Tiny Alligator
Composer Caitlin Smith, leader of the Tiny Alligator Large Band, spends a year in New York City.
Heartwarming Holiday Update: What A Wonderful World
Though I’ve been the most errant of bloggers lately, I can do no better than weary explanations and empty promises.
Weary explanation: I’ve been happy to have been involved in much music-making lately, and less thrilled to have been involved in very little sleep. Most recently thrilling was spending a few intense days this week hanging out with the gentle souls of Darcy Argue’s Secret Society Band, who were making a record in Jersey. You can see the dark circles under their eyes on Lindsay Beyerstein’s Flickr stream. The record is due out in the spring. It was a great honour to watch and learn from these amazingly talented musicians.
On to the promises: I’m working towards several large projects for 2009. I’ve decided to let the Alligator field lie fallow while I genetically modify some seeds to plant in the spring (yes analogy. yes). Our Farm hopes to grow such oddities as an orchestra (as in ORCHESTRA, as in strings and french horns and shit) project with the disturbingly talented Sara Jacovino (which project will also be an outlet for my new conducting fetish); a concert-length narrative opera/musical-thingy with TALB; a country side project; and a continuation of this Christmas’ successful “Songs for People You Love” pilot.
All this is to say: there has been music this year, and there will continue to be music. Which is to imply: it’s a wonderful world.
———-
So as not to leave a bad taste in your mouth with that stevia-flavoured note, I will end with a plea: all of these new projects need names. This is where you come in. The Caitlin Smith/Sara Jacovino Orchestra would very much like to be called something else. And good names for country groups are like fake blondes on the uptown 6 train: mention that you’re in a band, and they’ll all magically appear on your arm, plucking at your overcoat, telling you what talented singers they are.
So pull out that list of fake band names you made after too much nog at last weekend’s Christmas party, and send a few my way.
