Next Wednesday, October 19, CuriousWorks hosts amazing local instrumental trio The String Contingent, in the only Sydney show of their current international tour. 

October Twist #2:  The String Contingent 

Wed 19/10

8-10:30 pm (two sets)

Suite 402, 11 Randle St Surry Hills

$15 tax-deductible donation

The String Contingent meld the raw wildness of Scottish folk, the organic dynamism of American bluegrass and the refined acoustic sensibility of the classical string trio. Chris Stone (violin), Graham McLeod (guitar) and Holly Downes (double bass) have retain the spontaneity of free improvisation within the structurally integrated ethos of the chamber ensemble.

This young group posseses superb musicianship, Graham’s thoughtful picking providing the secure backbone on which Chris might explore sounds alternately tender or wildly yowling (Warren Ellis eat your heart out), while the melodic potential of the double bass is deftly revealed under Holly’s sure fingers. Meanwhile, the songs themselves indicate a store of thoughtfully accumulated youthful wisdom and an ebullient joy in the contingent possibilities of life.  

The String Contingent will be playing two sets live and (almost comletely) unplugged in the cosy surrounds of our warehouse space. As always, the show will be held under a NSW fundraising certificate, with proceeds going to support diverse artists and communities around Australia.

We hope to see you there!

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We continue our season of nights of silent film with live improvised music in October with the 1920s feature-length film “Der Golem” (directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener).

October Twist #3: “Der Golem” with Chaika
Wednesday October 26th, 8-10:30pm
CuriousWorks HQ: Suite 402, 11 Randle St Surry Hills
$10 (tax deductible) donation

This classic work of Gothic expressionism is based on a folktale: in 16th-century Prague, a Jewish rabbi creates a giant creature from clay (the titular Golem) and, using sorcery, brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution. Inevitably, the Golem runs amok and must be stopped…

The live score will be performed by Sydney-based quartet Chaika. These four multi-instrumentalists began with their roots in Klezmer and now have their branches swaying in the breeze of Bulgarian song, Balkan melodies, eastern rhythms, jazz improvisations and even Celtic colourations. They weave lush four-part vocal harmonies together with diverse instrumental textures in their performances of both original and traditional music. The group features Laura Altman on clarinet/ voice, Emily-Rose Sarkova on accordion/voice/piano, Susie Bishop on violin/guitar/voice, and Laura Bishop on accordion/piano/double- bass/voice.

This event will be held under a NSW fundraising certificate at CuriousWorks HQ, with proceeds going to support projects with disadvantaged and diverse artists around Australia.

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Packwood / Dustin Tebbutt / Achoo! Bless You
Saturday Oct 8th
8-10pm
CW HQ (Suite 402, 11 Randle St Surry Hills)
$10 tax deductible donation

This Saturday we’re lucky enough to be playing at CuriousWorks in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Supporting us is Dustin Tebbutt, an Australian folk-native fresh from two years travel in Scandinavia. Also supporting with their heart melting tunes are folk-pop power couple Achoo! Bless You. Check them out below!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dustin-Tebbutt/147475638639887

https://www.facebook.com/achooblessyouband

This event will be held at CuriousWorks HQ under a NSW fundraising certificate, with proceeds going to support diverse artists and communities around Australia.

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George Méliès/ Buster Keaton Short Film Twist 
Wednesday Sept 21st
8-10pm
CW HQ (Suite 402, 11 Randle St Surry Hills)
$10 tax deductible donation
Dear friends,
Welcome to the new Twist blog, here at thetwist.com.au!

It may have seemed like a quiet few weeks at CuriousWorks, as we’ve been working on other projects. But we are overjoyed to announce an exciting programme of events for the remainder of the year, and would love you to join us for them.

Our regular Wednesday night show of improvised music,  Twist , returns happily in September. In the spirit of the silent film experiment we hosted in March, this show and the next three monthly Twist nights will feature a live band, comprising some of Sydney’s top improvisers, providing a more-or-less spontaneous soundtrack to a classic silent film. We begin on  21/9 with a night dedicated to whimsical shorts by the magician of the silent screen, legendary trick photographer George Méliès, and short comedies by another true star of early cinema, Buster Keaton. Music will be provided by a band of Twist veterans, including David Carr (guitars, banjo), Robin Dixon (strings) and Chris Browne (saxophones).

Some other dates for your diary:
October 26th :  Der Golem,  with an improvised score of haunting Eastern European folk and jazz by members of Chaika ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chaika/254093001282433))

November 23rd:  Metropolis , with an improvised score of electro-acoustic experimentation by Monica Brooks (accordion, piano), Jordan Dorjee (turntables), Stuart West (trumpet, flugelhorn, harmonica), and Travis Baird/AFXJIM (guitars, horns, keys and more).

December 14th :  Nosferatu , with an improvised score of eerie soundscape by musicians including Luke Telford (electric guitar) and others.
In addition, our semi-regular band nights return in October. On  Saturday 8th,  we are pleased to host Packwood for a night of richly arranged acoustic alt-folk. This banjo-led ensemble from Sydney, boasting a mini-orchestra of strings, brass and woodwind, are fresh from recording their debut EP and releasing the first single “Longyearbyen” (  http://packwood.bandcamp.com/track/longyearbyen  ).

The quality acoustic classical/folk continues on  Wednesday 19th October,  when local instrumental trio The String Contingent play two glorious (almost) unplugged sets on the Sydney leg of their tour. For a taste, head to  www.thestringcontingent.com/

All the above-mentioned events will be held at CuriousWorks HQ under a NSW fundraising certificate, with proceeds going to support diverse artists and communities around Australia.

Finally, as this blog attests, we have been expanding our online presence. We also have a new Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Twist-CuriousWorks/170926179638318 ) and even a Twitter account (@CW_Twist). If you use any of these platforms, please sign up and you’ll receive regular, but not too intrusive, updates on Twist shows and other events in the CuriousWorks space.

Hope to see you there soon!

The Twist team.

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