Thanks to the generosity of my friend Langen Goldstein (Girl at the Rock Shows), I found myself on a Sunday afternoon at The Schubert Mixology @ Amsterdam with Bradley Greenwald and Friends, hosted by Schubert Club. It featured a wide range of musicians from different worlds in Minnesota music.
I love the idea of doing something new and I’m always eager to see Meghan Kreidler and Kiss the Tiger. It was fun to hear them bring the rock ethos to a classical piece like To Wander. I won’t pretend to know any other version of the song, but I could definitely hear the heart of Kiss the Tiger coming out. Then I heard Thomasina Petrus sing The Organ Grinder. I knew the voice immediately and to hear how she brings the bluesy note to the table helped raise the up the universality of music and stress the importance of accents or genres. I love the modern twists with both artists tributes.
Listening the amazing music of the pianos and cellos, I was reminded of Drone Not Drones last weekend. From the outside, comparing 28 hours of ambient drone music to an afternoon recital concert seems off kilter but when you break it down to the notes and stanzas, the moody hum sounds the same coming from the cello, Javanese drums or shruti box. There’s something grounding about a strong note in any setting.
This was a nice reintroduction to the Schubert Club. They bring classical and recital music to audiences in unusual places. They host free Courtroom Concerts in the Landmark Center, sponsor the International Artist Series at the Ordway, they go to schools. When my kids were little, we used to attend their events more often.
Mostly Minnesota 