THE BOOKS
Benefit for the Foundation for Advanced Architecture
The Miller House Museum (map below)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Doors at 7 p.m. $15
All ages; cash bar.
(from North of Center, by Riot Rose)
Describing the sound of The Books can be somewhat precarious, bordering ineffective. People have called it “folktronica,” sound collage, experimental and aleotoric (OK, so I had to look that lat one up – basically it means that some element of the composition is left up to chance). But none of these terms really embody the New England duo – and besides, describing the sound of The Books, who will be making their first Kentucky appearance on Monday, September 21, at Lexington’s Miller House Museum, is to paint an incomplete picture of what exactly it is that they do. Audiophiles know them for their signature minimalist compositions, which consist of sparse and lovely melodies spliced with found sounds and conversations from various videotapes. But the experience of listening to The Books’ recordings lacks an integral element of the band’s work.
“Our shows are halfway between a film and a concert,” wrote Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong (the human elements of The Books) in a recent e-mail. “We make videos to accompany all of our live tracks, and they are synched up tightly, as if the video is another member of the band.”
For the most part, the videos The Books synch into their recordings and performances are one-of-a-kind VHS tapes that the band picked up at various thrift stores on their tours of North America. The tapes, many of which were unmarked when they bought them, include outdated instructional videos, home movies, self-help tapes and videos advertising everything from cosmetics to strange religious ideas.
“We recently made a song out of an expletive-filled conversation between a prepubescent brother and sister that we found on a home-recorded audio tape at the Salvation Army,” the band reported. “The video that goes with it was made from the best moments from all of the 20 or so summercamp videos in our collection.”
The band, which has an upcoming album in the works after a three-year recording hiatus, has been known to utilize everything from traditional stringed instruments (guitar, cello, banjo) to a clavinet and a metal filing cabinet with a subwoofer installed. Blended with the found sounds and video, the result is as much a glimpse into the underbelly of modern American culture as it is a neo-folk avatar of the digital age.
This show presents an extraordinary chance to enjoy the setting of the Miller House Museum, which was originally built as a postmodern home for the late Bob Miller and his family. With its labyrinthine catwalks and interior terraces, glass panels, exposed structure and overall avant garde feng shui, the venue will undoubtedly provide a unique, picturesque and interactive backdrop for the strange and elegant sound & video experience of The Books’ performance.
Proceeds from the show, presented by Bullhorn (Lexington’s most with-it marketing & “etcetera” firm) will benefit The Foundation for Advanced Architecture. The foundation was created in part to preserve the Miller House, which has been touted as one of the last remaining marvels of modern architecture in a number of international journals. The show is also sponsored by WRFL, You Ain't No Picasso and Ky Blueline.
Music and more information about The Books is available at thebooksmusic.com; for exact directions to The Miller House, which is visible from Old Chilesburg Road, visit www.modernacommunity.com.
