Natural Information Society and the Separatist Party usher in a brave new year at Constellation

Constellation hasn’t hosted a New Year’s Eve bash since the Sun Ra Arkestra’s legendary fete in 2017. This year, the intimate venue ushers in 2023 with homegrown talents who could be considered Constellation all-stars. The evening is headlined by Natural Information Society, led by multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams; the five-piece ensemble realizes his teeming compositions (often prominently featuring the bandleader on guimbri, a Gnawa three-string bass lute) against a backdrop of large-scale paintings by harmonium player and visual artist Lisa Alvarado. Natural Information Society are joined on the bill by the Separatist Party, a newer band that combines two local trios: synth magicians Bitchin Bajas (Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, and Dan Quinlivan) and a recurring unit comprising vocalist Marvin Tate, multi-instrumentalist Ben LaMar Gay, and drummer and composer Mike Reed (who also runs Constellation). The sites of cross-pollination between these musicians are too numerous to list, but to name two for your preshow listening pleasure: NIS and Bitchin Bajas put out the yearning, mystical Automaginary together in 2015, and Gay played cornet and Wurlitzer on Frye’s Exoplanet, one of my favorite albums of 2021. The same year, the Bajas threw it back to Constellation’s previous NYE headliners with Switched on Ra, a joyous synth retooling of Arkestra standards. New Year’s Eve might come just once a year, but the good vibes coming out of this show will surely have no expiration date.

  Natural Information Society, the Separatist Party Sat 12/31, 9 PM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $25, 18+

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