By Wayne Bledsoe, Luke Brogden, John Flannagan, Bill Foster, Rusty Odom and Matt Rankin
NO FLUKE: Interview with Founder Ashley Capps • Artist Profile: Caroline Williams, author of ‘Lucy Negro Redux’ • Into the Rabbit Hole • BLANK’S BIG EARS ARTIST GUIDE • FILM Guide • Pilot Light • Tickets • Schedule
As Knoxville enters the final phases of preparing to host its eighth Big Ears in 11 years, now is as good a time as any to survey what the festival means both to and for the city and its residents. At this point, the majority of informed citizens probably is aware of what the extravaganza entails: a four-day celebration of avant-garde music, art and cinema held at various downtown locales including fabled theaters, intimate listening rooms and other cultural centers. But does the event hold the same appeal it once did? And is it a viable endeavor moving forward? The immediate answer to both questions is a resounding “yes.”
Anyone who wants to attend in 2019 but has yet to purchase a weekend pass had better do so quickly because the festival is dangerously close to selling out for the very first time in its history. Having built a solid reputation over the years by booking top-notch talent, featuring one-off collaborations unseen outside of major metropolitan areas and providing attendees a fun, safe and walkable festival experience has resulted in Big Ears’ burgeoning popularity. Many of those people are repeat customers who have learned to trust AC Entertainment’s professional business model. And when respected publications worldwide continue year after year to sing the praises of the event, the venues it utilizes and the city it calls home, well, even the most reticent of folks start to get curious.
Knoxville itself keeps evolving, too. Rehabilitation of existing buildings in the city center seemingly is at an all-time high, and development in and around downtown continues to flourish. (Been to South Knox anytime lately? You won’t recognize it if you haven’t.) An explosion of fine-dining options has occurred within just the past year, as well. With an influx of people and money comes with it an expectation for better entertainment opportunities, and Big Ears seems to fit that bill. So if it indeed is viable, the question then becomes: At what point does a niche experience become too visible and lose its luster?
On this detail, I admit to having been conflicted. To preface, as someone who has been fortunate enough to attend every one of these things, it’s difficult for me to remain objective (and not possessive) about Big Ears and to not feel some kind of personal affront concerning the direction it might take in the future. As a local, I should know better than to think that I’m in the festival’s target demographic – I’m not, and the truth is that I never was. But last year’s focus on Appalachian music struck me as a misstep, and I bristled at its inclusion. “Too pedestrian,” I thought. “They’re too eager to present this region’s culture as high art. Just watch, it’s going to backfire on them … ”
In addition to that being a horribly snobby pretension, I was wrong, of course. Artists at whose names on paper I had sneered proved revelatory. I sobbed uncontrollably during some sets. And the fringe acts to which I had grown accustomed (because of the festival) and loved were just as incredible as always. Still, in approaching this year’s lineup, I experienced a similar apprehension. Whether it was borne of the physical rigors and mental fatigue of performing my day job or simply making the unforgivable mistake of taking Big Ears for granted, I didn’t know what angle to take in writing about the festival or its individual artists, and I loathed the prospect of trying to figure it out – until I began to revisit past lineups and read coverage of previous years.
I have distinct recollections of indelible Big Ears moments amassed over the years stored in my memory bank. But apart from those gathered in 2009 and 2010, I was shocked to discover just how fragmented they were with regard to linear time. The cavity-rattling Sunn O))) show in 2015? Turns out it took place the following year. That incredible Dawn of Midi set a couple of years ago? Yeah, that was way back in 2014. As I read further, I came to understand that Big Ears exists in a vacuum. It is truly timeless.
That realization alone reignited my passion for the festival and the music, art and film it embodies. I am ready for all the possibilities that this year’s iteration holds, and I promise to appreciate every last second of it. And that’s the point of Big Ears, I think: to live in the moment, to give yourself over to the art and to learn from the experience. And to not worry about things outside of your control, like an event you enjoy gaining more exposure because of how great it is. Also, you know, to accept that change is a natural part of life and not a threat.
In anticipation of this weekend, we at BLANK have compiled a list of some of the artists we are most looking forward to seeing and hearing. As a few of them will perform multiple times over the course of those four days, we have listed them chronologically by their first scheduled appearance. – Matt Rankin
Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens has built a reputation over the past decade as a foremost and prolific performer, historian, musicologist, songwriter and preservationist, astutely capturing the authentic sound and spirit of Appalachian and African-American music traditions. A founding member of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, she was a collaborator on the T-Bone Burnett-produced “Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes” project, a reimagining of many of Bob Dylan’s unpublished songs and lyrics that included performers like Elvis Costello and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes. She has released two solo albums, “Tomorrow is My Turn” and “Freedom Highway.” In 2017, Giddens was named a MacArthur fellow and in 2018 spearheaded “Songs of Our Native Daughters,” a collection of covers of slave songs and spirituals. Performing at Big Ears in 2015 and having delivered the opening keynote address at last year’s festival, Giddens returns in 2019 with Italian percussionist Francesco Turrisi. – Luke Brogden
Avey Tare
While he is best known for his role as the principal songwriter in Animal Collective, Tare (Dave Portner) has proven himself to be equally adept as a solo artist. He has released two proper solo albums since 2010 and has been a featured player on several others, including a collaboration with then-wife Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir (who also is slated to perform at this year’s Big Ears).
Although the instrumentation and production techniques on Tare’s unaccompanied records will sound familiar to fans of “Feels” and “Strawberry Jam”-era Animal Collective, much of the material is less structured, way less pop-friendly and far more introverted and meandering. Some tracks, like the two parts of “Lunch Out of Order” on the 2017 album “Eucalyptus,” even showcase him experimenting with chill found sounds a la his musical partner Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear.
Neither Animal Collective nor any of its individual members ever disappoint in a live environment, so rest assured that this Thursday-evening show, one of the first of this year’s festival, will help kick things off in fine fashion. Expect some fun visuals to complement the music produced at the Mill & Mine, and be prepared to have a good time, as well. – MR
Bill Frisell
One of the modern giants of guitar, Bill Frisell has a style that is as unassuming as it is powerful. He’s taken on just about every style of American music, including jazz, blues, pop, folk and country, and he’s slated for at least three different configurations at the 2019 Big Ears. His music can be mesmerizingly simple and beautiful or complex and jarring, but it’s always a delight. – Wayne Bledsoe
Mercury Rev
With its music having grown and matured considerably since the group’s inception in the late 1980s, Mercury Rev today stands as one of just a few garage bands to break free from a discernably more primitive ethos and emerge as a successful experimental outfit. Still, those roots inform Mercury Rev’s melodicism, as well as the structures of its songs. “The Light in You,” the group’s latest album of original material, is a dream-pop masterpiece chock full of lilting strings, gorgeous harmonies and brilliant production.
After a seven-year absence, that 2015 record served as an unexpected yet very welcome reminder of the band’s virtuosity upon its release. And just last month, in a move that highlighted its ability to navigate fluidly between genres with ease, Mercury Rev completely shifted gears to release a hallucinatory reimagining of Bobbie Gentry’s 1968 concept album “The Delta Sweete.” The haunting collection features an all-star cast of guest vocalists that includes Hope Sandoval, Margo Price, Vashti Bunyan and Beth Orton to name but a few.
Having wrapped up the final performances celebrating the 20th anniversary of the seminal “Deserter’s Songs” in December 2018, there’s no telling what might be in store for this Knoxville audience. Collaborations are common at Big Ears; in fact, collectively they have become an integral part of the festival experience in recent years. So it wouldn’t come as a total shock to see Big Ears alum Laetitia Sadier return to cover “Mornin’ Glory” or Lucinda Williams grace the Mill & Mine stage to sing “Ode to Billie Joe.” There is only one way to find out, though, and that is by staying up on Thursday for what promises to be an outstanding late-night set. – MR
Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck probably is the most well-known banjo player in music today, in no small part because he has done as much as anyone to stretch the boundaries of the instrument. From his traditional playing with New Grass Revival to his jazz workouts with the Flecktones and his classical work with Edgar Meyer, there seems to be no genre of music in which Fleck does not excel. However, his Big Ears performances have proven to be one-of-a-kind, don’t miss shows. On Friday, from noon to 1 p.m., catch Fleck in the beautiful St. John’s Cathedral with Colombian harp virtuoso Edmar Castañeda. His second show is even more special: From 7 to 8 p.m. on Saturday evening at St. John’s, it will be just Fleck and his banjo in an extremely rare solo performance. – Bill Foster
Alien Flower Sutra
The unusual pairing of cornetist and sound artist Rob Mazurek and singer-guitarist Emmett Kelly (of Cairo Gang fame) delivers spacey explorations marked by lyrical tenderness. Coupled with themes of a post-apocalyptic world in which biotechnology reaches a level where artificial intelligence can build itself without the intervention of humans, Alien Flower Sutra creates thought-provoking material. It’s all out-there stuff, and the music ties right into the abstract. Alien Flower Sutra sees Mazurek producing while Kelly layers chopped pieces of guitar and sci-fi-esque lyrics over the former’s compositions. Given all of these components, it’s easy to see why this show is firmly in Big Ears’ wheelhouse. – John Flannagan
Harold Budd
Initially inspired to make music that equated to visual art, Harold Budd gained fame collaborating with Brian Eno, but he always has made music that is entrancing. During this year’s Big Ears, Budd will present programs with the ACME string ensemble, a percussion-based show with Knoxville-based nief-norf and a Tim Story (keyboard, electronics), Terrence Budd (guitars, keyboards), Sean Connors (percussion) and Trenton Takaki (piano) collaboration on Budd’s work “As Long as I Can Hold My Breath.” – WB
Coupler
Probably the easiest to digest of all of this year’s electronic artists, Coupler’s music, while still abstract at times, has a more traditional structure that is simple for casual fans of the genre to appreciate. Employing an ambient aesthetic, the core trio is the brainchild of Lambchop vet Ryan Norris. Hailing from Nashville, the group includes a few Third Man Records tie-ins. Norris uses an array of synths and keys to deliver atmospheric sounds. Coupler will be playing two special sets at Big Ears, first playing the score for “Dragnet Girl,” a Japanese gangster film, and another show performing the entirety of their 2017 album “Gifts From the Ebb Tide.” Like its namesake suggests, the record ebbs and flows naturally, moving from the serene to more pulsating beats akin to those of an artist like The Field. – JF
Carl Stone
For decades now, Carl Stone has pioneered music composition by using a computer – specifically a laptop – as his only instrument. In mixing, cutting and looping orchestrated pieces, Stone takes listeners on twisting and turning musical journeys, depositing them in different places from where they began their trips. Repetitive at times yet frequently haunting and always intriguing, there’s no electronic composer capable of evoking so many emotions and feels through their work as Stone does. A founding father of minimalism, a style so many have emulated in modern times, his influence is best summed up in “shing kee,” a beautiful 15-minute composition showcasing all of the tricks in the artist’s impressive repertoire. – JF
Evan Parker
Evan Parker is one of the true innovators of saxophone playing. Beginning during the free-jazz movement of the 1960s, Parker’s singular style put him in the esteemed category of John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. He has gone on to collaborate with a number of acclaimed jazz, electronic and pop artists, including fellow Big Ears act Spiritualized. – WB
Spiritualized
Amidst this year’s roster of noteworthy artists, perhaps the most recognizable name – at least to a certain demographic of attendees – is Spiritualized, the psychedelic, symphonic and moving solo endeavor started by the former Spacemen 3 co-creator nearly three full decades ago. Over that stretch, Pierce has compiled an impressive catalog of material that is both engaging and dynamic; as much as the soulful music implies hope, the lyrics drip with the kind of sorrow known only by those who have plumbed the deepest of emotional depths.
Some of the best Spiritualized tracks, such as “Shine a Light” and “Stay With Me,” begin innocuously as narcotic slow jams before erupting into full-fledged anthems. Others, like “Come Together” and “On Fire,” explode from the get-go. Albums commonly feature surging guitar parts, orchestral swells and harmonic backing. In order to replicate such painstakingly recorded results in a live setting, Pierce often travels with a horde of performers that includes a five-member band, a horn and string section and a choir. If the current tour is any indication, expect a similar setup in Knoxville for Big Ears.
A recent festival setlist consisted of 10 songs, four of which were culled from the most recent (and excellent) offering, “And Nothing Hurt,” and presented together in a block. The remaining six comprised a mix of favorites and deep cuts that would excite even the most casual of fans. Given Pierce’s admission that his eighth studio effort could serve as the project’s swan song and the possibility of Big Ears selling out for the first time, festivalgoers should make every attempt to secure admittance to the Mill & Mine on Friday night before the venue reaches its capacity. – MR
Uncle Earl
Formed in 2002, Uncle Earl was a unique band from the start: four women (with a rotating cast of bass players) interested in old-time and Appalachian music and who put their own modern spin on tradition. By 2007, they were signed to a major label and their “Waterloo” album was produced by John Paul Jones. They amicably split soon after in the face of touring demands and budding solo careers. Today, all four members maintain thriving solo careers, have written children’s music and dance performances and have collaborated with folks like Scott Miller, Béla Fleck, Wu Fei, Kieran Kane and Aoife O’Donovan. This Big Ears performance will be Uncle Earl’s first reunion show since 2009 and is the only one scheduled for 2019. They take to the Mill & Mine stage at 6:15 p.m. on Sunday. – BF
Kara-Lis Coverdale
Canadian artist Kara-Lis Coverdale has been blurring the lines between live instrumentation and electronic production since her 2012 debut EP. She blends sounds created by piano, organ, samplers, laptops and synthesizers to accent an enchanting voice which she layers into her compositions. The environs of her second performance of the weekend, a set on organ at Church Street United Methodist, should amplify the quality of those vocals. While she hasn’t released a full-length album of her own since 2015’s “Aftertouches,” she has kept busy producing film scores and doing mixing work with artists like Tim Hecker, How to Dress Well and Kranky. An innovator leading the charge in how electronic music can be made, Coverdale is not to be missed. – JF
Kayhan Kalhor
Kalhor is a master of the kamancheh, a four-string upright Iranian fiddle. Of Kurdish descent, his playing mixes the folk strains of his roots with the Iranian and European classical traditions in which he was schooled. Since his start playing on Iranian radio as a teenager, Kalhor has performed with Kronos Quartet and as a member of Brooklyn Rider and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. Kalhor has been nominated for six Grammy awards and won two with the Silk Road Ensemble. At Big Ears, Kalhor will perform on his own at Church Street United Methodist at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening and at the Bijou with Brooklyn Rider at 5 p.m. on Sunday. – BF
Nils Frahm
Virtuoso pianist and auteur Frahm is one of those artists who has the rare ability to construct pristine minimalist compositions that can be appreciated by both novice listeners and classical aficionados. However, the Hamburg native/Berlin resident also is quick to embrace – and is adroit at parlaying new takes on – a variety of modern musical styles, as was evidenced by his 2013 breakthrough “Spaces.” His most recent full-length release, “All Melody,” is a wonderfully immersive album that features reverent reinterpretations of the krautrock of his homeland interspersed with subtly jazzy numbers and a few traditional-sounding songs for good measure. Taken as a whole, the spellbinding collection signals another step forward in the musician’s remarkable evolution.
Many people who attended the 2014 iteration of Big Ears will have fond memories of Frahm’s masterful Tennessee Theatre performance which featured a video screen displaying overhead shots of the stage setup and the exposed inner workings of his main instrument. The feed allowed the audience to see how the artist utilized his workspace to build his soundscapes in a novel and engrossing way. I still can recall crossing paths with an absolutely stunned member of the BLANK family after the show on that brisk Saturday evening. Wil Wright, an accomplished musician in his own right, appeared dazed at the spectacle he had just witnessed. So take heed: You, too, likely will be left slack-jawed, rubbing your face and shaking your head in disbelief following Saturday night’s set at the Tennessee. – MR
Jerusalem in My Heart
Nothing is poised to get all the senses going at once at this Big Ears quite like the audiovisual project that is Jerusalem in my Heart. The duo comprising Beirut-born musician Radwan Ghazi Moumneh and Montreal-based filmmaker Charles-André Coderre uses a variety of electronics, instrumentation and optical art to convey their unique vision. Hectic, surreal and often beautiful, the pair deconstructs both traditional and modern Arab music and provides it with an electronic edge. With Coderre supplying 16 mm graphics and projections, this will make for one of the most stimulating shows at Big Ears 2019. – JF
Sons of Kemet
“Your Queen is a Reptile” is the exciting new offering from the London-based spoken-word and jazz-jam ensemble. Anti-colonialist, Afrocentric and Diaspora slam poetry flows over pulsating mixed jazz and Afrobeat with frenetic, off-kilter horns also dancing in the fray. “My Queen is Harriet Tubman” and “In the Castle of My Skin” are notable songs, as is the title track. – LB
Richard Thompson
Uber-guitarist Richard Thompson is no stranger to Knoxville, having performed here numerous times in the past including two nights opening for Jason Isbell in 2018 and a sold-out Bijou performance in 2017. Thompson has been a musical force since he first took over lead guitar duties in Fairport Convention as a scraggly teenager 50 years ago. Since then, the now 69-year-old musician has recorded 18 solo albums and worked with everyone from David Byrne and Jeff Tweedy to Pere Ubu and the Golden Palaminos.
At Big Ears, Thompson will perform “KIA” (“Killed in Action”), a sung and spoken-word piece consisting of music performed with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and unaltered readings from diaries and letters of soldiers killed during World War I. Since this is Big Ears, there is no telling what might occur, but past performances of this piece have included a second set of Thompson songs and some interesting covers rearranged for strings. The performance takes place at the Bijou from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. – BF
Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
Like a maniacal, musical mad scientist, Swedish composer Bärtsch leads his intense band of funk-fusion ninjas through manic, avant-garde jazz jams. Repetitive, cyclical grooves allow audience members to hone in on a meditative, zen-like state before breakout jams induce them to feelings of euphoria. Titled as numbered “modules,” Ronin songs typically last up to 10 minutes or more and can focus on a singular minimalist rhythm or groove, with melodies slinking in and out either slowly or suddenly. The overall resulting effect is pleasantly and naturally mind-altering. – LB
Punch Brothers
Following the dissolution of Nickel Creek in 2006, Chris Thile knew that he wanted to form a band with ace fiddler Gabe Witcher but didn’t know if he wanted it to be classical, bluegrass, jazz or some combination thereof. Eventually, they settled on a format that ostensibly was bluegrass yet that was just as capable of covering the “Brandenburg Concertos” or Radiohead’s “Kid A” as they were of doing “Rolling in My Sweet Baby’s Arms.” What emerged was absolutely unique: a quintet of stone-cold players, all arguably (and in Thile’s case, inarguably) the best in the country on their respective instruments.
The group’s first album featured a 40-minute, four-movement classical suite written about Thile’s divorce. Five albums later, the Punch Brothers are coming off a series of strong festival performances and a Grammy award for their 2018 album “All Ashore.” Surprisingly, their Sunday evening set at the Mill & Mine at 8:15 will mark their first Knoxville performance. You also can catch guitarist Chris Elridge performing at the Bijou on Saturday at 10 p.m. – BF
The Art Ensemble of Chicago
Led by founding member Roscoe Mitchell, the Art Ensemble of Chicago is as visually striking as its music. With members wearing face paint and armed with an array of surprising instruments in addition to standard jazz ensemble gear, they are guaranteed to surprise and maybe even startle. – WB
Yves Tumor
For someone who is so closely guarded about the details of their personal life, much still can be gleaned about this former Knoxvillian from the artist’s lyrics. Overtly candid, the words are indicative of a performer who is most comfortable in feeling vulnerable while in the pursuit of high art. The accompanying experimental noise music, particularly the striking kind displayed on last year’s “Safe in the Hands of Love,” straddles a fine line between icy detachment and comforting warmth. Rousing, rapid-fire beats punctuate tracks like “Honesty,” “Noid” and “Lifetime,” while the instrumentation combined with Tumor’s vocal grooves sound like modern R&B being beamed in from outer space.
By all accounts (of which there are few), Yves’ upbringing in East Tennessee wasn’t a particularly happy one. Finding the area to be a creatively stifling environment, Tumor hunkered down at home in order to study music theory and practice various instruments before bolting for the West Coast as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Let’s hope that this return to Knoxville will result in a well-deserved hero’s welcome from the locals in attendance when the artist performs a festival-closing set on Sunday night at the Standard. – MR
NO FLUKE: Interview with Founder Ashley Capps • Artist Profile: Caroline Williams, author of ‘Lucy Negro Redux’ • Into the Rabbit Hole • BLANK’S BIG EARS ARTIST GUIDE • FILM Guide • Pilot Light • Tickets • Schedule
