Christmas Gift #3: To All Tomorrow's Parties

Band: Oneida

Album: The Ocropolis III: ATP Festival 2011

Origin: U.S.A. (New York City, New York)

Genre: Psychedelic Rock

Year: 2011

As my third and final 'gift', I present to you Oneida's seven hour jam session at ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror event (curated by Portishead) in a New Jersey bowling alley, of all places!

"The Ocropolis is Oneida's multidisciplinary studio/performance space in the basement of the Monster Island arts building, located in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Built by Oneida and their friends in 2005, this studio has become a renowned source of recordings by Black Dice, Growing, Sightings, Trans Am, Liturgy, White Hills, and (of course) Oneida. It has also played host to a number of intimate Oneida public performances over the past several years.

In the third installment of an ongoing collaboration between the band and All Tomorrow’s Parties, Oneida will present a special all-day installation in which the impetus, spirit and community of the Ocropolis will be transported to the festival grounds for a full day of improvisation, collaboration, and recording, open to all festival attendees. Numerous musicians and performers have participated in prior installments of this 12-hour nonstop event, including Boredoms, Flaming Lips, Deerhoof, the Dead C, Mike Watt, Akron/Family, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and many more.

The performance will encompass a full day of improvisation and collaboration that is intended to recreate the band's approach to recording and performing – an event usually restricted to the smallest audiences – and as always, projections, lights and visual improvisatory collaboration will be provided by the Secret Project Robot crew (fellow denizens of the Monster Island community). This performance will follow the June release of Absolute II, the final installment in the band’s Thank Your Parents series of recordings." (atpfestival.com)

The whole session has been recorded by NPR, split up in three parts which you can download and/or stream. They have also been so friendly to provide a timeline with a rough order of guest performers (members from Portishead, Boredoms, et al.).
Just cut yourself off from your family and space out for seven hours. Enjoy!

Oneida - The Ocropolis III