The Lab: October, 2021

This week began with my writing about two performances scheduled to take place this month at The Lab. Ironically, the only event currently scheduled for next month will be the next offering in the Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry. However, three performances have been scheduled for October; and, since this site has already previewed the Old First Concerts October events, it seems fair to give the same consideration to The Lab.

For those who do not already know, The Lab is in the Mission at 2948 16th Street. This is a short walk from the corner of Mission Street. The location is particularly good for those using public transportation, since that corner provides bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel as well as a BART station. Doors open half an hour before the concert is scheduled to begin; and, back before the pandemic, it was usually the case that a long line had accumulated prior to the opening. Specific information, including when the performance begins and a hyperlink to the event page that provides both background material and hyperlinks for ticket purchases, is as follows:

Friday, October 1, Saturday, October 2, and Sunday, October 3, 8 p.m.: The Gawdafful National Theater, directed by founder Asher Hartman, will give a staged performance of The Dope Elf, which has previously been presented as a cycle of six films. Hartmann provided the following introduction for this offering:

Elves, trolls, magicians, and infectious agents of Europe’s historical disease come to life in the form of ordinary American folk who inhabit a landscape of psychic pain set upon the structures of white supremacy and violence. This is the world of fast food, streaming entertainment, oxycontin, sexual obsessions, and generalized anxiety disorder. It’s a world of strangled desire and misplaced hope. White supremacy is the underlying cause of all ills, loss, boredom, and perilous transformation.

The ensemble is highly interdisciplinary and, according to its own introductory statement, “is devoted to the beautiful, the ugly, the out of line, the old and awkward in theater and its traditions, while inviting in ideas from performance and intuitive practices.” It is unclear how much music will figure in this performance, but this will definitely be a “bleeding edge” offering.

Saturday, October 9, 8 p.m.: The program that comes closest to a recital will be a solo performance by guitarist Arto Lindsay. He was born in the United States (in 1953) but grew up in Brazil. He was a key figure in adventurous approaches to composition and performance that emerged during the late Seventies. He formed the “no wave” band DNA, which was recorded on the four-track sampler No New York, which was produced by Brian Eno. He also performed with The Lounge Lizards and The Golden Palominos. More recently his repertoire has included gentler, sensuous Brazilian themes.

Saturday, October 16, 8:30 p.m.: This will be an evening of two solo sets. Ka Bird is a multi-instrumentalist with her own approach to “body music,” based on physical exertion and psychic extension. John Saint Pelvyn is both singer and guitarist. His style involves the influences of traditional blues from the deep south; but his vocal style is decidedly unique, particularly when it is in the countertenor range. He also plays the theremin, but it is unclear whether or not he will bring that instrument to his Lab gig.