Category Archives: music

Classic Hornbuckle: Quentin’s Bridge (1991)

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Here’s something from deep within the M. David Hornbuckle archives:

Started in 1991, Quentin’s Bridge was my first serious band after high school. Far too serious for our own good, actually. I’d later go too far in the other direction, and I think I still have trouble balancing the intellectual and the goofy. The band was named after an incident in The Sound and the Fury, where one of the main characters drowns himself in the Charles River during his first year at Harvard. We’d first called ourselves The Dismembers, but we soon realized we weren’t metal enough for a name like that.

We recorded a couple of demos tapes but never made an album. We were pretty sure we were about to become rock stars.

Some samples:

Salome’s Last Dance

Shooting for Irony

State of the Universe

Telephone

Whoa

Midsummer

Can’t Escape

Waiting in the Walls

Peace

January Gigs

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Ghost Herd is playing twice in January, both times in the same week.

On Tuesday, January 17, we are playing the Radio Free Birmingham series at Bottletree. For this, we’ll be doing a shorter set with three other bands (tba). There is no cover charge.

On Friday, January 20, we are playing at Das Has with our sister band Results of Adults. The cover is $5. RoA will go on at 9. We will go on at about 10 or 10:30 and play a long set. Here is the Facebook event.

Photo by Michael Patton

Stranded

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I’m playing a benefit show tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon at Bottletree. The proceeds go to Desert Island Supply Co., an organization that provides creative writing workshops and writing tutors for kids in Birmingham. I have been a volunteer with DISCO since I moved back to town last year.

The idea of the show is that all the bands are to pick 4 songs to play that they couldn’t live without if they were stranded on a desert island.

Here is a really nice write-up from Birmingham Box Set. I still haven’t decided on all four of my songs.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. It starts at 2pm and goes on until midnight. I play at 4:30 pm.

Come spend the afternoon and evening stranded at Bottletree tomorrow. What songs would you want to hear?

Reflections on the PopCanon/Squeaky Reunion Show

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I feel like I haven’t stopped moving since I got back to Birmingham. The mantra leading up to the show seems to have been “is this really happening?” The mantra after has clearly been “did this really happen?” Even as I write this, I find myself multitasking. I have to take a breath here so I can wrap my head around the whole thing.

I guess it happened. I’ve seen video evidence. But even watching it, it’s feels so distant and I barely even recognize myself.

So, for the uninitiated, let me back up a little bit. PopCanon was a band I was in just after college in the mid to late 1990s, when I was living in Gainesville, FL. The band recorded four CDs, toured the East Coast, and played hundreds of shows. It was the most ambitious and the most successful of any project I’ve been a part of (so far). We played our last show in April 2001. We played a reunion show a year after that. We haven’t played together since, until last weekend, the result of a Facebook comment thread that basically got out of hand.

Squeaky was/is the band we were most closely associated with. The two bands played dozens, perhaps more than a hundred, shows together. Squeaky was a straight up rocking and aggressive as PopCanon was goofy and bouncy, but we shared a love of dissonant guitar chords and nerdy references. The two bands were always so closely intertwined, you couldn’t separate us. Seeing Squeaky reformed (even with a new extra band member) would have been reason enough for me to drive to Florida for a weekend. They are my favorite band, still.

So… the weekend. Thursday night, basically all day Friday, and Saturday morning, we rehearsed. Everything more or less meshed right away, not just the music, but being around each other again. The energy of those six personalities bouncing off each other refused to dissipate. Right away, we started doing what we always do–making things more complicated, coming up with more ambitious arrangements and plans, and adding songs to the set list (which we continued to do right up to the moment we took the stage Saturday night).

Every PopCanon song is like a six-way tennis match where we are all trying to outwit each other and challenging the other ones to keep up, and somehow that works. It’s a game we play with each other, and it doesn’t matter if anybody is watching or listening. On Saturday, a hundred or so people came out to see this happen. It was a modest crowd by some measures, but honestly, it was probably about the same as we would have drawn ten years ago at one of our better shows. We would have done the same show whether anybody was there or not.

Being there again… It was truly like we’d never left it. To see Squeaky again, to play with PopCanon again, to talk to our friends and fans after ten years away. Pure joy. The purest.

We’ve all said it. If it was feasible, we would do it again next week. If we didn’t live in six cities, spread across 2,000 miles, if we didn’t have families and non-music careers to which we must attend, we’d buy another bordello red van and drive it around the country again. The musicians I worked with in PopCanon are the best I’ve ever worked with. It is my privilege just to be associated with them.

September Gigs

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September is full of gigs. Here’s the lowdown:

Shows I Saw Last Week

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Skeptic?/Kids on Coffee/Original Shake Charmers
Sipsey Tavern – July 23, 2011

The sound at Sipsey Tavern is punishingly loud. A dozen dudes, most of whom are over 30, are moshing like juveniles. I was one of them. Before long, all these dudes have ripped off their shirts—shirts that advertised bands like Fear, Dead Kennedys, and Black Flag, the best of ’80s hardcore. Skeptic bottles up this esthetic and delivers it with authority and authenticity. Singer Barron Skeptic keeps popping up, like a groundhog, at various points above the fray. His vocalization is not so much singing as it is a pronouncement or perhaps a scolding.

Before Skeptic was Kids on Coffee, a Descendents tribute band from Montgomery. Their repertoire comprised mainly songs the Descendents recorded between 1981 and 1987, a period during which the band recorded their most memorable material, most fans would agree. KoC’s renditions are very true to the originals and brought back a lot of memories for me. The first time I heard them, driving to New Orleans one hot summer night, I asked the girl driving who this band was, just as Milo sang, “We’re the proud, the few, the Descendents.” The punk rock girl driving the car rolled her eyes and said, “The Descendents. Duh.”

The openers, Original Shake Charmers, set the goodtime mood with traditional surf/garage rock. The band members wore matching shirts, as fits the genre. Front man Lars Espensen toggled between singing and playing surfy, 60s style tenor sax.

Parkside Cafe This Thursday

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Thursday night, I’m playing  a set at Parkside Cafe (4036 5th Ave South) at 9 pm. I’m opening for an alt bluegrass band from Athens, GA called Packway Handle. I haven’t heard them yet, but numerous people have told me they are very good.

In additional music news, I’m having the first rehearsal with my new band this afternoon. I have Brent Stauffer on bass, Adam Guthrie on lead guitar, and Scotty Hamilton on drums, all very talented musicians that I’ve known for many years. We still don’t have a name.

Weird Music

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When I was in college at UAB was the first time I was really exposed to improvisational music, free jazz, and other “weird” music of that ilk. It was the first time I heard Sun Ra, a Birmingham native who has since relocated to outer space, and his presence still lingers over the city. Because of him, I sometimes think of Birmingham itself as a space ship that will eventually leave earth to return to whatever faroff planet it initially came from. George Mostoller, a bandmate of mine at the time, was responsible for my Sun Ra education.

Through George, I also met Davey Williams and LaDonna Smith, who to this day have no idea how much they influenced me as a young musician. Later I became familiar with New York improvisers like John Zorn, but there is something about Southern weirdo musicians that will always hold a special place in my heart. Where New York music of this genre hits you in the face again and again, there is something about the Southern variety that grows on you like, well like kudzu, I guess.

Friday night, I got to see Davey and LaDonna, and a host of other incredible musicians, as part of the Improvisor Festival. I arrived just in time to see Andrea Centazzo do an AMAZING solo percussion piece. And then he was joined by Davey and Ladonna themselves, followed by an all-star “meltdown” performance by about a dozen of the best musicians this town has ever seen.

The festival goes throughout this week. I’ll definitely be attending more shows.

VISIT LIVE FEED BROADCASTS “THE PHONE IMPROV SHOW” AUGUST 1-31
LISTEN TO the improvisor festival, and more…
RADIO RADIO RADIO To hear the show August 1, at the Stone: A.M.I.C.A. Bunker Reunion,
and other improv phone shows, go to…
http://www.jeweltone16.org/PhoneImprov

UPCOMING EVENTS HIGHLIGHTED

Fri      July 30     7:00 BARE HANDS “Mastering the Art of Improv”
 Festival preview and  art opening featuring Howayada Klann:  Larry Hoagland, Brad Davis,
Walker Yancey, and Jess Marie Walker,a collaborative group exploring interactive noise installation
and performance work using assemblage and electronics along with occasional language
manipulation and playful game exercises.

Sat       July 31    7:30   BARE HANDS “Corpus Euphonium” (Birmingham) freejazz noise with dance!
Stella Nystrom, Rhea Speights, Rebecca Harris w/Stephen McClurg, Dave Ault (sax), Eric Jenkins (Sax),
Adam LeBerte(dr).

Sun AUG 1 8:00 THE STONE (NYC) the improvisor festival opens  in New York City! THE STONE is located at  the corner of  avenue C and 2nd street, New York City http://www.thestonenyc.com/ The  A.M.I.C.A. Bunker Reunion Concert featuring
LaDonna Smith, Jack Wright, Chris Cochrane,  Reubin Radding,  Andrea Parkins,  Blaize Siwula,
Sean Meehan, Judy Dunaway, Matt Ostrowski, David First, Andrew DeWar and others…     more
hear this broadcast on the phone internet radio show!

Sun AUG 1 8:00 The North Midtown Arts Center, Jackson, Mississippi Satellite Concert
121 Millsaps Avenue Bruce Golden, Evan Gallagher, Jeb Stuart and others will perform In the spirit of this 30 year anniversary, old friends and 80′s-era Ars Supernova ensemble-mates   reconvene in improvisation to ruminate on their past and the surprising future they now find themselves in.
read more

THURS     5 4:30 p.m.“the improvisor parade” Birmingham AL  to be broadcast
the phone internet radio show!
a  “progressive parade….” from Forest Park to Five Points South, then Crestwood!
Come in costume, or bring an axe (instrument of your choice), toys, battery operated tools
& household items, dogs, signs & streamers.  Join us at any point.
4:30 Forest Park Shopping District (Meet at V. Richards Parking Lot on Clairmont) 5:30 Five Points South, around the fountain & shopping district
7:00 Crestwood Coffee:  parade concludes: Alice Faye Love Art Opening

THURS     5         7:00 p.m. Satellite Concert GREY GABLES in Montevallo, Alabama.   Performers
include: Pony Bones (Atlanta, GA) free-form death blues; Yakuza Dance Mob (Bham)
party noise;   Jefferson Mayday (Columbia, SC) free jazz drumming; Gashy
(Atl) unconscious balladeer;  Cedro Danado (Montevallo) southern gothicetry, minimalism;
Karst (Montevallo) quiet one-woman fiddle and found object percussions;
HoWaYaDa Klann + surprise special guests (Bham & Montevallo) transdio noiseaumitions

FRI  AUG  6 WORKPLAY (Birmingham) “Magic City Meltdown!“
the improvisor festival
doors open  6:30
7:00 “August Us  Melt” musicians, dancers, puppets and wheelchair dance
featuring Jill Burton, Claire Elizabeth Barratt, Celeste LaBorde, Clifford McPeek, Juliet
Eastlick, Stella Nystrom, Some Grets..Rhea Speights, Mary Foshee, Stephen McClurg,
Gino Robair, Alice Faye Love, Sycamore,  Hunter Bell, Si Reasoning, Deborah Mauldin,
American Tribal Style Bellydancers(ATS) – Robin, Liz, Heather and DeAnna,
Out of the Darj-(Mark Freeman),Ryan Carlson, Rich Miller, Robert Stewart, and Kevin Barrett

7:30 Killick  & DeWar

8:00    Henry Kaiser & Davey Williams

8:30 Gino Robair  and you …
 9:00 Ut Gret Rio styled alt-classical improvisation, elder bros.

10:00 Andrea Centazzo + LaDonna Smith + Davey Williams
USA CONCERTS Reunion

11:00  “Magic City Melt-down“
 Chris Cochrane, Davey Williams,  Oteil Burbridge,
Matt Kimbrell, Gino Robair,
Rick Nance, Cliff McPeek, Andrew DeWar

SAT        7          9:00 a.m. Pepper Place “Farmers Market” “Morning Improv Parade”

10:00-12:00 “Stomp Kitchen” Children’s Improv Workshop Pepper Place at
Cantley & Company Kitchen Design Shop just behind the Farmer’s Market Square.
“Exploring the sonic potential of the kitchen” for kids, designed by Reynolds Shook
with Mary Foshee, Charlotte & Spencer Leffel, Jasper Justice, and Si Reasoning. FREE

7:00-10:00 p.m. ~Night of Mini-Performances~ Pepper Place “The Listening Room”
featuring Craig Hultgren, Phantom Limb-Cardew , Tea Time With Flaura
Katherine Young,

SAT        7 8:00 p.m. Barking Leggs (Chattanooga), the  improvisor  festival tour
features Gino Robair & Ann Law, Killick, Jill Burton, Stella Nystrom & Claire Barratt
Andrea Centazzo,  LaDonna Smith,  Chris Cochrane, Terry Fugate

SUN      8 4:00 p.m. Pepper Place, “The Listening Room” Raj Kumar Singh,
from Ujjian, India:  “Devotional Music, from India ”

8:00 p.m. EYEDRUM (Atlanta) the improvisor  festival tour Atlanta
 features Andrea Centazzo,  Killick,  Jill Burton, Claire Barratt,
Gino Robair , Chris Cochrane, Skryxl Pony Payroll Bones, Karst, Cedro Danada
Duet for Theremin & Lap Steel, Pocketfull of Claptonite, Them Natives

MON     9 8:00 p.m. CINE’ (Athens) the  improvisor  festival tour Athens
Pocketful of Claptonite, Pony Payroll Bones, Karst, Cedro Danada, Them Natives,
Heather McIntosh, Skryxl, Chris Cochrane,  Gino Robair, Andrea Centazzo,
Jill Burton, Claire Barratt

TUES   10 7:00 p.m. CINE’ (Athens) “I-NORTON” Gino Robair conducts his Creative
Opera, a collective workshop-musicians, dancers, singers: experienced and non-
experienced collaborative improvisational orchestra.

WED      11 7:00 p.m. “The Listening Room” (Birmingham)  Pepper Place CONCERT
Doug Carroll “Animal Sounds” (S.F.)
“Street Lingo”     Craig Hultgren, Rick Nance, Lindsay Motlow
Rich O’Donnell & Anna Lum (St. Louis)
Andrew DeWar & Gino Robair duo

THURS  12 7:00 Pepper Place “The Listening Room” CONCERT
“LaDonna Smith, Andrea Centazzo, Claire Barratt” & friends
“Bluff Duo” (Nashville, Tn)  Brady Sharp (g) + David Maddox (sx)
Rich Curtis  & Andrew DeWar
“CREATIVE Opera  I-NORTON” Gino Robair, (improv opera for the experienced & non-
experienced alike, please participate!)

FRI          13 7:00 p.m.  BOTTLETREE MUSIC CAFÉ             
“DIXIE FRIED”   ~ “ OLD SCHOOL SOUTHERN WEIRDNESS”
 7:00 “Pico Dorado” (FILM & MUSIC GAME w/animations)
Ben Matthews(g), Matt Atatat (b), Wayne Anderson (d), Charles Pagano
(vib),Jason George( b), Louis Perry (e),  Scott Bazar video conduction (45 min)
8:00  “Doug Carroll (SF), Jill Burton (FL)-, LaDonna Smith-, Andrea Centazzo (20 min)
Claire Barratt, Jim Willett
9:00    Wally Shoup (Seattle), Davey Williams(BHAM), Terry Fugate (TN),
Bruce Golden (Jackson, MS) of Curlew.
 10:00  Col. Bruce Hampton (GA) & the Shaking Ray Levis (TN)   

SAT     14 10:00 a.m. Pepper Place, “Farmer’s Market” Guerilla Dancers….
“John Scalici Get Rhythm! Percussion Workshop”
 Bruce Hampton-Davey Williams-Terry Fugate- Bruce Golden
Wally Shoup,  Clifford McPeek

1:00 -3:00 p.m. CDF “Dance This Mess Around”
[Improvisation for Dancers] by David Appel.
Dance improvisation can be closely ordered, totally unruly,and everything in-between.
And there are as many ways of approaching it as there are people playing and thinking about the
dancing body in this context. Our tack will be to engage some structures through which we can
develop a greater sensitivity within ourselves and to each other, garner skills to organize and shape
our dancing from moment to moment and over time, and foster a more acute awareness of the
space we’re moving in and enlivening. Plus we’ll give a shout-out to the music of the body in
motion, and to bodies engaging the sound that surrounds us.

“Spaceship Saturn: A Tribute to Sun Ra.”
Outdoor Stage behind the Winery at Pepper Place
2801 2nd Ave. South
7:00 Them Natives accoustic improv from the Hinterlands (inside)
 8:00   Portal Dementia  Hunter Bell (mainstage)
8:30   Brad Davis with LaDonna Smith (inside)  
9:00   Juka Tribe, John Scalici- d, Karen Bentley-Pollick v, Randy Crow-Hammer  
dulcimer, Shariff Simmons-spoken word, Cody Mclain-percussion
with EryniasTribe –Raven Thrasher, Brooke Schwarz, Denise Wiggington
fusion belly dance and fire!
9:30   RTD3   Doug Carroll, Ron Heglin, Tom Nunn (inside)
10:00  ”Spaceship Saturn” SUN RA TRIBUTE   ~ RA STAGE (mainstage)
Hunter Bell-synth-conduction,
Sharriff Simmons-spoken word, Jill Burton-v, Wally Shoup -s, Andrea Centazzo, Jim
Willet-pw,  Juliet  Eastlick-fl,  Cliff McPeek-tp, Rick Nance tp, Tom Nunn-tb, Ron
Heglin-tb, Ben Matthews, Matt Atatat(b), Wayne Anderson(d), Charles Pagano
(vib), Jason George- b, Louis Perry-e, Randy Crow-hd, Andrew  DeWar-s, Cody Mclain-
p,  Zac-dr John Scalici-dr , Karen Bentley Pollick-v, LaDonna Smith-v, Doug Carroll-c,
Claire  Barratt-c/mvt, David Appel,  Celeste LaBourd, Stella Nystrom-dance.
Portal Dementia-synths & drums,  Erynias Tribe, musicians & dancers welcome!

SAT     14         8:00 p.m. SATELLITE CONCERT: Joe McPhee    Wayward Music Series (Seattle, WA)
at “the Chapel” of The Good Shepherd  Center, by Non Sequitur.

Sun     15         11:00 a.m.  Pepper Place, “The Listening Room”  Raj Kumar Singh, from Ujjian, India:  
“Contemplative music  & practice in the South Indian tradition”

Sun    15            4:00 p.m
 “VISIONS” the multi-media-films
CHILDRENS DANCE FOUNDATION 1715 27th Court South, Homewood Andrea Centazzo solo multimedia anthology concert.
See amazing demo previews on UTUBE
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JYrcdJAC-Y
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=andrea+centazzo&aq=f
with Andrea Centazzo:   film, solo percussion & electronics.  $10         

Sun    15              7:00 p.m.   CHILDRENS DANCE FOUNDATION -   “Orb. Fade. Trip. Dog.”
David Appel (NYC), Mary Foshee (Birmingham), Ann Law (Chattanooga),
Sycamore (Huntsville). One Hour Performance. Four acclaimed veteran dance improvisers
hit the stage with a probing look at the intricacies of the body in motion, and all manner of
carrying on! As this quartet of dancer/choreographers re-convenes for the first time since
their dynamic October 2009 premiere performance in Chattanooga, Birmingham’s audience
will have a rare chance to see them again push the limits of themselves and their art.
Expect an evening both humorous and thought-provoking, where individual virtuosities
meet  razor-sharp sensibilities and sly twists on a moment’s notice.
No bad airport food or clogged highway travel required!

Tues      17          “Odd of Medusa”
7:00 Pepper Place, “The Listening Room, 2801 2nd Ave. South
Voices of the Alarming Female, Neko Linda, Laura Secord,  Anne Bailey,
Pamela Plumber, Mimi Latoine, Delores (Dee) Smith, DeJuana McCary & Redemptive
Soul, a women’s jazz band.

Wed      18        7:00 Pepper Place “The Listening Room”
Jill Burton & “The Sisters” vocal workshop (community)
8:00   Indian devotional vocalist/harmonium Raj Kumbar Singh

Thurs     19
CAFE CONCERT: “Extended Play“ The Red Cat
2901 2nd Ave. South at Pepper Place
7:00    KARST – Kathleen Hairston (Montevallo)  vln, tape loops, g, bjo, vocals
7:30    “Ultra Hip Review”  Improv Sensational
8:00 Cedro Danado (Montevallo)   ukelin, fiddle, vocals
8:30    Charlie Rauh (Nashville) solo style gtr in the style of Hildegarde von Bingen
9:15    “Them Natives” (Montevallo)

Fri         20 7:00  CHILDREN’S DANCE FOUNDATION “Laura Knox Dedication”
slides, film & stories (wine & cheese) reservations suggested

8:00 “Just Move It” CDF  Dancers, Movers & Shaker’s improvisor Showcase
featuring:  David Appel (NY), Sycamore, Juanita Suarez & Mark Olivieri (NY)
Susan Hefner & Michael Evans (NY), Claire Barratt (NC), Rhea Speights (CDF),
Mary Foshee (CDF), Doug Carroll, Stella Nystrom, Chris Helleke (suitcase), 
Deborah Mauldin, Ashley Muth, Si Reasoning (Butoh), Davey Williams,
LaDonna Smith,  Ginger Wyatt, Jill Burton, Alice Faye Love, Jim Willett

SAT        21           9:00-11:00 a.m. Pepper Place The LiteBox Gallery   Children’s Improv Orchestra
with Si Reasoning

“Sudden Death” poets & spoken words
 ROJO at  2921 Highland Ave. S.
7:30       Rich Curtis
8:30 “Sudden Death” 20 poets- curated by Hunter Bell & Lori Lassetter

SUN 22-28   “ODD PLACES WEEK” Claire Elizabeth Barratt
improv happenings in odd places, some known and some unknown, Moundville, Sloss Furnace, Naked Art, Black Belt-Folk Roots Festival, and elsewhere…tbs..surprise!

FRI         27
 ““Improv Roulette”
THE LISTENING ROOM at Pepper Place  2801 2nd Ave. South

7:00 Stella & Rhea “In Silence”
7:30    Johnny Coley, Jimmy Griffin, Davey Williams
8:00    Bearing Light Butoh, Deborah Mauldin & Ashley Muth
8:30    “Stringtrek”  LaDonna Smith & Misha Feigin
9:00   “Improv Roulette” (curated by Si Reasoning) Deborah Mauldin,  Ashley, Andrew,
Jennifer Caputo, Celeste LaBorde,  Rhea Speights,  Stella Nystrom, Juliet Eastlick,
LaDonna Smith, Alice Faye Love, Claire Barratt, Stephen McClurg,
Davey Williams, Johnny Coley, Jimmy Griffin, Cliff McPeek,  Misha Feigin,

SAT        28     9:00-11:00 FARMERS MARKET  “Childrens Improv Workshop”   10:00 – 12:00
 Improvise with Charlotte and Spencer Leffel of the PINK HOUSE with
sonic musical explorations for kids of all ages in movement, rhythm and song.
Kids of all ages!  FREE.


 10:00 a.m.   “BLACK-BELT FOLK ROOTS FESTIVAL” (EUTAW, AL)  Davey Williams

“Sounding Off” the-improvisor festival Closing Party-
 7::00-10:00 p.m. ”The Red Cat” 2901 2nd Ave. South at Pepper Place
Dana Moore,“Aura Hoops”, Celeste LaBorde & Sharrif Simmons,
RX LeBelle, James R. Hood, THEM NATIVES. “Sounding Off” Finale Community Jam
(bring a horn, string, voice or other hand-held musical contribution)

SUN       29      WHEREVER  YOU ARE Day of Rest, Gratitude & Meditation (improvised of course!)
 11:00 a.m.  Pepper Place, “The Listening Room”  Raj Kumar Singh, from Ujjian, India:  
“Contemplative music  & practice in the South Indian tradition”

4:00 p.m. “Artburst” Unitarian Universalist Church micro-tonal works by Monroe Golden