Listen: I love Present Music. Their concerts are always engaging, their approach to putting together performances is dead on, and everybody involved in the organization is really cool. Of course, that doesn't mean that I should just go out and feature them for the campaign. Fortunately, they made Rick's list of what makes Milwaukee a creative place. So how do we go about featuring a group that plays new composer-based music? While Rick is a big fan of Present Music's music, it's the spectacle that keeps him coming back to their concerts. And at the center of that spectacle is Present Music's Artistic Director, Kevin Stalheim. When we first contacted Present Music for this interview, Kevin was up north getting some cross country skiing in, so the idea was in danger of falling flat. Refusing to accept defeat, Rick and I tried to organize an interview with Kevin on his cell phone while he was in the process of skiing. Thankfully for us, he got warmed out and came back to town. So on an early Sunday aftenoon, Rick and Kevin talked about doing flips off of stages:
Kevin and Rick's conversation was really great, so I pulled a couple of out takes from the scrap pile. First, this is my original intro to the piece. I cut it with a heavy heart, because... well... bears and trombones.
To learn more about Present Music, visit their website. Also, they have an incredibly cool concert at Turner Hall this February 6th with African electronic-dance-pop group Burkina Electric. Get your tickets now by follwing this link ! Hurry!
Burkina Electric! How cool will that concert be?