Though still reverberating from June’s fantastic Wilco-sponsored Solid Sound Festival, MASS MoCA hasn’t slowed an iota when it comes to presenting hot and interesting musical acts. Case in point: Chicago collective Mucca Pazza, which visits the North Adams arts center for five performances this month.
The members of Mucca Pazza (Italian for “crazy cow”), came together by playing factory parking lots on Sunday afternoons. The rag-tag marching band collective of punk-loving music enthusiasts shares the spirit of improvisation and a desire to break musical boundaries, and its catalog covers everything from Balkan brass to reworked ’60s TV show themes to Shostakovich and Bartok. This 2009 vid shows the brassy, boisterous band getting down in its hometown:
Mucca Pazza will perform five sets at MASS MoCA (and several spontaneous spots, I’m told) in North Adams, Massachusetts, on August 16, 17, and 18. For tickets, set times, and more information, call (413) 662-2111 (extension 1) or visit Massmoca.org.
