About Exhibitions  | Current and Upcoming |  Past  | bowerbird@LANDMARKS

bowerbird@LANDMARKS is an ongoing curatorial partnership that expands cultural offerings in Philadelphia by bringing experimental and improvisational music, film, dance and other creative, genre-defying performing arts to historic sites in the region.

Showcasing the newest performing arts is nothing new for Landmarks' four historic, 18th century houses---Grumblethorpe, Physick House, Powel House and Waynesborough. These houses would often have been the locations for recitals of the most "fashionable" music of their time. Events in the bowerbird@LANDMARKS series revive this long-lost tradition of intimate concerts, and provide an intelligent alternative for contemporary audiences.

What can you expect if you attend a bowerbird@LANDMARKS performance? You can expect to hear some of the most innovative, avant-garde music being produced by local, national and international artists. You can expect to be challenged to expand your definitions of music, and to leave behind your preconceptions. Each performance will involve some risk-taking by both the performer and the audience member, but if you come with an open mind, and we promise to provide you with a uniquely stimulating experience.

Please note:

• bowerbird@LANDMARKS events generally sell-out. We HIGHLY recommend you purchase advance tickets by clicking on the links by each event listing below. Available seats are occasionally supplemented by standing-room space.
• To protect collections, museum staff may require that bags be checked. Please avoid bringing large bags or expensive items. Landmarks is not responsible for loss or damage of items during concerts.
  

Shot x Shot is a Philadelphia quartet that has forged a distinctive sound through five years of steady collaboration. Their work is based in collective improvisational compositions that run the gamut from delicate to ruthless. The band was formed in 2004 while the members were students at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. They began performing at local venues and gradually extended their range to include New York, Boston, Chicago, Montreal and other major cities. Shot × Shot has performed alongside Peter Br0tzmann, Jeb Bishop, Chicago Luzern Exchange, Peter Evans, Jack Wright and Pete Robbins among others. In 2007, the band showcased at South by Southwest. Shot × Shot's self-titled live debut (High Two, 2006) was heralded in the pages of Downbeat, The Wire, Signal to Noise, All About Jazz-NY, and other publications. The Village Voice and All About Jazz-NY listed the album among the top debuts of 2006.

Tim Albro and Jesse Kudler have played together since becoming friends at Wesleyan University around the turn of the century.  They first worked together in the large electronic improvising ensemble Phil Collins, playing synthesizer and guitar/electronics, respectively.  After graduating in 2002, the two didn't play together again until Winter 2004-2005, after Jesse's move to Philadelphia.  Their interest in a more restrained and spacious form of improvisation was first realized in the guitar trio G3 (with Ben Stanko).  Where that group had them playing guitars in a more or less conventional manner (Tim on electric 12-string and Jesse on acoustic), HZL arose from a more intense investigation of the use of electronics and electro-acoustic means.  Fall 2005 found Jesse moving again, to West Philadelphia, and he and Tim became close neighbors.  A schedule of record-listening sessions and concert attendance developed into a more focused musical collaboration in Winter 2005-2006, when proximity and available practice space allowed the two to work intensively on developing a duo language.  Jesse resumed use of his "regular" set-up of table-top guitar, synthesizer, contact mic, various objects and devices, and sundry electronics.  Tim began working with a unique electronics rig that incorporated radio and an archtop guitar prepared with surface-mounted speakers inside its body.  Small rooms and intensive listening led to the configuration of a still-changing sound, making ample use of resonances, small sounds, and an awareness of the spaces containing them.  Live performances have focused on subtle room-filling drones and textures, with speakers arrayed around the audience, evoking installation art as much as musicians on a stage.

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