Songs of the City features Biirdie, Franklin Bruno, Zooey Deschanel, John Doe (from X), Inara George (The Bird and the Bee), Stevie Jackson (Belle and Sebastian), Sean Lennon, Sondre Lerche, Bob Mould, Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave), and Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) plus additional special guests

Tokyo's Cornelius Debuts for Man-Machine in the Digital City; Plaid Opens the Show

SONGS OF THE CITY: TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, AT 8 PM

MAN-MACHINE IN THE DIGITAL CITY: THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 9 PM

TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8

On Tuesday, January 8 and Thursday, January 17, Walt Disney Concert Hall hosts two events that celebrate the symbiotic relationship between music and the urban environment. These two programs, Songs of the City and Man-Machine in the Digital City, are presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as part of Concrete Frequency, a multi-disciplinary festival designed to examine and celebrate the elements that define a city, and how those qualities are affected by, and reflected in, music and art.

On Tuesday, January 8, Songs of the City features artists whose lives exist on the road - artists who travel with little else than their songwriting craft from one city to the next. Using music as expression for their unique urban experiences, Biirdie, Franklin Bruno, Zooey Deschanel, John Doe (from X), Inara George (The Bird and the Bee), Stevie Jackson (Belle and Sebastian), Sean Lennon, Sondre Lerche, Bob Mould, Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave), Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear), and additional special guests, each give a stripped-down, heartfelt performance that portrays their mobile, civic existence. Although their songs draw from diverse experiences, the emotions evoked are universal. Walt Disney Concert Hall becomes the living room for the city with this intimate evening, as these urban troubadours share the songs that have become the lo-fi soundtrack to our inner-city existence -- joy, urgency, depression, and heartache expressing the raw emotions contained and cultivated in the city.

On Thursday, January 17, Man-Machine in the Digital City is a visual and sonic experience featuring The Cornelius Group - Synchronized Sensuous Show - a rare, live performance by Tokyo's Cornelius. Dubbed the "Japanese Beck" and the "21st century Brian Wilson," Cornelius brings to Walt Disney Concert Hall this legendary live show, known all over the world for its spectacular visuals, perfectly synchronized to the performance. Cornelius (the name is an homage to the Planet of the Apes) is the brainchild of Japanese multi-instrumentalist Keigo Oyamada, one of the most sought after producer/remixers in the world. From the most populous metropolitan area in the world (Tokyo), Keigo's dynamic music is a soundtrack to city life, having evolved within an intensely urban scene. With his 2007 release, Sensuous, Cornelius explores dazzling atmospherics, bursting with electronic ?pulse waves, wood-grain acoustics, minimalist interludes and raw guitar freak-outs. This disciplined, but wildly experimental sound is at the core of the Synchronized Sensuous Show. He dissects layers of technology, sound, and visual stimuli to form a kaleidoscopic landscape of electronic psychedelia.

Tickets purchased online at LAPhil.com for Man-Machine in the Digital City include three free downloads from Cornelius: a remix of "Fit Song" by the Books, "Breezin," and a live version of "I Hate Hate."

Ed Handley and Andy Turner, together known as Plaid, are hailed across the globe for their techno masterpieces. In 2006, Plaid and visual artist Bob Jaroc released Greedy Baby, an audio/visual album written specifically for surround sound systems, creating a spatially dynamic experience. Greedy Baby gave birth to a live touring experience previously seen only overseas. Plaid's live experience, a metamorphosis of video, impressive melody lines and dexterous grooves, explores the relationship of energy and matter at its most basic form with patterns of human behavior in daily life.

Concrete Frequency runs from January 4 - 17 and features three programs by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall, as well as a film series at ArcLight Cinemas and a thought-provoking symposium. The complete Concrete Frequency series schedule is available at www.laphil.com/concretefrequency.

ARTIST BIOS:

BIIRDIE, http://www.myspace.com/biirdie

FRANKLIN BRUNO, http://www.myspace.com/thehumanhearts

CORNELIUS is the brainchild of Japanese multi-instrumentalist Keigo Oyamada. Son of a famous Japanese crooner and a performing musician since his teens, Oyamada created his creative alter-ego in the early 1990's from the ashes of his previous project, Flipper's Guitar. With the 1997 release of Fantasma, Cornelius gained international recognition for his cut and paste style reminiscent of American counterparts Beck and The Beastie Boys. Being called a "modern day Brian Wilson" for his orchestral-style arrangements, Cornelius subsequently he became one of the most sought after producer/remixers in the world, working with artists ranging from Blur and Beck, to Sting, KD Lang, and James Brown. With 2002's Point, Cornelius' music took a quantum shift, going from electronic based to looping organic sounds, creating lush sound-scapes. 2007 brought this philosophy to an even higher level with the release of Sensuous. Cornelius live shows are known the world around for its visuals, custom lighting that doesn't simply augment the performance, but becomes another instrument within it, and a full band of equally talented and diverse players.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL, http://www.myspace.com/zooeydeschanel

INARA GEORGE (THE BIRD AND THE BEE), http://www.myspace.com/inarageorge

STEVIE JACKSON, http://www.myspace.com/thebandbelleandsebastian

SEAN LENNON, http://www.myspace.com/seanlennon

SONDRE LERCHE, http://www.myspace.com/sondrelerche

BOB MOULD, http://www.myspace.com/bobmould

PLAID has a solid reputation that was sown through their previous incarnation The Black Dog, whose flowing techno masterpieces riddled with mythological references still command reverence today. In 1996 Ed Handley and Andy Turner cut loose from the dog and ventured forth as Plaid. Their now stalwart fan base continues to swell across the globe. In 2006, Plaid and video artist Bob Jaroc released a 5.1 surround sound audio/visual album entitled Greedy Baby. Developed over 4 years, Greedy Baby marks a pioneering process with tracks and video passing back and forth, inspiring and informing either parties work in an aesthetic exchange. Greedy Baby, a moody body of work, is also a live touring show, precursors of which have only been performed four times; it first showcased at the Ether Festival at the QEH in 2004, and such was the reaction they were called back immediately to perform again (a first for Ether), selling the show out on both occasions. This rapturous response lead to them being chosen to open the first ever festival of music and film at the Imax Waterloo, Optronica, in 2006.

ZACH ROGUE (ROGUE WAVE), http://www.myspace.com/roguewave

DANIEL ROSSEN (GRIZZLY BEAR), http://www.myspace.com/grizzlybear

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2008 AT 8:00 PM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2008, 9:00 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

CONCRETE FREQUENCY

SONGS OF THE CITY

MAN-MACHINE IN THE DIGITAL CITY

Tickets (Songs of the City: $15 - $26; Man-Machine in the Digital City: $28 - $37) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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