With the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden as backdrop, the Walker Art Center’s fifth
Rock the Garden
street party from 4–11 pm Friday, June 18, will blow the roof off Walker without Walls with one of the best outdoor concert events of the summer. Headlining the evening will be the rich melodies and innovative musicianship of
David Byrne featuring The Tosca Strings
. Getting things started will be special guests the
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra
, setting the mood with their bulletproof funk, and a third band to be announced. Concertgoers can take in more than 40 artworks in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden as well as an innovative new indoor-outdoor installation by Italian artist Rudolf Stingel. Vendors along Vineland Place will sell beer, soda, brats, and veggies from 4–10:30 pm. Advance tickets are $30 ($20 Walker members); on day of event $35 ($25). To order, call 612.375.7622, fax 612.375.7590, or visit www.walkerart.org/rock/. New Walker members receive one free ticket when they join. Rock the Garden will be held rain or shine.
Metro Transit bus rides are free to and from the event with a Rock the Garden ticket between
3 pm–12 midnight on June 18. Routes 4, 6, 12, and 28 serve the Walker.
Rock the Garden 2004
Friday, June 18, 4–11 pm
Vineland Place at Walker Art Center
Advance: $30 ($20 Walker members)
Day of event: $35 ($25)
New Walker members receive one free ticket when they join.
Box Office: 612.375.7622 (phone); 612.375.7590 (fax)
www.walkerart.org/rock/
Opening Band (to be announced)
5:30 pm
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra
6:30 pm
Antibalas, the spirit of Afrobeat reincarnated, shoots out monstrous horn grooves and bass layers over polyrhythmic beats coupled with furious lyrics sung in English, Yoruba, and Spanish. Antibalas (“anti-bullets” or “bullet-proof” in Spanish) formed in 1998 with members of Soul Providers and the Daktaris and was quickly joined by like-minded New York musicians active in the worlds of jazz, rock, improvised music, and traditional drumming from Cuba and Brazil. This union of Latinos, whites, African Americans, Africans, and Asian Americans is based in Brooklyn, New York.
David Byrne featuring The Tosca Strings
8 pm
Expect a full evening of innovative and superb musicianship when David Byrne and his band—longtime collaborator Mauro Refosco on percussion and mallet instruments, Paul Frazier (Chic, Imani Coppola) on bass, and Graham Hawthorne (Paul McCartney, Faith Hill) on drums—team up with the Austin, Texas-based chamber group The Tosca Strings (Leigh Mahoney, violin; Tracy Seeger, violin; Jamie Desautels violin; Ames Asbell, viola; Sara Nelson, cello; and Douglas Harvey, cello).
Byrne was the driving force behind the highly influential Talking Heads (1976-1988), a band that took popular music in new directions, both in terms of sound and lyrics, while introducing an innovative visual approach to the genre. In addition to being the creator of the highly regarded record label Luaka Bop, Byrne also works as a photographer, film director, author, and solo artist; he has been publishing and exhibiting visual art for more than a decade.
Over the years Byrne has enjoyed various collaborative efforts, including My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (with Brian Eno); The Catherine Wheel (a dance piece choreographed by Twyla Tharp); music for The Knee Plays (composed for a portion of Robert Wilson’s theatrical epic CIVIL warS, commissioned by the Walker); and film work including several scores and Stop Making Sense (with Jonathan Demme). Recent works include the release of EEEI—Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information (Steidl Publishing & Pace/McGill Gallery), the Lead Us Not into Temptation CD from the film Young Adam, and the Talking Heads boxed set.
For information on Walker events, call 612.375.7622 or visit www.walkerart.org.
