Big Thief

Indie folk rockers on the rise

NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS — Brooklyn’s Big Thief released Masterpiece this May on Conor Oberst’s Saddle Creek label — an impressive debut that churns with singer-guitarist-songwriter Adrianne Lenker’s “evocative scenes of people and places, while the band shifts nimbly between lo-fi acoustic and throwback rock hooks” (Pitchfork). Big Thief graces the stage of MASS MoCA’s Club B10 on Saturday, November 5, at 8pm.

Big Thief’s chief singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker and guitarist-singer Buck Meek began their creative friendship after meeting in Brooklyn, NY, culminating in a pair of collaborative albums titled A-Sides and B-Sides. Lenker and Meek took the show on the road, spending years performing in backyards, barns, and basements, and living the rubber-tramping road life together. On this journey, they gained a couple partners and Big Thief was born.

Led by Lenker’s lusty lyrics, Meek’s guitar, and complemented by Max Oleartchik on bass and James Krivchenia on drums, Big Thief builds a montage of memory, life, love, and the heartache of human experience. In Lenker’s words, Big Thief’s debut album Masterpiece tracks “the masterpiece of existence, which is always folding into itself, people attempting to connect, to both shake themselves awake and to shake off the numbness of certain points in their life. The interpretations might be impressionistic or surrealistic, but they’re grounded in simple things.”

Big Thief pounds out songs with a fierce tenderness reminiscent of folk-indie-rock bands Mothers and Whitney. Masterpiece, rooted in real experiences and hand-crafted with solicitous lyrics, is included in NPR Music’s “30 Favorite Albums of the Year” and in June, NPR listeners voted the band the best new artist of 2016’s first half. “The power of Big Thief lies in the stunning voice of Adrianne Lenker — as well as the band’s intense rhythms, the guitar playing of Buck Meek and, right, the lyrics. Come to think of it, everything this band does serves the muscular warmth of these brilliant songs, which are not only memorable, but meaningful” (NPR Music). Currently on the road in North America, Big Thief has spent the last year playing the UK and Europe, on tour in support of Eleanor Friedberger and Yuck, and rounded it all out in September with a major gig supporting Lucius and JD McPherson on Central Park’s SummerStage. Big Thief brightens our stage on Saturday, November 5, at 8pm.

Join us before the show when Lickety Spit, MASS MoCA’s café, serves up crisp salads, hearty soups, and lip-smacking pub fare. A full bar serves Bright Ideas Brewing beers and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits. Tickets are $10 for students, $12 advance, $18 day of, and $24 preferred. Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during box office hours or purchased online at massmoca.org.

Images
High-resolution images of MASS MoCA’s fall 2016 events are available through this link: bit.ly/mmfall2016

About MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video.

Gallery admission is $18 for adults, $16 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under. Members are admitted free year-round. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition is open seasonally, spring – fall. For additional information, call 413.662.2111 x1 or visit massmoca.org.

Hours
11am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays

Download the Big Thief press release