THE BOX IS EMPTY’S TOP PICK:

Table and Chairs’s Cry Roar Festival. Cafe Racer, Seattle, WA. January 18-20, 2013.

It feels like the Racer Sessions have been around forever.  They are an absolute staple of Seattle new music.  The devoted artists of the Racer Session build musical bridges between almost any imaginable genre: jazz to contemporary classical, electro-pop to burlesque, free improv, chance composition, noise, eye music, and avant-whatever.  And to top it off, there is no more welcoming community of musicians in the American Northwest, no better place to just play and see what happens, and no better venue for composers and improvisers to philosophize, experiment, and wander the reaches of their own imaginations.

This week, the Racer Sessions celebrates its third birthday with an exemplary line-up of music and musicians spread over three nights.  Friday night, hear Insistent Caterpillars, Neil Welch’s Sleeper Ensemble, and Wand.  Saturday, hear Christian Pincock’s Live Composition Ensemble, Syrinx Effect, and Japanese Guy.  Sunday, make sure you bring your axe (in whatever form) to the Racer Session curated by King Tears Bat Trip, followed by an after party with a secret guest artist.

This should be a fantastic weekend of sounds and exploration. Go to as much of it as possible.  In addition, the Racer Sessions have titled this years celebration after baritone saxophonist Andrew Carrico’s quip about his sound, it’s “somewhere between a cry and a roar.”  Carrico passed away last year, and so this year’s festival has been titled in his honor.  His was not the only tragically early death to befall Cafe Racer this year, nor to affect it’s community of Seattle artists, musicians, and neighborhood residents.  This weekend’s festival–aside from being a stupendous collection of wacky, beautiful, spare, delicate, loud, and fun sounds–is sure to be a triumph of music over tragedy, and a beautiful tribute to those lost too soon.

Schedule:

Friday, January 18th

8:30pm: Insistent Caterpillars | 9:30pm: Sleeper Ensemble | 10:30pm: Wand

 Saturday, January 19th

8:30pm: Christian Pincock Live Composition Ensemble | 9:30pm: Syrinx Effect | 10:30pm: Japanese Guy

Sunday, January 20th

8:00pm: King Tears Bat Trip curates the Racer Sessions | 10:15pm: Super Secret After Party Guest Artist!

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