Big Star

"Cut my gut, stab me in a alley. Call me a slut in front of your family..." also = classic.

"As soon as I go out/ Forget what I’m about"

Stroke It Noel is the greatest, most joyous song ever recorded by anyone ever, anywhere, ever, in the world.

Big Star’s Third Landmark Album to be Performed At SXSW 2012

GSD&M Presents An All-Star Collective Including Jody Stephens of Big Star, Mike Mills and Peter Buck of R.E.M., Chris Stamey of the dBs and More

Evening To Include Screening of Big Star Documentary Nothing Can Hurt Me

Thursday, March 15 at Austin’s Paramount Theater

"…a Rosetta stone for a whole generation" Peter Buck

In a night that will combine the best of SXSW 2012 Film and Music, an all-star group of musicians will gather at Austin’s historic Paramount Theatre on Thursday, March 15th to celebrate the Big Star legacy through a complete performance of the band’s seminal Third album. This highly anticipated event comes two years after the untimely death of legendary Big Star singer/songwriter Alex Chilton and a hastily organized tribute show that became an emotional and musical highlight of SXSW 2010.

Prior to the musical performance the SXSW Film Festival will host the debut screening of the feature-length documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (Work-in-Progress), also at the Paramount Theatre. The film is a portrait of talented musicians who never got traction within the confines of the music industry but went on to craft three albums now recognized as pop masterpieces and influenced countless musicians including R.E.M., the Replacements, Wilco, Teenage Fanclub, Ryan Adams and many more.

As with previous live performances of the album in New York City and North Carolina which drew enthusiastic crowds and critical acclaim, the SXSW show will consist ofa core of top-tier musicians who will perform the album in its entirety including Jody Stephens of Big Star on drums; Mike Mills of R.E.M. on bass; Mitch Easter of Let’s Active and Chris Stamey on guitars; Charles Cleaver on piano; and for this performance, guest guitarists Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, as well as a wide range of guest vocalists who are still signing on for the evening. Austin's own Tosca String Quartet, along with guest brass and wind musicians including Memphis's Jim Spake, will perform the original orchestrations from the album. Austin’s GSD&M is the show’s executive producer in conjunction with SXSW and High Road Touring.

The event is open to SXSW Film, Music, Gold and Platinum Badge holders, as well as SXSW Film Passes and Music Wristbands. For those without Badges, Passes or Wristbands, a limited number of advance single tickets are available for $25 via the Paramount website (austintheatre.org/film). Advance Ticket sales will end at midnight the day before the screening. Advance Ticket purchases do not guarantee reserved seating or entry to the theatre. Badge holders receive priority entry, followed by Film Passes and Music Wristbands. Once Badges, Passes and Wristbands have entered, Advance Tickets will gain entry, and then as capacity allows, day-of-show single tickets, which m ay be purchased for $25 at the Paramount Theatre box office approximately 15 minutes prior to the screening. For those who wish to attend the performance only, $25 tickets will be sold starting at 8:45pm if seats are available. Advance Ticket holders for are still advised to arrive to the theatre at least 30 minutes prior to the screening time. In the event that a screening reaches capacity before an advance ticket purchaser can be admitted to the theatre, the purchase price will be refunded at the Paramount Box Office (refund valid only within 20 minutes of screening start time).

There were brilliant moments in the studio,” said Big Star drummer Jody Stephens. “Performing this album after all those years, with these talented people, brings the songs to life in a way that is pure joy.” One of Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 500 albums of all time, Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers, has long been revered by artists and critics as one of the most influential albums ever produced. "There's something about this record that connects with my generation, and apparently many generations" said Chris Stamey, musical director for the show and member of 1980s power pop group the dBs. “With this performance we hope to breathe life into a bittersweet album that ha s come to mean so much to so many musicians and fans.”

A signed commemorative poster will be available at the show with proceeds benefitting the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic. Donations to this worthy organization are encouraged. Further information is available at NewOrleansMusiciansClinic.org.

Please note absolutely no filming will be permitted inside the Paramount Theatre. Still photography with flash must be limited to the first three songs, and subsequently only permitted without flash.

when Auer/Stringfellow weren't mentioned in the headline i was gonna cry foul but ok they're in there

still kind of funny to see two guys who've been in the band for 20 years now billed as 'guest guitarists'

Hey! Has anyone got a recording or a link to the WLYX broadcast from 1975, sometimes bootlegged as Beale Street Breakdown, and sometimes credited to Sister Lovers? Looking for it for work purposes. Thank you kindly.

I bet Tyler does ... here:

http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/187210978/dusted-in-memphis-in-honor-of-yet-another

Or maybe here:

http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/4839487456/beale-street-green-breakdown-even-though-the

Yeah, I checked Tyler's blog - but both those links are expired.

i have the files on my hard drive and could prob send them to you pretty easily - you on yr work email today?

I am: thanks ever so much Stevie. Much appreciated. Robert Gordon suggested I hear them for an insight into AC live round Sister Lovers time.
As public thanks, here's this amazing live performance of Holocaust, with a band made up Chris Stamey and Will Rigby, from 1978:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UxXNDU9XSY

& speaking of chilton w/ the dbs, these shows are highly recommended: http://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com/2012/03/alex-chilton-rip-live-1977-feat-chris.html

Thanks Tyler. Gold.

i'll try to reup the beale street green/breakdown discs sometime soon too.

Just quickly browsing through those shows and they are AMAZING. Not always in a good way, but a great sense of where Chilton was at that point.

version of "Take Me Home And Make Me Like It" is really pretty amazing on there.

yeah -- nyc show is pretty together, philly show goes off the rails. in an entertaining way!

Hi -- Message me if you're interested -- have a spare ticket for the Big Star Third concert at the Barbican tonight. Think they're £25 ish. You'd have to sit next to me though :/

GOOD GRIEF TERRIBLE SHOW

No one said yes, but GOOD MOVE

ha, really? what was so bad about it?

Ach, just way too "tasteful". I love Third - hearing the songs live made me bawl - but it was so bloodless. Made me realise what an underrated vocalist Alex was. Jody looked AMAZING though.

Sole redeeming moment was Robyn Hitchcock turning up to do "Downs" and dedicating the song to Tom Hibbert.

It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great.

Those songs just don't lend themselves to that treatment – on the record they are tearing the songs are being pulled apart from the inside. On stage, with revolving musicians, they necessarily have to be anchored. That meant that too much of it plodded, as a result of imposed order. The slow ones were miles better than the rockers.

John Bramwell opened with Nature Boy, then obviously just went and got pissed. He all but missed his cue for Thank You Friends, running back to the stage late, and through the second half he was sitting behind me, chuntering on at conversational volume through the show. Twat.

Although, arguably that's totally in the spirit of Third!

ha, yeah, that sounds about right.
they should open the shows with "whole lotta shakin'".

gotta say, this looks pretty fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUr6Gz29PK4

Can anyone provide a basic guide to the chords of 'I am the Cosmos?' I can tell it's capo-ed. Is the first chord just a straight up D-formation? Can't really tell with all the layering and phasing.

http://www.bigstarreference.com/tabs/cosmos/cosmostab.html

http://www.docnyc.net/film/big-star-nothing-can-hurt-me/#.UJhIg1H4Ia6

my friend co-produced this, go see it

That looks amazing.

want

there are only 2 events on that showings calendar! :(

looks great

would love to see this

Won best doc at Indie Memphis film festival.

will try if i'm feelin OK.

Saw it at the London Film Fest (& contributed to the Kickstarter). Fantastic.

playing again IFC Center Thursday 7:30. Can't make it, but y'all should go.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdleti7Zws1qm0waao1_400.jpg
the butts band!

and ed begley jr.!

Don't forget the two one-hit wonders appearing in the coming weeks.

i had to look up chi coltrane, i thought maybe it was like john coltrane's younger brother or something
http://www.bibleetnombres.online.fr/image11/chi_coltrane1.jpg

Was Ed Begley Jr. doing music or stand-up or what?

He was the drummer in the Thamesmen.

RIP

Didn't realize the documentary would be playing here next week until my friend alerted me. (Not having read this thread closely enough, didn't even know it existed.) Anyway, got a ticket and looking forward to it.

so want to see that

anyone know a good way to track a movie to see when it will come to a certain city? something akin to songkick for films, I guess.

They've got a site with a calendar--this may help.

http://www.bigstarstory.com/events.html

The documentary's really great. I think it'll get great reviews, win awards, be a big deal.

The director must have gotten some grief over the Replacements movie, because this time the music's front and center. (I'm going to henceforth view that film as a practice run, a chance to learn about how to interview people.) Lots of time given to specific songs--"September Gurls," "I Am the Cosmos," others. The film really honors Chris Bell's part in the story; it's almost as much a film about him as it is about Chilton. As I've said before, I've never been a Big Star worshipper--I have their albums, love a few songs, but couldn't name more than six or seven. I will spend some time with them now, and listen closer.

Two great comic-relief detours: the inaugural (and last--geez, it was such a good idea) Rock Writers Convention in 1973--I think you see Mike Saunders and his Oscar Gamble-size afro flash by--and the brief section on the Cramps. Lots of good interview footage with Billy Altman, whom I'd never seen before. One surprising omission: Christgau, who was probably the band's highest-profile supporter. I've seen lots of Christgau, so I didn't mind. (Maybe he disliked the Replacements movie so much that he declined this time.)

is there any good footage, clemenza? I can sorta imagine/recall from the bio that there could be some that eggleston shot