Brian Beattie: Show Preview
"It's a book, it's a record, it's a movie for your ears!" proclaims the tagline for this seriously imaginative project by veteran producer Brian Beattie. That's no joke:
Ivy and the Wicker Suitcase is one of the most immersive, simultaneously sweet and dark concept albums we've heard in the last decade, drawing easy comparisons to the hero's journey of Nilsson's classic
The Point. Beattie's worked with everyone from Bill Callahan to Okkervil River's Will Sheff to Daniel Johnston — which helps explain why these three heavyweights would lend their voices to what appears at first glance to be a twisted children's fairy tale set to music. It's part that, to be sure, but it's also part classic radio drama, along with an intricately illustrated book (thanks to Beattie's wife, Valerie) that guides listeners through our protagonist's search for a treasure that will save her family's farm. If you're looking for something a little unexpected on a Saturday afternoon, this all-ages show is the place to be.
415-345-7500
