Sonic Youth Gossip - Asphalt Orchestra "Kickstarts" Pixies Project

Asphalt Orchestra: Re-Envisions The Pixies' "Surfer Rosa"

Asphalt Orchestra is Bang on a Can's wildly virtuosic marching band. The album "Surfer Rosa?" A life-changing album. Now Asphalt eats the Pixies and spits them out anew! Won't you please help us record and releases and tour this reinterpretation of an indie-punk classic?

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Where were you when you first heard the Pixies Surfer Rosa? Whether it was 1988 when the record came out, or just last year or even "not yet," it's a stunner, a truly memorable experience. Loved or misunderstood at the time of its release, the album has had an enormous impact on all kinds of music. At first listen, it's just noisy rock 'n' roll, but dig deeper and you find all kinds of innovations and experimentation in the crannies. And great, great songs.

Asphalt Orchestra has commissioned some fantastic composers and arranged many others. They play the music of Goran Bregovich, David Byrne, Frank Zappa, Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Charles Mingus, Tatsuya Yoshida, Meshuggah, Yoko Ono and many more. When it came time for a next big project, they decided to arrange a whole album from start to finish. But which one? After listening to dozens of possibilities while touring in the van, Asphalt arrived at a near-unanimous choice. The Pixies. Surfer Rosa. And now we want to share it with the world!

The arrangements are completed, and now the band is ready to record, release, and tour the project. We've set a budget to make the record and get it out there, and even with everyone working for cheap or free, it will still run us nearly $15,000. That's why we're turning to you to help us with contributions small or big. And even if you can't give, please send along the link to those who might. It'll take a lot of $25 pledges to reach our goal, but we know we can do it if word gets out to the whole wide world.

Learn more about the project and donate here. Thank you for your support!