The famous American musician and artist Blaine Leslie Reininger, the leader of the legendary band Tuxedomoon, will hold a concert in the Bishop’s Court of the Eparchy of Pakrac-Slavonia in Pakrac on October 14th this year, and the repertoire will include songs from his rich solo career, as well as the biggest hits of the group Tuxedomoon.
After the concert, which is planned to start at 8 PM, a conversation with Reininger will follow.
The collaboration that resulted in this extraordinary cultural event came about thanks to Bishop Jovan of Jasenovac (Ćulibrk), otherwise a great connoisseur and admirer of pop culture, who invited Reininger to perform in his eparchy.
GREAT CONNOISSEUR OF ROCK AND ROLL: Bishop Jovan of Jasenovac
In the announcement of the event, written by Dragan Ambrozić, one of the best connoisseurs of rock and roll culture in the Balkans, it is stated:
“Blaine Leslie Reininger (b. 1953) is a legend of the American alternative music scene, and together with Steven Brown, a co-founder of the famous group Tuxedomoon, in the distant year of 1977, in California. This is one of the most famous New Wave bands, which brought a successful poetization of the rock expression, with a unique style close to the artistic avant-gardes of the 20th century (expressionism, surrealism).
Creating a kind of mystical noir aesthetic for which they became known worldwide, Tuxedomoon were pioneers in combining rock ‘n’ roll, electronic instruments, classical music, and jazz improvisation in the form of a pop song, to which Reininger decisively contributed as a multi-instrumentalist and composer.
The influence of the band Tuxedomoon is recognized in later generations of musicians, who were inspired by their unusual, chamber compositions, close to the theatrical experience. The live performance of the songs, namely, was always accompanied by innovative, elaborated video projections and stage movement, which added an important, third dimension to the musical creativity of this unique group.
During his solo career, which ran parallel to his original band, Blaine L. Reininger has signed a large number of collaborations with other authors (Durutti Column, Snakefinger, Anna Domino, Savage Republic, Paul Haig), a multitude of film soundtracks, as well as works in the field of contemporary serious music, as well as electronic and ambient music, on over twenty different releases.
Blaine L. Reininger is known as a magical interpreter of music, whose stage presence is close to some hero from the silent film era. As a living embodiment of the avant-garde tendencies that changed popular music during the “new wave,” he is a rare example of artistic perseverance and an inner need to express a special, poetic vision of the world. His rare concert appearances are simply not to be missed,” Ambrozić says in his announcement.
The doors of the bishop’s court will be open to everyone on October 14th, and admission to the concert, as well as the conversation with the artist that will follow after the concert, is free of charge.