in the Leonard Lauder Corporate Collection NY, and in the private collections of Elie and Marion Wiesel, Jane and Morley Safer, and Judy Pfaff, among others. Thirty of her paintings were commissioned for Mount Sinai Hospital Miami Beach.
Her work is in American Embassies around the world, and is permanently on view at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Center in New York.
Lehr's large-scale installation "Sacred Dreams" is permanently on view in Miami Beach at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, gifted by Dr. Robert B. Feldman.
The artist was recently selected for three concurrent exhibitions during Art Basel Miami Beach 2022/Miami Art Week, including a group show at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU in South Beach (on view until April 2023), and a group show at the Center for Visual Communication in Wynwood (on view until April 8, 2023); and a solo exhibition at Rosenbaum Contemporary that was also on view during Art Basel.
Lehr's large-scale painting "Norweky" is currently on view at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, as part of its permanent collection gallery.
Throughout her more than six decades of artmaking, Lehr's nature-based work encompassed painting, sculpture, and video.
She used nontraditional media such as gunpowder, fire, fuses, Japanese paper, dyes, and welded steel. Lehr ignited and exploded fuses to create lines of fire across her paintings.
In the 1950s, Lehr studied and worked in New York where she met some of America’s most prominent masters, including Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner, and Helen Frankenthaler. She studied with James Brooks, Ludwig Sander, Robert Motherwell, and within the Hans Hofmann circle.
She was selected in 1969 by Buckminster Fuller as one of only two artists for his World Game Project on sustainability (preceding the first Earth Day). Lehr’s installation, V1 V3, was exhibited at the New Museum in New York.
Lehr is recognized as “the Godmother of Miami’s art scene” because upon her return to Miami in 1960 from New York, she co-founded one of the country’s first co-ops for women artists. It was called Continuum, which thrived for more than 30 years into the mid-1990s. She is the subject of a new 400-page international monograph, published by Skira Editore (one of the world's foremost publisher of art books).
March 5, 2023
More Than Just Surviving: Meet Abaho Gift Conrad And Musical Amabassadors Of Peace
Abaho Gift Conrad is an advocate for the underprivileged, a published author and entrepreneur, a business consultant and CFE.
But it was a long and rocky road to where he is today.
He was born in 1992 in Gasabo, Rwanda, as the violence that would erupt into the Rwandan genocide was ramping up. At the age of one and a half, he survived the massacre of his family.
All he knows about it is what he was told by a fellow refugee who spirited him away to a camp in Uganda. As a child, he believed it was his mother, but it was actually his aunt. She told him eventually she had retrieved him out of the garden, where his mother had hidden him, after the rest of the family had been killed.
He grew up in the refugee camp in Uganda. Getting good marks in school, he garnered the attention of the village leaders, who paid for his further education.
You can check out his memoir, A Refugee For Life: Memoirs of Rwanda Genocide Survivor, [ HERE ]. A guitarist, he joined Musical Ambassadors Of Peace to help other people who endure severe and underprivileged conditions.Musical Ambassadors Of PeaceMusical Ambassadors Of Peace is an organization dedicated to working with former child soldiers, and they've been recognized by the United Nations for their work. They are located in Uganda, but deal with children who were kidnapped from their homes in Congo and forced into the life of a rebel soldier.
Since they've regained their freedom, they live in refugee camps in Ugands. Musical Ambassadors Of Peace helps them reconnect with society by teaching them how to perform traditional music and dance.
Dancing together, they unlearn the harsh and brutal lessons that a child soldier's life taught them.
I connected with Abaho Gift Conrad via social media, and asked him a few questions.Were you interested in music before you were approached by Musical Ambassadors Of Peace?Yes, I was interested in their work of trauma healing through music and promoting peace through music. As a genocide survivor, Music has been fundamental in shaping my life. Music healed me from the childhood traumas, and I dedicate my life to using music as a war trauma healing medicine. Music is a universal language.What made you choose the guitar?I chose the guitar because it's my best instrument since early childhood church days. I have been using it. I am a traditional music trainer, though I love traditional instruments more, I also like piano and guitar.When did you begin your role as an Ambassador? What are your first impressions of the work that you do?I have been working with Musical ambassadors of peace since 2020 and what impresses and motivates me daily is putting a smile on two million refugees in Uganda. Having experienced these traumas early in life, I devoted my life to helping fellow refugees, genocide survivors and all the underprivileged to feel human once again. As I always say that if God blesses me enough to have an impact in someone’s life, then I would have truly lived. What a beautiful moment when you realize that you have given hope to the humans who had lost hope. This is my core value in life.How do you think music can help the people in refugee camps?Music has helped many refugees in healing traumas, promoted peace and harmony, also it's our cultural connection. That’s why we basically prefer to sing and dance in our cultural dance. Music has united a lot of refugees here. We have various groups that have come up to promote our culture through music.How did you come to write a book about your experiences?Since senior one I had wanted to write about the need for unity among humans. I wanted the world to know that as humans we are one regardless of our color, race, origin. I wanted everyone to feel like a brother to a brother or sister to a sister. We are a human race. If we looked at each other as brothers and sisters there would be no crime i.e war, genocide, robbery, murder, rape name it.What are your hopes for the future of the people you work with in refugee camps?I hope in the future every refugee, not only my team members but the entire world will feel at home and regain a sense of humanity. And responsibility to protect mother nature. It's our joint responsibility to heal the world.
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