The history of recorded music is astonishing in scale and scope. It touches a staggering array of threads of human nature — from love to creativity to commerce and beyond — and recording technologies are the closest thing we have to time travel. However, the parts of recording history that we typically talk about make up a small portion of what there is to know, and don’t usually give us much of an opportunity to step back and look at the whole endeavor.
A multimedia lecture and presentation called A Cosmic and Earthly History of Recorded Music According to Mississippi Records aims to change that. Eric Isaacson founded the Portland, Ore., store and label in 2003 and has aimed to run it according the axiom “Love Over Gold.” As difficult as that sounds, it also helps him maintain the perspective needed to assemble and present this 90-minute exhibition, which uses film, slides, audio and more to explore as much of the history of sound and recording over the past 2,000 years as possible.
Isaacson is touring the Cosmic and Earthly History around the U.S. this spring, and arts nonprofit FMRL has organized a Nashville stop. In addition to the presentation, Raw Music International’s Cyrus Moussavi will present short films featuring performances by musicians in different countries across Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. Golden Wilson of Olvido Records will also spin some discs with sounds from all over our great, wide world. And if you need even more enticement, there’ll be a merch table offering Mississippi Records releases at a discount.
The event kicks off Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Centennial Black Box Theatre. (The theatre is in Centennial Park, and the address is 211 27th Ave. N.) Admission is $10-$15 on a sliding scale. Visit the Facebook event page for updates, and watch FMRL’s profile and website for information on upcoming shows. Below, check out two teaser trailers featuring material from the Cosmic and Earthly History.
Coming all too soon to a place near you... Music!!! Films!!!! Cheap Records!!! And a COSMIC AND EARTHLY HISTORY OF RECORDED MUSIC ACCORDING TO MISSISSIPPI RECORDS... JANUARY 5: SEATTLE @ NW FILM FORUM JANUARY 7: OAKLAND @ OCTOPUS LITERARY SALON JANUARY 8: SAN FRANCISCO @ ATA JANUARY 9: LOS ANGELES @ ZEBULON JANUARY 11: PHOENIX @ VALLEY BAR JANUARY 12: TUCSON @ EXPLODED VIEW JANUARY 13: SANTA FE @ ETIQUETTE JANUARY 14: ALBUQUERQUE @ PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER JANUARY 15: MARFA @ CROWLEY THEATER JANUARY 16: AUSTIN @ SEKRIT THEATER JANUARY 18: NEW ORLEANS @ DOMINO SOUND RECORD SHACK JANUARY 19: ATLANTA @ PLAZA THEATRE JANUARY 20: GREENVILLE @ REDS JANUARY 21: CHAPEL HILL @ LOCAL 506 JANUARY 22: KNOXVILLE @ PILOT LIGHT JANUARY 23: NASHVILLE @ BASTION JANUARY 24: LEXINGTON @ LEXINGTON FILM LEAGUE JANUARY 25: BLOOMINGTON @ FAR GALLERY FEBRUARY 1: CHICAGO @ CO PROSPERITY SPHERE / INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM HQ
A Cosmic and Earthly History of Recorded Music according to Mississippi Records’ (A film & talk presentation) + Marisa Anderson +Lori Goldston + Dragging An Ox Through Water Mississippi Records has a new concoction, this live presentation from Eric Isaacson, is a combination of film, slide show, lecture and soundscape. It instinctively and idiosyncratically illustrates a entire history of recorded music (focusing on Eric’s patch, North America!), from the birth of the first star in the universe all the way to the dark ages of the 1980′s. The ultimate intention of this travelling exhibition is to give the audience a sense of wonder; that anything is possible and art is worth doing. Tonally, the presentation navigates into the outer reaches, bypassing academic stuffiness in favour of entertainment value and immediacy. All materials will be from Mississippi Records vast and seldom seen archive of film, music and art. This whirlwind 90 minute sound and visual representation will attempt to sum up as many important points in the evolution of recorded music that can be done in such a short amount of time. Subjects hit upon include - - The cosmic patterns that resemble music generated by stars being born and dying. - The musical patterns in the natural world that work on the same principals as music. - The untold early history of recording technology (including tales of Archeoacoustic technology that allows us to hear recordings from 2,000 years or more ago, cat pianos, the phonautogram which reproduces sounds from dust and much more) - The rise of the blues, rock and roll, and other revolutionary American music forms and their subsequent destruction by the powers that be - Hopeful messages about the future - 45 minutes of incredibly vibrant archival footage of some some the greatest musicians on Earth (as well as some novelties) including Bo Diddley, Rosetta Tharpe, The Collins Kids, Gary Davis, and the Staple Singers.
