Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out to the opening of AutoBody on Friday, 30 September 2011: the artists, performers, community members, and everyone who helped make it happen (you can see the list of everyone who contributed here…it takes a village, often at the last minute).
As part of the opening celebration, we had Mick Barr perform in the courtyard during the reception, followed by the incredible Mariachi Las Alteñas at the community dinner. Here are clips from each performance: both will give you shivers. So good. A big thank you to both Mick and the Mariachis. Videos courtesy of Alberto Tomas Halpern (who also took all the great photos at the opening).
Mick Barr poster, at the screenprinters, designed by Son and Sons.
We’re so excited — just got this photo of our new posters at the printers, which celebrate the upcoming Mick Barr and Mariachi Las Alteñas performances at the opening for AutoBody, 30 September 2011. Mick Barr plays at 7 pm at Ballroom Marfa as part of the opening reception; Mariachi Las Alteñas perform at 9:30 pm at the community dinner at the Capri. Designed as a diptych; the posters can exist separately or as one complete piece. Handsomely designed by Son and Sons. Check them out in our shop.
Explosions in the Sky, 15 September 2011. Photo by Alex Marks, the latest in our Polaroid series.
Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who attended the Explosions in the Sky/Twin Sister show last Thursday. Due to rain, we had to move the event to the Capri, which ended up working beautifully (and the rain stayed away till the very very end of the night) (making load-out a soggy affair, but not as soggy as it would’ve been at Vizcaino Park). Special thanks to everyone who made it all work so last minute: all the guys in Explosions in the Sky; their sound guy Jeff Byrd; Twin Sister; our music-and-lights wonder team of Rob Crowley, Gory Smelley, Chris Hillen, and Ross Cashiola; chef Rocky Barnette; Chrissie Saenz; Robert Lara; and the Thunderbird Hotel. And thanks to all the folks who came out from El Paso, Midland, Presidio, Austin, and beyond — was truly amazing.
Check out more pictures of the show here. And if you have any that you’d like to share, send them to [email protected], and we’ll post a few to our site.
Tonight we are incredibly honored to host Explosions in the Sky for their first Marfa concert. Due to a crazy rainstorm last night (and a 50% chance for rain today), we’ve moved the show from Vizcaino Park to the Capri, across the street from the Thunderbird Hotel (601 W. San Antonio). New York pop rockers Twin Sister opens. Doors at 7 pm, show begins around 7:30 pm. Going to be amazing awesome.
Tinariwen’s “Desert session #3: The crowd and the void.” Courtesy of the band.
We are honored to announce that the desert band Tinariwen will play in Marfa, Texas on November 3, 2011. We’ve been trying to get them to play at Ballroom for years, and it’s finally happening, and we honestly can’t believe it.
Tinariwen is a band of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali, who came together in refugee camps in Libya in 1979. (Read more of their incredible story here.) The band broke through to a wider audience in the early 2000s with their hybrid of Berber, Arab, Western and black African musical styles, including the blues. The New York Times writer Larry Rohter writes about this thread in their music: “Tinariwen’s music has sometimes been called ‘desert blues,’ and the group’s penchant for writing songs in minor key modes certainly creates a sound that has a blue feeling. But the band’s members prefer to talk about ‘asuf,’ a sentiment from their own culture and Tamashek language that describes both a sense of spiritual pain, yearning or nostalgia and the emptiness of the desert itself.”
Tinariwen are touring in support of their new album, Tassili, which they recorded in the wild, with acoustic guitars and unamplified percussion, in the deserts of southern Algeria. It’s an incredible record, and you can listen to it on NPR’s First Listen. As Bob Boilen said, “Let’s get one thing straight: Tinariwen is just about the best guitar-based rock band of the 21st century. There’s a chance you’re one of the lucky explorers who has already discovered the magic of the group’s music — but if not, stop reading, hit play, and soak in the first song before you read any further…The rhythm will get you dancing, the singing will resonate in your chest, and the guitars will carry you away.”
Tinariwen plays Marfa on Thursday, November 3, at the Capri. Doors at 7 pm, show at 8 pm. European singer-songwriter Sophie Hunger opens the show. Buy tickets now. Special thanks to Vance Knowles.
Mick Barr playing with his band Orthrelm at the moers festival in Germany, June 2011. Video courtesy of photosophie.
Great news: Composer and avant-garde metal guitarist Mick Barr will play the opening of our next visual arts exhibition, AutoBody, which opens September 30. Famous for his speed and agility on the guitar (basically, his amazing shredding), Barr is one-half of the band Orthrelm and often plays with famed drummer Zach Hill (who also plays with Hella, Marnie Stern, and Death Grips). I really love the match of Mick with a show like AutoBody, where the idea of car culture, freedom, and masculinity is reinterpreted and reassessed.
The opening reception of AutoBody, curated by Neville Wakefield, occurs September 30 at Ballroom Marfa from 6 to 8 pm, with Mick Barr playing at 7 pm. The evening’s festivities continue with a community dinner at the Capri at 8:30 pm, followed by a performance by Mariachi Las Alteñas.
We’ve started a new series at Ballroom where we have amazing photographer Alex Marks take polaroids of all of our visiting musicians. Here are the latest in the series: Marfa band Solid Waste and the Austin trio eets Feats from our show Monday night. (Be sure to check out Alex’s photos of Little Freddie King and Cass McCombs.) We’re super thrilled and lucky to have Alex work with us on this project, and thanks to all the bands for being game. Learn more about Alex and his photography on his website.
Daniel Snyder, regardless of his reasons to do his transition, God is his witness, but Caltrain should take advantage of new technology to satellite human beings on their premises (tracks) and send signals to train conductors to stop those kind of tragedies and safe lives for future mental treatments
During Flanagan’s tenure, many new major donors invested in Virginia Tech’s future.
You work towards it and you see it come alive in the community and know that multiple people are going to get to use it not just one person or one family,” the 17 year old Franklin senior said.
The TV umpire ruled umpires call, adjudicating the ball was going over the stumps, but Gayle looked fortunate to still be at the crease.
and one of the largest network owned station groups in the country.
ROUILLON, PALIWODA, M.
Spieth, who won his first major at Augusta in April, was the biggest name among the co leading quartet who had all won at some stage this year.
Next week we have the honor of hosting San Antonio band Eets Feats on their Texas tour (that’s them above, playing a laundromat in Austin, Texas). Local shredders Solid Waste open the show. Whole awesome thing takes place outside the Thunderbird Hotel lounge on August 8 — doors at 8:00; show at 8:30 pm. Free. Presented with our pals at the Marfa Book Company (order books from them!). –NICKI
You never know when a fly has landedPlease try again.
So now what is Hip Hop.
White also identified the two officers involved in the shooting as Daniel Greene, who has been at the department for 16 years, and Gabriel Jordan, who has been on the force for nine years.
Michael Jordan His Positive Impact on Basketball
Michael Jordan changed the face of basketball, and sports, with his superior athletic ability and knack for marketing and endorsements.
Impressed by the work Jordon was doing in their neighborhood, they agreed in 2008 to pay him more than $200,000 to renovate their own house.
Last spring, we had the honor of hosting musician Grouper for a residency at Ballroom Marfa. During her stay, she recorded a few tracks at Marfa Recording Company. We’re happy to announce that we’re releasing a limited-edition 7″ from these sessions (we just got the test pressings on Monday, and they sound great). White vinyl, 500 pressed, coming August 30. Pre-order your copy here.
Update: Hi, we’re now sold out of the Grouper 7″s. In late August, you’ll be able to buy it from Mississippi Records in Portland or other distributors. Thanks for all your support!
“Last Known Surroundings,” directed by Ptarmak, from Explosions in the Sky’s new record, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, out on Temporary Residence Limited.
Big news: Explosions in the Sky is playing for us on September 15. Twilight show. Free.
!!!!!!!
I first saw Explosions in the Sky at SXSW in 2003, and it ACTUALLY blew my mind. Legend has it that their label, Temporary Residence Limited, signed the band on the strength of their demo after only half a listen — “the demo was submitted by fellow Austin band The American Analog Set with a brief note saying, ‘This totally fucking destroys.'” Which basically sums it up.
The quartet originally hails from Texas (three of the members are from Midland, three hours away from Marfa), and you can feel the influence of the West Texas landscape on their music — huge, spacious, emotional, epic. (Also of note: They did the music for the Texas high school football movie, Friday Night Lights.)
The show is the night before Austin City Limits in Austin, so drive to Marfa, see Explosions, have heart ripped out of chest, contemplate the stars, contemplate life, watch the sunrise, drive to Austin, pray for Stevie Wonder/Kanye West duet. Boom. For real. –NICKI
Explosions in the Sky plays a free show for Ballroom Marfa on 15 September 2011 at Vizcaino Park. Twin Sister opens. Doors at 7 pm.
