The zombie revolution continues with the third annual Undead Music Festival, presented by BOOM Collective and Search & Restore. The first strike will occur right where the festival started, in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, featuring more than seven hours of music over three venues (Le Poisson Rouge, Kenny’s Castaways, and Sullivan Hall).
Familiar names—Tony Malaby, Chris Dingman and Gerald Cleaver—will stand alongside some new flesh before the onslaught continues in a familiar path as it heads to Brooklyn. Medeski, Martin and Wood will forge new spiritual collaborations at Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple with guests like Vernon Reid and So Percussion.
The epidemic won’t stop at the boroughs this time around, however. The third night will feature a whole grab bag of both solo and ensemble performances in New York (with musicians like Miles Okazaki, Dan Weiss, and the inimitable Bjorkestra), but will also be cropping up in DIY spaces in Chicago, Austin, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Richmond, Madison, Milwaukee, Oslo, and Copenhagen.
The madness concludes at the 92Y Tribeca with Search and Restore’s most famous creation: The Improviser’s Round Robin. Seventeen artists—including John Hollenbeck, Fabian Almazan, and Mark Helias—will create a daisy chain of non-stop, five-minute free improvisations from start to finish.
Full festival passes from May 9-12 are offered at just $55, and single-day events range from $15-$35. More information can be found at the festival's home page.