big ears 2024

Seen this year at the Big Ears Festival: Henry Threadgill’s Very Very Circus (repertory band); Mary Halvorson Amaryllis; Tyondai Braxton; Jlin; Unwound; Trevor Dunn’s Trio Convulsant Extra; Claire Rousay; Ikue Mori / Fred Frith; Kristin Hersh; Brad Mehldau; Tomeka Reid; Bitchin’ Bajas; Carl Craig; Min Xiao Fen; Colleen; Myra Melford Fire & Water; Colin Stetson; Beth Orton; JG Thirlwell & Ensemble; Bar Italia; Shabaka; Ches Smith’s Laugh Ash; Matt Mitchell; Void Patrol; KMRU; John Paul Jones / Thurston Moore (*not seen due to delays); André 3000

Big Ears Festival, 2020

Knoxville, TN March 24-27

As opposed to most of the drawings below, the sketches from this event were made live, in pencil, rather than in ink and after-the-fact from photographs I took.

Kronos Quartet; So Percussion˚; Tomeka Reid & Nikky Finney; Black Monument Ensemble; Fennesz; MSSV˚; Low˚; Kris Davis & Julian Lage (talk); Craig Taborn Trio; Claire Rousay; Kris Davis Diatom Ribbons; Sons of Kemet˚; Ensemble dal Niente with Ken Vandermark; Kim Gordon˚; Ben Lamar Gay, Damon Locks & Angel Bat Dawid (talk); Brian Marsella Trio; Ches Smith / We All Break; Yasmin Williams; Sarah Davachi; Ben Lamar Gay; Circuit des Yeux; Annette Peacock; Dead Rider˚; Sarah Davachi; Hanif Abdurraqib (talk); Bill Frisell Trio; Sudan Archives˚; John Zorn New Masada

˚-not pictured.

Big Ears Festival, 2019

Knoxville, TN

Rachel Grimes; Joan la Barbara; YoshimiO / Ibarra / Lowe; Mercury Rev; Lonnie Holley with Messthetics; Larry Grenadier; Harold Budd + Nief Norf; Evan Parker Trance Map; The Comet Is Coming; Absînt (Berne + Frisell); Spiritualized; Jlin; Fire!; Nate Wooley; Amirtha Kidambi and the Elder Ones; Kayhan Kalhor; This Is Not This Heat; Jon Mueller; Abstract Black; Bill Frisell (livescore to Bill Morrisson); Sons of Kemet; Alvin Lucier & Ever Present Orchestra; Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin; Arvo Pärt’s Passio performed by the St. John’s Episcopal Choir; Sun of Goldfinger; Art Ensemble of Chicago + guests


Joan al Barbara

Comet Is Coming

Amirtha Kidambi and Elder Ones

Alvin Lucier

Big Ears Festival, 2018

Knoxville TN
Roscoe Mitchell; Cyro Baptista's Vira Locos; Ikue Mori; Rocket Science; Milford Graves; Arto Lindsay; Jenny Sheinman's Mischief & Mayhem; Medeski Martin & Wood; The Thing; Gas; Kid Koala; Rushes Ensemble performing Michael Gordon; Evan Parker Electro-acoustic Ensemble; Yuka Honda; Sonus Ensemble; Laurel Halo featuring Eli Keszler; Kelly Lee Owens; Four Tet; Tyshawn Sorey; Suuns; Kieren Hebden & Mats Gustafsson; Bangs; Nief Norf performing Steve Reich

Roscoe Mitchell

Roscoe Mitchell at Big Ears

Arto Lindsay

Arto Lindsay at Big Ears

Kid Koala

Kid Koala at Big Ears

Kelly Lee Owens

Kelly Lee Owens at Big Ears

Tyshawn Sorey

Tyshawn Sorey at Big Ears

Kieran Hebden / Mats Gustafsson

Hebden and Gustafsson at Big Ears