Sequenza21/The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

If It�s Good Enough for Kronos, It�s Good Enough for Me

Actually, it�s not only good enough for the Kronos Quartet � Alarm Will Sound and Capital M (Ian Moss�s ensemble) have pages, and even superstar violinist Hillary Hahn has one. I�m talking about MySpace.com � a sort of cross between the music sites in the old MP3.com style (purevolume.com, garageband.com, music.download.com, soundclick.com, etc.) and personal blogging and social networking sites like livejournal.com, xanga.com, and innumerable dating sites. MySpace has some serious flaws and some major advantages over other sites, and ultimately the advantages have persuaded a small band of classical, post-classical, and quasi-classical musicians and performers to give it a try. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with MySpace is that its search features are abysmal, so if you go to www.myspace.com and type my name into the search bar at the top of the page and click �search,� you won�t find me. (Plus, if you browse for groups who describe their music as �Classical,� most of the results are rock bands who list �classical� as their third descriptor, presumably to add a touch of apparent class.) The two big advantages of MySpace are substantial, though: First, major label, inde label, and unsigned acts all have sites, which legitimizes the music of the unsigned and inde acts. Second, the thousands of individual non-musician accounts builds a strong sense of community and a sense of ownership of that community among fans. Third, as soon as you get to a band�s page, the music starts up, which makes exploring extra fun and easy. And while there are not currently very many classical artists on MySpace, some big-name groups are blazing a path for others to follow, and some of the lesser-known people and groups have some fantastic music.

Here�s my review of some current highlights of MySpace:

Kronos Quartet � The classic performers of Different Trains, Black Angels, and, most recently, Bollywood music, has put up a shingle at MySpace. And they�ll be your friend if you ask nice.

Capital M (Ian Moss�s group) � Ian has been working hard to blur the artificial distinctions between classical and rock instruments, and Capital M does a great job of building an ensemble around a rock band configuration and turning it into a postminimalist groove machine.

Alarm Will Sound � Apparently, recording great versions of Steve Reich�s Tehelim and The Desert Music, both of which are excerpted at MySpace, wasn�t enough for Alarm Will Sound. They recently released �Acoustica� � their own arrangements and performances of songs by electronica giant Aphex Twin. Skeptical? Two of the songs are available at MySpace, and in this reviewer�s opinion they�re excellent.

Ian Cooke � You might say that Ian is a �singer/songwriter,� but instead of the standard piano/voice or guitar/voice we get cello and voice with guitars and drums for backup. A terrific combination of catchiness and weird/smart/playful. Sort of a male Rasputina.

The Ambitious Orchestra � Did you ever listen to your old punk records and think �this is great, but what it really needs instead of guitars is a harp, and some clarinets, and maybe a killer horn line.�? If so (and even if not) these guys have what you need. And apparently they�re working on an opera about Dungeons and Dragons, brilliantly entitled �Opera +1.� Being a dork has never been so sweet.

Paul Bailey Ensemble � What would happen if Philip Glass and George Friedrich Handel rented a time machine together and traveled to 1950 to put on a rock concert? I�m not sure either, but they�d probably have the Paul Bailey Ensemble open for them.. Sadly, Paul and the gang only have three songs posted, but they�re worth a listen.

Jeff Cook Ensemble � This is one of the more traditional ensembles on the list, but (dare I make the implication on these august pages?) they�re still worth checking out. �Angel� is a particularly lovely piece.

Edison Music � A tripped-out mix of electro beats, Philip Glass organs, Arvo Part strings, and 70s rock. �Love and Efficiency� is my personal favorite, and not just because it has a great title.

American Chamber Music � Don�t let the title fool you � we�re not talking about string quartets and piano trios. They have a rock band sound, but a very post-minimalist style. And if the first track doesn�t do it for you (it didn�t for me), skip ahead. The third and fourth pieces are particularly gorgeous.

And, of course, don�t forget about me!

posted by Galen H. Brown 10/03/2005