Downtown luminary Michael Evans (1957-2021) was a mischievous mix of serious percussionist, improviser, multi-instrumentalist and childlike explorer, whose work investigated and embraced the collision of sound and theatrics. Though his primary instrument was an unconventionally altered drum set, his work with unusual sound sources included found objects, homemade instruments, the theremin and various digital and homemade analog electronics. The Michael Evans tribute highlights many of the unusual and/or homemade instruments amassed over his lifetime, played by 14 of his cohorts in improvisation. Between live sets archival video will be shown of Michael in performance, and slides of his largely unknown visual art will be projected. His many collaborative recordings will be available, as well as prints of his art and his hand-written cookbook.

“Describing Evans’s playing is nearly impossible, largely because he could and did play in every style imaginable … but his humour and bottomless curiosity were his most striking characteristics.” —The Wire

Lineup:
Ben Bennett – Variable pitch floor tom, Bass drum, Wood blocks, Objects
Andrew Drury – Amplified snare drum
Fast Forward – Assorted Metal Culinary Percussion Instruments
Michael Foster – Saxophone
Shelley Hirsch – Voice
Skip LaPlante – Hanging objects, Gongs, Scrap metal
Sean Meehan – Wearable metals
Kenta Nagai – Altered electric guitar
Dafna Naphtali – Voice, Electronics
Kevin Shea – Drum set, Wonder Metal, Snare with Springs
David Simons – Theremin
Hans Tammen – Electronics
Danny Tunick – Vibraphonette, Glockenspiel, Boozaphone, Washing machine drum
Lary 7 – Motorized Homemades

A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing. Watch below or on YouTube.