I was too busy running with the donkeys last weekend to blog this in the timely manner I should have, but PICA has announced the official lineup for the Works, T:BA's late-night performance smorgasbord which will take place at the newly renovated Leftbank building after each day of the festival. While last year's Works was pretty underwhelming--thanks to the unfortunate choice of the Wonder Ballroom as a venue--the Works is traditionally the liveliest, drunkest, most accessible part of T:BA, both in terms of the performances and the price (tickets are $10). I think Leftbank will be a far better match for the program than the Wonder Ballroom was--the Wonder is great for a straight-ahead concert, but not so much for mingling and flirting and drinking and all the other things one wants out of the Works. Plus, Leftbank is new and therefore by definition exciting, and unlike the Wonder I haven't already seen 400 shows (and consumed 9,634 tequila-grapefruits) there.
At first glance, highlights include:
-Au & Ethan Rose on Sept 10 (I agree with the End Hits-ers' takes on the Au show at the Holocene last week, if not their new pro-drum circle stance)
-Occurence , a "rollicking alternative performance and film event curated by Reggie Watts and his frequent collaborator and playwright Tommy Smith. A kind of alternative talent show, the performers improvise pieces while sharing the stage with Watts' and Smith's hilarious, self-produced DumbFilms. The evening culminates with Reggie's own incomparable, genre-warping performance, where music and comedy meet and implode." Under any other circumstances I would probably avoid something billed as an "alternative talent show," but Reggie Watts really is as good as we say he is.
-Neal Medlyn Listen to this! "The Neal Medlyn Experience Live! is a faithful re-creaton of Beyonce's 2007 hit concert DVD, The BeyonceExperience Live!, replete with back-up dancers, costume changes, box fans, birthday cake, and special guest appearances." Yes.
-Ten Tiny Dances is always a good bet.
-I hear good things about Brother and Sister.
-Live Band vs. Ohmega Watts sounds great:
Join an all-star band of local musicians assembled to rival Ohmega Watts--one of Portland's hottest Djsand resident mixmaster at THE FIX. Led by Portland musician Ben Darwish of Commotion, the bandfeatures local jazz world luminaries Reinhardt Melz on drums, John Nastos on saxophone, Derek Sims ontrumpet and A.G. Donnaloia on guitar. Featuring jazzy riffs, horn-driven funk breaks and fierce improvised originals, the band will trade songs and perform with Ohmega for a truly unique experiment in music. Arrive early for an opening set by DJ Rev Shines.
I'll post the full schedule of Works performers after the jump, and you can download the official T:BA guide as a PDF here.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my frustration with the fact that MusicFest NW (Sept 3-6) and T:BA (Sept 5-14) are overlapping AGAIN. I would like to go to both festivals. I don't need another year of hearing about how excellent Okkervil River/Girl Talk/whatever-great-band-I'm-going-to miss was. I imagine I am not the only one?
Deelay Ceelay Sept 4 . 9:30pm
Flash Choir Sept 4 . 10:30pm
DJ Acidophilus Sept 4 . 11:00pm
Neal Medlyn Sept 5 . 10:30pm
Ice Rod Sept 5 . 11:00pm
Ten Tiny Dances Sept 6 . 10:30pm
DJ Othertempo Sept 6
Parenthetical Girls Sept 7 . 10:30pm
Ethan Rose Sept 8 . 10:30pm
Au Sept 8 . 11:00pm
Occurrence Sept 9 . 10:30pm
hosted by Reggie Watts, featuring Joe Van Appen and Rush N Disco
Root Beer and French Fry Sept 10 . 10:30pm
Nollifur Sept 10 . 11:00pm
Sept 11 . 10:30pm
Stumptown Showdown plus DJ Rev. Shines of Lifesavas
Our Hit Parade Sept 12 . 10:30pm
hosted by Kenny Mellman and Neal Medlyn
Mega*Church Sept 13 . 10:30pm
tiny tba Sept 14 . 11:00am – 2:00pm
with DJs Belinda Miller and Hova Najarian of Greasy Kid Stuff, Indiekid Films, Anna Oxygen, Hot Little Hands and Elizabeth Mitchell
Brother and Sister Sept 14 . 10:00pm