The Big Ears Festival is officially back in action. The incredibly eclectic event, based in (my hometown Knoxville, Tennessee) has just unveiled its 2014 line-up — and it’s a doozy: Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, former Velvet Underground member John Cale, Steve Reich, and alt-rock icons Television round out the jaw-droping roster, who will perform at venues throughout the city from March 28th to the 30th.
The last Big Ears event was back in 2010, and it featured more commercial bands like Vampire Weekend and The National (among its usual roster of electronic, experimental, and art-rock). But the 2014 edition is built more on obscure (slightly avant-garde) acts like Oneohtrix Point Never, Tim Hecker, Julia Holter, and Colin Stetson.
According to a press release, composer Steve Reich will be honored at the fest by Ensemble Signal (who will perform his 1976 piece Music for 18 Musicians, along with Radio Rewrite), Greenwood (performing Electric Counterpoint), and So Percussion (performing 1971’s Drumming).
This is incredibly exciting news. For the unacquainted, Big Ears is produced by AC Entertainment, the same company responsible for outstanding fests like Bonnaroo, the Forecastle Festival, and the recently re-christened Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit (formerly Moogfest).
More artists will be announced soon. Passes go on-sale this Friday, December 6th, at noon EST. More info is available at the Big Ears website.
In the meantime, gaze in awe at the line-up below:
Steve Reich
Ensemble Signal
Jonny Greenwood
John Cale
Television
Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog
Marc Ribot solo performance of original score to Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid”
Nazoranai (Keiji Haino, Oren Ambarchi, Stephen O’Malley)
Tim Hecker
Oneohtrix Point Never
So Percussion
Vladislav Delay
Dean & Britta: 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests
Julia Holter
Colin Stetson
Dean Wareham
Glenn Kotche
Dawn of Midi
Vatican Shadow
Susanna
Laraaji
Son Lux
Nils Frahm
Bill Orcutt
Mark McGuire
