LINK: https://tinyurl.com/Tilted2025

Dear friends, please consider being a part of our 15th season team!

Your support will go toward our fall season of premieres, recorded releases, and FREE performances.

Join our team this season at the link above and be a part of the new music.

Thank you! — #TiltedAxes

NEWS: http://www.tiltedxes.com

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
Crystal Field, Executive Director presents

TILTED AXES: Circle With No Center
Movements for Mobile Electric Guitars
October 2–5, 2025 | New York City

NEW YORK, NY — Crystal Field, Executive Director of Theater for the New City, proudly presents Tilted Axes: Circle With No Center, a groundbreaking theatrical event combining music, movement, and visuals. Performances take place Thursday, October 2 through Sunday, October 5, 2025 at Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, New York City.

Circle With No Center transforms the stage into a dynamic landscape where musicians playing mobile electric guitars and percussion move in choreographed formations, weaving intricate sonic textures that blur the lines between concert, dance, and immersive theater. Created by composer and performer Patrick Grant, the work invites audiences to experience music as a living, breathing environment — part ritual, part procession, and entirely unlike anything else currently on the New York stage.

Performance Schedule:

• Thursday, October 2 — 8:00 PM
• Friday, October 3 — 8:00 PM
• Saturday, October 4 — 8:00 PM
• Sunday, October 5 — 3:00 PM

Tickets: $20 at the door or online at www.theaterforthenewcity.net
Phone: 212-254-1109

Produced by: Peppergreen Media
Music by: Patrick Grant & Tilted Axes Composers
Choreography by: Christopher Caines
Recorded & sequenced elements produced by: Jeremy Nesse & Patrick Grant
Performed by: Angela Babin, Elisa Corona Aguilar, Gene Ardor, Jeremy Nesse, Jim Lee, John Ferrari, John Halo, Patrick Grant, and Vince Caiafa

More info TBA at: #tiltedaxes — @tiltedaxes — http://www.tiltedaxes.com

About Tilted Axes
Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars is an innovative performance ensemble that takes music off the stage and into unexpected places — streets, galleries, museums, and theaters. With amplified sound, choreography, and public engagement, Tilted Axes turns each performance into a unique, site-specific event.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 19 & 20, Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars took the North Lawn of the Detroit Institute of Arts at around 7:30 pm for their Detroit premiere. The following day at 6 pm, they returned as part of a second procession. Both performances were part of the festival’s free outdoor lineup.

From the first step onto the lush museum grounds, the ensemble’s processional format—a dozen-plus electric guitarists wearing portable mini-amps and backed by percussionists—redefined ambient performance. Rather than anchored in one static stage spot, the group moved en masse throughout the lawn, weaving soundscapes into the evening air, activating the environment as their stage.

Tilted Axes stood out visually as a kinetic ensemble. Each guitarist wore a shoulder‑strapped mini‑amp, creating a blend of function and performance art as they navigated the lawn in choreographed procession. The movement was fluid, organic, and ritual-like—simultaneously theatrical and seamlessly integrated into the festival’s open space ethos.

Their setup felt democratic: no spotlight hoggers, just a collective flow of musicians and rhythm. The ensemble, led by composer‑director Patrick Grant, included guest premieres from Elisa Corona Aguilar, Sarah Metivier, Angela Babin, and Maggie McCabe—a clear nod toward geographic and creative diversity. The group’s choreography was created by Christopher Caines.

The sonic terrain Tilted Axes traversed on both evenings was rich, layered, and exploratory. Their set included Detroit premieres—including work by McCabe—and world premieres by Babin and others, weaving local and global voices into the sonic architecture.

Musically, they blurred boundaries between ambient, post‑rock, and ritualistic drone. The guitars wove in melodic gestures and atmospheric washes, anchored by percussion and bass. The procession’s multi-instrument choreography allowed for shifts in dynamics, creating peaks of intensity and moments of hush, giving the audience a breathing, immersive sound journey.

While existing studio recordings showcase their tight compositional vision, the live ensemble offered a more spatial and ritual context—music as landscape, not just song. It felt both meditative and propulsive—at times cosmic, at others tactile.

Audiences gathered around, moving with the procession, often walking alongside or pausing as the ensemble passed. The experience fostered a community dynamic: spectators became part of the performance, moving through the sound art in real time.

In Detroit—a city known for carrying musical legacy forward—the combination of premieres by local Detroit composer McCabe and others provided a resonant sense of place. It reflected the festival’s ethos: global voices speaking through a locally rooted musical event.

If there was a single minor caveat, it’s that the mobile format occasionally made it hard for all attendees to hear the full balance of instruments—depending on where you stood. Those “off-axis” might occasionally lose sonic detail.

Tilted Axes at the Concert of Colors on July 19–20, 2025 reimagined what outdoor performance can be. Drawing on ritual, movement, and electric energy, the ensemble turned the DIA lawns into a walking concert hall. The premieres—both local and global—felt fresh and purposeful. Visually striking and sonically compelling, Tilted Axes offered Detroit audiences an experimental, communal, and deeply musical experience that stayed with you long after the amps were turned off.

— Brenda Tipton

Note: On 7/19 Tilted Axes opened for the band Yo Lo Tengo and on 7/20 they opened for the legendary 70s band WAR. Full schedule of events at Concert of Colors.

https://tinyurl.com/TiltedNewYorker

Tilted Axes Reels! — Watch videos of our recent performances and more on Instagram HERE!

#tiltedaxes #strawberryfields #newyork Strawberry Tilts Forever — @tiltedaxes: Strawberry Solstice, @makemusicny, June 21, 2024, @makemusicday #tiltedaxes Make Music New York 2024 Strawberry Fields Forever — Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars We would like to thank the @puffinculturalforum for making this performance possible. @nyscouncilonthearts #strawberryfields#newyork#nyc#johnlennon#beatles#thebeatles#electricguitar#music#rock#performance#classic#classical#centralpark

Tilted Axes: Strawberry Solstice

music for mobile electric guitars

June 21st, 12 noon to 2pm — Richard Tucker Park, NYC

MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK 2024 — FREE PERFORMANCE!

It’s a musical procession for the first day of summer and the full strawberry moon.

We begin and end at Richard Tucker Park, W 66th Street and Broadway. The event is a foray into the neighborhood with stops at places of interest.

Tilted Axes perform exciting original compositions and a couple of unique arrangements of seasonal tunes, sonic structures comprised of burbling polyrhythms, and contemplative grooves for deep listeners. They will premiere a new piece, “Strawberry Solstice” and well as some surprises, it’s a tilted tradition.

Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars is an ensemble created and led by composer Patrick Grant.The project takes on aspects of spectacle informed by the traditions of urban street bands, avant-garde theater, and ancient music. It takes music out into the world and seeks transformative situations meant to change the conversation.

Electric Guitars: Gene Ardor, Jessica Dankowitz, Patrick Grant (director), John Halo, Liz Hogg, Howie Kenty, Diego Retana, Dmitri Shapira — Keytar: Dean Olsher — Electric Bass: Jeremy Nesse, Kevin Pfeiffer, Sarah Metivier Schadt — Percussion: Vince Caiafa, Roxan Jurkevich — Choreography: Christopher Caines — Production Support: Alex Lahoski, Keith Steimel, Leslie Stevens — Media Producer: Jocelyn Gonzales

Tilted Axes is a project of Peppergreen Media andis powered by Vox Amplification courtesy of KORG USA. We thank our performance partners Make Music New York, Strange Music Inc., Astor Place Hair Stylists, Sunlight Studios, and PianoPiano NYC.

Taking New Music Out Into The World — The 12th season of Tilted Axes is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Governor and the NY State Legislature, the ASCAP Plus+ Awards, and NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

http://www.tiltedaxes.com @tiltedaxes #tiltedaxes

We’d like to thank The Puffin Foundation for their support of this project.

I’m happy that this film with my musical score will be presented in June at the Gulf of Naples Film Festival in Italy. Bravi tutti! Grazie! — PG

Daniel Rothbart writes: “I feel honored and delighted that “The Canto of Ulysses (for Primo Levi),” a short film that I realized with Carlo Giuliano is an Official Selection of the Gulf of Naples Independent Film Festival in Naples, Italy! The 10th Edition of this festival will take place from June 11-14, 2024, at the Istituto Pontano (Palazzo Cariati). Thanks to Umberto Santacroce and Vittorio Adinolfi.

The film features a new Arabic translation of Dante’s “Canto of Ulysses” by Marwa Saabni and music by Patrick Grant. It was previously screened at the Pool of the Arches / Center for Contemporary Art Ramle CACR in Ramle, Israel, and at the Lambert Center for Art + Ideas, JCC Manhattan in New York City.”

***

“The Canto of Ulysses (for Primo Levi)” is a surreal, aqueous voyage that juxtaposes Carlo Giuliano’s reading of Canto 26 of Dante’s Inferno with imagery of Daniel Rothbart’s floating sculptural installations in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Dante’s Canto 26 recounts the story of Ulysses who, once returned to Ithaca, rallies his former shipmates for one last voyage to the end of the world. Within sight of his destination, Ulysses’ ship is caught in a whirlpool and carried to the bottom of the sea. Thereafter, Ulysses inhabits the eighth circle of hell, where he is punished for deceiving Greeks with the Trojan Horse. 

Jorge Luis Borges likens Ulysses to Dante himself, who pushes boundaries of the Italian language. ‘If This Is a Man,’ Primo Levi’s Auschwitz memoir, includes a chapter titled “The Canto of Ulysses.” Levi recites the canto in his mind to keep hold of his sanity in the camp. Levi unsuccessfully tries to convey a sense of its meaning and poetry to Jean, a friend and fellow prisoner.

https://www.gulfofnaplesfilmfestival.com/

@gulfofnaplesfilmfestival1 @galerie.depardieu @cr10arts @cacr_ramla @ron__peled @marwasaabni @udiurm @mm_jccmanhattan @umbertosantacroce @vittorio.adinolfi.7 #danielrothbart #galeriedepardieu #carlogiuliano #marwasaabni #contemporaryart #francinehuntermcgivern #kineticsculpture #primolevi #ifthisisaman #cacr #ramle #sequestoeunuomo #auschwitz #dante #inferno #ulysses #cantodiulisse #ulisse #sculpturecinetique #sculturacinetica #naples #napoli #francinehuntermcgivern #contemporaryart #gulfofnaplesfilmfestival #gulfofnaplesindependentfilmfestival #poetryfilm

TILTED AXES:

music for mobile electric guitars

Lower East Side Festival of the Arts 2024

presented by Theater for the New City

155 1st Avenue, New York City 10003

http://www.theaterforthenewcity.net

Sunday, May 26 at 6:00 pm in the Johnson Theater

FREE!   FREE!   FREE!   FREE!   FREE!

TILTED AXES: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars is an ensemble created in 2011 and led by composer Patrick Grant.Now in its 12th season, the project takes on aspects of spectacle informed by the traditions of urban street bands, avant-garde theater, and ancient music. It takes music out into the world and seeks transformative situations meant to change the conversation.

Electric Guitars: Gene Ardor (stage manager), Jessica Dankowitz, Patrick Grant (director), Howie Kenty — Keytar: Dean Olsher — Electric Bass: Jeremy Nesse, Kevin Pfeiffer — Percussion: John Ferrari, Roxan Jurkevich— Choreography: Christopher Caines — Media Producer: Jocelyn Gonzales — Photo: Bob Krasner @bobkrasner @bobkrasnertoo

Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars is a project of Peppergreen Media andis powered by Vox Amplification courtesy of KORG USA. We thank our performance partners Theater for the New City, Make Music New York, Strange Music Inc., and Funkadelic Studios.

Taking New Music Out Into The World — The 12th season of Tilted Axes is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Governor and the NY State Legislature, the ASCAP Plus+ Awards, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, but mostly through the generous support of you the public through our fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas.

Thank you Crystal Field and all the good people at Theater for the New City!

http://www.tiltedaxes.com @tiltedaxes #tiltedaxes

It was fun watching the passerby moods change during our electric version of Satie’s “Vexations” (heavily abridged) on 23rd St. & Broadway at high noon today. It went from bewilderment to anger to laughter to bliss and beyond. Little children danced. — photo: Leslie Stevens