The Best Audience Ever. Out Of Your Head Brooklyn.

It was about a year ago that I discovered Out of Your Head Brooklyn more or less accidentally. If I remember correctly, I had to meet my friend and colleague Landon Knoblock for some reason, and it was convenient for us to meet at Freddy's, where the OOYH BK series happens ever first and third Sunday. I had no idea what it was.

That night my friend and collaborator Kirk Knuffke was playing, along side some musicians I didn't know. The music was freely improvised. The way OOYH BK works is that curator Adam Hopkins, along with a guest curator, assemble improvising bands out of a pool of musicians. The aim is to put people who have not played much together on the bandstand and let the sparks fly or let them fight it out, or [insert your own cliché here]. What amazed me about OOYH BK the first time was that there were a bunch of lesser known musicians playing "out" music, and the place was full. People were digging it. I thought, "Ok, something's going on here." So I came back for the next one, and the next, and I've been attending everyone that I can since. What I've discovered is a group of people who are really supporting one another. This is risky music. It doesn't always work, as you can imagine. Usually it does, but no matter, these people are there listening. I find this incredibly encouraging and awesome. They are truly making their own scene, and making it great.

I have to give the audience of OOYH BK credit for inspiring me to go out more.  There's so much great music happening in this borough. Check out Konceptions at Korzo on Tuesdays. Radio Zero at Sycamore on Mondays. Intuit at Lark on Thursdays.  If you're awake, you can't be musicially bored in Brooklyn.

Anna Webber, Jake Henry, Martin Urbach, and Dustin Carlson performing at OOYH BK January 20, 2013