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The event, held in collaboration with Love and Words, USPiM and ESAY, began with a screening of the film The Demon of Providence
(http://loveandwords.com/) which is itself a performance, with a moving
soundtrack of original string music created by the artist herself.
Subsequently, the poet sang her ghazal No. 1, honoring with her words
and her voice this ancient form of Persian poetry, which she teaches
and cultivates in her workshops. Afterwards, Tribe conducted her
performance Philemon, in Spanish and English, and concluded with a reading of her poem The Dreams of Bees, part of her album, Angel (2008), in which Tribe recites her poems in the tradition of the Spoken Word. Fernando de la Cruz
When I first heard about her, I thought to myself that they were
talking to me in plural. I had the opportunity to meet her, before her
performance at La Periferia, at a workshop that went from a calm class about literary resources (inspired on Longinus' The Rules of the Sublime)
to a conversation between two poets (one of them a beginner, for
reasons of obligated modesty) that debated between lyric and narrative,
finally reaching, as if creating a balance, the narrative poem. One
that shatters every law, breaks all order, enriched with rage that
makes you silent Without being a frequent visitor, but a virtual follower of the diverse
occurrences that go on there (which include a live pig, a women trapped
in the ground, electronic chips and fragments, transforming spaces,
etc.) I was pleased to find a sober Periferia, conservative, dressed in
white, with the walls covered in brown paper. There was the art. The
sheets of paper, divided in two, prayed each one of the verses that
were to be recited, sung, devoured, lived. They were in their original
version, and their Spanish translation. Cassandra Tribe, New York born artist, waited for her public at the
door, most of them American poets, inviting them to carefully read the
texts that pulsated inside. After walking through the space, we settled
in and sat on the floor, like at home, to meet The Demon of Providence,
a video-poem that confronted us with the moral and tradition of mercy.
To be a good person do we have to forgive the unforgivable? I don't know who it was that whispered naughtily, who screamed with
might, who scratched souls, the person who sang, the person that
afterwards thanked us humbly, the demon, the woman, the shadow. Today
at home, as I type, to try and ease my mid, I've decided that the
diversity in her art holds true to her last name. After the event, the
crowd dissipated, leaving only a few to enjoy a couple of beers. The
night at La Periferia came to an end; everyone took the words as an
excuse, the lights when out, and through the dark space murmured an
echo. David L. Araujo
The Madness of Desire: Galeria Periferia, Yucatan Mexico January 7, 2010
I have been
to books
and fires
and circles
and roads
and at least
I learned,
or so I thought,
that love begins
for above us all
Cassandra Tribe, The Dreams of Bees
Once the projection was over, a voice came out of the darkness. The second part of the performance gave life to Philemon and The Dreams of Bees.
An elegant and lugubrious atmosphere surrounded the gallery. The
artist, with chameleon-like tones, trained in vocal techniques, was
armed only with a small journal. An androgynous shadow traced on the
wall. The words, in whatever language they were (with her Argentinean
translator, and her Spanish vocal coach) sutured wounds in listeners,
some standing, sitting, nestled into corners, others with their hands
covering their mouths, surprised at the power of the voices.
The Madness of Desire: la Galeria Periferia, Yucatan Mexico January 7, 2010
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Most Notable Performance Poets
GG Allin, Athens Boys Choir, William S. Burroughs, Brother Dash, Laurie Anderson, John M. Bennett, Jello Biafra, Roger Bonair-Agard, Anne Clark, John Cooper Clarke, Billy Childish, Steve Connell,
Ani DiFranco, Big Poppa E, HKB FiNN, Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno, Jesse Glass, John S. Hall, Bradley Hathaway, Gil Scott-Heron, Bob Holman, Jerome "J-Square" Jones, Anthony Joseph, Miranda July,
Alan Kaufman, Jack Kerouac, Richard Kostelanetz, Talib Kweli, The Last Poets, Timothy "Speed" Levitch, Lydia Lunch, Taylor Mali, Douglas A. Martin, Mighty Mike McGee, Gerard McKeown,
Anis Mojgani, Lenelle Moise, Jim Morrison, John Most, Ken Nordine, Evalyn Parry, Henry Rollins, Ursula Rucker, Jill Scott, Steve Scott, Beau Sia, Mark E. Smith, Patti Smith,
Tony Tremblay, Cassandra Tribe, Buddy Wakefield, Saul Williams, Emanuel Xavier
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"With the 'Demon' Tribe firmly establishes herself as a dramatic poet of note. Rare is the poet today who strives with each new creation to take the reader further and further into a wholly imagined world through sheer mastery of craft. It is a pleasure to watch Cassandra Tribe become."
(The Versifier's Journal)
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"Seamless and beautiful. Tribe is returning to poetry its life and connection to the world through the vehicle of drama and perfect, perfect execution."
(Janice Freburne)
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"Some people will never know or understand what it takes to make an exceptional piece, nor appreciate the hard work involved. Even fewer are willing to commit to the effort, but Tribe is the glorious exception, 'the Demon of Providence' is the diamond she has pulled from the rough."
(Jonathan Bryce Russel, Echoes and Memories)
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All Hail The Underground Queen!
Cassandra Tribe is the best kept secret, at least from the country she is from. The rest of the world has followed her rising career including her in lists of the Top 100 Performers of the century and the Top 25 Most Influential American Women artists for years and yet, she remains virtually unknown in a country that loves their celebrity. And a part of her likes it this way, but that in itself is a mark of the humility and seriousness of the developing genius of this dramatic poet.
The lucky few who saw her performances with Medusa's Child last year know of the genius I speak, for when was the last time you experience any performer, let alone a poet, who left you haunted by things you were not even aware of were within you.
Her video work is what is most striking. This is an artist who has wedded this ancient and unpracticed form of poetry to our technological age and the result echoes throughout your soul. Rumors of her new work, the Demon of Providence, raise a level of anticipation that is just not associated with poetry, because what Cassandra Tribe does is not poetry - she speaks the truth we have lost.
(Eric Lohnshen, The Versifier Journals, Vol 12, Ed 2. Toronto,. July 2009)
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"There are few artists that can do what Cassandra Tribe does. Whether with her poetry, her videos or her blog, Cassandra examines the truths that most of us can never come close to realizing and shows it for what it is, both beautiful and frightening at the same time. She exposes our inner-most workings like the cross-section of a powerful but flawed machine, our gears and springs, nuts and bolts removed and laid out before us. She is a true artist.
Her new video, Requiem for a God, is the latest example of Cassandra's willingness to tear open and examine the very things that make us human. Shooting the film entirely by herself, she also eliminates all the little excuses we come up with to keep us from ourselves and our truth. You see, even when she's not trying to be, Cassandra Tribe is a beacon of truth and humanity in this darkest of worlds."
(Michael E. Quigg, The Culture Network, June 2009)
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"Angel" by Cassandra Tribe is a deep and intellectual spoken word EP that is filled with precise imagery and a tone that is tense and revealing. It is not just Cassandra's words that create the journey; it is her delivery, pacing, and tranquil voice that really rounds out the concept. She plays on silence in a way that keeps you longing for the next line and hanging on every word. This is Cassandra's third CD and the concept of this album is a stripped down work of art. You hear nothing but her voice on this one, a bold statement considering music and effects were a big part of her previous releases. There is a build as the journey unfolds when the album opens with the whispery "The Dark Flower of Hope (Part 1)," a reflection of wasted life. "Monster" deals with more irresponsibility, this time in the area of false gods. "The Dreams of Bees" brings forth tremendous power and intensity as Cassandra brings forth the most vivid of frustrations. If you enjoy rich, well performed poetry, you will enjoy "Angel." (RadioIndy Reviews)
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What's your Tribe? The one who speaks the words of longing you didn't even know existed inside you, or the one that scares the pants off you with the mirror that she holds up to reveal your dark potential? Just perfect...(James Duckworth)
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Put your hand out, let Cassandra Tribe walk you though this journey. She will be your reflection on this trip to reality. 'Angel', Tribe's new collection of poetry explores the human condition, from the painful ebb and flow of love to the uncertainty of living in a world where "...Our poets are silent/Our singers drunk..."
Tribe, lends her audience a didactic and Humanistic view of the world, whether it is through her poetry, essays or her daily blog. One stand-out poem by Tribe, the epic-poem Monster urges readers to face the harsh reality that comes with being irresponsible in life - the false gods and monsters created by blind acceptance. (Vagner Revol, Poet Tree Magazine)
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Read More Reviews of 'Angel' and 'the greedy heart'
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Tribe needs to write a book on how to get it done, and get it done well.
(RT) ------ |
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While the music and the performance drives the piece, the last series of quotes - seen in silence against a black screen -will take your breath away. Tribe has quickly learned the video medium and found the missing link to her art. Her performance in "world" is so seamless as to make it difficult to remember it is only one person on screen, elevating her use of character and voices out of the "odd" and into a necessary presence.
(The Educated Easy, 2008)
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(on viewing "Ugly Diamonds) I love your work; the passion you displayed for the art is very encouraging I hope one day to move people as you do thank you for sharing your work with the world. (Vagner Revol, Poet Tree Magazine) |
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The House of Weddings
"The House of Weddings" features the spoken word of Cassandra Tribe. The twelve-track album examines the nature of commitment to our selves, others, faith, and life. Cassandra uses very creative vocal effects and techniques, including the use of multiple voices and changing the timbre and pitch of her voice to sound like a woman or a man. Her reading is excellent...very heartfelt and dramatic! The music and poetry are somber and deep, tearing at your heart and soul. The album seems to climax at the poem entitled, "Devastation" with lyrics such as, "O sweet devastation/This choice we are all free to make/Do we give up our all/To become something new?/Or acknowledge the weave of fate?" If you enjoy spoken word and are looking for something fresh, check out Cassandra Tribe! "
(Volume 2, Issue 9 April 5, 2007 LooseyLucy.com (Painted Girl Records)
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"The House of Weddings"...is driven by incantation and prayer-energy, putting it into a class by itself.
(Gregg Shapiro, Music, No. 24, The ChicagoFreePress)
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The Garden of Lost Things
A haunting and
arresting portfolio of work, the mood changes overtly with tempo and varied
music styles with soaring beats and washes of soothing sounds to build a
landscape familiar but for most of us, found only in our dreams. The many
voices of Cassandra Tribe, from the thundering lament of a God who has been
forgotten to the subversive statements on Ich Bin Nicht ("I thought this
was my country"), prompt us beyond just listening to answering. Cassandra
Tribe is foremost an architect of the soul.
Sounding like the
progeny of Laurie Anderson and Enya, the first experience of listening is one
of the shock of recognition, within the poetry and voices lie questions and
statements that seem to have been pulled from deep within us all. "The
Cassandra Tribe
slips in and out of gender with an ease that is unnerving. The presence of male
and female, child and adult voices within the work, backed with the syncopated
rhythms of jazz, blues, trance and sporadic cries of muezzins weaves a
landscape at once familiar and unknown. Listening to these compositions is less
an experience of entertainment then one of setting to sea on a journey you have
been longing to take.
It is the final
tract, Ich Bin Nicht, which is most stunning. Commissioned for a memorial for
World War II it beautiful and touching and surprising monument to the suffering
of Japanese Americans that is eerily timely in light of our recent American
tragedies and the state of war we now live in.
An argument could
be made that every writer is writing about loss. For Cassandra Tribe, the loss
is not just her own, but a loss we have experienced as members of the human
race. The past is soil for the future to root in and yet even in knowing this,
one cannot help but regret and miss the earlier self that was. For this reason
change is a lonely thing. For this reason, the past is a dark, hard seed for a
vivid, lucid garden. Perhaps if we pay attention we could find out what is
stopping us from opening ourselves entirely. Maybe we could find out what is
distracting us from living our lives as we were meant to be.
Or perhaps, like
her namesake, Cassandra will speak the truth and no one will listen until it is
too late.
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"One of the most original artists of our time..I'm surprised that thousands aren't copying her...
the material is planets beyond original.
"
(brian douthit, perfectlysaid.com)
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"A haunting and arresting portfolio of work" (urban
melodies)
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"..this cd rocks in a real quiet strong way..." (kronica.de)
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"intensely groovy and matriarchal" (cdbaby.com)
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"one of those CDs I just don't play for other people but keep going back to when I am alone and in need of something beautiful that also tells me there is so much more out there than what I think." (mFarg)
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"I can't even put in
words the emotions that listening to your music has made me feel...its not like
you are speaking to me but you are speaking for me, like I am hearing these
things in words, in a language I can't even speak but I can hear it and
understand it. Its not like a lot of the spoken word I've heard and yet its not
singing either, I don't think there is a category for what you do yet but I am
definitely going to pass the word around to people to buy your
CD."(arizel5.review.today.de)
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4 stars... (James
Duckworth)
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Very trippy! and good music too.. -(futurezen)
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The lyrics are awesome, so's the music... it's dreamy, spacey, groovy and
trippy. (Jussi Ness)
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Nominated for the 2003 Just Plain Folks People's
Choice Award for Spoken Word
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One of Rhapsody.coms 2004 Top 50 Tracks for Spoken
Word
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One of Yottamusic.com's Top 25 Artists for Spoken Word
