B-Sides Art Song - Hive Collaborative

Finally back at the Hive!! After having been out of town for a month this summer, and then looking for a job - it has been a while since I have enjoyed the space and work that the Hive puts on. This time I was there for B-Sides Art Songs, a new music residency hosted by Justin Spenner and Carson Rose Schneider. To answer a few questions - some that I had myself, lets start here.

What is an Art Song? According to the Wiki link, it is typically a classical leaning song written for voice and piano, and written as is. It is not part of a larger work (like an opera, or a symphony that has vocals), though it can be part of a collection. For example...the first couple songs that were sung last night are from a collection of songs named Ahasverus. Later in the evening we heard a few songs from Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Samuel Barber - but the songs were selections from song cycles. Song cycles, as far as I know, are collections of art songs that are thematically linked. If you were put it into modern thought, it would be like some jazz albums like Patricia Barber's album Mythologies, or a musical theatre album like Myths and Hymns by Adam Guettel, or even stretch it a bit and it could be Rufus Wainwright's albums Want One, or Want Two. You could go classic and pick Joni Mitchell's album Hejira, or Mingus, or even Don Juan's Reckless Daughter - all of them are collections of songs that are thematically linked.

B-Sides: well, back in the old days there were these things called records. They were sometimes 12 inches across, other times they were smaller and called singles. The singles usually played at 45 rpm (I think it is rpm?), but at a faster speed than the 12 inch albums. Anyways, a band would put out a single... like Dancing Queen by ABBA. That would be the hit and would be the A-side. The other song on the single would be on the other side and is known as the... all together now, B-side. It is usually a lesser known song by an artist. Though it could be expanded in definition to be a lesser known book, or film, or art work as well. That is the spirit in which it is used here. B-side Art Songs...lesser known, or lesser sung art songs. 

Finally, what is a residency. This was somewhat new to me, though I have heard of some jazz bands doing a residency at a club or studio. It is where a band, or group of performers, come together on a regular basis to play, to try new things, to expand their audience, and to work on their material. It is different from a regular club date where a specific band always plays the same night. For example, I used to go to the Riverview Wine Bar on Sundays to hear the Zacc Harris trio. However he also did a residency with the Atlantis Quartet at a few places. The difference is that the Riverview was polished club performances, while the residency was trying out new things with new songs, or old songs. 

Ok...so...about last night. It was a very casual and intimate evening. The audience chatted for a while, then Justin started us off with a few songs from Ahasverus, 6 songs, Op 56 from 1900. This song cycle was written by Norwegian composer Agathe Backer Grøndahl. The songs has word by Danish poet Bernhard Severin Ingemann. They were really lovely to listen to with some gorgeous melodies that felt very romantic and very scandinavian. Spenner has a great voice with some real power behind it, but also is in full control of when to use that power, and when to pull back and let the words and melody do what they do. He was accompanied by Schneider who sounded lovely. 

Following these few songs was Andrew Wilkowske. I have seen him perform with the MN Opera a few times and to see him in this very different setting was fantastic. He accompanied himself on an electric guitar, and used it to fully support the songs he was singing, and provide a new perspective to the music he was singing. Starting with a piece by Schubert, he followed with a few songs from a Ralph Vaughan Williams song cycle - Songs of Travel. It was really cool and interesting to hear the classical song backed with guitar in this way. Wilkowske started pushing boundaries in the best way when he did a song by Paolo Tosti mashed with Blackbird by the Beatles. He went back to pure classical with Sonntag by Brahms, but followed that by singing Alone by Heart. Returning to more of a classical feel with Samuel Barber's "Sure on this Shining Night" from Barber's 1938 song cycle Four Songs, Wilkowske went a bit off the rails after this in the best way possible. He offered up either a Joni Mitchell song, or a Tom Waits song. Both would have been great and he went with Mitchell's Rainy Night House from her 1970 album Ladies of the Canyon. A gorgeous song that fit right in with the Art Song theme. If you are a Mitchell fan, you know the song - but it is certainly a B-side. His final song was the Toreador song from Bizet's Carmen. Now, at the start of his set he mentioned that he likes to mix up rock and classical and actually does a show named "Guns N' Rosenkavalier" which made me laugh because it sounds awesome. And with this song, I know that it is awesome. He used guitar riffs from Nirvana, Jack White, Guns N Roses, and possibly some others that I didn't catch to underscore a slightly remelodied Toreador song. It was brilliant!

Spenner and Schneider came back for the final two songs of the evening. They were both from Louis Victor Saar, his opus 74. The lyrics were taken from courtship letters written by Robert Browning to Elizabeth Barrett. They were just lovely and moving. There is something about watching two performers who have worked together for a while. They are in tune with each other, with how the other performs, how to support each other musically... This is what you get when Spenner and Schneider play together. It feels like they can both relax into the music because they know the other person is right there with them. As an audience member there are times that this is almost tangible...and it is lovely.

So...take a look at the websites for the Hive, and these performers. Get on their email lists, support local artists and performers, and get out there and experience something new. If you get to a residency, I am sure you will enjoy it. Also... if you want to see some video from the show - check out my instagram. Lifeinrevue