Alt-Nation: Metalachi — This Week! Have you ever listened to 94 WHJY during the day and wondered what would be like if their staid playlist was performed by a mariachi band? Me neither. That said, Metalachi, known as the greatest heavy metal mariachi band ever to roam the earth, does sound like a hoot! Metalachi recreates classic rock staples and heavy metal anthems as mariachi ditties and it is downright awesome! On their debut album, Uno, Metalachi tackle 8 classics by the likes of Guns ‘N’ Roses, Scorpions, Bon Jovi and more! Check out their version of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_5y5KrBoO8 and don’t miss Metalachi this Wednesday at Firehouse 13! Metalachi and Lame Genie rock Firehouse 13 on Jan 14. Email music news to [email protected] Mystery, Wonder and Awe, “O” My! Just over the Massachusetts state border in Fall River, 20 or so highly skilled and dedicated classical singers gather weekly to rehearse the complex and beautiful vocal music of various composers. This group calls itself “Sine Nomine,” which translates to “Without a Name.” Founded in 1993 by early music specialist Glenn Giuttari, Sine Nomine has been in existence for over 20 years. Joseph Fort, Sine Nomine’s new music director, is currently a PhD candidate in music theory at Harvard University. He is a graduate of Cambridge University and also has studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. A mild-mannered man full of musical integrity, Fort has been involved in choral music his entire professional life, both as a director and as an accompanist. In addition to his duties at Sine Nomine, Fort conducts the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, and is the music director at Grace Church in Newton, Mass. Being a chamber choir, Sine Nomine differs from a traditional choir in a couple of ways, most notably by its small size. With fewer vocalists per part, each individual singer carries more responsibility. “What’s great about this group is that between all the rehearsals, [the singers] go and prepare for the next rehearsal on their own,” says Fort. “When we actually rehearse together, we don’t have to worry about crashing thru the notes. We can actually work on crafting the piece of music. That’s what really makes this group stand out. Also, in comparison to a church choir, we’re not affiliated with any particular church service. We are able to focus exclusively on preparing the music for our concerts, and we’re able to broaden our choice of repertoire.” Sine Nomine will perform its first concert of 2015 on Jan 17 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Bristol, RI. A second performance happens on Sun, Jan 18 at Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford. Tag-lined with the single-letter Latin word ‘O’, the program features both classic and modern settings of influential texts that begin with O. Fort explains this concept: “We looked for inspirational settings of text that begin with this word. Usually they are trying to express wonder, mystery, distress or some other powerful emotion. There are so many brilliant settings of texts like ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ and ‘O Sacrum Convivium.’ Originally they were performed for one Sunday of the year in the church. In this sense, they actually get very few performances.” A key concept behind this concert program is the juxtaposition of old and new settings of the same text, in many cases written centuries apart. “For example,” continues Fort, “we’ll be performing the William Byrd setting of ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ (written in the early 1600s) as well as the Morten Lauridsen setting of the same text written in 1997. It’s quite interesting when you take the same texts set by different composers and discover how they each approach it. They’re after the same thing, but they use very different techniques.” On Sat, May 16, Sine Nomine will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ‘Vespers’ at Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Woonsocket, RI. The year 2015 marks the 100 year anniversary of this work, which has been labeled by many scholars as Rachmaninoff’s finest achievement. Even more poignant is the context in which it will be performed in Rhode Island. “Saint Michael’s is a Ukranian orthodox church that recently burned down. They’re just finishing their restoration and rebuilding of the church. We’ll be performing ‘Vespers’ as part of their celebratory church service, so we’re doing a liturgical form of it. This should be interesting, as it’s almost always performed as a concert piece.” “Vespers” will also be performed in its full concert version on Fri, May 15 at St. Lawrence Martyr in New Bedford, Mass. Defining quality over quantity, Sine Nomine performs only two programs each season. Both of these upcoming concerts promise to be unique listening experiences. For more information, visit sinenominechoir.org Dan Sperry Joins The Illusionists at PPAC Goth magician Dan Sperry is one of the performers in The Illusionists, a showcase for dazzling modern displays of mind-reading, levitation, disappearances and grand illusion. The show, which has been touring North America, will be at the Providence Performing Arts Center from Jan 16 through 18. “In the most basic, straightforward sense it’s a magic show,” Sperry told Motif. “We got a great live band, stuff is projected on video screens, and we have a live camera stream so even if you’re in the back row, you get the feeling that you’re right there on stage and seeing this stuff up-close.” The Illusionists has something for everyone, Sperry notes. Each of the seven magicians was selected for his own unique talent. Sperry is known as the Anti-Conjuror, who performs shock illusions. He has appeared in Las Vegas and in Hollywood at the Magic Castle. Sperry was featured on FOX’s “World Magic Awards” and TLC’s “Cake Boss.” He has also performed all over the world, including Australia, Asia and Europe. “If someone doesn’t like serious magic, there are funny parts,” Sperry said. “There are heartwarming moments, scary moments, nail-biting moments — every emotion is ticked.” Billing himself as an Anti-Conjuror “sounded cool,” Sperry explained. “It’s like saying magic or magician, but in a different way. It also expresses what I do with my style with shock illusions.” Sperry grew up in Minnesota and became intrigued by the world of magic as a young boy when he saw a performance by David Copperfield, his idol. One of Copperfield’s tricks was to escape from a series of whirring buzzsaws. For Sperry, the act was a little too realistic. “You see this spinning buzzsaw fall and visibly cut (Copperfield) in half. It was this really cool visual but it freaked me out,” Sperry recalled. “I thought this dude just died and (the trick) actually went wrong. I started panicking and had a spastic episode. We had to leave and I never saw him get put back together.” Not long after, Sperry obtained a batch of magic kits from a trip to the Twin Cities and began performing his own shows. In 2010, Sperry was a contestant on “America’s Got Talent.” The video of his routine, which included a piece of dental floss and a Life Saver, later became a viral sensation on YouTube. Sperry wasn’t overly impressed with being on a variety show, knowing that the glut of variety shows would likely make his performance forgotten in a few days. “I was kind of leaning on that and just accepting that I’m going to go on and make the best of the few moments I’m on (television).” Sperry has enjoyed fame as a magician, yet he doesn’t feel like a success. “I’m able to make my living doing something I’ve always wanted to do,” Sperry said. “I feel very lucky and blessed.” Tickets at 401.421.2787 , or at the PPAC Box Office, 220 Weybosset St. Providence. Slipknot and Korn at Mohegan Sun – Prepare for Hell Tour On Dec 5, heavy metal titans Slipknot brought their “Prepare for Hell” tour to Uncasville, Conn., at the Mohegan Sun Arena with nu-metal veterans Korn. Slipknot has been around for 19 years (actively touring for 15) and Korn for 21 years. Two bands with that sort of longevity drew a packed arena full of a few different generations of fans. Korn had just about a 50-minute set, packed mostly with their older hits like “Freak on a Leash,” “Shoots and Ladders,” “Got The Life,” and their first breakthrough single “Blind.” The crowd was electric from the moment the intro tape started rolling, and stayed that way until after Jonathan Davis thanked the crowd after the last song. Being around for a couple decades and maintaining almost as big of a following as your heyday is pretty awesome, and being a huge Korn fan myself, I was pretty excited to see these guys for the second time this year. They surely did not disappoint, and having Brian “Head” Welch back in the band after an almost 7-year absence was great to see. They seem a lot more like the old band from the early years, stepping back from the recent dubstep metal hybrid mumbo jumbo they put out during Head’s absence. If you missed them on this tour, be sure to keep an eye open for the next time they come around. Touring to promote their new album .5 : The Gray Chapter, Slipknot took to the stage at just about 9;30, with an overly anxious crowd waiting for the curtain to rise, flooding the arena with “SLIPKNOT!” chants.