Lots of exciting news. First on the list, Ben + Vesper:

Ben + Vesper will be playing a gig March 6th that is WAY up there on the coolness charts. The performance is at the amazing American Folk Art Museum in NYC (pictured above. Also, close to Vesper’s old hood and high school, LaGuardia HS of Music and Art!). Between music sets, they will be giving free guided tours of the museum collections, which include current exhibitions by Mark Rothko, Henry Darger and Martin Ramirez. We told you it was cool! The show is early in the evening–so come after work, bring kids, bring lots and lots of art-loving friends. Also, Ben + Vesper will be playing with their dear friends, The Loom.

Note that though it’s free, you need to RSVP due to limited space. Also, this being a Friday evening, it would definitely NOT be the time to drive in to NYC–we really suggest public transportation. Details are as follows:

BEN + VESPER
AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM
Friday, March 6, 2009
5:30-8:30 PM
45 West 53rd Street, NYC
(RSVP at 212.977.7170 ext. 329 OR www.folkartmuseum.org.)
With The Loom!

By the way, if you missed the B+V show at Ninety Six West in Allendale, NJ, you can still see their collaborative artwork–it’s up for about another three weeks. So stop by for some GREAT coffee and peruse the work. All of the drawings are for sale.



Next, Sufjan:

Dark Was The Night, produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, is the 20th release of the Red Hot Organization, which is in its 20th year of raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. Red Hot was founded on the premise that even without a cure, AIDS remains a preventable disease – and music is a great vehicle to raise money and awareness for it. It is an amazing collection of performances, and well worth purchase in whatever format you fancy: double cd, triple vinyl, or download. Read the review from Pitchfork here, and treat your ears to Sufjan’s contribution (along with great performances by Fiest, Bon Iver, and other notable magic music-makers) here!



Last but not least, I Was A King:

This past week Sounds Familyre friends, I Was A King, was featured on NPRs ‘Second Stage’, a great forum for hearing new music. Check it out here! Highly recommended.