OUTDOOR SHOW
$18 COVER
5PM DOORS / 7PM SHOWTIME
ALL AGES
*Outdoor shows may be moved indoors in the case of rain or extreme heat
"Sending It" A night of Improvised music curated by portal iii's Liz Draper: Featuring solo and group performances by Paul Metzger, Munir Kahar, Krissy Bergmark and portal iii (Liz Draper, Charlie Parr, Chris Gray).
portal iii (Liz Draper, Charlie Parr, Chris Gray):
portal iii featuring a trio of veteran Minnesota musicians, introduces its debut release with a self-titled double LP of four deep listening instrumental pieces. Bassist Liz Draper (who's played with everyone from the Grammy Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers to the Balkan folk group Orkestar Bez Ime), had been touring with folk traveler, songwriter and guitarist Charlie Parr of Duluth, MN. The two discovered a shared mutual interest in drone and ambient music. portal iii emerged as a trio when Draper recruited former bandmate Chris Gray from doom project Up the Mountain Down the Mountain to join them on drums. With the three of them sharing a broad range of tastes and playing styles, anything was possible, but it was a need to seek out new sonic territory that led them to create portal iii.
Famed composer Pauline Oliveros, originator of the "deep listening" concept said "Listening is a lifetime of practice, listening can be focused on detail or open to the entire field of sound. Listening is a mysterious experience that is not the same for everyone." portal iii invites the listener to become immersed and transported to the edge of consciousness.
portal iii's self titled debut was recorded over two days at Real Phonic Studio with Erik Koskinen in Cleveland, MN. Having been recorded through hail and a tornado on the rolling prairie landscape seems hauntingly appropriate for their sonic template and connection to place.
Paul Metzger:
The high and lonesome cosmic hobo from the USA. Since way back when Paul Metzger has been experimenting, playing his art-guitar complete with a crash cymbal mounted to its bottom and his distinct heavily modified 23 string banjo. In 2003 he went public playing out sets of his own music, part old time strung out blues and raga’s and part deep listening compositions that wind their way through you inner ear. This is not however the limit... what he can do with his instruments live also includes clangorous, rapidly punctuated percussive workouts that blow audiences away. He pulls the listener inwards and then takes them out the backdoor to experience the other.
Krissy Bergmark:
Krissy Bergmark is a tabla player, percussionist, composer, and educator. Bergmark centers her creative work on bringing tabla to new genres and cross-genres through composition and performance. She has received commissions and grants through the Cedar Commissions, the Jerome Foundation, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the Minnesota State Arts Board for her tabla studies and compositions for tabla, percussion, and strings. She attended the International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at Banff Center for Arts and Creativity in 2018, and Silkroad Ensemble’s Global Musician Workshop in 2016. She composes and performs with her progressive folk trio Sprig of That, experimental duo Lo.mocean, and a variety of other artists in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Chicago, and New York. Krissy is a 2010 graduate of Northern Illinois University and a 2012 graduate of the University of Minnesota. She is an Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Gustavus Adolphus College, and she studies tabla with Pandit Yogesh Samsi. You can stay updated on her latest recordings, projects, and performances via www.krissybergmark.com, Facebook, and Instagram.
MUNIR KAHAR:
MUNIR KAHAR is a Javanese American Artist born in Malang; East ~Java, Indonesia. He has lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota for 19 years. His art forms explored include theater, puppetry, experimental music, poetry performance, and dance, with a focus on visual arts. His artworks has been collected by collectors such as from Minnesota; Florida; Chicago and New York. Munir is a 2005 recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board Cultural Partnership grant. He presented a solo painting exhibition, curated theater performances and performed at the Heart of the Beast theater in Minneapolis. Since 2012 he has curated “BEYOND” an avant-garde musical and performance cabaret, at various locations in Minneapolis. https://balunggetih.com
LIZ DRAPER:
LIZ DRAPER, classically and jazz-trained versatile bassist, has performed, recorded and/or toured internationally with such groups as the Grammy Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers, Soul Asylum, Charlie Parr, The Rose Ensemble, Ben Weaver, Orkestar Bez Ime, and Davina and the Vagabonds. A professional musician since age 16, Liz has performed in an astonishing array of musical genres and ensembles, from jazz and classical to folk, metal, improvisational, experimental, Balkan, and chamber strings. Liz holds a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance from the University of Minnesota and has studied at The School For Improvised Music in Brooklyn, New York. She was awarded a 2019 fellowship through Giant Steps Music Action Women, a partnership with the University of San Francisco.