{"id":12341,"date":"2017-05-25T07:16:58","date_gmt":"2017-05-25T11:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/?p=12341"},"modified":"2017-05-23T19:23:56","modified_gmt":"2017-05-23T23:23:56","slug":"thievery-stole-the-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/2017\/05\/thievery-stole-the-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Thievery Stole the Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

We attended the Thievery Corporation Concert at the Kennedy Center last week. It was a one night show and I was glad to get affordable tickets with great seats in the front orchestra!<\/p>\n

We attended the first performance. It was the first time Thievery Corporation<\/a> had played at the Kennedy Center<\/a>. Their normal venues might be less-upscale concert halls. This performance was a collaborative effort with Mason Bates, the Kennedy Center’s Composer-in-Residence. It was part of the KC Jukebox, which is a studio-lab that experiments with blending acoustic sounds. This was the first time to my knowledge that Thievery Corporation had the accompaniment of a full symphonic orchestra. The conductor was Teddy Abrams<\/a>, Director of the\u00a0 Louisville, KY Orchestra.<\/p>\n

Before entering the concert hall, we enjoyed a glass of wine with nuts on the Concourse overlooking the Potomac River. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, 70’s and breezy. You almost didn’t want to go inside. I wish I had taken a picture but it wouldn’t capture it entirely. Here’s the Center Hall instead.<\/p>\n

\"Kennedy \"Kennedy<\/p>\n

Upon entering the concert hall there was heavy bass, electronic music by 2 DJ’s out of Chicago, Striz and Justin Reed. The music was in keeping with Thievery Corporation’s style of mixed funk, hip-hop, ambient, soul, techno, lounge with an international-cultural-bent. After Mason Bates’ composition, The Rise of Exotic Computing,<\/em> (with some Radiohead<\/a>-phonic inspiration) was played by the NSO Orchestra along with a more classical Astor Piazzola (finale from Sinforietta), then the showstopper started.<\/p>\n

I’ve been listening to Eric Hilton and Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation with their own genre of lounge-style-music for 20+ years but had never heard them live. I still enjoy their Jet Society CD they produced and the actual 18th Street Lounge DC venue, where I remember some of the best dancing to African-beat rythyms. Their music adapts and it never gets old. In fact, there were fans of all ages including those in my age group, who had even brought their teenage children for the next generation to discover Thievery. The symphonic arrangements only added to the full experience. They played a few of their classics like: Richest Man in Babylon, Sweet Tides, Lebanese Blonde <\/em>(below – I love the sitar and trumpet mix with sultry singing) and others from their newest album, The Temple of I & I, which is heavily based on Jamaican beats.<\/p>\n