Now. What?

These are dangerous times, friend. Everybody's up on the stump shouting about the future and their plans for what will be, promising that change will manifest only through his or her personal vision. What about now? What about that moment that exists right here — there — and is gone? You can't live for the future — it never comes. You have to make your peace with the present if you're going to have any peace at all. Learn, Artist! is concerned with right now. The two-guitar, one-bass improvisational band carves out swooping arcs of now, holds them up to the light for the briefest of examinations, and then lets the now combust with dignity and purpose so that something newer can fill the void. Squiggly echoes fold into distant foghorn blasts and become an effervescent haze that lingers no longer than is decent. The future is unwritten, but the present is forever learned. Learn, Artist! explores the now at 6 p.m. at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum on the Washington University campus (Forsyth and Skinker boulevards; www.kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu or 314-935-4523) as part of the Kemper Presents concert series. Admission is free, and complimentary snacks and PBR are provided.
Fri., March 28, 2008