It'll be something like a beautiful noise.
I’ve been asked by percussionist and Richmond magazine Theresa Pollak honoree Brian Jones to participate in a “Musicircus” event this evening, at Chop Suey Books in Carytown, running from 7 to 8 p.m., both times sharp. There’ve been Musicircuses held at Chop Suey since it was in the old place on West Cary Street near Virginia Commonwealth University. Jones has been the organizer for most of them. The concept belongs to composer John Cage, and Musicircus is held in tribute.
Here’s an article from The Guardian newspaper describing what constitutes a “Musicircus.”
And here’s a sampling of a 2013 event that took place in almost every nook and cranny at the University of Richmond’s Booker Hall.
And another at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, back in 2009.
Besides me, participants include VCU-based sound artist Stephen Vitiello, Jones and Lance Koehler (NO BS Brass, Minimum Wage Recording studio) who’ll have small percussion sets; saxophonists John Winn and J.C. Kuhl, Randall Pharr on upright bass and guitarist Scott Burton. There’ll even be a gamelan duo, with UR's Andrew McGraw, too, and amid all this, me issuing a torrent of fragile words.
It’s free. Come in, wander around, listen.