June 12, 2003

Polygraph Lounge Brings Quirky but Extraordinary Musicians to MASS MoCA

(North Adams, Mass.) The Polygraph Lounge will perform at MASS MoCA on Saturday, July 12, at 8 P.M. as part of its Alternative Cabaret series. Virtuoso musicians Rob Schwimmer and Mark Stewart engineer an epic train wreck of pop culture combining Led Zeppelin with Aaron Copland, Purple Haze and Green Acres; reworking Inna Gadda Da Vida as Gregorian Chant, Swan Lake in surf guitar; and ultimately inviting audiences to join them with nose flutes in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. "Inventive and brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!" according to Tony Award-winner Geoffrey Holder who went on to say, "The whole show is a must-see gem!"

According to The Village Voice, "Two highly sought-after pop-to-jazz-to-20th-century-experimental session men go all Spike Jones/Weird Al on your fanny with puns decipherable only by scholars equally versed in Ornette, Iron Butterfly, the muckamuck European tradition, Alvin and the Chipmunks' testicles, and Moby Dick—using didgeridoos, Theremins, car alarms, and whirlee-copters no less."

Schwimmer and Stewart are accomplished musicians in their own right having worked with the likes of Laurie Anderson, Vernon Reid, Steve Reich, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis Jr., and MASS MoCA favorite Bang on a Can. Schwimmer and Stewart describe the Polygraph Lounge as what they do when their keepers aren't looking. These extraordinary soloists, composers, and sidemen transform into alter egos Chuck McCubbin and Ernest Tuber and inject beautiful music with their own brand of lunacy.

Composer and arranger Rob Schwimmer plays a number of instruments from piano to theremin, and has performed throughout the world. He's written for a substantial list of television and movie credits, including one Academy Award winner. He's worked with Wayne Shorter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Arif Mardin, Teo Marcero, Hal Willner, Muddy Waters, Annette Peacock, Same Rivers, and Geoffrey Holder. Schwimmer has released a number of CDs and holds a Grammy nomination for his work with The Zmiros Project. The Wire called him "haunting and unforgettable." Schwimmer is a "master improviser," according to WNYC Radio.

Singer and composer Mark Stewart plays an arsenal of instruments including several homemade ones. After spending a summer performing at Lincoln Center in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night with Helen Hunt, Stewart spent much of 1999 through 2001 performing, touring, and recording with Paul Simon. He is a member of Steve Reich and Musicians and a founding member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars. He's also worked with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, and Meredith Monk, among others. He has worked extensively with composer Elliot Glodenthal on music for feature films including Titus, The Butcher Boy, Bob the Gambler, and In Dreams and Heat. Stewart has performed in a number of Broadway productions, including The Lion King and The Who's Tommy.

MASS MoCA's Alternative Cabaret series is co-sponsored by the Valley Advocate and Barrington Brewery.

Tickets to Polygraph Lounge are $12 in advance or $15 the day of the show. MASS MoCA members get 10% off. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams from 10 A.M. until 6 P.M. daily. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time of day.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located on Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org