From April 7-12, 2015, MDC Live Arts presents musician Taylor Ho Bynum in a week-long, in-depth community residency in Miami implementing the philosophies of his Acoustic Bicycle Tour project in an urban setting.
In the fall of 2014, Taylor completed an unusual and ambitious project: The Acoustic Bicycle Tour (West Coast), a 5-week, 2000-mile performance journey in which he traveled down the entirety of the West Coast from Canada to Mexico solely by bicycle, presenting concerts along the way and collaborating with 50 different local musicians. The endeavor was an act of composition, a performance art piece, a philosophical statement, a celebration of musical community, and an exercise in extreme physicality.
In Miami, the challenge transforms from distance to difficulty, as Taylor will navigate the city’s less bike-friendly infrastructure, riding the message of alternate forms of creativity and alternative modes of transportation over a hundred miles throughout the area. He will visit five of Miami Dade College’s far-flung campuses and appear in both advertised venues and spontaneous pop-up performances throughout the city. Activities will include site-specific improvisations, screenings and discussions of a short documentary film on the west coast bike tour, and workshops in schools and with local musicians.
Sunday, April 12, starting at Soundscape Park, Bynum leads a group of free-wheeling Peddling Poets who will present site-specific poetry and music on a 16-mile loop, routing through downtown Miami and Miami Beach area, with stops at Miami Circle, The Standard & more. The ride culminates with a 6:15 performance at O, Miami’s Poetry In The Park at SoundScape Park. FREE
Featured poets are Adrian Castro, Michele Jessica Fievre, Michael Hettich, Jen Karetnick, Geoffrey Philp and, in memoriam, Jeffrey Knapp.
Here’s the map: https://goo.gl/maps/iDIfP
SCHEDULES AND LOCATIONS
3:00pm: opening invocation, Soundscape Park 3:10 – 3:45: 5.2 mile ride 3:45 – 3:55: Adrian Castro at Scottish Rite Temple 3:55 – 4:10: 1.8 mile ride 4:10 – 4:20: Michael Hettich at Miami Circle 4:20 – 4:30: 0.8 mile ride 4:30 – 4:40: M.J. Fievre at Bayfront Park 4:40 – 5:05: 3.3 mile ride 5:05 – 5:15: Jen Karetnick at Standard Spa 5:15 – 5:35: 2.4 mile ride 5:35 – 5:45: Geoffrey Philp at Mt. Sinai 5:45 – 5:55: 1.1 mile ride 5:55 – 6:05: Jeffrey Knapp in memoriam 6:05 – 6:15: 1.6 mile ride 6:15: Closing performance (all poets, all musicians)
For more information on the Acoustic Bicycle Tour, please visit www.acousticbicycletour.com.
This project is presented by MDC Live Arts with the support of Creative Capital and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. The performance of Taylor Ho Bynum 7-ette, presented in collaboration with Kerrytown Concert House and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, is supported by Presenter Consortium for Jazz, a program of Chamber Music America funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Partners include O, Miami, WDNA, Emerge Miami, and the South Florida Composers Alliance.
Weds, April 8 at 7:30pm | Audiotheque | Film Screening: Bynum screens a 15-minute documentary about his West Coast bike tour, and performs solo and with Gustavo Matamoros. FREE
Fri, April 10 at 8pm | WDNA Jazz Gallery | Performance: The THB 7-tette performs music from their critically acclaimed recordings Navigation (The Complete Firehouse 12 Recordings) and Apparent Distance. Tickets at door or call: 305-662-8889 $15 / FREE for WDNA Members & Students
Sat, April 11 at 10am | EMERGE MIAMI BIKE RIDE: Meet up at Douglas Road MetroRail Station, routing through Little Havana with stops at Domino Park, Los Pinarenos Fruteria & more; ending at the Koubek Center for 12:30pm performance FREE
Sat, April 11 at 12:30pm | Koubek Center Theater: The THB 7-tette + some of Miami’s leading new music performers create a 15-piece ensemble that will perform the world premiere of a new work for creative orchestra. FREE
Sun, April 12 at 6:15pm | New World Symphony’s SoundScape Park | Performance: Poetry by the Peddling Poets and music by THB at O, Miami’s Poetry in the Park celebration