This coming March will mark my third time at the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you’ve been there yourself, then you know it’s a one-of-a-kind musical experience — an almost overwhelming lineup of world-class artists covering every genre from drone to indie rock to jazz to contemporary classical to Americana, along with plenty of styles that fall between the lines. Among the artists I saw this year were Low, Arooj Aftab, Caroline Shaw and So Percussion, 75 Dollar Bill, Sarah Davachi, Kronos Quartet, Efterklang, Leyla McCalla, and Myra Melford.
The 2023 lineup promises to be amazing, too. Here are just a few of the artists I’m looking forward to hearing.
Tarta Relena – I’m basically throwing out the “instrumental” playbook for this blog entry. Tarta Relena is a vocal duo from Barcelona that updates Catalonian folk melodies with gorgeous, mesmerizing arrangements.
Ichiko Aoba – Japanese singer-songwriter who plays guitar, piano, clarinet, accordion and flute.
Kali Malone – Minimalist compositions for pipe organ, choir, chamber ensembles, as well as electroacoustic formats.
Caroline – Fragile pieces that exist somewhere in the space between indie, Americana and postrock.