In all the Little Death excitement I’ve barely mentioned that I’m performing in Shelter on Sunday at the Marathon!! We’ve been in rehearsals all week, and the ensemble sounds amazing.. I can’t wait to see the video tomorrow. After a little sleuthing, I did manage to find one movement on Bill Morrison’s Vimeo Account. This is “What We Build” one of Michael Gordon’s movements. It’s epic, tragic, glissando-tastic, and devastating.

SIGNAL plays Gordon/Lang/Wolfe’s SHELTER
at the BANG ON A CAN MARATHON
June 27, 2010 – 10PM
World Financial Center Winter Garden
FREE

SHELTER
Music composed by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe
Libretto by Deborah Artman
Film by Bill Morrison
Projections by Laurie Olinder

SIGNAL
Brad Lubman, Conductor
Martha Cluver, Soprano
Caroline Shaw, Soprano
Mellissa Hughes, Soprano
Jessica Schmitz, flute
Christa Roninson, oboe
Ken Thomson, clarinet/contrabass clarinet
Brad Balliett, bassoon
Nathan Koci, horn
Jeff Missal, trumpet
Steven Parker, trombone
Dan Peck, tuba
David Skidmore, percussion
Oliver Hagen, piano
Olivia DePrato, violin
Ari Streisfeld, violin
Chris Otto, viola
Lauren Radnofsky, cello
Ike Sturm, bass
Caleb Burhans, electric bass
Taylor Levine, electric guitar

For more information visit: http://www.bangonacan.org

Here is the new The Little Death: Vol.1 Video TRAILER

If you want to see the FULL video, you’ll just have to come to our Opening Night Video Premiere at the Incubator Arts Project!!

The Little Death: Vol. 1, Matt Marks’s post-Christian nihilist pop opera, is an ambitious new work that fuses bombastic electro-pop hooks, frenetically chopped break beats, hypnotic lyrics, and apocalyptic Christian imagery. Holding these disparate elements together is a unconventional narrative that follows two characters, Boy (Matt Marks) and Girl (Mellissa Hughes), on a journey through the world of Fundamentalist Evangelism, as they cope with repressed sexuality in a modern world.
The sample-heavy work draws on musical references that echo the character’s sexual-religious confusion, including pop songs and gospel standards with evocative titles (“He Touched Me” and “When God Dips His Love In My Heart”). Marks took most of the sampled material from his own collection of 1970s gospel albums and classic hip-hop and soul recordings. Using a DIY approach, he produced the album using only a couple of microphones and a laptop running Ableton Live. The stage show as directed by Rafael Gallegos takes inspiration from a number of sources, including The Brady Bunch Variety Hour and church lock-ins.

Starring Matt Marks and Mellissa Hughes
Directed by Rafael Gallegos

Set Design by Brett J. Banakis
Lighting Design by Jimmy Lawlor
Costume Design by Sydney Maresca
Choreography by Michele Torino Hower and Rafael Gallegos

Video Promotion by Satan’s Pearl Horses

Here’s what people are saying about The Little Death: Vol. 1:

“it’s like rollerskating straight from Xanadu into the Void” Outsideleft

“Never have I heard a sexier performance of my grandmother’s favorite hymn. And it makes me uncomfortable, which is precisely why I love it so much.” – The Indie Handbook

“eerily dreamy” – NY Times

“The music is just so good that I found myself strolling through Brooklyn this morning humming ‘OMG I’m Shot’ to myself, certainly the best sock-hop-dance-pop-driving-rock song about being shot ever written.” – The Big City

“sultry, bright, infectious” – Altsounds

July 8 -11, July 14-17th
8pm
Tickets: General $18/Student $14
Buy tickets here

The Little Death: Vol.1 album, out now on New Amsterdam Records, is streaming here

You can also buy the album on Amazon

and iTunes

Welcome to summer! I’m writing this from the inside of my steamy Brooklyn apartment with  no air conditioning. Melly, why don’t you have air conditioning, you ask? Well, I live in a fourth floor walk up and for the sake of everyone’s safety, I’ve decided to let a professional install this one.  Truly, you should be grateful.

This month is FULL of The Little Death! We’ve celebrated the release, been interviewed by thirteen.org, been reviewed by several great blogs, recorded a podcast, and been offered a two week run at the Ontological Society, all in the merry month of May! First off, last Tuesday The Little Death: Vol. 1 dropped on Amazon and i tunes ! Go and buy it for a hundred million of your closest friends! Give it a listen over on the New Amsterdam site where you will find the full album streaming, and while you’re there, give our podcast a listen too. And check out our high res new fancy press photos… Meow!!

Matt, myself,  and our director Rafael Gallegos have been working with the video team Satan’s Pearl Horses (could there be a better collaborative team for this project??) on a music video for I Don’t Have Any Fun, which we expect will screen in mid June. That’s them over to the left with their triple camera action! That was the most serious video set up I’ve been involved with ( and with me in that gigantic Scarlett O’Hara dress, people assumed we were a modeling shoot, not complainin’).  So stay tuned for a double video/album release party! Rumor also has it that there might be karaoke, and you know much I like my karaoke!

Also just yesterday a great colleague of mine, Daniel Felsenfeld, who writes for thirteen.org published an interview with myself, Matt and Corey Dargel, who’s amazingly intelligent pop-art album Someone Will Take Care of me also debuted last week  (Also streaming at New Amsterdam). I thought Danny asked some really great questions, and although there has been lots of great press surrounding the album, Danny is the only person to ask ME about my involvement, which I of course appreciated for purely selfish reasons.

I’m also pleased to announce that The Little Death: Vol.1 has been offered a two week run at the Ontological Society (soon to be known as The Incubator Arts Project). This theater has a stellar reputation for experimental art, and we’re tickled to be their first run as they change their look. Come on out and see how director Rafael Gallegos has transformed this opera from a recording in a Brooklyn bedroom to a fully staged dancing production. The show runs two weekends in July (8-11, 15-17th), so if you missed it in March, now is your chance!! And speaking of the Ontological, or the Incubator Arts Project as I should call it now,  I just confirmed with composer Jacob Cooper yesterday that TimberBrit will have a run there in November too! TimberBrit shows will run November 18-21, so if you haven’t experienced the platinum love fest that is TimberBrit, get ready!

Finally, I’m starting a voice studio in Brooklyn. I’ve been busy preparing a teachable space in my music studio for lessons and coachings, so if you or anyone you know is interested, please don’t hesitate to contact me! For more information, see the lesson section on my website.