The third-annual Electric Eclectics Festival presents cutting-edge, avant-garde and experimental music by world-renowned musicians, media artists, sound artists and performance artists.
The Electric Eclectics Festival takes place in Meaford, during the August 1-3 long weekend. Electric Eclectics Festival info is at the link.
The Electric Eclectics Festival takes place on "the Funny Farm", the site of many artistic and musical ventures, and spectacular views of the breathtaking landscape of the Big Head River Valley overlooking Georgian Bay. Camping is encouraged.
Headline artists at this year's Electric Eclectics Festival include Seattle-based sound sculptor and inventor Trimpin, winner of a MacArthur Foundation 'genius award', a return appearance by cult heroine songstress Mary Margaret O'Hara, and Jennifer Walshe, considered to be "Ireland's most original composer of the last 20 years", according to the Irish Times.
Another highlight will be the New York group Loud Objects, who assemble an audio circuit live on stage, amplifying the circuit as they solder it together, making for a hilarious take on circuit bending noise and sound sculpture performance.
Fans of vintage Italian movie soundtracks will not want to miss Orco Muto, featuring keyboardist Maurizio Guarini of the legendary Italian horror soundtrack band Goblin, drum virtuoso Great Bob Scott, and guitarist Chris Gartner.
The Italian prog-rock cult group Goblin created soundtracks for most of Dario Argento's films from the 70s and 80s (Suspiria, Profondo Rosso, etc.), as well as the soundtrack for George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Orco Muto plays the Goblin repertoire as well as new originals in the progressive/horror genre.
The 2008 Festival will also feature San Francisco's Barry Schwartz, who returns with his Tesla Coil sound sculpture, Toronto's Disguises, PHOLDE, Astrogroove, and Nadja, Montreal sound sensation Alexis O'Hara, and Barcelona's Pau Torres, who recently moved to Toronto. Meaford area performers As Is, Tel Quel and Greater Explosives represent rural Ontario's take on the experimental genre.
Audience favourites from the first two years will return to the festival weekend: minimalist legend Tony Conrad (New York), Einstürzende Neubauten veteran Alexander Hacke with his collaborator Danielle de Picciotto (Berlin), theremin virtuoso Dorit Chrysler (New York, Vienna), sound sculptor Lary 7 (New York) and the Toronto duo Mr. And Mrs. Hypnotist.
This year there will be an expanded area for sound installations at the Funny Farm festival site, featuring installations by Edwin van der Heide (Rotterdam) whose "Laser Sound Projection" was a highlight at last year's festival, and Maki Ueda (Rotterdam) who will present her "Aromatic Journey" consists of distilled smells from local elements, both natural and artificial.
The Toronto-based group Interaxon will present an interactive brain-wave installation, where audience members will be hard-wired to an interactive controller allowing them to control projected images and sound material with the power of their minds.
Up-to-date information about performers, concert schedules, tickets, locations, dates and times is online.
