Bang on a Can Big Birthday Giveaway Starts Now - Download the All-Stars' New Album

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Bang on a Can celebrates turning 25 with a very special gift: Download the new album for FREE during the first 25 days of January in exchange for a Bang on a Can memory at www.bangonacan25.org.

The Bang on a Can All-Stars have recorded their first studio album in five years, for release on Bang on a Can’s Cantaloupe Music in 2012. The album, Big Beautiful Dark and Scary, is also the first to include the All-Stars’ current line-up: Ashley Bathgate, cello; Robert Black, bass; Vicky Chow, piano; David Cossin, percussion; Mark Stewart, electric guitar; and Evan Ziporyn, clarinets. In celebration of its 25th birthday, Bang on a Can is giving a very special gift to the public. The complete, double album is available to download for free during the first 25 days of January (through January 25) from www.bangonacan25.org. In exchange, listeners need only share a memory, thought, or story of Bang on a Can from the last 25 years, to be displayed online. The result will be a scrapbook of memories not just from those closest to the organization, but from the many people worldwide that Bang on a Can has touched over the years. And those new to Bang on a Can can still get the free download.

From January 31 through February 27, Big Beautiful Dark and Scary will be offered only through iTunes at the special price of $5.99, including an exclusive bonus track – a live recording of Philip Glass’ Closing performed by Glass and the Bang on a Can All-Stars at the 2011 Bang on a Can Marathon (coincidentally available starting on the composer’s 75th birthday). The album will be available at all retailers beginning on February 28.

With Big Beautiful Dark and Scary, the Bang on a Can All-Stars show off their blazing speed, polyrhythmic virtuosity and all-world versatility in a return to the core Bang on a Can sound – an uncategorizable supermix of classical and electric instruments that is part classical ensemble, part rock band. The album is the first in a decade that features the All-Stars exclusively, rather than as part of a collaborative project. Each of the pieces on the double-CD calls upon a different kind of virtuosity, demonstrating the range of musical abilities and experiences arguably unique to this ensemble. Recorded in New York City, all of the music on Big Beautiful Dark and Scary (including the arrangements of the works by Conlon Nancarrow) were written for and premiered by the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

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