There are rumblings of a shift in the music world these days. People are sick of the biggest corporations setting the rules for what sounds good or what is consumable. If that sentiment sounds familiar it’s because those rumblings have been echoing throughout the music underground for the last half a century. Luckily there is tangible proof that something is being done, all one has to do is look at the artist driven performing arts project known as National Sawdust.
With its grand opening less than a month away, the National Sawdust project out of Brooklyn, NY deserves a ton of attention and excitement. Founded by an eclectic group of visionary artists, National Sawdust is a stand alone project that both showcases established talent from various genres of music and dance, as well as invests money and support into up and coming talent. There are too many names involved in the creation of this project to list here but any fans of the indie music scene would be happy to know that Bryce Dessner (composer and guitarist for Brooklyn’s own, The National) is a curator.
The theatre itself is a former factory that has been redone to create the ultimate music scene. It has bars, a restaurant, a standing room capacity of 350, and room for a massive orchestra. The real beauty of this place is just how wide the range of musical styles that are presented will be. Fans of the indie folk scene (I happily place myself in this category) should immediately get excited because Chris Thile of The Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek fame, will performing opening night.
Basically what we have is a conservatory for new talent is the music world, and that is something to celebrate. With artists who literally have a fellowship with the MacArthur Foundation (Chris Thile) playing their shows alongside people from all over the musical spectrum, National Sawdust has the potential to do something great right here in NYC.
Photograph: Bureau V National Sawdust
-Ryan Schmitz
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