By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org
Kick off the New Year with Concerts Under the Stars at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) featuring the sounds of synth-pop music with How to Live Together on Thursday, Jan.16.
“We’re thrilled to kick off the Concerts Under the Stars series with How to Live Together,” said Kate Kocienski, Vice President of Marketing & PR for the Public Museum. “Each concert, held in our Chaffee Planetarium, will generate a highly immersive experience for attendees, showcasing an immense amount of diverse musical and visual artistry.”
How to Live Together is composed of Grand Rapids residents Jesse Kaczmarczyk and Steffanie Rosalez. The pair utilize digital and analog synthesis to compose their synth-pop songs. The duo sample lighthearted Nintendo blips while creating dark analog sounds, which became an ongoing parallel for their own relationship and their relationship to the world around them. Using the limitless world of synthesizers, they examine the joy and dysfunction of being an interracial couple in the current cultural landscape of race, politics and social norms.
In a June 2019 Local Spins article, Jesse Kaczmarczyk said “We play it all live with many synths on stage including modular synths and Nintendos. We also bridge groups of songs together with improvised mini-tracks for a more seamless performance. Our music can be fun and upbeat with heavy and meaningful lyrics.”
Concerts Under the Stars will begin at 7:30 p.m., with Museum doors opening at 6:30 p.m. At each concert, performers will play two sets with a short intermission in between.
The video component of the show will be provided by Grand Rapids native Nate Eizenga. Eizenga, a video artist who has been participating in the Concerts Under theStars series since 2017, focuses on accompanying his intricate visuals with live musical performances. By using controllers intended for digital music production to create, mix and manipulate video in real time, he crafts a visual experience that connects the line between artistic spontaneity and musical synchronicity.
Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $12 for GRPM members and $17 for the public. Tickets are currently on sale and available at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.
The 2020 Concerts Under the Stars series will continue on Feb. 6 with rock and roll sets performed by Coffin Problem, Feb. 27 with the smooth sounds of Indie rock from Seth Beck and will conclude on March 19 with a unique mix of surf, pop rock by Hollywood Makeout.
