I got a press release Friday inviting me to four nights of avant-garde music and video programming, part of a series called The Independents, that looks incredibly promising: highlights include philosopher/musician Henry Flynt, Sir Richard Bishop (of the Sun City Girls), the No Neck Blues Band (and its members in various configurations), Gamelan Son of Lion, Apothecary Hymns, Kill the Vultures, and so on and so on.
You’ll notice this is happening in New York City, as are many such things. It’s not unusual for me to get spammed about events all over the place that I won’t be going to–and I don’t mind, as I like the illusion of having my finger on the pulse and all that. But what makes this one sting a little is that the series is a showcase for the killer indie label Locust Music, which is setting up the whole shebang from its Wicker Park zip code.
I e-mailed label head Dawson Prater to ask what the, y’know, deal was, and he wrote back a little sheepishly (or at least that’s how I read it) that “New York came calling first” and that after all “a fair number of the artists are there.” He also says he hopes to put on “some variation of this in Chicago by springtime if possible.”
If you’re reading this from New York, or planning on being in New York between January 11 and January 14: The venue is Brooklyn’s Issue Project Room, 400 Carroll Street, between Bond and Nevins, 718-330-0313. Tickets are $15 and reservations are encouraged; e-mail info@issueprojectroom.org for more.