On Saturday, a 19-piece Mason Jar Music orchestra had the great pleasure of backing up Feist and her band in front of a sold out crowd Radio City Music Hall.  With Kris Nolte conducting, our supremely talented ensemble of six violins, two violas, two cellos, one upright bass, one bass sax, one bass clarinet, two bass trombones, two trombones, and two percussionists tore through eight songs from Feist’s new record, Metals.

Since our secret album-debut crypt show with Feist back in October, Leslie and her band have used our charts with other ensembles, and even had Kris out to LA to conduct at Coachella.

We had such a fantastic time at Radio City and are looking forward to finally sharing the videos from secret show back in October.  Stay tuned!

Here’s a brief video of the end of “The Bad In Each Other” from Radio City:

Also, as you can tell by some of the photos, we’re on Instagram now! Follow us at @masonjarmusic.

- Dan

Last October, my girlfriend Meghan Forbes released the first issue of her handmade, hand-typed, arts and literary journal harlequin creature. The release party for the second issue will be Wednesday, May 9th at Housing Works.

The process of how these things are put together is pretty remarkable. Every issue has a featured artist and a guest editor; the artist provides a certain number of prints or paintings to be included and the editor helps with the review and selection process on the literary side of things. After the final selection of what will be printed is made, Meghan organizes several typing bees in which volunteers come, are given a mockup of the issue and type away for as long as they can handle. At the end of each journal, the typee writes the date, make and model of the typewriter used and a little dedication to whomever or whatever they’d like. Once the issues are typed and all the materials compiled, the journals are then hand-bound. I had the privilege of composing a short little piece of music to be published in this most recent issue which you can hear here: http://harlequincreature.bandcamp.com.

The handwritten score I submitted was transferred onto a magnesium die cut, letterpressed and then bound into the journal. A little, letterpressed card with the above url was then tucked into the fold of the score - I originally suggested just pressing the url at the bottom of the score but Meghan insisted on having not a shred of internet evidence on the actual journal itself - talk about analog principles!

In addition to harlequin creature’s own presence at the journal release, Ugly Duckling Presse’s 6x6 and The Agricultural Reader will give readings and have materials for sale. A percentage of proceeds will go towards Housing Works, a not-for-profit fighting homelessness and AIDS in New York City. Relatives and Mr. Isaac Gillespie will also be performing! Come support! The donation of a used book will gain you entry and there will be a limited supply of free beer.

Wednesday, May 9th, 6:30-8:30 at Housing Works (126 Crosby Street, New York, NY)

- Ian

Photos © Sasha Arutyunova, Katie Vogel and Lyz Luidens 2012