September 1, 2010
To: Listings/Critics/Features
From: Jazz Promo Services
Press Contact: Jim Eigo, jazzpromo@earthlink.net
http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/
Don Van Vliet and Gary Lucas during the "Doc at the Radar Station" sessions
Soundcastle Studios Glendale Ca. June 1980
Presenting a 2 hour "Beefheart Symposium"
conducted by Gary Lucas
GARY LUCAS, featured guitar soloist and member of the final edition of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, celebrates the career of visionary American maverick genius Don Van Vliet a/k/a Captain Beefheart, who changed the face of music forever over a career spanning a dozen brilliant albums, from 1967's groundbreaking "Safe as Milk" through 1969's radical "Trout Mask Replica" and finishing with 1982's uncompromising
"Ice Cream for Crow".
A legendary composer/vocalist/songwriter/bandleader/poet/sculptor and painter, Don Van Vliet has been honored over the years by everyone from Johnny Rotten and Joe Strummer to Bob Dylan, Bono, David Lynch and Anton Corbijn--but is still relatively (and unfairly) unknown to the public at large.
During the symposium Gary Lucas will show rare archival footage of the band, spin unreleased tracks, project slides of Van Vliet's paintings and drawings, discuss the history of the group and many of the great musicians who came through the ranks of The Magic Band, and illustrate Van Vliet's quirky and idiosyncratic methodologies and techniques with a live solo guitar performance.
Friday Sept. 10th
8-10pm
The Magic Room, Boston
Gary Lucas conducts a 2 hr.
"Beefheart Symposium"
with special guest
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright
reading poems by Don Van Vliet
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145830148776267&ref=mf
Monday Sept. 13th
7 to 9pm
The Stone, NYC
Gary Lucas conducts a 2 hr.
"Beefheart Symposium"
with special guest
Film Society of Lincoln Center Director Richard Pena
reading poems by Don Van Vliet
http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php?month=1
Wed. Sept. 8th Gary Lucas and Min Xiao-Fen show at the Knitting Factory NYC
postponed--to be rescheduled
UPCOMING GARY LUCAS APPEARANCES
Tuesday Sept. 14th
9pm
The Rodeo Bar, NYC
Gary Lucas plays a solo acoustic set at a benefit for
Band of Susans bassist and stroke survivor
Ron Spitzer
http://www.rodeobar.com/
Friday Sept. 17th
7:30pm
LSO/St. Luke's, London England
Gary Lucas and Najma Akhtar perform their celebrated "Rishte" album
with Shirish Manji, tabla
as part of the Barbican Transcender Festival
on a bill with Parvathy Baul
http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=11121
Read a review of Gary and Najma's recent London Jazz Cafe show
by Steve Hochman
in Spinner.com
http://www.spinner.com/2010/07/20/najma-akhtar-gary-lucas-rishte/
Sunday Sept.19th
3pm
Hope Street Feast Festival. Liverpool England
Gary Lucas and Najma Akhtar perform their celebrated "Rishte" album
with Sirish Manji, tabla
http://hopestreet.co.uk/2009/08/hope-street-feast-coming-soon/
Tuesday Sept. 21st
1pm Paris time
7am EST
Gary Lucas and Najma Akhtar are interviewed
on Radio France Internationale RFI
by Laurence Aloir
Listen live at
http://www.english.rfi.fr/
9pm
New Morning, Paris France
Gary Lucas and Najma Akhtar perform their celebrated "Rishte" album
wih Sirish Manji, tabla
http://www.newmorning.com/
Friday Sept. 24th
time tba
Madame Guitar Festival, Tricesimo Italy
Gary Lucas and Najma Akhtar perform their celebrated "Rishte" album
with Sirish Manji, tabla
http://www.folkclubbuttrio.com/pagine%20italiano/MadameGuitarschede.html#garylucas
Sunday Sept. 26th
8pm
Paradiso (main hall), Amsterdam Holland
Gary Lucas and Najma Akhtar perform their celebrated "Rishte" album
with Sirish Manji, tabla
Read a 4 star review of "Rishte" by Mike Barnes
from MOJO Magazine:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/mojo0709.jpg
Saturday October 9th
9:30pm
Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center, NYC
Gary performs the US premiere of his
Spanish "Dracula"
live music and film project
as a special event during the closing weekend of the
48th New York Film Festival
http://garylucas.com/www/dracula
Friday October 22nd
9pm
Roulette, NYC
"I Cover the Waterfront"
Gary Lucas performs a solo acoustic concert
with special guest Jim Staley, trombone
http://garylucas.com/www/soloac
Thursday October 28th
7pm
Eldridge Street Synagogue, NYC
Gary Lucas plays "The Golem"
http://garylucas.com/www/golem
Tuesday November 2nd
8pm
The Gershwin Hotel, NYC
Gary Lucas performs his "Cinefantastique" project
solo guitar arrangements of film music
by Nino Rota, Bernard Herrmann, George Gershwin, Henry Mancini
and more
Curated by Neke Carson and Michael Weiner
http://garylucas.com/www/cine
Friday November 5th
The Eden Project, Cornwall England
Gary Lucas' new collaboration with UK visual artist Paul McGowan
a psychedelic environmental installation, opens today at The Eden Project
Read an article from Western News (UK):
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/wmn150610.pdf
http://www.edenproject.com/
http://www.edenforum.co.uk/media/PaulMcGowansnewworkPrecipice.php
New Gary Lucas Double A Side 7-inch picture sleeve coloured vinyl single
"Music for The Eden Project"
b/w
"Q & A"
coming soon on
Snakefork Records
Cover painting by Paul McGowan:
http://garylucas.com/www/disc/eden_cover.jpg
Gary Lucas performs his solo acoustic instrumental "Q & A"
in a new YouTube clip courtesy Dusty Wright:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdcsQcdNIvs
Wednesday November 17th
9pm
Divadlo Hudby, Prostejov Czech Republic
Gary Lucas performs a solo acoustic blues concert
http://garylucas.com/www/soloac
Thursday November 18th
9pm
Mestske Kino, Mikulov Czech Republic
Gary Lucas performs a solo acoustic blues concert
Friday November 19th
9pm
Sumperk Blues Alive Festival, Sumpkerk Czech Republic
Gary Lucas performs a solo acoustic blues concert
Sunday November 21st
6pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London England
Gary Lucas closes the London Jazz Festival
in association with BBC3
with the UK premiere of his Spanish "Dracula" project,
on a double bill entitled
"Frankenstein V. Dracula"
also featuring Dave Douglas' new film and music project
http://www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk/events
Thursday December 16th
9pm
Knitting Factory, Williamsburg New York
The return of Gary Lucas' psychedelic supergroup
Gods and Monsters
featuring Ernie Brooks, Billy Ficca, Jason Candler and Joe Hendel
http://garylucas.com/www/gods
more dates tba
Check out a podcast
from Shanghai-Today.com
about Gary Lucas' recent mainland China performing debut
featuring vocalist Sally Kwok
performing selections from his acclaimed album of 30's Chinese pop
"The Edge of Heaven"
http://www.shanghai-today.com/video/?uniquecode=1420108160
photos from the show:
http://www.shanghai-today.com/affairs/gallery.asp?uniquecode=831
Gary Lucas and Sally Kwok perform Bai Kwong's
"If I'm Without You"
in a new YouTube clip
filmed live at Chinatown Shanghai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNoxdxLmq6A
"The Edge of Heaven--Gary Lucas Plays Mid-Century Chinese Pop"
is re-issued on
Knitting Factory Records
distributed by Sony/Red
http://www.garylucas.com/epk
Gary Lucas pays a visit to songwriter/luthier Phillip Jarrell's Shanghai Guitar Studios
in this new YouTube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW4KnIJaAwg
Listen to a recent radio show devoted to Gary's 30's Chinese pop project
"The Edge of Heaven",
from the "Sounds of China"program
hosted by Jing Li
broadcast May 22nd on WKCR FM (Columbia University)
featuring music from the album, interviews and a live performance
http://garylucas.com/www/media/audio/Sounds_of_China.mp3
Maysles Films ("Gimme Shelter", "Grey Gardens") 2001 Academy Award-nominated HBO documentary
"Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton"
featuring an original score by Gary Lucas
is finally available on DVD
through Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Lalees-Kin-Legacy-Susan-Froemke/dp/B003VS09E0/
and HBO.com
http://insidehboshop.hbo.com/tag/lalee-kin/
See excerpts from "Lalee's Kin" here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4xVyYjD34o
Gary Lucas' recent sold-out concert at the University of Sevilla
performing
"Sounds of the Surreal" and "Monsters from the Id"
a Featured Pick in YMalaga.com:
http://www.ymalaga.com/cultura/musica/la-originalidad-del-guitarrista-gary-lucas-el-viernes-en-sevilla.45498.html
and HoyQ:
http://www.hoyq.es/sevilla/Gary-Lucas-21-Grados-Espectaculo
Gary Lucas pays tribute to the late great Tuli Kupferberg
in Richard Gehr's recent Village Voice obituary
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2010/07/tuli_kupferberg.php
Review of Gary Lucas' June 5th solo acoustic concert at McCabe's in Santa Monica
by Roy Trakin in HITS Magazine 6/11/10
Gary Lucas at McCabe’s Guitar Shop, Santa Monica: The best damn blues-rock-avant-garde guitarist you probably never heard of, Gary Lucas was a CBS Records copywriter when I first met him in the late ‘70s (he coined the Clash ad line, “The only band that matters”) before heeding the call of musicianship. The co-lead guitarist in his idol Captain Beefheart’s band from 1980-’82 for his Virgin albums,Doc at the Radar Station and Ice Cream for Crow, the Yale grad submitted music to the late Jeff Buckley, who put the words to the songs which eventually became “Grace” and “Mojo Pin,” before joining Lucas’ Gods and Monsters as lead singer. Since then, Lucas has become an in-demand performer who frequently travels around the world—he recently returned from the Transylvania Film Festival, where he played along to a Spanish version of the original silent movie Dracula—and has collaborated with everyone from Leonard Bernstein to Lou Reed, Chris Cornell, Alan Vega, Iggy Pop, Dr. John, Patti Smith, Bob Neuwirth, Adrian Sherwood, Richard Barone, Peter Stampfel, DJ Spooky, Allen Ginsberg,John Zorn, Bryan Ferry and John Sebastian. He also co-wrote several songs with Joan Osborne, including the Grammy-nominated “Spider Web” from her best-selling Relish album. An infrequent visitor to L.A., nothing could be better than seeing a master craftsmen like Lucas surrounded by guitars of all shapes and sizes hanging on the walls, silently vibrating with the sounds coming from the stage. With his ever-present floppy hat, Lucas’ pick-less lightning-quick, percussive fingering style harks back to the old Delta bluesman as it anticipates the mult-layered post-modern sensibility, as he simultaneously creates overlapping leads and rhythm. The set offers an overview of his career, starting with “Hurly Burly,” his own attempt at a traditional blues stomper, then into “Let’s Go Swimming,” a tribute to the late, idiosyncratic downtown avant-disco composer Arthur Russell. A medley of “Mojo Pin” and “Grace” is followed by a lovely rendition ofAlberto Iglesias’ score to the Spanish film Sex and Lucia, a lilting affair that shows the breadth of his cinematic stylings. Lucas melds several Chinese pop songs from the fertile Shanghai film studios of the ‘30s, which he first recorded for the compilation The Edge of Heaven, recently re-released by Knitting Factory Records, remarkable for marking the overlap of east and west culture. He also previews instrumental versions of Rolling Stones songs “The Last Time” and “She’s a Rainbow,” from an upcoming album he’s working on with Andrew Loog Oldham.Grammy MusiCares’ Scott Goldman joins Gary for a pair of duets on his own compositions, “10 Foot Rule” and “Bipolar Express,” whimsical cross-sections of their two styles that form a synchronous call-and-response like matching pieces of an intricately configured puzzle. The highlight, though, is Lucas’ version of his old pal Don’s “Sure Nuf and Yes I Do,” the first track on Beefheart’s Safe as Milk, expressing his love, admiration and interpretation of Van Vliet’s genius. Watch this YouTube video to see him playing the song on another occasion with Robyn Hitchcock here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEWjKfxKRC4 . If you want to check the intimitable Beefheart performing the song in Cannes back in 1968, go herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCSPf5Viwd0 . By the time Gary’s finished and greeting his quorum of dedicated admirers back in the storefront—including highbrow types like L.A. Times TV critic Robert Lloyd, music journo Richard Cromelin and This Is Your Brain on Music author Daniel J. Levitin—it is clear we have all witnessed one of the world’s most innovative, unique axemen in peak form. You owe it to yourself to do the same.
Reviews, photos, and clips from the European premiere of
Gary Lucas' Spanish "Dracula" project
at the 9th Transylvania International Film Festival
5/30/10
Review from Adevarul.ro
http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/cluj-napoca/Filmul_-Dracula-proiectat_in_bezna_in_Castelul_Banffy_0_271772969.html
English translation:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ro&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adevarul.ro%2Flocale%2Fcluj-napoca%2FFilmul_-Dracula-proiectat_in_bezna_in_Castelul_Banffy_0_271772969.html&ei=e-MDTICnNIPMNf6MuDs&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ7gEwAA
<http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ro&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adevarul.ro%2Flocale%2Fcluj-napoca%2FFilmul_-Dracula-proiectat_in_bezna_in_Castelul_Banffy_0_271772969.html&ei=e-MDTICnNIPMNf6MuDs&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&>
photos:
http://fotonicu.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/tiff-2010-proiectie-dracula-1931-cu-acompaniament-live-gary-lucas-palatul-banffy-bontida/
Transylvania International Film Festival
daily wrap-up clip:
click on Ziua 3 la TIFF 2010
http://www.tiff.ro/galerie/video/135
live clip from the audience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=herafba4bqQ
excerpt from the press conference clip:
http://www.stiridecluj.ro/divertisment/gary-lucas-la-tiff-cluj-cand-eram-copil-voiam-sa-ma-fac-vampir-sau-rabin-video
Review from Cinefan.ro:
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.cinefan.ro%2F2010%2Fgary-lucas-si-dracula-la-tiff%2F&sl=ro&tl=en <http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.cinefan.ro%2F2010%2Fgary-lucas-si-dracula-la-tiff%2F&sl=ro&tl=en>
Review from Monitorul de Cluj:
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monitorulcj.ro%2Fcms%2Fsite%2Fm_cj%2Fnews%2Fdracula_la_castelul_banffy_86701.html&sl=ro&tl=en <http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monitorulcj.ro%2Fcms%2Fsite%2Fm_cj%2Fnews%2Fdracula_la_castelul_banffy_86701.html&sl=ro&tl=en>
<http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monitorulcj.ro%2Fcms%2Fsite%2Fm_cj%2Fnews%2Fdracula_la_castelul_banffy_86701.html&sl=ro&tl=en>
Review from Kronika.ro:
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kronika.ro%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Dopen%26res%3D38947&sl=hu&tl=en <http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kronika.ro%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Dopen%26res%3D38947&sl=hu&tl=en>
New Updated Spanish "Dracula" page:
http://garylucas.com/www/dracula
Gary Lucas will perform the US premiere of his Spanish "Dracula" project
as a special event during the closing weekend of the
48th New York Film Festival on Saturday October 9th at the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center at 9:30pm
and the UK premiere of his Spanish "Dracula" project
at the London Jazz Festival on Sunday November 21st at Queen Elizabeth Hall London at 6pm
Wild Rumpus (DJ Cosmo and Gary Lucas)--
124,000 hits and rising
for their
"Rock the Joint" YouTube clip
featuring Beardyman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfVUyQAp4lc
French chanteuse Melissa Mars performs "Grace" with Gary Lucas
onstage at Le Point Ephemere Paris 3/22/10 in a new YouTube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkmYQfNrt8M
Gary Lucas and Brazilian singer Fernanda Cabral
perform their new song "Wind Village"
live in NYC in a new YouTube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue07e9CJdMo
http://fernandacabral.com/
Read an interview with Gary in the Boston Phoenix on the occasion of his recent Boston solo acoustic show at The Magic Room:
http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/onthedownload/archive/2010/04/02/from-the-magic-band-to-the-magic-room-a-chat-with-gary-lucas.aspx
Review of Gary Lucas' recent appearance in Dresden
at the 6th Jazz Welten Festival
from Dresdner Neuste Nachrichten:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/DNN_review.pdf
Gary Lucas is praised for his appearance at the recent Cross-Linx Festival in Holland
in a review in the Dutch national newspaper De Volkskraant
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/volkskraant1003.jpg
Read a review of Gary's recent solo performance at the Madame Guitar Festival in Italy
in the March 2010 issue of Chitarre Magazine
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/Chit_289_090_092.pdf
English translation:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/TRADUZIONE.pdf
Check out a clip of Gary Lucas performing solo acoustic at the recent Benefit for Tuli Kupferberg at St. Ann's Warehouse Brooklyn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdg9YADfSNs
Check out two recent interviews with Gary Lucas on Outsight Radio Hours
http://www.archive.org/details/GaryLucasInterviewsOnOutsightRadioHours
Gary Lucas' work with UK psychedelic renegades Amorphous Androgynous
is praised in MOJO (Feb. 2010)
and their collaboration "Opus of the Back Sun" is featured on the covermount CD
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/mojo1001_1.jpg
Review of Gary Lucas' Dec. 11th world premiere of his new live solo score for Spanish "Dracula" (1931, d. George Melford)
at the 31st Havana Film Festival
from Granma, Cuba's main newspaper:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/gramma0912.jpg
English translation:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/Granma_Dec09.pdf
Interview with Gary Lucas from Diario Del Festival:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/diario0912.jpg
Festival program page devoted to the Spanish "Dracula" project:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/prog0912.jpg
Gary Lucas will perform the US premiere of his new score for the Spanish-language "Dracula"
at the 2010 New York Film Festival this fall,
by invitation of the Film Society of Lincoln Center
New on Knitting Factory Records,
distributed by Sony/Red worldwide:
"Chase the Devil"
Gary Lucas and Dean Bowman's spiritual roots project
"Hinay Ma Tov" by Chase the Devil (Gary Lucas and Dean Bowman) is Song of the Day on National Public Radio:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125768297
Read a new review from fRoots (UK)
http://www.garylucas.com/www/rvw/rvw_10.html#CHASE1
Read a new review from Vintage Guitar magazine:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/GaryLucas_VintageGuitar_6.10.png
Read a new review from Paste Magazine:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/04/gary-lucas-and-dean-bowman-chase-the-devil.html
Read a new review from Gapplegate Guitar and Bass blog:
http://gapplegateguitar.blogspot.com/2010/05/gary-lucas-dean-bowman-do-blues-gospel.html
Read a new review from Gapplegate Guitar and Bass blog:
http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/1994/
and a review from Yahoo.com's Dave DiMartino:
http://new.us.music.yahoo.com/blogs/newthisweek/8045/stars-and-stripes-indefinitely/
Check out a feature on Gary Lucas and Chase the Devil's new album
at Fender.com
http://www.fender.com/blog/?p=2432
also
just released on Knitting Factory Records:
"The Edge of Heaven--Gary Lucas Plays Mid-Century Chinese Pop"
a re-issue with bonus tracks of Gary Lucas' best-selling 2001 album
devoted to the music of 30's Shanghai divas
Chow Hsuan and Bai Kwong
http://www.garylucas.com/epk
New review of "The Edge of Heaven"
from Gapplegate Guitar and Bass blog:
http://gapplegateguitar.blogspot.com/2010/03/guitarist-gary-lucas-his-2001-chinese.html
New review of Fast 'N Bulbous' "WAXED OOP"
from Gapplegate Guitar and Bass Blog:
http://gapplegateguitar.blogspot.com/2010/05/lucas-johnston-fast-n-bulbous-do.html
New review for Fast 'N' Bulbous in Blurt Magazine:
http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/1802/
Check out a review of Gary Lucas' recent performance of "Sounds of the Surreal"
at the Malaga Fantasy Film Festival
from La Opinion de Malaga:
http://garylucas.com/www/rvw/La_Opinion200911.jpg
New web page for Gary Lucas' new silent film/live music project:
Gary Lucas Plays "The Unholy Three"
http://garylucas.com/www/unholy <http://garylucas.com/www/unholy/
Read a review of Gary Lucas' recent London Jazz Cafe solo show
featuring special guest Najma Akhtar
from UK music site Fairhearing:
http://www.fairhearing.co.uk/?p=657
Check out "She's a Rainbow" and more clips from Gary Lucas' recent performance at the Jazz Cafe London
http://www.youtube.com/user/doomsdayjesus39#p/a/u/2/znJqO64spdU
<http://www.youtube.com/user/doomsdayjesus39#p/a/u/2/znJqO64spdU>
http://www.garylucas.com <http://www.garylucas.com/>
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