SONGS FOR UNUSUAL CREATURES
WHEN: Saturday, April 30, at 8 PM
WHERE: David and Carol Lackland Center, 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown (Centenary College campus)
TICKETS: $22.50 in advance, and $25 the day of performance. Seniors and students are $20 in advance and $22.50 the day of performance. Tickets may be purchased through the CSC Box Office at 908-979-0900, online at www.centenarystageco.org, or in person at the David and Carol Lackland Center (box office hours 1-5 Monday through Friday, and 2 hours prior to each performance)
FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE TO THE FIRST 10 PEOPLE WHO MENTION THE CODE NJARTSMAVEN WHEN PURCHASING TICKETS!
The Theremin, Claviola, stylophone, Zylo-bot and “Sonic Banana” will all take to the stagein Hackettstown, when Brooklyn auteur Michael Hearst joins with the League of Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR) to present “Songs for Unusual Creatures.” (Watch the video below)
Known for his singular Brooklyn band One Ring Zero and his latest "Songs For Ice Cream Trucks" project (featured on NBC last summer), Hearst is also the brains behind the critically acclaimed album As Smart as They Are, with lyrics written for the band by such literati as Margaret Atwood, Jonathan Ames [HBO’s Bored to Death], Paul Auster, Dave Eggers and Rick Moody. About Hearst’s band, The Washington Post claimed, "Your coolness quotient shoots up a few points if you're in the know about One Ring Zero."
Hearst’s ensemble has a unique ‘klezmer-esque,” otherworldly sound created from a bevy of unusual instruments with unorthodox techniques. The confluence of creativity will celebrate some of the lesser-known creatures that roam the planet , from the Australian Bilby, to the deep-sea Magnopinna Squid, to the Chinese Giant Salamander. The concert coincides with the Day-long Earth Day celebrations on the campus of Centenary College, which include a morning nature walk, educational displays and a lecture series, children’s activities, a science fair and a variety of food vendors.
“Guitar-bot,” “Xylo-bot” (right) and the “Sonic Banana” are just some of the creations of the inventive mind of L.E.M.U.R. director Eric Singer. Singer is a Brooklyn-based musician, artist, engineer and programmer. He designed and built the PhotoTheremin, a MIDI controller with eight photosensors, which sense hand distance by detecting how much light is blocked by the player's hands.
A member of the "house band" for McSweeney's Publishing House, Hearst has toured with The Magnetic Fields, and performed with The Kronos Quartet at Carnegie Hall. He has appeared on such shows as NPR's Fresh Air and This American Life, A& E's Breakfast With The Arts, and NBC's The Today Show. Singer’s LEMUR-bots have just finished a major tour with jazz artist Pat Metheney.
Songs For Unusual Creatures - The Robot Show from Michael Hearst: http://vimeo.com/5311985
