Flutterbox Performs as part of MASS MoCA's Alt Cab Series
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| Photo courtesy of Mass MoCA, Friday, August 29, at 8 PM |
These twisted genre descriptions might be startling, but it is Flutterbox's glowing reviews from fellow musicians like Beth Orton, who states "Comparisons evaporate," and Nick Cave, who describes the pair's sound as "delicate and edgy and sublime," that really highlight the stardom Flutterbox is destined for. Join them for an intimate Alt Cabaret outside in the Wapenaar Pavilion (or in Club B-10 in the event of rain) on Friday, August 29, at 8 p.m. The Alt Cabaret series at MASS MoCA is supported in part by the Hans & Kate Morris Fund for New Music.
Duo Neill C. Furio and Janine Nichols started out as Split Lark in January 2006. They were forced to drop the moniker when another band started using the name, bought the ‘.com' and refused their challenge to a ‘lark-off'. They elected to change their name to Flutterbox, a word Neill made up to refer to the 70's FX unit they sometimes run everything through, because it gives rise to pleasurable notions of sound, place, device, facility, ornithology, and more, all of which they encourage.
The Flutterbox sound delves into hooks, keys, rhymes, signal chains, and loop-building without getting too technical. Their charm lies in the fact that they can perform Billie Holiday's classic Strange Fruit and I Won't Grow Up from Peter Pan, and make them equally appealing. The Village Voice notes, "(Furio) bends architecturally cagey lines from his strings, (Nichols) sings in arrestingly plaintive tones, and whether they're upending Hendrix or smooching Peter Blegvad, something novel is in the air."
Neill C. Furio is described as a beautifully arch electric bassist. He's the author of the dizzy Whoops Wrong Daisy, Scrabble-ina, and My Favorite Color's Gray. He is inspired by a large cross-section of people and artists including Buster Keaton, Randy Newman, Wilbur Wright, Gillian Welch, Chocolat Noir, Freda Payne and Thelonius Monk.
Janine Nichols draws pictures in the air, the task of all singers. She has acted as Hal Willner's creative partner in ambitious live events such as Came So Far For Beauty, an evening of Leonard Cohen's songs. Her favorite singers are Harry Nilsson, Jimmy Durante and Mary Margaret O'Hara.
MASS MoCA's year-round Alt Cabaret series features the best music, dance, theater and more from emerging artists outside in the Dre Wapenaar Pavilion or in cozy Club B-10. Lickety Split serves full dinner and snacks before and during the performance, along with Herrell's Ice Cream. A full bar is available as well.
Tickets for Flutterbox are $14 in advance/ $18 day of show. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.
