Connect Sessions

Collaborations are all the rage these days....
Connect Sessions

Connect Sessions

Collaborations are all the rage these days, from Intel & VICE Magazine’s Creators Project (QRO event recap) to Eugene Mirman & Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s ‘StarTalk’ comedy/science podcast (QRO live recap). In this era where everyone needs new content for the million-and-one websites out there, putting two companies or two artists together can create something new that isn’t just a superfluous remix. SPIN Magazine teamed up with Microsoft for the ‘Connect Sessions’ at Verboten in Brooklyn on Wednesday, December 17th, where musicians were teamed up with visual projection artists – Com Truise + Candystations, How To Dress Well + Melissa Matos, and Ian Williams + Ron Amstutz.

Nick CatchdubsVerboten is a new venue in northwest Williamsburg, near the likes of Brooklyn Bowl (QRO venue review) and Williamsburg Park (QRO venue review), coming out of being a long-running roving NYC party. It definitely had classier insides, leaning towards the nightclub end of things, but that also meant it was dark and the music was loud. On the plus was free coat check, clean bathrooms (including attendant), and quality audio and visual equipment, a must for an event like this. Also a must was the free drinks, Tiger Beer and Espolõn Tequila, not to mention in-between set DJ Nick Catchdubs (who seems to be the go-to DJ for events like this).

Ian Williams

First up was Ian Williams, frontman for acclaimed post-rock-meets-electro-experimental band Battles. He was basically just doing a DJ set, though with a full set of equipment. Unfortunately the projected visuals of Candystations were far more limited, only coming up some of the time, and only one of the three screens (and not the one behind Williams).

Candystations

How To Dress Well

Much more engaged and alive was How To Dress Well, as frontman Tom Krell (QRO interview) brought his full band – and artist Melissa Matos (of TRUSST) brought art to all the screens, creating a nice enveloping effect. HTDW did actual songs, including a quiet, stripped piece (before which Krell mentioned how hard it is to do such a piece with a drinking crowd), which very effectively got epic, the backdrop definitely helping out.

Melissa Matos

Com Truise

After the full effect of How To Dress Well, going back to just a DJ in Seth Haley, a.k.a. Com Truise, did feel a little like a step back, but only at first. An acclaimed electronics artist, Haley was the ‘big name’ for the event. Artist Ron Amstutz also had some really good visuals of his own, which were relatively highlighted by the lack of much outside light on Haley, making the two come together – particularly when Haley closed the evening with a piece he did specifically for the Connect Sessions.

Ron Amstutz

Unfortunately SPIN doesn’t seem to be having their annual ‘Year In Review’ Party (last year saw pre-SNL Charli XCX and pre-“Google ‘Bill Cosby’ and ‘Rapist’” Hannibal Buress – QRO recap), but this was an interesting collaboration between a music magazine & a tech company (SPIN likely provided the artists, Microsoft the tech – and the money…) for collaborations by musicians and visual artists.

Connect Sessions

Categories
Concert Reviews
Album of the Week