This annual festival of exploratory and improvised music – returns in January 2015 with its biggest and wildest event yet – across 3 inner city venues.

The NOW now is an Artist Run Initiative that has been working since 2001 to present a diverse and unique mix of exploratory, experimental, improvised, noise, sound-art, outsider, free, unpopular and generally ‘other’ music at a range of venues and spaces in Sydney and greater NSW.

The January festival is its annual highlight and showpiece. This year it boasts more than 50 performances involving over 100 Australian and international artists over a 5 day period at the three brilliant Marrickville venues: The Red Rattler, SNO Contemporary Art Projects and 55 Sydenham Rd.

Concerts, installations, panel discussions, workshops and a book launch… the NOW now is an almost indescribable explosion of mind-blowing creativity.

It all starts with festival drinks 5-7pm at SNO Contemporary Projects on Wednesday evening 14 January. Then the music begins from 7pm at the Red Rattler in Faversham Street with a line-up that includes Cor Fuhler (prepared piano), Dale Gorfinkel (vibraphone), Julia Reidy (guitar), Finn Ryan and Bonnie Stewart (drums); Peter Farrar (solo sax); Rhythm Complication (Germany’s Burkhard Beins on percussion with Sydney’s Clayton Thomas – just back from Berlin – on double bass); Sally Rainbow; Nigel Brown (accordion) with Thembi Soddell (sampler); and TraLaLa Blip – the electronic collective.

The festival continues nightly at the Red Rattler through Sunday with artists such as Alex Novitz, Sabine Vogel (Germany), ROIL (Chris Abrahams, Mike Majkowski and James Waples), Andrew Brooks, Jim Denley, Clare Cooper, Heddy Boubaker (France) Ivan Lisyak and Marcus Whale (electronics). Plus the famous Splinter Orchestra featuring ‘more than a score’ of improvising musos!

Weekend day sessions at SNO Contemporary Art Projects feature discussions moderated by Emily Morandini and Ivan Cheng, the launch of Frances Dyson’s book The Tone of Our Times: Sound, Sense, Economy and Ecology and a mediated improvisation workshop featuring Nowitz and Vogel.

Meanwhile the festival gallery runs 12-5pm daily Thurs-Sun at 55 Sydenham Rd and includes the work of Peter Blamey, Vicky Browne, Julian Day, Bronte Dow, Paul Greedy, Nathan Thompson, Public Collectors (US) and the Instrument Builders Project.

For full program, artist info, bookings and more, visit www.thenownow.net

Tickets are $20/$15 per night; $45/$35 three-day pass; $85/$65 five day pass.

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Editor of Jazz Australia, formerly contributor to Sydney Morning Herald and Women's Money MagazineMusic programmer and producer

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