Thursday May 7, 2009 (8pm)
If you thought punk rock's anti-authoritarian ethos meant that it couldn't be marketed to two-year-olds or played in grand concert halls, then you probably haven't heard of Punk Rock Baby — or Glenn Branca. As visceral and abrasive as it is composed and intellectual, Branca's music has almost singlehandedly forced the acceptance of distorted guitar in the world of classical music. The piece featured tonight, Lesson No. 3 (A Tribute to Steve Reich), pays homage to Reich's minimalist aesthetic with a relatively spartan five-piece setup. Joining Branca on the bill are Brooklyn pointilist guitar heros Neg-Fi and Paranoid Critical Revolution, featuring Branca's wife and badass axe slinger Reg Bloor.
– Doug Schrashun