Apologies, y’all: it’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve rapped at ya here on kovenjsmith.com. So much happening. A couple of things coming up:
- For those of you in the New York metro area with time on your hands this evening, I will be playing with the M. David Hornbuckle Dixieland Space Orchestra at the Alphabet Lounge (104 Ave. C, Manhattan). If you can’t make it to the show, at least click over to their Web page and enjoy the laid back sounds kicking out of your speakers.
- I will be premiering a new piece with Cornfield Dance on Sunday, September 16th at 2pm at the Construction Company, which is located at 10 E. 18th St in Manhattan. The as-yet-untitled piece will feature members of The Monster Zero Orchestra, so you know it’ll be bad-ass. More details will be forthcoming in the next week.
Rock and roll, everybody. Rock and roll.
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Listening to: Harry Betts – Ambush – Escape & Roundup
Koven Bands, Performances, Uncategorized
So I am playing in not one, but TWO ukulele-themed events this weekend! Get ready for unreasonable amounts of excellence.
Event The First: I will be playing with the dudes from Sonic Uke at their “Ukelele Rejects” show this Friday, April 27th, at Julius (159 W. 10th Street @ Waverly, West Village). I’ve always wanted to play with these guys, and now it’s happening. Come on out, and wear your tightest pants. More information here.
Event The Second:  I will be closing the New York Uke Fest with the M. David Hornbuckle Dixieland Space Orchestra on Sunday, April 29th. You know it’s going to change your life. You just KNOW it! The Fest is at the Theatre For the New City at 155 First Avenue (and East 10th Street) in Manhattan. Further information and tickets can be found here.
If you love me, then I look forward to seeing you at both of these events. If you don’t love me, well, then, God help you.
Koven Uncategorized
So I was in something of a nostalgic mood today, based on the fact that my old bass-playing friend Matt Chandler has informed me that he will be shortly moving to New York. We once played in an amazing band called Saraswati. I was planning on posting some mp3s of that, but I seem to be having some uploadin’ difficulties. So no Saraswati mp3s tonight. In fact, I don’t even really feel like doing a post anymore. So here, instead, is an amazing video by Brad Neely, the genius (and I do not use that word lightly) behind “Wizard People, Dear Reader.” This is a short animated film about George Washington (the first president of the United States). The film is called, appropriately enough, “#038;search=washington%20neely%20cox">Washington.” He’s twelve stories tall, and made of radiation. He’ll kick you apart. Oooh!
Koven Uncategorized
OK, so clearly I’m about as efficient and up-to-date with writing this blog as I am with everything else, which is to say, not very. But look, here’s a new post! By me! Koven J. Smith! Oh, yeah. The performances at the Cunningham Studio went quite well, and I only stepped on one person’s eyeglasses during the rehearsals. So overall, I would say it was a success. The new piece for Ellen took several mysterious turns in it’s relatively short gestation period, and this is how it ended up. Harry Partch instruments+hot beats+scratchy recordings=me smiling. That is the equation.
The piece ended up being called “Get This To My Mother.” My dad laughed when I told him the title, because I think he assumed that it was another typical Koven J. Smith non-sequiter. Howeva, the title actually comes from the recording that you hear throughout the piece, which is a WWII radio broadcast of transmissions from the American troops stationed at Corregidor right before the island fell to the Japanese. I’m not entirely sure how this broadcast came to be, but it sounds as if it is a broadcaster reading decoded Morse messages as they come over the wire. The sound of that, of passionate messages being read in an entirely dispassionate way, really struck me. That in the midst of unimaginable chaos, this man just wants his mother to know that he was thinking of her. It’s not really that important that you know all of this context to enjoy the piece, but knowing this certainly makes it all a little richer for me. At any rate, I hope you like the piece, and happy 5th of July!
Koven Uncategorized, Works In Progress
Hey, everybody, thanks fer stopping by! Still getting the site together and stuff–lemme know what you think. I’ve posted a few mp3s in the “Works” section, and I’ll be putting a few more up there throughout the week.
Koven Uncategorized
