Elysian Fields (7” record release) + Miles Francis + DJ Lance Scott Walker
Event Information
About this event
Longtime indie cult heroes Elysian Fields celebrate the release of their new 7-inch record with a special Halloween show, mining spooky songs from their 11-record catalog as well as their latest full-length Pink Air. The band is Jennifer Charles, Oren Bloedow, Sam Levin, and Danton Boller, with surprise guests likely. File under: transgressive pop, noir rock, hallows eve.
ELYSIAN FIELDS
Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow are the writers who make up the critically-acclaimed, under-the-radar New York band that formed in 1995 and went on to develop a cult following of faithful fans around the world. A dalliance with a major label beginning in 1996 ended with their edgy and uncompromising second album with Steve Albini, which drove the label and band apart, ending their contract. They went on to forge a path outside of the mainstream, recording with a number of independent labels over the years. Side projects include two albums of Sephardic music on John Zorn’s Tzadik label under the name La Mar Enfortuna, the supergroup Lovage featuring Jennifer along with Dan the Automator and Mike Patton, and many more recordings, including those of French stars Jean-Louis Murat and Wax Tailor, and experimental composer JG Thirlwell. Jennifer has also maintained a career in theater alongside music, with leading roles in numerous Off-Broadway productions over the years. In 2016, she originated the part of the Girl Angel in Du-Yun’s opera Angel’s Bone, which went on to win the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Oren has served as a secret musical weapon for a host of artists, from Meshell Ndegeocello to Marina Abramović to Anohni. Jennifer and Oren have also composed for theater and dance pieces, and their music has appeared in television, film, and commercials around the world. Elysian Fields regularly tour in Europe, where their most loyal audience can be found in France. They are “musicians’ musicians,” consistently attracting top players from around the world to sit in with their live sets. In 2015, they opened a music venue in Brooklyn called The Owl Music Parlor. Their most recent release is the full-length album Pink Air.
MILES FRANCIS
You've probably seen Miles around - maybe on Late Show with David Letterman drumming with Arcade Fire's Will Butler, or on Jimmy Kimmel Live keeping time for Antibalas, in South Africa onstage with Angelique Kidjo, in Hollywood playing with Amber Mark, leading afrobeat parties with his former band EMEFE, or at the Apollo Theater backing up the late Sharon Jones. Miles has been immersed in his native New York music scene since he was a child, but he first introduced his own distinctive artistic vision when he released his debut EP and companion short film, Swimmers, in early 2018. Just a year later, he followed with his second EP, Doves. The EPs were presented with a companion short film and 3-part music video series directed by Charles Billot, garnering praise for their originality from outlets like The FADER & Stereogum and radio stations like KCRW & KUTX. Recording himself in his Manhattan basement studio, Miles plays each instrument live, deliberately without any quantization or autotune, to create organic pop music that is uniquely his own.
