Top 10 Australia Culture On this week 10/05/2020 (COVID-19 EDITION)

Let’s fill that hole.

 

10) Latrice Royale: Eat It!

16th May

What: Join RuPaul alumnus Latrice Royale from her home in Florida for a fun-filled show, EAT IT!, a live cooking demonstration/tutorial.

Why: Far less visually arresting than Ramsay’s forehead wrinkles.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=fc3bbfb0-8fb8-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

9) Silkroad Home Sessions with Hanneke Cassel

14th May

What: Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel is a performer and composer whose career spans over two decades. Her style fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana grooves and musical innovations, creating a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Experience her unique fusion of styles in an intimate livestreamed performance.

Why: There’s nothing one appreciates more after months of lockdown loneliness than an exuberant, rhythmic fiddler.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=dec398e0-8fb3-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

8) Shut In and Sing: Zukerpalooza! 

11th May

What: Shut In & Sing is a roster of some of your favorite artists…and some people you’ve never heard of. Here is your chance to discover new music, to feel connected to one another and to the artists. This edition will feature American lyric soprano Arianna Zukerman, Israeli-American violinist Pinchas Zukerman, Canadian cellist Amanda Forsyth and American flautist Eugenia Zukerman.

Why: Admit it. You’ve been so starved of stimulation, you’ve started to find otherwise purposeless coincidence entertaining.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=fe5d2f30-8faf-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

7) American Ballet Theatre: Together Tonight 

13th May

What: Due to the global COVID-19 outbreak, the American Ballet Theatre’s 80th Anniversary Gala and Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House were heartbreakingly cancelled. In place of the 80th Anniversary Gala, ABT presents American Ballet Theatre: Together Tonight, bringing the history, artistry and optimism of the American Ballet Theatre to homes around the world. The gala celebration of virtual performances, historical film footage and celebrity appearances will stream for FREE on YouTube.

Why: Lament missing out on a fantastic season of ballet loudly and often with this on in the background and ride that wave of superiority till at least stage 2 of the lockdown ease.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=79dd84e0-8fb3-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

6) Vienna State Opera: Live

10th-16th May

What: Experience the majesty of the Viennese opera alongside a worldwide audience. This week’s performances will feature Der Freischütz, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Swan Lake, Ariadne auf Naxos, Don Pasquale, Rheingold and Die Walküre.

Why: There’s nothing like an enthusiastic performance of Das Rheingold to remind you that there are far worse things to fight over than a square of toilet paper. The only casualty of the 2020 Quilton wars was your anus.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=195e0580-6af7-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

5) Royal Albert Home: David Ford

15th May

What: In these strange times, closing the Hall’s doors is the best way to look after the world, but they are opening a (virtual) window for you to experience some of the most talented artists around. Ford is often praised for his lyrical dexterity and willingness to tackle matters of politics and current affairs, Rolling Stone commended his “Genuine depth and striking authority”, while The Telegraph described his work as “Smart, angry, witty, emotional songs, delivered with raw-throated passion.” His debut album, ‘I Sincerely Apologise for All the Trouble I’ve Caused’, was included in both The Times and Word Magazine’s top ten albums of the year. Ford has been documenting the unfolding story of COVID-19 in song, releasing new songs throughout the crisis; and the Royal Albert Hall are delighted to bring his music from his home to yours as part of the Royal Albert Home series.

Why: Because we just haven’t had enough abject sincerity since this effing crisis began. There’ll never be another Tom Lehrer, will there?

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=1031ab70-8fb3-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

4) Mother’s Day Tribute to Toshi Seeger

11th May

What: Featuring 12 hours of diverse, original, and activist musicians sharing stories and memories of Toshi Seeger, wife of legendary folk-singer Pete Seeger and a legend of documentary film-making, music festival pioneering and activism, curated by Fred Gillen, Jr. There will be special tributes to Toshi Seeger and her memory with various musical artists, environmental activists, and members of the Seeger family.

Why: The only thing more infuriating during a lockdown than the forced calm of folk music: forced elegiac appreciation of the intricacies behind its cultural relevance.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=52508980-8faf-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

3) The GRAMMY Museum Presents: Writing with Pride 

17th May

What: Experience a day spotlighting LGBTQIA+ songwriters in music. Join fan favourites live including Trixie Mattel, Alaska, Bright Light Bright Light, Nina West, Ginger Minj, Jinkx Monsoon and more for intimate performances and discussions about the songwriting process for some of the biggest hits from their chart-topping discographies. It’s like Cribs meets Storytellers meets Behind The Music meets Real World… but with better wigs!

Why: If that last sentence in the plug didn’t convince you to watch this, frankly, you’ll just never be in the target market and there’s nothing we can do to change that.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=900b6270-8fb1-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

2) LIVEMEDAID

10th May

What: LIVEMEDAID brings together the world’s leading doctors, scientists, writers, thinkers, and cultural influencers to debate, collaborate, and share ideas about what we can learn from this virus, how to defeat it, and what we can expect as we move toward the future. An impressive list of doctors, scientists and other prominent thinkers confirmed to participate include: Jane Goodall (English primatologist and anthropologist), Neil deGrasse Tyson (an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, planetary scientist and author), Dr. David Suzuki (Canadian academic and environmental activist), Dr. Wade Davis (Anthropologist, Ethnobotanist, Author and photographer), Dr. Katherine Hayhoe (Climate Scientist), Dr. Isaac Bogoch (Infectious Disease doctor at UHN), Anders Tegnell (Swedish physician and civil servant and current state epidemiologist of Sweden) and many more. Musical acts include Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies), Earth, Wind and Fire, Bombino, Patrick Watson, Jesse Cook, Alex Cuba, Paul Anthony and more.

Why: It turns out the Barenaked Ladies weren’t just some 90s fever dream. And neither is this.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=77c4d380-8fb2-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

1) New York Guitar Festival

10th-19th May

What: The NYGF has invited a wonderfully diverse group of some of their favorite musicians to participate in ‘Reverend Gary Davis: In Search of the Harlem Street Singer’, an on-line performance series exploring the music of the blind blues musician, Reverend Gary Davis. Rev. Gary Davis performed on the streets of Harlem from the late 1940s until his death in 1972. He is one of those curious figures in music history who should be famous, but who’s also a lot better known than you might think. Overcoming poverty, racial discrimination and blindness, Davis made influential recordings and festival appearances, and his songs have been covered by The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Peter Paul & Mary, and Bob Dylan. They’ve commissioned each artist to create a home-made video of themselves performing a song by Gary Davis. These videos will be released each day at 4pm EDT on the Festival’s YouTube channel. The lineup will feature Bill Frisell, Fantastic Negrito, Rosanne Cash, Larkin Poe, Amythyst Kiah, Jorma Kaukonen, Dom Flemons, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and more.

Why: Start your day with a musical tribute to a Reverend who’ll get you on your feet with a jazzy refrain rather than on your knees with a head full of repressed trauma and stray pubes.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=8eb99f30-8afd-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536