Merrill Garbus is always a little distrustful of pretty sounds. “I’m suspicious when things sound too good,” says Garbus, who fronts the band tUnE-yArDs. “Truth is really hard to hear.” …
BIG EARS 2015: Kronos Quartet
On a mid-February evening, David Harrington, first violinist and founder of Kronos Quartet, politely accepts a scheduled phone call, and even more politely delays the intended conversation with a digression …
BIG EARS 2015: Ben Frost
Ben Frost’s performance was one of the highlights of the 2010 Big Ears, and he returns to the festival to perform music from last year’s A U R O R …
BIG EARS 2015: The Bad Plus
No band better exemplifies the limitless Big Ears spirit than the Bad Plus. Over the past 15 years, the Midwestern trio—pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King—has …
BIG EARS 2015: Laurie Anderson
In October 2013, Laurie Anderson lost her partner of 21 years, 71-year-old rock icon Lou Reed. The music world has mourned profoundly ever since—but for Anderson, Reed’s death has led …