All the Newband News That's Fit to Spin

by Jon Szanto, with info from Dean Drummond & Marc Wolf

We've all been following the ridiculous situation of the original Partch instruments, along with Newband, being displaced from Purchase College. Finally, after a number of months there is news to report. On the negative side, our nation is disgraced by the knowledge that there wasn't one institution that could meet the needs of maintaining a place for this music to be played, studied, rehearsed, curated, etc. On the positive side is that it is not the end, and the instruments aren't fleeing abroad. Here is what I have for posting as of August 15, 1998.  [JMS]

From Dean Drummond, Artistic Director of Newband:

Newband has rented a new studio located at:

100 Sterling Mine Road
Sloatsburg, NY  10974

FYI, Sloatsburg is about an hour NW of Manhattan, 20 minutes west of Nyack, where I live. The address is to give you exact information. Newband's mailing address remains:

Box 443
Nyack, NY  10960

We have a one-year lease @ $1,800/month which is good and bad. Good: $1,800 is the most reasonable rent we have encountered in two months of searching. We have the right to find a better deal for the following year. Bad: we can't afford it and must do some serious fundraising and we could be out on the street in a year if the landlord sells the building to someone that doesn't want us.

The space itself: certainly large enough. We could buy/rent 100 or so chairs and give "local" concerts without moving instruments. It is funky: originally a dairy, more recently a woodshop followed by a manufacturing company for cardboard cartons. We have rented approximately one third of the bottom floor from Quality Carton, Inc.

Our space is pretty quiet (quieter than Purchase College) even though the building is on a well-traveled rural road. The road is the main access from NYC to Sterling Forest, which means there will be a certain amount of tourist traffic. We will be putting a sign on the road that says something like:

Newband, Inc. &
The Harry Partch Museum

We are thinking about having it open to the public (walkin) at certain times, but haven't quite figured out how to do that so it is open at regular enough intervals, but at times when I (or someone else) am actually available to be there. My quick thinking is that, if I can figure out a way to keep the "museum" open on weekends, a $4 admission would cover entrance and a demonstration. Also a gift shop to sell Newband CD's, Enclosures products, Woodstock chimes, etc. Newband just can't lose money on this. If no one shows up, no problem; I would just fix instruments, compose, practice, etc. If you have any ideas re: any of this, I'd love to hear.

Jon again: for those of you that are keeping track of such things (as you should), Newband now has new email and website addresses. See them at http://www.spyral.net/newband/ and get a hold of them email-wise at newband@spyral.net I'm willing to bet with the upcoming move and settling in there may be a lull in updates to their sites, but at least send them good wishes.

Along the lines of the aforementioned move, I received in the mail a note from Marc Wolf, a guitarist in New York who seems stirred into action. I always have hesitations about blanket invitations for 'musicians to use the Partch instruments', but never mind that for now. Following is the message forwarded to me...

Please forward:

This message brought to you by The Committee for Harry Partch Awareness (CHPA) and PARTCHAID '98.

Newband, the ensemble who play, maintain, and compose for, the Harry Partch Instruments (a one of a kind collection of instruments made by Partch and for which all of his compositions are written) have for the past 5 years been Ensemble-in-Residence at the State University of New York at Purchase.

This past spring, a new Dean of Music effectively terminated Newband's residence by appropriating the room in which the instruments are stored. (see: The Newband Housing Dilemma) Newband now faces financial setbacks, having to resort to renting a commercial space in a small town 60 miles north of NYC. (Due to the abruptness of their dismissal from Purchase, Newband have had no success in securing a residence at any college or university.) This will inevitably put a damper on important performances of Partch's work (such as last year's world premiere of Oedipus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and is a blow to the international community of Partch scholars, fans and admirers.

CHPA wishes to raise funds to establish a rehearsal/performance/museum space for the instruments and to commission Newband to perform more of Partch's large-scale works. Due to the immediacy of the situation, we have determined that the most effective way to do this is to organize a benefit concert in NYC (PARTCHAID '98) sometime in the next 4 months.

We are seeking the following volunteers:

  • Individuals willing to donate time/effort for PARTCHAID '98; bands, promoters, sound engineers, lighting techs, stage managers, crew, PA's, etc.
  • Media: Newspapers/Periodicals/Radio/TV willing to donate ad space/time.
  • Musicians interested in using the Partch instruments on a recording.
  • Writers interested in covering this story.

Interested parties may correspond to: chpa@furiousartisans.com  If you are unable to assist, but wish to be notified of the latest developments for PARTCHAID '98, please email: partch98@furiousartisans.com.

Thank You,
Marc Wolf / CHPA

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