Don't Miss "Fifty (Or More)"

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Tom Hamilton," 2009, acrylic on coated card stock, 6" x 4".

On Saturday night, May 2, I'll be playing guitar as part of Tom Hamilton's piece "Fifty (Or More)."

Here's what the Riverfront Times had to say:

The Big Five-Oh
BY PAUL FRISWOLD
The Big Five-Oh

All right, this is going to sound more complicated than it is: Composer/performer Tom Hamilton manipulates in real time 50 sound clips originated by the various musicians who have performed as part of the New Music Circle (www.newmusiccircle.org) during NMC's first 50 years. While Hamilton is busy crafting music and atmosphere, seven local musicians will improvise spontaneous sounds in solos and duos to augment Hamilton's wizardry. The resulting sonicscape promises to be dense, ever-shifting, beautiful and ripe with the ever-present Now. The magnificent seven joining Hamilton include Zimbabwe Nkenya (bass/kalimba), Scott Bryan (percussion/guitar, Tony Renner (guitar/ESP) and Dave Stone (saxophone of the gods). Yeah, that's a show. Tickets are $7 to $15. Miss this and you'll hate yourself in the morning.

Here's the official press release:

Composer and performer Tom Hamilton’s work with electronic music originated in the late-60s era of analog synthesis. Hamilton often explores the interaction of many simultaneous layers of activity, prompting the use of “present-time listening” on the part of both performer and listener. Hamilton was a 2005 Fellow of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbria, has worked on more than 60 recordings, including 9 CDs of his own music, and is a longtime member of composer Robert Ashley’s touring opera ensemble. Hamilton returns to St. Louis to help celebrate the New Music Circle’s 50th Anniversary. Through the years, his events have been constructed like aural kaleidoscopes, constantly yielding sonic surprises in performances by some of St. Louis’ most original artists. We look forward to this unusual event in one of St. Louis’ newest and most exciting spaces. For more info visit http://www.myspace.com/dataday.

Saturday, May 2, 2009 – 7:30 p.m.
Kranzberg Arts Center
(Big Brothers, Big Sisters Building)
501 N. Grand Blvd.

Tom Brady – performance artist
Scott Bryan - percussion/guitar (or whatever)
Robert Fishbone – congas/voice
Zimbabwe Nkenya - bass/kalimba
Rich O’Donnell - percussion
Tony Renner - guitar
Dave Stone - saxophone
Bill Schulenburg - sound design
Tom Hamilton – laptop sound