Phenomenal Handclap Band is the one that was never meant to be: an initially loose collective of musicians who wanted to stray away from the show circuit and focus on production. However, demand for PHB exploded following the release of hit single “15 To 20,” resulting in this diverse group of musicians stepping back into the spotlight for two albums, including the new Form & Control. We invited Sean Marquand, one of PHB’s founding members, to guest edit magnetmagazine.com this week. Read our recent feature on the band here.
Marquand: I saw Die Soldaten at The Armory in New York. I know next to nothing about opera, but this show made me a fan. It was performed on a narrow stage the size of a sports field while the audience is on rollers and moved back and forth to catch the action. To the left of the audience is a 200-plus orchestra playing a 12-tone score, and on the right is a sound-effects orchestra handling all the oddball non-melodic aspects of the production. It’s a visceral, bloody, wildly beautiful performance that has me wishing rock music could find the audience and the budget to be so ambitious.
Video after the jump.
