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Stars of the Lidw/Christopher Willits
Live at The Gatherings Concert SeriesSaturday 3 May 2008 8:00pmSt. Mary's Hamilton VillagePhiladelphia, PA |
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Micro-minimalists Stars of the Lid tour the USA in Spring of 2008, and debut in Philadelphia on Please Note: Advance Tickets for the Stars of the Lid concert are no longer available. A number of admissions will be available at the door on the night of the show, but seating will be at the discretion of the house managament. | |
| Stars of the Lid specializes in drone-based ambient music. Their works are largely beatless soundscapes, comprised of droning, effects-treated guitars along with piano, strings, and horns. Volume swells and feedback fill the gap of rhythmic instruments, providing dynamic movement within the songs. Their sound has been described as "divine, classical drone without the tedious intrusion of drums or vocals". |
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| Stars of the Lid is made up of of two members: Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. The band's name refers to the personal cinema located between the listener's eye and eyelid, and suggests the colors and patterns one might perceive with closed eyes. Equally influenced by sound as they are by music, McBride and Wiltzie produce works that takes the listener over into something resembling sleep. |
| SotL have been releasing albums since 1995, six of which are out on Kranky Records. Their most recent work was released in 2007. The double CD And Their Refinement of the Decline continues to integrate diverse sounds (including horns, strings, and piano) into their signature blend of droning guitars and quiet field recordings. All Music Guide said of this recording, "The feeling of being washed over, being gently pulled under water to someplace where language no longer makes sense, feelings get all folded together and an overwhelming calm takes over...". Pitchfork Media offers the CD similar praise, "It doesn't 'go' anywhere, really, and it's hard to say what it projects; the music could be crushingly sad, lightly melancholic, or even uplifting, depending on the state of mind of the hearer. It becomes a sound divorced from intention and its ambiguity is its strength". | |
Beginning in mid-April 2008, Stars of the Lid will embark on a three-week concert tour of North America, their first since 2002. Adam Wiltzie and Brian McBride will be accompanied on stage by a string trio. Their long-time visual collaborator Luke Savisky will provide stunning projections composed of layered 16mm films.
Stars of the Lid will make their Philadelphia concert debut on Saturday 3 May 2008 as part of ~
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Christopher Willits has been working to redefine the guitar in the digital age. Using custom-built software, he morphs his guitar tones into warm ever-evolving atmospheric soundscapes. Willits defies genre distinctions while still defining a sound of his own. His guitar lines fold and weave into each other creating complex patterns of interlocking rhythm, melody, and texture.
With over 15 music releases throughout the last 7 years, Willits's passion is obvious. Every release finds him taking chances and expanding his creative vision. In addition to solo work, a vast range of musical collaborations, sound installations, and film/video projects compel him. Willits' numerous releases and collaborative projects cover a broad spectrum of musical styles, yet link to one primary aspect: a unique approach to the guitar and sound. Willits completed his Master's Degree in Electronic Music at Mills College where he explored structure-generating processes in music. Prior to this, Willits focused on painting, video art, sound art and music at the Kansas City Art Institute.
Christopher Willits will make his Philadelphia concert debut on Saturday 3 May 2008 as part of | |
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Selected Reviews
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Review: And Their Refinement of the Decline by Stars of the Lid
Allusions to "Discrete Music" by Brian Eno abound on And Their Refinement of the Decline, but Stars of the Lid gives Ambient Music nuances that even its initiator did not fathom. Their double CD provides a range of music seemingly performed in slow motion - a constraint that did not prevent the composers from capturing many moods. Some pieces are chilly in their blankness, while others cling to the ears and speak to the heart. The sound of chamber instruments usually comes through, but SotL uses their distinct musical sensibility to re-arrange, even mutate, these sounds into an interesting composite atmosphere. Chords play and progress toward a resolution, but sometimes they get lost and float to the forefront over and over again. Long unhurried melodies emerge out of a soft aura of harmony. There's even a deconstructed pop song, somewhat identifiable at the beginning, which states its theme then drags itself down to a near standstill. SotL are fascinated with the inner life of tones. This work's looming ambiance is derived from an array of expressive shades of sound. Their music deals with a dimension of sculptural depth - a place where words are unnecessary and sound tells the story. - Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END Ambient Radio 30 March 2007
With a title like The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid, one gets an idea of what to expect when this disc begins to spin. By slowing down their recording decks, running them backwards, feeding back the results and most everything else the owner's manual does not advise, Stars of the Lid produces music that works to slow the listener's brainwave activity and creates a pleasant space within which one may easily drift through the cloudy levels beneath consciousness. The pieces that make up this album seem to consist of layered, often mysterious sound sources, contoured by ever changing amounts of guidance by the artists as well as by the indeterminacy of their production process. Some compositions drone, churn and swell on for as long as 20 minutes in an underwater dream while others linger for only a few moments down the hall from a piano eminating soothing chords. This album has the ability to put you any place within the vagueness of purple and grey. The music varies slightly in density, lightness and feeling and is akin to floating in the boundlessness of warm water. Listeners will imagine hearing deep strings, breathing guitar, dislocated voices, a distant piano and maybe even their own bodies relaxing as their thoughts go off course in the gentle current of sound. - Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END Ambient Radio 4 October 2001 | |
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The Gatherings Concert Series presents Stars of the Lid (w/Christopher Willits) live in concert on Saturday 3 May 2008 at 8:00pm (doors open at 7:30pm) in the church sanctuary of St. Mary's Hamilton Village 3916 Locust Walk (just east of 40th & Locust) on the Penn campus in West Philadelphia. Admission: $20 at the door, night of show; $10 for full-time students with proper ID. Please Note: Advance Tickets for the Stars of the Lid concert are no longer available. A number of admissions will be available at the door on the night of the show, but seating will be at the discretion of the house managament. Additional Material:
Stars of the Lid live at The Gatherings Concert Series on 3 May 2008 is funded by CIMA of PA (The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania), the all-volunteer, non-profit organization responsible for organizing and producing The Gatherings Concert Series. The basic mission of CIMA of PA is to bring innovative music concerts to the public and further the advancement of this artform. For more about CIMA of PA, please access the Mission Statement
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For more about Stars of the Lid, please access the:
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The Gatherings Concert Series is presented by the all-volunteer staff of The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania
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