FAUST & TIMPANI - PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE SCORE FOR 1926 GERMAN CINEMA
At the Hollywood Theatre, the Organ Grinders silent film series takes on a classic folktale in a neoclassical way. On November 18th, the 1939 Ensemble takes the stage with a secret laboratory worth of drums, mallets and chimes. Their target: Goethe’s tale of the Alchemist and the Devil, the 1926 Silent film by F.W. Murnau. Led by Jose Medeles of the Breeders, the 1939 Ensemble mixes a gaggle of percussion influences into their exciting live performances. In a special one-time performance, the Hollywood Theatre is transformed back to its vaudeville days of bowler hat bedecked musicians and big screen spectacles.
ORGAN GRINDERS: FAUST
November 18th - 8pm
Hollywood Theatre - $12
Tickets available at Filmusik.com and the Hollywood Theatre box office
Watch the Organ Grinders’ trailer for the event
1939 are an instrumental duo from Portland Or. with an unusual line-up: drums, vibraphone & noise. drawing influences from Jazz, Krautrock and No Wave, 1939 Ensemble moves between ominous dissonance and noise to sharp bombastic beats. The duo features Jose Medeles of The Breeders and David Coniglio .
Jose Medeles
is the drummer for The Breeders and 1939 Ensemble. In 1998 played drums for Face to Face as a touring member. He also played drums in 22 Jacks, appearing on Overserved and their final album
Going North.
David Coniglio
played with Either/Orchestra and side projects with Dana Colley of Morphine. David moved to Portland, OR in 2006, and is now actively gigging with 1939 Ensemble and M. Village.
ORGAN GRINDERS
- From under the screen, the sounds of modern groups are paired with movies from a different era, updating the genre of Silent Film accompaniment to the sounds around us today. Organ Grinders revisits the original vision of the Hollywood Theatre, built in 1926 with an orchestra pit and a hydraulically ascending theatre organ.
FAUST
- God and Satan war over earth; to settle things, they wager on the soul of Faust, a learned and prayerful alchemist. During a plague, Faust despairs and burns his books after failing to stop death; Satan sends Mephisto to tempt Faust, first with insight into treating the plague and then with a day’s return to youth. Mephisto is clever, timing the end of this 24 hours as Faust embraces the beautiful Duchess of Parma. Faust trades his soul for youth. Some time later, he’s bored, and demands on Easter Sunday that Mephisto take him home. Faust promptly sees and falls in love with the beautiful Gretchen, whose liaison with him brings her dishonor. Is there redemption? Who wins the wager?