Fledgling Silver Lake Chorus gets original songs from Bon Iver, Aimee Mann, Beck, Of Montreal, others
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In the mood for some new music from Aimee Mann, Sia, Bon Iver and Of Montreal? Consider heading over to Spaceland in Silver Lake on Friday.
There’s one hitch: It won’t be Mann, Sia, Bon Iver and Of Montreal on stage singing that new material, but the Silver Lake Chorus, an ensemble of 22 area musicians who share a deep affinity for vocal harmonizing.
The fledgling choral group has won fans in the indie music world, thus the new songs written for the Chorus’ forthcoming debut album by those and other notable singers and songwriters. On the set list for Friday’s show, alongside covers of material by Radiohead, Muse, Phoenix and John Gold, are Mann’s “It’s So Easy to Die,” Sia’s “Salted Wound,” Bon Iver’s “From the Snow Tipped Hills” and Of Montreal’s “Slave Translator.”
The list of Chorus fans doesn’t stop there: Beck, the Bird and the Bee, Tegan and Sara and Jenny Lewis also are contributing original songs to the group’s album, which Ben Lee is producing, says chorus director Samantha Rader.
“Each artist submitted their song to us in demo format, then our genius arranger -- Heather Ogilvy, who is also a soprano in the chorus -- creates killer choral arrangements of these sick, never-before-heard indie tracks,” Rader says. Her arrangement of “It’s So Easy To Die,” for instance, “features all gorgeous male-female duets — six pairs of duets; 12 singers -- that showcase some of the incredible individual voices in the chorus.”
The Silver Lake Chorus, which formed earlier this year, is scheduled to hit the stage Friday at 8:30 p.m. for what will be only its third public performance.
-- Randy Lewis
