TWO STAR SYMPHONY GETS HOOKED UP LUTHIER STYLE, PLAYS RETROSPECTIVE, SELLS YOU DVD

HEY – The other day, when doing a little planning for Hootenanny! at Rudz, we couldn’t help but notice that the rather extended Two Star Symphony family was sitting at a table next to us, all a-flurry and a-business, with a-calendars a-ready. Right about that time, we got the idea of asking them if they wanted to play the day as another band, but sadly they could not due to a scheduling conflict (turns out that, when you write an original score for a piece of work by Proust, it doesn’t leave you much time to bone up on Iron Maiden).

But Proust isn’t the only thing our couldn’t-be-prouder-of bowers of the catgut have hiding in their quiver. Turns our, they’re being given the distinct honor of being the only string quartet in the country to be playing on a matched set of instruments created by the presumably noted luthier Anton Krutz of K.C. Strings. Here, read these words that someone else wrote:

These unique instruments were created by Anton personally from the same batch of wood and have gone through the exact same varnishing process,creating a full, rich tone, with complementary sounds across the entire musical spectrum. You have never heard a set of instruments sound like this before!

To celebrate, and prolly to show of just a little, the entire extended Two Star Symphony Orchestra (as opposed to when you see them play as a quartet) will be playing a selection of all of their original compositions as a group, including works done in collaborations with Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theater, The Dominic Walsh Dance Company, The American Ballet Theater, FrenetiCore and some of those silent film scores they came up with. Score.

Generally, we wouldn’t write about this sort of thing so far in advance, but, because it’s a seriously rare opportunity to see them at a proper concert hall (Jones Hall at the University of St Thomas) and because the hall isn’t that large, we thought we’d give you, our beautiful readers, a jump on the other folks out there who are no doubt more inclined to make reservations in advance than we generally are. Also, you’ll want to go to be the first person on your block to get your hands on a copy of the Cabinet of Dr. Kilgari DVD that features their score, available at a Blockbuster-bankrupting $10. Here’s all the deets:

Jones Hall
University of St. Thomas campus
Friday November 30th
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Recital starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets - $20
Students - $13
Reservations - (713) 478-2334

You can catch Two Star Symphony for free every Thursday at Avante Garden (the old Helios, but hella renovated and seriously worth your time now).

VIDEO: Two Star Symphony - A Night of Christmas

INDIELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA: TWO STAR SYMPHONY

You know those movies where some kid moves or is introduced into an artistic environment of some kind where there is a rigidly defined norm as to their particular form of expression being done in a certain way, but our hero come from outside this mainstream and SMASHES THE STATE with their fresh and edgy and underground unconventional view of things? You know – the ones where they soften the furrowed brows above aging spectacles and youth is king and it’s like OH WHAT A FEELING FOR JUST A STEEL TOWN GIRL ON A SATURDAY NIGHT! Still drawing a blank?

So are we. No, it’s not Flashdance.

Regardless of the fact that we can’t remember what example of this narrative we are trying to think of at the moment, it is a compelling one – and one that most of us enjoy. And it’s part of Two Star Symphony’s appeal too – because it’s fun to think that season ticket holders for the HGO would clutch their shawls and react in monocle-dropping horror if they knew a string ensemble was going to be playing on the same stage that had also hosted a band called whorehound.

Oh – and the other part of their appeal? Totally aces good.

The use of strings and other non-Chuck Berry instruments has slowly been rising in prominence over the past few years, just take a look at the ‘Years Best’ from any number of noted ezines for an example of what we mean. If you’re in the “less rock in the monitor” camp too, then you’d prolly do well to add Two Star Symphony to your party shuffle – that is, if you haven’t caught them already.

From performing a live score to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to work in the theater, to their recent contributions to the new Spain Colored Orange record, to their upcoming work with the dance group Freneticore on a production based on Bowie's Outside, Two Star Symphony (who performs under the name Two Star Symphony Orchestra when they ramp up to a full nine members for some performances) is all over the place.

And tonight they’ll be all over the place at Rudyard’s, with a show March 13th at Corkscrew also in the works. Headed to Austin for their paltry imitation of our Buzzfest? You can check the kids who don’t need six strings to shred March 16th at the Hole in the Wall.

SCO: We Wish You a Deathy Christmas

Over the weekend we got a new roommate, found lost sport coat, scored the last copy of the Blue Letter/Tambersauro 10“ split from Sound Exchange (attn Esotype Records: get to re-stocking) and were leaked a few more tracks from Sneaky Like a Villain, the forthcoming Spain Colored Orange LP. And, it turns out, in addition to containing the foremost candidate for feel good hit of the summer (‘Who Am I’), the new record also contains a track that might well score the Grammy for “Best Christmas Song to Put on Repeat while Using a Gas Oven as a Pillow.”

Ambient and creepy, ‘Christmas Night’ slowly drips down the walls to join a puddle of black tar on the floor below. Forget jingle bells and heralding trumpets, all you’ll find here are lonely piano clinks, sad horns, choral moans and the spooky strings of Two Star Symphony (whose accompaniment is found throughout the album).

Oh and the other tracks are good too – and confirm our earlier sentiments. We’ll share when we can.