:)
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 16 September 2021 21:01 (two years ago) link
I want to point out that Brian Howe wrote most of the blurbs on the site, and having ONE writer do it really creates a cohesive experience when navigating something built on music discovery
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 16 September 2021 21:02 (two years ago) link
That sounds right
― When Young Sheldon began to rap (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 16 September 2021 21:53 (two years ago) link
very tempted to go to this
― Porking level G4 (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 16 September 2021 22:32 (two years ago) link
Motherfucker
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 16 September 2021 22:43 (two years ago) link
Early Bird gone already and the day isn't even over...
Boring where are you getting your intel
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 16 September 2021 22:44 (two years ago) link
lol by the time I have enough money for a ticket they'l be sold out
― sleeve, Thursday, 16 September 2021 22:48 (two years ago) link
Well, I just bought em
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 16 September 2021 22:52 (two years ago) link
I wasn’t expecting Early Bird to jump to $100 for two tix in a matter of hours >:(
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 16 September 2021 22:55 (two years ago) link
Boring?
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 17 September 2021 02:10 (two years ago) link
Big Ears emails only. Their latest email said the pre sales for donors and those who had tickets for 2020 snatched up a lot of the total available tickets.
― Porking level G4 (Boring, Maryland), Friday, 17 September 2021 13:05 (two years ago) link
FYI I only donated $50 but that was enough to allow me in the pre-sale.
― Porking level G4 (Boring, Maryland), Friday, 17 September 2021 13:09 (two years ago) link
ahhhhh thanks
― the 45-year-old gaz coomber (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 17 September 2021 14:25 (two years ago) link
Pardon the street teaming, but a few more artists announced, in particular Patti Smith. (She was supposed to be at the canceled '20 fest.) Solo sets by Lage and Medeski, other interesting stuff.
https://bigearsfestival.org/big-ears-announces-second-wave-artist-additions/
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 26 October 2021 14:40 (two years ago) link
ok haven’t posted here in like five years but I am incredibly excited about this lineup. like, beyond amped.
I bet some of y’all who’ve attended previously will know: if I stay outside of town, is parking near-downtown doable? And how likely am I to get shut out of performances if my ticket is GA?
― dc, Tuesday, 26 October 2021 22:42 (two years ago) link
I only got shut out of tiny places like the Pilot Light, but then again I had the mid-level Premier tickets.
― "Devious" Licks (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 26 October 2021 23:30 (two years ago) link
Yeah, the only places it seems to be a problem are the small venues. I think Wolf Eyes shut down the Standard
― licorice in the front, pizza in the rear (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, 27 October 2021 00:58 (two years ago) link
You can definitely park downtown, especially in March. There are a lot of garages. I've found the shut-out thing variable, there are definitely shows that if you really want to be at, you want to get there early (even if it means skipping something else). You can usually tell by looking at the schedule which shows in any given slot are going to be the big draws.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 27 October 2021 02:42 (two years ago) link
A bunch of downtown parking garages are free in the evenings and on weekends: https://www.downtownknoxville.org/explore/parking/?t%5B%5D=96&view=map&q=&_=1635304005563&ajaxcall=1635304017
Your best choice is probably the State St. Garage which is one block from the TN Theater and two from the Bijou Theater: https://www.downtownknoxville.org/state-street-garage/
― ernestp, Wednesday, 27 October 2021 03:09 (two years ago) link
Yeah, any of the public garages, if you wait until after 8 or so to leave you don't have to pay at all (even if you park there in the morning/all day).
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 27 October 2021 12:20 (two years ago) link
I'm vaxxed and boosted... Any advice on how not to get Omicron at Big Ears?
― jpg trouble in wallo gina (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 4 January 2022 15:38 (two years ago) link
zorb ball
― imago, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 15:40 (two years ago) link
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0280/1473/9549/products/89223_ziploc_gallon_storage_bags_1_800x.jpg?v=1576176350
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 15:42 (two years ago) link
N95 mask at all venues, avoid the UT campus? Eat in your hotel room?
― A Pile of Ants (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 4 January 2022 16:02 (two years ago) link
For a moment I thought this was the campaigning thread haha
― Nabozo, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 16:08 (two years ago) link
I wouldn't worry about it. By the end of March there will probably be a new strain.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 16:12 (two years ago) link
http://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GettyImages-89266817.jpg
― i cannot help if you made yourself not funny (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 4 January 2022 23:14 (two years ago) link
Speaking from on the ground in Knoxville, I'd say it's possible Omicron is gonna burn through here like a forest fire. It may be long since peaked by the end of March. On the downside, the state Legislature has made it literally illegal to require vaccination to enter a venue — BUT they can require a negative test, and accept a vaxx card as a substitute. So dumb.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 5 January 2022 00:37 (two years ago) link
This thing is 10 weeks away, what are our odds
― jpg trouble in wallo gina (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, 12 January 2022 01:59 (two years ago) link
i have these same questions
― aegis philbin (crüt), Wednesday, 12 January 2022 02:19 (two years ago) link
so say we all
― i cannot help if you made yourself not funny (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 12 January 2022 02:20 (two years ago) link
Think positive
― A Pile of Ants (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 12 January 2022 02:53 (two years ago) link
Schedule is here...
https://bigearsfestival.org/festival-schedule/
I'm not even past Thursday and it looks impossible
― west elm girls (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 19:05 (two years ago) link
i say this every year but i really need to go one of these days.
― i cannot help if you made yourself not funny (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 19:19 (two years ago) link
lol at scheduling the sparks and low shows where they overlap, there will be tears
― i cannot help if you made yourself not funny (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 19:27 (two years ago) link
As much as I love the music, my legs and back are too old for the hard hustle of getting from venue to venue and the no-seating venues, not to mention the impossible choices of multiple programming tracks.
― Everybody Loves Ramen (WmC), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 19:29 (two years ago) link
Yo, especially after covid! I went to one show in the space between Delta and Omicron after a year or w/e of lockdown and my back was like FUUUUCK YOOOUU
― west elm girls (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 19:48 (two years ago) link
i am trying to get back to jogging at least partially so that i can toughen my feet up so that i can be out nights
― i cannot help if you made yourself not funny (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 19:51 (two years ago) link
― Johnny Mathis der Maler (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 20:05 (two years ago) link
think I gotta go w low
my question is, do they kick ppl out of the venues between shows? or can I hang out and get a good spot for the next one
― dc, Tuesday, 8 February 2022 20:22 (two years ago) link
jeff parker against sons of kemet, honestly rude imo
still so excited tho
― dc, Tuesday, 8 February 2022 20:24 (two years ago) link
can't wait for the day when I can just ship someone my entire head to take along with them and then just get it fedexed straight back to me afterwards before the memories start leaching out
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 20:35 (two years ago) link
Thursday and Friday are just way too loaded and Sunday is pretty sparse I know they gotta work around artists’ schedules but they should try to even it out.
― Johnny Mathis der Maler (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 20:40 (two years ago) link
They clear the venues iirc.
― Everybody Loves Ramen (WmC), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 20:54 (two years ago) link
ugh
― dc, Tuesday, 8 February 2022 20:59 (two years ago) link
I have fewer terrible conflicts than I was afraid of, partly because of some people playing more than once. But there will be hard choices, plus yes the physical limits of what one can endure. (One trick for me is to work in shows at the Bijou or Tennessee, which are seated, between the standing venues when possible.)
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 21:48 (two years ago) link
I just sprung for the VIP tickets cause I haven’t gone anywhere in two years.
― Johnny Mathis der Maler (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 23:51 (two years ago) link
xpost - I was bummed when I saw the 75 Dollar Bill / Damon Locks conflict on Thursday, until I saw 75 Dollar Bill was playing again the next day.
Also because I remembered that I'm not actually going to this.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 8 February 2022 23:53 (two years ago) link
is there a map of the venues? i know where they are mostly but it'd be nice to be able to look at a map to plan things out
― aegis philbin (crüt), Wednesday, 9 February 2022 01:35 (two years ago) link
I stopped in for some of that Kronos Quartet "live documentary" because I had time between Ambrose Akinmusire and Zorn, not expecting anything in particular, and thought it was actually a cool and interesting concept, well executed.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 28 March 2022 15:10 (two years ago) link
Also as local resident I will try to organize at least an ILX happy hour next year. Had it in mind this year but failed to follow through.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 28 March 2022 15:12 (two years ago) link
Someone said to me that you could do the whole fest over again and see completely different bands and still have a good time and he’s so right
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 28 March 2022 15:12 (two years ago) link
Oh yeah, some of my friends saw almost an entirely different festival from me, and there's a ton of stuff I wish I'd seen.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 28 March 2022 15:15 (two years ago) link
Absolutely magical weekend. We'd been talking about going to Big Ears for years and finally decided to go for it since we were going to have to do a bit of a road trip to see Sparks on this tour in any case. Really going to try to make it an annual thing from now on. Here's everything I saw:
Annette PeacockAttacca QuartetAurora Nealand & The Royal RosesBang on a Can All-Stars: The Pandemic SolosBang on a Can All-Stars: Terry Riley's Autodreamographical TalesCircus No. 9Electric Appalachia (William Tyler & Mary Lattimore)Ellen Reid Soundwalk EnsembleEvan ZiporynEve MaretJames McVinnieJoseph Branciforte & Theo Bleckmann Kronos Quartet: Terry Riley's Cadenza on the Night PlainKronos Quartet: A Thousand ThoughtsLakou Mizik Leyla McCallaMaeve GilchristMeredith Monk & Bang on a Can All-Stars: Memory GameNathalie JoachimNathalie Joachim & Spektral QuartetPreservation Hall Jazz BandSarah DavachiSparksSporty’s Brass Band
Mrs. VTC and I thank you for the Tern Club recommendation, tipsy -- very much our thing! Knoxville is cool.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Wednesday, 30 March 2022 19:06 (one year ago) link
Oh good, glad you had a good time and liked the Tern Club. Those are good folks, I love that place.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 30 March 2022 19:10 (one year ago) link
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2022/03/29/big-ears-festival-2022-returns-memorable-sights-sounds-knoxville/7167776001/
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 31 March 2022 15:28 (one year ago) link
Atlanta paper also covered the event
https://www.ajc.com/life/arts-culture/big-ears-festival-in-knoxville-brings-edgy-music-to-enthusiastic-crowd/J6BVMH6ZD5C5TAJZEWWFATKPHQ/
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 31 March 2022 15:30 (one year ago) link
The SPIN writeup is funny because there's a lot of grousing about what a comped journalist VIP badge can and cannot get you, to which I'd say, "know your audience" but SPIN doesn't exactly have an audience in 2022
And the entrance and seating coordition was inconsistent venue to venue, at least for us critics. (At one show, my credentials allowed me to access the VIP section; at the next, I’d wait in the VIP line, only to be rerouted to the Premier, and then denied VIP seating. I overhead other people, both press and non-, vent similar frustrations. Overall, not enough to warrant any real complaints — but hopefully 2023 will run a bit more smoothly.)
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Thursday, 31 March 2022 15:38 (one year ago) link
really bummed i missed all of sunday's zorn :(
― gbx, Thursday, 31 March 2022 19:00 (one year ago) link
overall an outstanding time, though! will be back next year
According to that article with Ashley Capps there were 30% more attendees this year than 2019.
― Otto Insurance (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 31 March 2022 19:58 (one year ago) link
I suspected as much! I wasn't sure if I was just being overly conscious of crowd sizes after the pandemic or if there were actually way more people there
― aegis philbin (crüt), Thursday, 31 March 2022 23:59 (one year ago) link
Yeah this was the first year of a complete sell-out. There weren't even any day tickets left.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 1 April 2022 02:09 (one year ago) link
the ppl were ready
― gbx, Friday, 1 April 2022 13:32 (one year ago) link
https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/big-ears-festival/recap-arooj-aftab-joe-henry-caroline-shaw/?fbclid=IwAR1G0KOmaKcwkSz-3258FdqAmi6P6EoHFvdOKcBgsLkNpSCCkPHKdzFrWi8
Geoff Himes writeup in Paste
― curmudgeon, Monday, 11 April 2022 20:36 (one year ago) link
Himes makes big pronouncements-
re Jason Moran--
The 47-year-old pianist, perhaps the best jazz artist of his generation,
And the central paradoxes of our lives—the tension between creation and destruction, between hope and loss—are never fully resolved, and we can always use new approaches to the same old problems.Every year, the Big Ears Festival provides a useful arena for reconsidering these issues.
Immanuel Wilkins, the alto saxophonist who is justly being hailed as the best young jazz artist of the decade
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 April 2022 03:37 (one year ago) link
I'll suggest "a useful arena for reconsidering the central paradoxes of our lives" as the festival's new tagline.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 12 April 2022 13:14 (one year ago) link
Good idea. Ha.
Just reading author N*d S*blette in an email talk about his faves at the fest. He was there showing his work in progress movie "Tierra Sagrada (Sacred Ground)" about religious Cuban singing and dancing rituals. His faves were:
Miguel Zenón with the Spektral Quartet; Val Jeanty; and Jason Moran
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 April 2022 04:09 (one year ago) link
I saw about 15-20 minutes of the movie, taking a breather between other things. It was cool. I also saw some of Val Jeanty, who was also cool. I heard raves about Zenon. (And Moran, I mean, of course.)
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 14 April 2022 04:17 (one year ago) link
Dude the Moran set got absolutely batshit. He started just playing this low piano noise rumble that turned into a sucking abyss somehow?
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Thursday, 14 April 2022 04:23 (one year ago) link
I didn't make it to Moran, which I hated to miss. The two sets I saw by him a few years back (including w/Milford Graves!) were amazing.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 14 April 2022 13:37 (one year ago) link
This festival sounds amazing.
― And liberty she pirouette (Sund4r), Thursday, 14 April 2022 13:42 (one year ago) link
just got my pass for next year :)
― gbx, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 21:32 (one year ago) link
got mine too
― Histoire de BradNelson (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 21:39 (one year ago) link
Thread for next year's:
Big Ears 2023
― nickn, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 22:34 (one year ago) link