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I’ll be in Ann Arbor for the big show this weekend.
Not football. I mean the David Byrne show at the Michigan Theater on Friday night.
I’m skipping Friday night hockey to catch Byrne’s concert tour featuring a new collaborative work with Brian Eno. I just happened to catch the news in the LA Times that the two musicians released a new work, “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today." I haven’t heard the work yet – which is available only online at this point – but you can bet your stock portfolio that it will be, well, different. Byrne is well-known for being the front man for the Talking Heads, one of the most original rock bands ever. Still, I don’t think Byrne’s solo work gets the wide-spread praise and attention that it should. In my book, he is responsible for three of the greatest musical-art-rock creations in the 20th century. One of them is his 1981 collaboration with Eno titled, “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.” The other two are Byrne’s “Music for the Knee Plays” and “The Catherine Wheel.”
I’ll report back after the show on Friday night. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to be sure to check out Byrne’s best solo works:
MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOST
It’s interesting to listen to “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” some 25 years after it was released. It’s almost as if Byrne-Eno anticipated the 24/7 chatterbox pundits incessantly flapping their lips
across the radio and TV air waves. In this work, they combined recorded voices from public sources with their multi-rhythmic, electronic score. The voices and sounds of preachers, politicians, Middle Eastern singers, and others, even a real exorcism (“The Jezebel Spirit”), bounced around in the kaleidoscope of music. A jukebox sampling of this work is provided at right.
MUSIC FOR THE KNEE PLAYS
For years I guarded my one and only cassette copy of this work because it was never released as a CD. Now you get to hear the recording because it was finally released about two years ago.
In this work, Byrne takes his inspiration from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and lays out his own rendition of New Orleans-style jazz uniquely blended with post-modern spoken word, as only Byrne can serve it up. Don’t miss this one. You can check it out here.
THE CATHERINE WHEEL
Byrne wrote this musical score for choreographer Tw
yla Twarp to be used for the stage production of the same name. There are musical gems throughout this work. I never saw the stage production but the music easily stands alone on its own merits. If you track down Byrne's masterpiece, you won’t be disappointed.-- Rico Thomas Rico
I tried to convince my sidekick, The Boy Thunder, to bring his new wife to the play "Birth" at Edgewood United Church in East Lansing. Tonight was the first of two performances with the second one taking place on Saturday, October 4th, at 7 p.m.Alas, the Boy Thunder and Mrs. Thunder took a pass tonight; they had other plans. Maybe that was a good thing, especially since the Boy Thunder tee-hee'd like at second grader through the production of The Full Monty earlier this year.If the Thunders and others can make it to the second performance on Saturday night, they will not be disappointed with this dramatic production. "Birth" is an outstanding play with 13 "volunteers" -- as the director described the actors who devoted time to the production -- giving voice to women characters who discuss their experiences in the American maternity-industrial complex. The same topic was addressed in the excellent documentary, "The Business of Being Born," which I wrote about earlier this year here. As I said then, I think anyone who has given birth or plans to give birth, or who has ever been born -- that is everyone, including men and the medical establishment -- should see this play if you get a chance. The play amounts to activist art as its very best. Here are the details of the second night's performance:"Birth"Written by Karen BrodyDirected by Maria-Danielle CasinelliOctober 4thEdgewood United Church464 N. Hagadorn RoadEast Lansing, MichiganAdmission: $8 - $12Community panel discussion follows the play.
The Sunsets with Shakespeare production of Romeo and Juliet closes with its last show on Sunday, August 17, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. at Hunter Park on Lansing's east side off of Kalamazoo Street. I finally had a chance to catch the performance yesterday and highly recommend it. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. The suggested donation is a bargain at $2. This last show is a make-up performance because of rain cancellations last week.I give Romeo and Juliet a double thumbs up for an excellent cast and performance, and high marks for a relaxing, comfortable outdoor setting at Hunter Park. This was my first experience with Shakespeare at sunset, and in a park. It was thoroughly entertaining -- a great way to spend a cool summer evening. I can't wait to do it again in the future.Director Todd A. Heywood should be commended for a fine production and the cast of performers should be proud of its strong performance. Don't miss the last performance on Sunday.
-- Rico Thomas Rico
Note: This review was cross-posted at www.michiganliberal.com.
across the radio and TV air waves. In this work, they combined recorded voices from public sources with their multi-rhythmic, electronic score. The voices and sounds of preachers, politicians, Middle Eastern singers, and others, even a real exorcism (“The Jezebel Spirit”), bounced around in the kaleidoscope of music. A jukebox sampling of this work is provided at right.
yla Twarp to be used for the stage production of the same name. There are musical gems throughout this work. I never saw the stage production but the music easily stands alone on its own merits. If you track down Byrne's masterpiece, you won’t be disappointed.
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