Two reviews of our Pittsburgh debut appeared in newspapers today. Andrew Druckenbrod, fresh from covering the Pittsburgh Symphony on its European tour, gave us a right trashing in the Post-Gazette:
In Eighth Blackbird’s Pittsburgh debut, it either meant the music accompanying the visuals lacked substance or the group’s movements distracted from the music.
Eighth Blackbird appeared to be overly concentrating, like a bunch of classical musicians trying much too hard to look like rockers. They didn’t seem to be relaxed or look as if they were having a good time — the one thing pop and rock acts know is crucial to movement on stage.
Eighth Blackbird instead projected the readings onto an onstage screen, an attempt at a mini-art film that came across as amateurish.
Eighth Blackbird may claim darling status with this move to visual delights, but unless it can increase its quality and pick better music, it runs the risk of hurting its primary mission — bringing audiences new music that we want to hear, not see.
Nice. Mark Kenny in the Tribune Review gave us pretty lukewarm coverage, but in comparison with Druckenbrod’s review, his piece looks like a ringing endorsement…
Comments 9
Hey birds,
No one is ever as good as the great reviews, or ever as bad as the bad reviews.
Keep flyin!!
Jim
Posted 14 Feb 2008 at 9:24 am ¶Since Druckenbrod can’t even manage coherent prose, I wouldn’t be too worried about his reaction . . .
Posted 17 Feb 2008 at 11:15 am ¶If Druckenbrod (quelle name) could hear better, he would presumably write better!
Posted 17 Feb 2008 at 11:17 am ¶Shall we say “dreckenbrod,” since he is the only reviewer I’ve read that can’t use lower case for eighth blackbird? Guess he had a bad hair day to be THAT perjorative. Your Grammy lets you smile at guys like him. Most of us LOVE you guys, and I am one of your oldest fans — both ways.
Posted 17 Feb 2008 at 9:02 pm ¶I was at Carnegie Music Hall & you guys were GREAT!!! Don’t know where Druckenbrod was–must not have been the same concert?!?! LOVED it all, and especially dug “Musique de Tables”. Keep doing what you are doing. Congrats on the Grammy :)
p.s. Matt, the trashcan was awesome!
Posted 17 Feb 2008 at 10:49 pm ¶Many publications don’t allow lower-case titles for people and institutions that normally merit proper nouns. That’s not Druckenbrod’s fault, it belongs to the style guide of his newspaper.
Posted 18 Feb 2008 at 4:26 pm ¶E. E. Cummings?
How arrogant.
Posted 19 Feb 2008 at 5:24 pm ¶Maybe they’d bend the rules for a poet.
Posted 21 Feb 2008 at 5:43 pm ¶E. E. Cummings! Way to go, Thomas Albert.
What sport on a reviewer that doesn’t even do his homework.
Posted 25 Feb 2008 at 1:16 pm ¶Post a Comment