Features

Big Sur Experimental Music Festival
by Ernesto Diaz-Infante

Experimental musicians from around the country will perform at the first-ever Big Sur Experimental Music Festival, to be held 11 AM to 7 PM on May 29th and 30th at the historic Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, California. The festival will bring together musicians and dancers from the cutting edge, representing experimental styles such as electronica, improvisation, and noiseart. Poetry performances will also be interspersed throughout the two-day event.

Tickets will go on sale May 3rd, and can be purchased from the Henry Miller Library, (831) 667-2574. Prices are $7 a day, or $10 for a two-day pass. The Big Sur Experimental Music Festival is sponsored by Street Light Records.

The festival line-up is as follows:

Saturday May 29th
11 AM: Megan Nicely, Laura Marsh, and Sam Prestianni, San Francisco Well, for two dancers and improvised percussion
12 PM: Matt Ingalls, Oakland solo clarinet improvisation
1 PM: Bob Boster, San Leandro Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: real-time collaging of music and other sound sources
2 PM: Gustavo Aguilar, LA written and improvisational experimental works for percussion
3 PM: Carl Stone, San Francisco Guelaguetza: improvisation with sampler and Macintosh Powerbook
4 PM: W.O.O. Revelator, New York City trio improvisation: sax, guitar, drums
5 PM: Moe! Staiano, San Francisco improvisation on percussion and found objects
6 PM: Big Sur Natives, Big Sur percussion/improvisation group

Sunday May 30th
11 AM: Spandana, Big Sur improvisation group
12 PM: Susan DeLeo & Lauri des Marais, Boston
13 Transitions for electronics, guitar, and dance
1 PM: Harman, Dvorin, Diaz-Infante, Monterey and Nevada City trio improvisation: bass, psaltry, guitar
2 PM: Citizen Band, San Francisco scored and improvised material for live electronic network
3 PM: Hannes Giger, LA improvised and written experimental works for solo contrabass
4 PM: Christopher DeLaurenti, Seattle improvised music for electronics and corrupted household appliances
5 PM: Nmperign, Boston sax and trumpet duo improvisation
6 PM: Nihil Communication with Tom Nunn, San Francisco improvisation with electronics and original instruments

(Dates and times of the performances are subject to change.)

Performances by poets John Dotson, Mark Gurley, Ted Ciesla, Garland Thompson, the Cohorts, and others will be interspersed throughout.

The Henry Miller Library is located 35 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1. It's on the mountain side of the road, a quarter-mile south of Nepenthe restaurant.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the festival, go to http://www.henrymiller.org/events/html/exp_music.html, or email bsxmfest@excite.com.