Moca Museum

BY Natasha Garber
Moca Museum

THROWS AVANT-GARDE GALA
A MILLION-PLUS bucks may seem a rather extravagant gift for your average birthday celebrant. But Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art is no average honoree. Likewise, the party celebrating MOCA's 25th year was not your typical anniversary gala. Not only did the spring fund-raising bash pull in $1.5 million to aid the museum's education and community outreach programs, but it also exhilarated - and occasionally unsettled, according to chair Jane Nathanson - the star-studded crowd.

OFF THE WALL
"We like to titillate people with what is new," says Nathanson of the goal behind the event's design directive. "You won't see a beautiful picture of a still life here." As such, she notes, the life of MOCA's birthday party had to be anything but still. Fortunately, the advent of performance art -- a form the chair deems "what is new and happening in the art world today" -- allowed the event's planning committee to give guests a feel for the cutting edge while keeping them entertained. Doing the honors was Los Angeles-based experimental ensemble String Theory. The group's "fantastic" performance, which took place as guests arrived, included a harp with its strings attached to the ceiling of the event space, Nathanson says.

The Muse's Muse

CD REVIEW: String Theory, "Triptych"
writer: David Lockeretz

String Theory is a unique performing arts ensemble that mixes a wide variety of sounds to come up with something original. On how many other CDs can the listener experience surf music, folk music, alternapop and Ravel's "Bolero?" That a document this diverse, thoughtful, skillful and soulful could exist today helps renew my faith.

The first part of the CD's musical trilogy, "Classical", features interpretations of Ravel and Tchaikovsky along with other traditional-style pieces in which brooding strings blend with ethnic-influenced percussion to create a sound that is dark yet vibrant. "Pop", the second part, features sophisticated, well, pop music with unlikely melodies and surreal lyrics that still manage to form a cohesive unit. "Surf Surge", with its pulsing groove and interesting counterpoint, is a favorite of mine. "Experimental", the last part, consists of short examples of film music. These pieces are the most abstract on the CD and perhaps the least memorable, but they still represent a strong sense on the group's part of both modernism and tradition.

There are many ways to describe String Theory: Hypnotic, meditative, lyrical, ironic, exploratory and more...but the bottom line is that this music speaks for itself. It defies categorization; it bypasses conventional thinking (and marketing) to do what so much music fails to: communicate.

Observer Weekly

Music Review - "Local Groups"
writer and photographer: Bree Clarke - For the Santa Monica Observer
"String Theory: Have Strings, will Travail"

String Theory provides a performance like no other. Halfway between a music concert and performance art, they are centralized around the very rare and aesthetically pleasing long-strings. Long-strings are brass wires strung from a central resonating chamber and can vary in size and structure depending on the venue.

In an upcoming performance at the MET Theatre in March, 24 long-strings will extend out 70-feet over the audience in a symmetrical shape, transforming the venue into a giant sculptural instrument. String Theory is a collaborative musical performance ensemble that incorporates choreography, art, music, and theatre into their performances with breathtaking results. It is remarkable the variety of different sounds and styles that can come from the same group, performing genres of classical, rock, pop, and renaissance pieces.

The group uses a variety of instruments such as guitar, cello, percussion, bass, trumpet, French horn, vocals, accordion, and the long-strings, the results of which are very unique and organic sounds.

String Theory consists of 6 members, Holly Rothschild, Luke Rothschild, Joseph Harvey, Greg Russell, Carey LaMothe, and Stuart Johnson, half of which have been playing together for over 7 years which explains their vibrancy and dynamic together. Originally from Chicago, the MET Theatre performance will be their first in Los Angeles.

Their music can alternate from classical mood pieces to upbeat pop within minutes. The emotions evoked from their classical genres are reminiscent of that from a movie soundtrack that can be calming and soothing in one minute, then change dramatically to deeply sad the next. The shift to pop involves more vocals, guitar, and upbeat rhythms. Some of their songs even include beats that transform the music into nearly a techno genre. The sounds are truly experimental and refreshing in an age of artists that stick to the same genres and formulas to sell out. With String Theory, it is all about the music and the execution of the performance, and I guarantee you will not have seen or heard anything quite like it before.

It is refreshing to witness a group that have a true passion for their music while being extremely talented in many different aspects of performance. The act of playing the long-strings is where the dance choreography comes in and is combined with costumes to transform the experience into a theatrical one. String Theory has a versatile set, and have played at huge concert halls to intimate functions, each stage they set up is different and no two venues are set up the same.

The MET Theatre provides excellent acoustics suited to String Theory and the concert is on March 28, 29, 30 at 1089 N. Oxford Ave, Hollywood. Friday and Saturday - 8pm, Sunday - 7pm. Their show is entitled, "Compositions of Sound and Space."