Das Land Ohne Musik

My next solo gig on Saturday June 16th is shaping up to be a particularly exciting one.

For one thing, I’m getting to play my whole album of contemporary solo piano music – Valentine Court – for the first time ever in public – quite an exciting and somewhat daunting prospect.

And Leon Trimble – a superb VJ and visual artist whom I’ve gotten to know via our work together on Project X Presents has agreed to provide some digital projections to complement my sounds.

Einstellung are a superb instrumental guitar band based in Birmingham. The best way to describe their style is, Krautrock – not a term I was that familiar with until recently, but it does cover them well. Think a minimal, motoring, driving beat, simple harmony and subtle changes of rhythm, with organic structures and well executed changes of mood. In other words, in their loud, guitar based way, they share a lot of the same musical ethos as I do when I write intrumental piano work, so it’s a bit of a match made in heaven really.

This is their first acoustic gig – a real one off event, and I’ve been working with them to add piano to four of the tracks they are going to perform, and there are to be string parts in the mix as well.

The interesting title of the gig (translation – The Land without Music) is chosen in reference to a No 10 Downing Street on-line petition that draws attention to some licensing legislation which some people fear will cause serious restrictions on the otherwise fast-growing UK live music scene.

Also, Lucy Mclauchlan of Birmingham-based arts collective Beat 13 will showcase her work in the Old Joint Stock’s crush bar gallery space.

It’s a beautiful venue too – the Old Joint Stock Theatre is a new and fully furnished 80 seater theatre above a beautiful ornate pub in Birmingham city centre, right opposite the main door of the Cathedral. Fullers, the brewery who own the pub have spent no less than £350,000 on doing out the upper floors of the building to incorporate the Theatre (much of the money apparently having been spent on the lift, presumably to satisfy disabled access legislation).

I’ve recently agreed to book some stand up comedy Edinburgh Preview shows for the place and have already secured one of my all time favourite acts and “King of the surreal one-liners” Milton Jones and Robin Ince (perhaps best known to the wider public for his close association with Ricky Gervaise), but more of that anon.

Tickets for Das Land Ohne Musik (or Acousticstellung has it’s also become known) are on sale now and are strictly limited, so if it sounds like your sort of gig, get on the phone now.

Failing that, we are discussing plans to record and maybe even film the event, in which case you’ll most likely be able to experience some of it in the future on this site.

Saturday 16th June, 2007 Doors 7pm
Old Joint Stock Theatre, 4 Temple Row West, Birmingham, B2 5NY
Tickets: £5 from box office tel: 0121 200 0946

thanks

Rich
Xx