Looking beyond the holiday season and New Year's celebrations there is a rather unique performance taking place at the 9:30 Club on January 7th, "BOAT BURNING: Music for 100 Guitars."
The event bills itself as "a unique and truly massive event featuring a once-in-a-lifetime array of musicians from all across the District's vibrant music scene." This year's edition will be the most ambitious yet, with 100 guitarists placed throughout the venue. Guitarists will not be on stage, but rather will be placed throughout the venue. Accompanying these guitarists will be three separate drummers and several orchestral instruments on stage. All musicians will be led by a conductor in the middle of the performance hall.
Opening the evenings festivities will be no other than Trinary System, featuring Mission of Burma's guitarist Roger Miller. To add to this unique experience DC multimedia artist and guerrilla projectionist Robin Bell of Bell Visuals will create a light show.
All net proceeds from the concert will benefit Bread for the City.
See what others have said about past performances:
“Immersive... Guitarists station themselves around the perimeter of the room and let it rip, producing harmonic overtones similar to those heard in Gregorian chant... Immense sound...”
--Washington Post
“Boat Burning's Andras Fekete is a mad man... Case in point: the band’s annual mass guitar orchestra, with nearly 70 guitarists...
--Washington City Paper "The Year In Review"
“...the bleeding edge of DC music... Boat Burning: Music For Massed Guitars combines multiple groups of electric guitars with cellos, percussion and voices... bring earplugs for your earplugs...”
--The Pink Line Project
Please click on the concert poster for the full size image.
If you have not witnessed a past performance, here is a small taste of what a 55 guitar performance looks and feels like. This year, the 9:30 Club event will host almost twice as many guitars and will take place in a two-level venue.
To purchase tickets, please see 9:30 Club's website or use the following link.
To learn more about Boat Burning: Music for 100 Guitars, please use the following link.
For more about Bread in the City, please use the following link.
