Mason Jar Music Curates Concerts in Unusual Places

This is a scene from a “secret rock show” for Feist‘s recent album release at Church of the Intercession in Harlem. It was produced Kensington-based Mason Jar Music, a 9-person collective of musicians, producers, videographers and other creatives dedicated to “preserving analog principles in a digital age.” In these catacombs, about 100 spectators saw Leslie Feist play with  a 16-piece orchestra, members of Mountain Man (an all-girl acapella group), plus members of Broken Social Scene and Beck’s touring band. ”It was as if every last sensory detail of the evening, from the venue to the featured artist to the outfits worn by the orchestra, had been designed and expertly executed to convey a singular experience,” Lizzy Goodman writes on Fast Company Co.Create (Photo: Sasha Arutyunova).

Photos and reviews of the concert can be found on Brooklyn Vegan and Pitchfork.

According to Goodman, the Feist concert exemplifies MJM’s “new approach to music that incorporates live performance and video but transcends both; creating experiences that bring both the Mason Jar team and the artists closer to the heart of making music and art–connecting with fans and, would you believe it, having fun.” Just this week, on Valentine’s Day, Fast Company named MJM the 6th most innovative music company in the world.

Speaking of non-traditional venues, Mason Jar Music has also produced a feature-length documentary, Josh Garrels: The Sea In Between, filmed on Mayne Island, BC. Here’s a clip: