A double bill of the semi-nostalgic alt trio The Setting (bassist Eivind Opsvik, pianist Elias Stemeseder, guitarist Will Graefe) and the drummer/electronicist jondownload (Jonathan Starks).
The Setting—the trio of Norwegian bassist/composer Eivind Opsvik, pianist Elias Stemeseder, and guitarist Will Graefe—celebrates the release of their debut album. The stunning ten-song record brings to fruition a seed that Opsvik has been carrying with him for about a decade. Sounds and sensibilities that have enchanted long him take form in a very particular combination: The Setting honors Opsvik’s love of 70s and 80s synthesizer music, ECM solo guitar albums, and experimental art pop, but sets these aesthetics in a conversation with boldly acoustic elements like the earthy upright bass, acoustic guitar, and harpsichord. This juxtaposition, only emphasized by the conspicuous and artful absence of a drummer, makes for a dreamlike listening experience, persuasive and melancholic –– inviting rumination and playing with nostalgia.
Eivind Opsvik upright bass and compositions
Elias Stemeseder piano and synthesizers
Will Graefe acoustic guitars and electronics
Brooklyn-based drummer jondownload opens the evening with a live solo set with drums and expressive software instruments—extended, raw versions of his digital content. jondownload is the performing alias of Brooklyn based drummer Jonathan Starks. He is one third of the acclaimed band, My trio. His solo performances offer hi-fi digital soundscapes powered by acoustic drumming.
A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing.
The Setting was formed by Eivind Opsvik in 2024. It features the magic of Elias Stemeseder on keyboards and Will Graefe on acoustic guitar. This drummer-less trio blends improvisation, art pop, electronic and acoustic instruments, and ambient music. All three musicians have backgrounds in improvised music but are also heavily involved in contemporary classical music, aletrnativel tunings, art-pop, and indie rock. It was clear from the first rehearsals that this combination of musicians was ready to explore, develop, and delve deep into these compositions and this sound world.
Eivind Opsvik, born and bred in Norway but resident in New York City for well over two decades, has developed an utterly individual musical soundprint, one that blends the song-minded composition and creative studio craft of art rock with the virtuosic edge and spontaneity of progressive jazz. The New York Times has said: “Eivind Opsvik has an unusual gift for writing small, poignant pieces of music.” Opsvik has performed internationally in the ensembles of such artists as Anthony Braxton, Okkyung Lee, Tony Malaby, David Binney, Tim Berne, Mary Halvorson, Paul Motian, and Nate Wooley. He has also collaborated with the likes of Bill Frisell, John Zorn, Brian Blade, Craig Taborn, and Skuli Sverrison, among others.
Elias Stemeseder is a pianist, keyboard instrumentalist, electronic musician, and composer who seeks to combine musical processes, disciplines, and tools from diverse temporal and geographic origins to create personal sets of constraints and order. He has worked with Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, Greg Cohen, Anna Webber, and Christian Lillinger, among others.
Will Graefe is a guitarist, composer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles and New York City. As a session musician and touring musicians, he has worked extensively with Maya Hawke, Joan as Policeman, Sam Wilkes, Laraaji, Orville Peck, Kesha, Okkervil River, Kimbra, and many others. He has four albums under his own name, most recently two solo guitar albums: Compositions for Guitar, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
